The first crewed Apollo mission

On October 11, 1968, Apollo 7 – the first crewed Apollo mission – was launched. An engineering success, the mission was the first to successfully demonstrate command and service module with crew performance and also included the first American live broadcast from space. It wasn’t all rosy, however, as it also featured a mini mutiny in space, probably a first for NASA.

October 11, 2020 12:55 am | Updated November 10, 2021 12:15 pm IST

The crew – astronauts Walter Cunningham, Donn Eisele and Walter Schirra (left to right) – of the first manned Apollo space mission, Apollo 7, on the deck of the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever after suiting up for training in the Gulf of Mexico on August 5, 1968.

The crew – astronauts Walter Cunningham, Donn Eisele and Walter Schirra (left to right) – of the first manned Apollo space mission, Apollo 7, on the deck of the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever after suiting up for training in the Gulf of Mexico on August 5, 1968.

The word Apollo comes from the ancient stories and mythology of the Greeks, and corresponds to a god who is connected to many things, including but not limited to music, poetry, medicine and the sun. For most of us, however, the word is synonymous with the Apollo missions, which successfully landed the first human beings on the moon.

While the Apollo 11 mission and its crew of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are the most popular among them, most other Apollo missions also receive their due. One among them, Apollo 7, was the first Apollo mission with a human crew on board that went into space.

After a cabin fire had killed the crew of Apollo 1, NASA had not sent astronauts to space for nearly two years. They listened to their astronauts and enhanced the safety measures. Even though the unmanned Apollo missions 4, 5 and 6 (no missions or flights were designated 2 or 3) proved to be a success and proved the hardware was safe enough in space by itself, the stakes were high for Apollo 7.

Wally, Walter and Donn

The three member crew of Apollo 7 was commanded by Wally Schirra, who became the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programmes. Schirra was accompanied by two spaceflight novices, Walter Cunningham and Donn Eisele.

The spacecraft was launched on October 11, 1968 and entered orbit smoothly thereafter. After completing a couple of Earth orbits, Schirra turned the command module and simulated a docking with the third stage of the Saturn IB rocket. This manoeuvre was important as it proved to be a test for future dockings between the command and lunar modules of spacecraft.

Flintstones connect

The engine of the command module was next tested on multiple occasions as this engine was tasked with taking crews to the moon, slowing down while entering lunar orbit, speeding up to exit lunar orbit and also for the safe re-entry to Earth. The crew turned it on and off eight times and NASA termed them as perfect firings.

The crew, however, weren’t sure exactly what to expect on the first occasion when they did fire the engine. Startled while feeling the vibration produced by the powerful jolt given to the spacecraft while starting the engine, Schirra yelled “Yabba Dabba Doo!” – the catchphrase of a popular cartoon character Fred Flintsone from The Flintstones.

Apollo 7’s command module in the Flight Museum, Texas.

Apollo 7’s command module in the Flight Museum, Texas.

 

The mission achieved a lot of things that it set out to do, including the first live television broadcast from a manned spacecraft in space. It also exposed some of the engineering defects that could be rectified for the upcoming missions. The windows fogged, making visibility a problem for the astronauts, and there were also minor issues pertaining to the electrical and fuel systems. These were noted down, to be sorted for the future. And then, there were the mini mutinies from the space crew during their 11 days in space.

Mucus problem

The Apollo spacecraft was much more spacious than its predecessors, but it certainly wasn’t home. Space food is never a treat and even though the solid waste management system was adequate, it was annoying to say the least. To add to it, the crew members became sick as well.

Just 15 hours into the flight, Schirra came down with a severe head cold. The close confines meant the rest of the crew soon shared this fate of his. While you might think what the big deal is with a head cold, you must remember that this is happening in space. Annoying here on Earth itself, a cold is worse in space as the microgravity environment means that the mucus can’t be drained easily from the head. The crew members made their position clear on a number of occasions, available now in recorded conversations.

The biggest issue, however, came near the end of the mission. The crew decided not to wear the helmets, which had no visor openings, as they were concerned about the pressure of re-entry hurting their ears and wanting to have the chance of blowing their noses to relieve pressure if required. Even though ground control wasn’t happy about this, they went ahead with it, and arrived just fine.

It is worth mentioning that none of the three crew members ever flew again in space. Their move, however, got NASA thinking about the psychological aspects faced by astronauts during their time in space. Improved medicine, flexibility with respect to the work expected and other minor perks to keep crew members happy these days are all possibly a fallout of Apollo 7’s crew members making their displeasure felt.

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