Jun 27

Space Rocket History #260 – Apollo 13 – Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert

John Leonard Swigert Jr. aka Jack Swigert was born on August 30, 1931 in Denver, Colorado to parents John Leonard Sr. and Virginia Swigert.

Jack Swigert Apollo 13 CMP

Swigert on his fur chair

Astronaut Jack Swigert poses with model of the LM

Oct 18

Space Rocket History #228 – Apollo 11 – The Return

The next critical event in the Apollo 11 mission was the Trans-Earth Injection burn. The burn involved firing the big service propulsion engine for two and a half minutes on the back side of the moon.

Apollo 11 heading for home

Apollo 11 leaving the Moon

Apollo 11 returning to Earth

Oct 11

Space Rocket History #227 – Apollo 11 – Rendezvous, Docking and Jettisoning

The ascent of the Eagle was strikingly swift compared with the liftoff of the huge Saturn V rocket from Cape Canaveral. Of course for the Moon launch, there was no atmosphere resisting Eagle, and there was only one-sixth gravity to overcome.

Columbia photographed from Eagle

Eagle inspection and rendezvous

Eagle returns to Columbia with Earth watching

May 24

Space Rocket History #209 – Apollo 11 – Mission Training – Part 1

Crew training for Apollo 11 was already complicated by the need to master the controls of two different and very complex spacecrafts, as well as the space suit, but now the mission took on new dimensions, principally in learning how to set a 14.5-metric-ton lunar module safely down on the moon.

Lunar landing training

Neil & Buzz practice in LM simulator

Armstrong practices in the LM simulator with suit