A
Aaron, John, 202
Agena, 40–42
airglow, 239–40
Anders, Alan, 273
Apollo 8 launch, 130–33
Christmas Eve broadcast from space, 213–15
first glimpse of the far side of the moon, 189–90
lunar excursion model (LEM) experience, 103–05
moved from Apollo 9 crew to Apollo 8, 3–6, 103–04
photography of the moon, 197–98, 203–04
post-mission feelings, 250
role on Apollo 8, 139–40
Anders, Eric, 273
Anders, Gayle, 273
Anders, Glen, 273
Anders, Gregory, 273
Anders, Valerie, 105, 118–19, 149–53, 207–08, 218, 273
animals in space, 115–16
Apollo 1
astronauts’ feelings about, 67–69
communications problems, 70–73
frustration with the construction of, 61–68
hatch operation, 68–69
lemon prank, 60–62
plugs-out test, 68–73
surveying the remains of, 80–82
taking responsibility for the tragedy, 76–77
Apollo 4, 88–90
Apollo 5, 90
Apollo 7, 114–15
Apollo 8
Christmas celebrations, 226–28
Christmas Eve broadcast from space, 212–16, 228–29
clothing and personal equipment, 174, 268
commemorative patch design, 272
computer operations, 155–56, 231–32
as the first circumlunar flight, 92, 97
as the first lunar orbit flight, 97–100, 175–76
hatch operation, 128
interior conditions, 173–74, 267
launch day schedule, 123–24, 128–29
launch window options, 110–12
meaning for future Apollo missions, 99, 232
media coverage, 164–69, 176–79, 194–95, 198–200, 205–06, 212–16, 229
mistakes made onboard, 140–42, 231–32
naval recovery of, 111–12
post-recovery celebrations, 248–50, 276
pre-launch celebrations, 118, 264
pre-launch visit by Charles Lindbergh, 119–21
public viewings of the launch, 118, 125–26, 127
recovery in the Pacific Ocean, 246–50
reentry, 232–45
roles and responsibilities, 139–40, 155
separation maneuver, 155–59
spacecraft condition after recovery, 250
splashdown, 110–11, 245–48, 270
tasks to be completed before, 94–95
teams of astronauts considered, 95–96
Trans-Earth Injection (TEI), 216–25
translunar injection (TLI), 135–37, 142–48
Apollo 10, 254
Apollo 11, 254–55
Apollo spacecraft
compared to Mercury and Gemini, 1, 19, 137–38
cutaway diagram, 265
design flaws, 63–65
poor workmanship of, 61–62
quality control problems, 65–66
size and spaciousness, 137–38
Armstrong, Neil, 254–55, 271, 275
astronauts
celebration of the, 253–54
diversity, 255
family life of, 104–05, 149–54, 218–19, 273
glamorization of, 19, 24–25, 105–06, 118–19
job responsibilities, 25–26
medical testing of, 33–37
military backgrounds of, 19, 38, 64–65
recruitment of, 19
takeoff preparation and ignition, 45–46
training, 26
Atlas, 40–41
audio communication, 152, 159–61, 169–70, 183–87
B
Babbitt, Donald, 71
Berry, Charles, 162–63
“black program” engineering, 65
booster(s). See rockets
Borman, Edwin, 17, 153–54, 180–82, 273
Borman, Frank, 266, 269, 273, 275
airplanes and flying, love of, 11–12, 17
Apollo 1 tragedy, 77–84
Apollo 8 launch, 130–33
Apollo redesign involvement, 83–84, 86–87
applies to become an astronaut, 19–21
childhood health issues, 11
Christmas Eve broadcast from space, 213–17
criticism of North American Aviation, 63–65
“custard” code for family challenges, 7, 185–86
disdain for celebrity, 118–19
Gemini 7, 31–32, 34–37, 46–49, 51–59
illness on Apollo 8, 161–64
medical experiments on, 34–37
moved from Apollo 9 crew to Apollo 8, 3–6, 103–05
Nellis Air Force Base training, 13–15
Philippines military post, 15
post-mission feelings, 251
post-recovery speech, 249
role of commander on Apollo 8, 139
time spent in space, 137
Titan concerns, 26–28
West Point experiences, 12–13
Borman, Frederick, 15, 153–54, 180–82, 228–29, 273
Borman, Susan, 273
Christmas celebrations, 228–29
concerns about a lunar orbit, 7–9
coping during Apollo 8, 180–82, 218, 222, 224
“custard” code for family challenges, 7, 185–86
relationship with the press, 153–54
Brand, Vance, 196
Braun, Wernher von, 89, 100–01, 107–08, 132
Buckner, James, 228–29
C
calcium retention testing, 35–36
carbon dioxide within the spacecraft, 141–42
Carr, Jerry, 175, 184–86, 192–93, 271
Challenger tragedy, 255–56
Charlesworth, Cliff, 134, 136, 144
Christmas
on Apollo 8, 226–28
for the Apollo 8 families, 228–30
Christmas Eve broadcast from space, 212–16, 228–29
circumlunar flight, 92. See also lunar orbit
Cold War, 17–18, 250, 256, 257
Collins, Mike, 47–48, 130, 132, 136, 144–48, 177–79, 231–32
COLOSSUS software, 109–10
Columbia tragedy, 256
command-service module (CSM), 93–94, 97–98, 104, 264, 267
communication, advances in, 257
Conrad, Pete, 275
Cooper, Gordon, 274
Cronkite, Walter, 41–42, 88–89, 129–30, 212, 219, 244, 246
current events/political events
1967, 85–86
antiwar protests, 86
Civil Rights Act and race relations, 85–86
Cold War, 17–18, 250, 256, 257
D
data storage equipment (DSE), 160–61
Deiterich, Chuck, 136
dump tapes, 160–61
E
Earth
airglow, 239–40
origins of life on, 195–96
view from space, 157–58, 176–78, 203–04
Earthrise (Anders), 203–04, 272
earthshine, 200
Ellington Air Force Base, 276
F
fatigue, 209–12. See also sleeping in space
Field, John, 249
financial issues, 256–57
food on the spacecraft
Christmas dinner, 227–28
consequences of contraband, 60
free-return trajectory, 92–93
G
Gemini
design and capabilities, 29–31, 137
first flight, 29
success of the program, 62
and the Titan booster, 25–28
Gemini 5, 38
Gemini 7
backup crew, 47–48
crew, 31–32
design, 45–46
experimental nature of, 29–32
medical testing of crew, 33, 35–37
physical sensations aboard, 45–47, 50
rendezvous with Gemini 6, 53–59
space suit requirement, 51–52, 54
as a target for Gemini 6, 43–44
Gemini 12, 62
gender issues
astronauts, 18–19
scientists and mathematicians, 18–19
get-me-down suits, 51–52
g-forces within a spacecraft, 46, 48–49, 130, 239, 241–42
Gilruth, Bob, 91–95, 100–01, 187–88
Glenn, John, 274
Earth orbit, 23
sense of humor, 34
glossary of terms, 259–62
gravity
lunar, 98–99
speed precision required to orbit the moon, 142–43
weightlessness, 137–38
Grissom, Gus, 23, 60–62, 66–73, 81–82, 274
H
Haney, Paul, 47, 193, 238–39, 244
Hannigan, Jim, 74
hardware requirements, 7–8
health
calcium retention testing, 35–36
effects of space travel, 31
fatigue, 209–12
medical testing of Gemini 7 crew, 33, 35–37
physical exams of astronauts, 33–37
radiation sickness, 162–63
seasickness after splashdown, 247
vision testing, 36
helium as a solution to the pogo problem, 107–08
Houston Oilers, 180
Humphrey, Hubert, 249
I
International Space Station (ISS), 255
Internet, 257
J
Johnson, Lyndon, 85–86, 90, 101–02, 249, 253
Jones, Donald, 248
K
Kennedy, John F.
lunar mission deadline, 2, 65–66, 85, 102
significance of a lunar mission, 257–58
Kennedy, Robert, 90
King, Jack, 129
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 90
Korean War, 13
Kraft, Chris, 271
Apollo 8 planning, 91–101, 111–12
Gemini mission, 43–44
during loss of signal (LOS), 187–88, 222–24
SPS burn, 171–73
Kranz, Gene, 74–77, 99–100, 134–37, 148, 187, 271
L
launch site considerations, 38–39
LeMay, Curtis, 19–20
Lindbergh, Charles, 119–21
loss of signal (LOS), 183, 185–87, 192–93
Lovell, Jay, 273
Lovell, Jeffrey, 273
Lovell, Jim, 266, 269, 273, 275
background and personality, 37–38
Christmas Eve broadcast from space, 213–15
computer code mistake, 231–32
describes the view of the Earth, 177–78
first glimpse of the far side of the moon, 189
Gemini 7, 32, 34–37, 46–49, 51–59
Gemini 12, 62
life vest inflation mistake, 141–42
lunar orbit announcement, 193–94
and Marilyn Lovell, 118–19, 121–23
medical experiments on, 34–37
moved from Apollo 9 crew to Apollo 8, 3–6, 103–04
post-mission feelings, 250
role of navigator on Apollo 8, 139
time spent in space, 137
Lovell, Marilyn, 106, 118–19, 121–23, 208–09, 218–19, 224, 229–30, 273
Low, George, 91–95, 100–01, 114
lunar excursion module (LEM), 41, 103–05
lunar gravity
mapping, 98–99
overcomes Earth’s gravity, 175–76
lunar orbit. See also circumlunar flight
announcement of, 193–94
hardware requirements, 7–8
Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI), 8
risks of, 7–9
software requirements, 108–10
start of, 192
Trans-Earth Injection (TEI), 8, 201
Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI), 8, 183–84
M
manning list, 134
mascons, 98–99
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 108–10
Mattingly, Ken, 212–13, 216–17, 219–20, 223–24, 244
McAuliffe, Christa, 255–56
McCain, John, III, 111
McCain, John, Jr., 111–12
McDonnell Aircraft, 62–63
McGee, Charles, 15–16
media coverage, 164–69, 176–79, 194–95, 198–200, 205–06, 212–16, 229
medical testing of Gemini 7 crew, 33, 35–37
Mercury missions/spacecraft
design of, 30
relative success of, 23–24
Mission Control, 270
Apollo 8 training, 112–14
awaiting the Trans-Earth Injection (TEI), 222–24
communications blackout, 183–93, 233, 240, 244
manning list, 134
post-recovery celebration, 248, 254
private audio transmissions to, 161–64
reentry communications, 244–46
rendezvous between Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, 54, 58
moon
Brand Crater, 196
crater naming, 201–02
gravity on the, 98–99
ideal positioning of the, 110–11
John Aaron’s Crater, 202
landing, 254–55
lunar terminator, 214
origins of the, 195
photography, 139–40, 197–98, 203–04
Sea of Fertility, 199
Sea of Tranquility, 123
seas of the, 104–05
Triangular Mountain (“Mount Marilyn”), 199–200
Tsiolkovsky Crater, 197
motion sickness, 138, 164, 247
“Mount Marilyn” (Triangular Mountain), 199–200
Mueller, George, 101–02
N
NASA
Distinguished Service Medal awards, 253
government spending questions, 256
and McDonnell Aircraft, 62–63
and North American Aviation, 63–65, 83–84
pressure to meet JFK’s deadline, 65–66, 85, 102
reliability required by, 97–98
reputation and appearances, 22–23
rocket building, 22–23
technological advances, 257
Nellis Air Force Base, 13
North American Aviation
design and manufacture of Apollo, 63–65
human-factors division, 63–65
redesign of Apollo spacecraft, 83–84
nuclear war, fears of, 18
O
oxygen requirements, 68
P
passive thermal control (PTC), 173–74
Paul VI, Pope, 169
photography of the moon, 139–40, 197–98, 203–04
physics of spaceflight, 170–71
Pilyugin, Nikolai, 117
plugs-out test, 68–73
Podgorny, Nikolai, 249–50
predictions from history, 257–58
pyro arm, 236
R
radiation sickness, 162–63
Raish, Donald, 208–09
rendezvous between Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, 53–59
risks
astronauts not returning, 152–53
humans leaving Earth’s gravity, 145
reentry, 232–34
Saturn V, 88
software crashes, 109–10
rockets
building, 22–23
Cape Kennedy as the perfect launch site, 38–39
Gemini and the Titan booster, 25–26
ignition, 45–46
pogo problem, 107–08
safety concerns about, 26–28
S
Saturn V, 86–90, 94, 100–01, 107–08, 121–23, 135–36, 155–59, 263, 265
Schirra, Wally, 34, 38, 42, 53–59, 83, 274
Schmitt, Harrison, 271
Schweikart, Rusty, 95–96
Scott, Dave, 95–96
Sea of Fertility, 199
Sea of Tranquility, 123
See, Elliot, 275
Service Propulsion System (SPS), 8, 92–93, 170–72, 201
simulators
integrated sims, 114
simulation supervisors (“simsups”), 112–14
skip reentry, 234
Slayton, Donald Kent (“Deke”), 271, 274
Apollo 1 plugs-out test, 70, 72, 78
Apollo 8, 3–6, 94–96, 103, 124, 226–27
and Frank Borman, 26, 31–32, 103
matching up astronauts and jobs, 26
sleeping in space, 50, 174–75. See also fatigue
Snoopy hats, 174
software requirements, 108–10
Soviet/US relations
after Apollo 1, 91–92
Cold War, 17–18
congratulatory remarks after Apollo 8, 249–50
N-1 rocket, 165
rendezvous and docking attempt, 40–41
Space Race, 18–19, 115–17, 164–67, 256
Sputnik, 18
space exploration
astronaut diversity, 255
Challenger tragedy, 255–56
Columbia tragedy, 256
International Space Station (ISS), 255
progress made, 255
space sickness, 138
space suits, 50–52, 54, 124–25, 268, 274
spacecraft. See also specific missions
animals onboard, 115–16
building, 22–23
command-service module (CSM), 93–94
differences between, 3, 19, 29–31
inspections in space, 55–58
speed precision required to orbit the moon, 142–43
splashdown, 110–11, 245–48, 270
Sputnik, 18
Stafford, Tom, 38, 42, 53–57, 275
star navigation, 139
Storms, Harrison (“Stormy”), 67–68
sustainer engine cutoff (SECO), 148
T
technological advances, 257
temperature considerations, 125, 173–74, 233, 236
thrust, 170–71
toilet needs, 52–53, 141–42, 170–71, 173
Trans-Earth Injection (TEI), 8, 201, 216–25
translunar injection (TLI), 135–37, 142–48
Triangular Mountain (“Mount Marilyn”), 199–200
U
USS McMorris, 115
USS Wasp, 59
USS Yorktown, 224–25, 243, 248–50, 270
US/Soviet relations. See Soviet/US relations
V
Van Allen belts, 162–63
vision testing, 36
W
Webb, Jim, 101–02
weightlessness, 137–38
Wendt, Guenter, 127–28
White, Ed, 38, 47–48, 56–57, 61, 67, 69–73, 79–80, 81–82, 275
Y
Young, John, 275
Z
zero gravity (“zero-g”), 26