22 October 1968, 11:11:48 UTC: The first manned mission of the Apollo Program, Apollo 7, “splashed down” in the North Atlantic Ocean. The three man crew, Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham, had completed 163 orbits in 10 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes, 3 seconds. The spacecraft landed 7 nautical miles (13 kilometers) from the recovery ship, USS Essex (CVS-9).
© 2016, Bryan R. Swopes
ARE THESE DATES CORRECT?
To the best of my knowledge, yes.
In nine months, we tested out two new spacecraft and landed on the moon with those new spacecraft. Unbelievable.
Those were exciting times, James. My father, who was a program manager at Rocketdyne, used to say that not a single dollar was sent into space. It was all spent right here on Earth, with high-paying jobs, advances in technology that would have come so much slower (or not at all) without the Space Program. And the people who earned those salaries spent the money locally, buying homes, cars, appliances, services. The money rippled through the economy, benefiting so many others who did not work in the programs. . . .
That’s always been my belief, too!
I simply can’t imagine being stuck in that tiny spacecraft with two other guys fo 10 days straight!
You got that right! I couldn’t do it either.
Just think of those going to Mars…if we ever do. Yikes!