Apollo Recovery (1969)

Heat. Heat. [Music] When man journeys to the moon, he will use a large and complex transportation system. It's called Apollo Saturn. All told, the assembly is 363 feet high and at ignition weighs over 6 million pounds. Of this, the portion that will make the trip to the moon is the top 53 ft. The slender device at the very top is the launch escape system. If the launch is smooth and all systems operate properly, it is discarded early in the flight. The spacecraft consists of the command module, the service module, and the lunar module. The command module is crew quarters, cockpit, and headquarters for the 8-day voyage. This is the only portion of the spacecraft that will return to Earth. The atmosphere inside will be such that the astronauts will not have to endure the discomfort of wearing their bulky, pressuretight space suits all the time. However, for safety and emergency reasons, one crew member will be in his space suit at all times. Directly below the command module is the service module. In a sense, this is the basement of the spacecraft. Here are the fuel cells that will generate the electricity required for the spacecraft, radio antennas, storage space for experimental equipment and tools, fuel and oxidizer tanks. For the service module also contains the main propulsion engine for lunar and earth travel. As Apollo approaches the Earth, the service module is abandoned and the command module returns alone. At launch, the lunar module occupies the third position in the spacecraft. During the lunar trajectory, the command module and the service module fly out about 100 ft, turn around, and come back to dock with the lunar module. [Music] As the spacecraft approaches the moon, it looks like this. [Music] The lunar module actually consists of two vehicles. The descent stage, which is mainly the landing gear and an engine that is gimbled and can be throttled, and the ascent stage, consisting of yet another engine and cockpit or cabin portion. After the lunar exploration period, the descent stage is left on the moon. As the ascent stage lifts to rendevu with the command module after the crewman transfer to the command module, the lunar module is left in lunar orbit as the command module is steered into its homeward course. command service and lunar modules each performing an important job as man reaches for the moon. [Music] [Laughter] [Music]