Tag Archives: Goddard

May 23

Space Rocket History #464 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Coming Home

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Celebrations erupted in Mission Control, with broad smiles and cigar smoke marking the successful conclusion. But, while Mission control was celebrating, it was not yet known that the crew had been exposed to toxic fumes during descent. The crew was coughing and Brand lost consciousness.

Kubasov autographs the side of the Soyuz descent vehicle

Leonov and Kubasov (speaking) are interviewed by Soviet newsmen shortly after their safe landing in Kazakhstan

Final Apollo Splashdown

May 09

Space Rocket History #463 – Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – Joint Operations

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“I had thoughts I couldn’t express at the time. It felt like we weren’t just opening a hatch in space, but opening the door to a new era on Earth.”  Tom Stafford.

A diagram of the artificial solar eclipse experiment (Photo by Space Frontiers/Getty Images)

Second Docking of Apollo Soyuz

Soyuz View of Apollo Solar Eclipse

Soyuz View of Apollo Solar Eclipse

Jul 06

Space Rocket History #167 – Apollo 8 – Coasting Up Hill and Waste Management

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Just a few minutes after Apollo 8’s second TV broadcast, Borman, Lovell, and Anders passed Earth’s  gravitational hill top and crossed into the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence.

Apollo 8 leaving the spent third stage

Apollo 8 leaving the spent third stage

Apollo 8 Translunar Coast leaving Earth

Apollo 8 Translunar Coast leaving Earth

Apollo 8 mission patch

Apollo 8 mission patch

Jun 22

Space Rocket History #166 – Apollo 8 – Translunar Injection

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At T plus 40 seconds Apollo 8 went supersonic and the ride smoothed out. Now it was quite again, but Borman kept a watchful eye on the trajectory readouts. If there was a Saturn malfunction he could whisk the capsule away just by twisting the abort handle. This would trigger the escape rocket.

Apollo 8 Lunar Plan

Apollo 8 Lunar Plan

Apollo 8 Staging

Apollo 8 Staging

View from Apollo 8 in Earth orbit

View from Apollo 8 in Earth orbit