Project Apollo ran from 1961 to 1972 and was originally designed to carry out a series of manned missions which would orbit the Earth. However, in May 1961 the American President, John F. Kennedy, made his famous speech to congress. In this speech he announced his desire to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade and to return him safely to Earth. Show This announcement led to a major change in direction for the Apollo program, which would now be responsible for realising Kennedy's dream. It was only at this point that the Gemini space program was announced, with its own goal of developing techniques for the moon landings. The Gemini program was not completed until 1966, with the first manned Apollo mission planned for early in 1967. Things did not get off to a good start. On 27th January 1967 the crew of Apollo 1 were killed during a training exercise. This was caused by an electrical spark somewhere in the Apollo capsule's 31 miles of wiring. Thanks to the Oxygen rich atmosphere of the capsule, the fire spread very quickly and within just 17 seconds all three astronauts on board were dead, including Gus Grissom, one of the original Mercury 7. The accident led to a complete redesign of the Apollo capsule, including changing the atmosphere to an oxygen / nitrogen mixture, just like the atmosphere on Earth.  Buzz Aldrin on the Lunar surface (NASA) The delays the accident caused meant that the next manned mission, Apollo 7, was not launched until October 1968, giving NASA just over a year to reach the lunar surface before the end of the decade. Before the year was out Apollo 8 became the first manned capsule to orbit the moon, with the crew spending Christmas in space. This mission saw a number of important firsts for the space program. It was the first time astronauts had passed through Van Allen's radiation belts and the first time man had witnessed an earthrise. Perhaps most importantly, however, the astronaut Jim Lovell was able to confirm that there is a Santa Claus from his unique vantage point of the Earth on Christmas Day 1968. By the summer of 1969 NASA were ready to attempt a moon landing when, on July 16th, Apollo 11 was launched carrying Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Once again, the mission did not go as smoothly as planned. During their descent to the Moon the Lunar Module's (LM) guidance computer was leading the crew towards a large crater, surrounded by a field of rocks. Armstrong had to take manual control of the LM and was able to guide it to a safe landing site with just 15 seconds of fuel left. Despite such problems the mission was a success and on July 21st Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to set foot on the Moon. Apollo was the NASA program that sent the first humans to the Moon. From 1969 to 1972, a total of 6 spacecraft carrying 12 astronauts landed on the lunar surface. It was the only time humans have ever walked on another celestial body, and none have left Earth orbit since. On 25 May 1961, just 20 days after Alan Shepard became the first American to fly into space, President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress to ask for funding to start the ambitious program: "I believe that this nation should commit itself, to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth," Kennedy said. NASA met the goal on 20 July 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface during Apollo 11. The program culminated in 1972 with Apollo 17. It cost roughly $257 billion in 2020 dollars and employed 400,000 Americans at its peak. In total, Apollo astronauts returned 382 kilograms of lunar rocks, core samples, and regolith from the lunar surface. The samples showed the Moon is a lifeless world that formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago, experienced catastrophic change 3.8 billion years ago, and has been relatively (though not completely) inactive since. Its rocks are chemically related to Earth, supporting the theory that the Moon was created when another large world impacted early Earth. Apollo 711 October 1968 Mission Page Apollo 821 December 1968 Mission Page Apollo 93 March 1969 Mission Page Apollo 1018 May
1969 Mission Page Apollo 1116 July 1969 Mission Page Apollo 1214 November 1969 Mission Page Apollo 1311 April 1970 Mission Page Apollo 1431 January 1971 Mission Page Apollo 1526 July 1971 Mission Page Apollo 1616 April 1972 Mission Page When did the Apollo program start and why?The Apollo program was conceived during the Eisenhower administration in early 1960, as a follow-up to Project Mercury. While the Mercury capsule could support only one astronaut on a limited Earth orbital mission, Apollo would carry three.
How long did the Apollo program last?The Apollo program was designed to land humans on the Moon and bring them safely back to Earth. Six of the missions (Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) achieved this goal.
When did Apollo 11 program start?Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin into an initial Earth-orbit of 114 by 116 miles.
How did the Apollo program start?The Apollo program grew out of the space race, a contest that began in 1957 between the capitalist U.S. and communist Soviet Union over superiority in space. With the Russians ahead during the start of the race, U.S. President John F.
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When did the Apollo program start
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