Apollo 5

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem Apollo 5
Mission dates
Mission: Apollo 5
COSPAR-ID : 1968-007
Lunar Module: LM-1
Launcher: Saturn IB , serial number SA-204
Crew: no
Begin: January 22, 1968, 10:48:09 PM  UTC
Starting place: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , LC-37-B
Landing:
Flight duration: 11 h 10 min
◄ Before / After ►
Apollo 4
(unmanned) 		Apollo 6
(unmanned)

Apollo 5 was an unmanned test flight as part of the Apollo program . The main objective was to test the lunar module (LM for Lunar Module ), which was being tested in space for the first time . The internal project name was AS-204 .

Launcher was that Saturn IB , which was also used in the ground test, in which the three astronauts of Apollo 1 was killed. The rocket was undamaged in the fire at the time and could still be used. The LM-1 was controllable and maneuverable, but no landing legs were mounted. As there was no need for a rescue rocket, unlike manned launches, the Saturn IB was only 55 meters high. Instead of an Apollo spaceship, there was a cone at the tip, which was thrown off before the tests.

The launch took place on January 22, 1968 and the rocket worked flawlessly. In a near-earth orbit , the lunar module was separated from the second stage. Then the descent stage engine should bring the LM into a higher orbit. When it was ignited, it did not burn for the planned 39 seconds, but was switched off prematurely by the on-board computer after four seconds. The fault lay in a computer program that stops the motor if the desired parameters are not reached quickly enough. The reason for this was that shortly before take-off, the procedure for the fuel supply was changed due to the suspicion of a leaky control valve. The programmers were not informed about this change, which led to a delay in the build-up of thrust and would have made it necessary to adjust the waiting time before testing the parameters. Since the motor did not reach the desired parameters after the programmed time, the control program was used for the tests on the test bench . The two further ignitions were then successful. After separation from the descent stage, the ascent stage also passed a successful engine test.

After the mission was completed, the two parts of the lunar module remained in Earth orbit for some time and burned up independently in the atmosphere , the ascent stage on January 24th and the descent stage on February 12th, 1968.

  • The lunar landing module LM-1 in preparation for take-off

  • Apollo 5 before the start

  • Start of the Saturn IB

Web links

Commons : Apollo 5  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Don Eyles: Tales From The Lunar Module Guidance Computer. In: 27th annual Guidance and Control Conference. American Astronautical Society, February 6, 2004, accessed December 19, 2019 .