The Space Race
Puzzle 50 · The Road to the Moon · Page 74 in print
Apollo 7
Schirra, Eisele and Cunningham won an Emmy for the first live TV from a U.S. spacecraft.
Jump to a word
Apollo 7’s Saturn IB and spacecraft illuminated on Launch Complex 34 at night.
NASA / Johnson Space Center (S68-50712) · NASA media-use guidelines · Original recordThe words
Apollo Seven
Apollo 7 sent Schirra, Eisele and Cunningham into Earth orbit in October 1968. It was the first crewed Apollo flight, testing the command and service modules before missions to the Moon.
Bob Hope
After their flight, the Apollo 7 astronauts appeared on Bob Hope’s television variety show. The episode was filmed in the auditorium at NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston.
Did you know?
The skit also featured Barbara Eden, star of I Dream of Jeannie, alongside Paul Haney, the public-affairs official known as the voice of Mission Control.
Cunningham
Walt Cunningham was named lunar module pilot, although Apollo 7 carried no lunar module. He joined Schirra and Eisele in testing the command and service modules in Earth orbit.
NASA: Apollo 7’s crew and objectives (opens a new tab) · NASA: Apollo 7 launches (opens a new tab)
Donn Eisele
Donn Eisele served as command module pilot, working alongside Schirra and Cunningham. During the mission’s engine tests, he took the controls for a brief firing that slightly changed their orbit.
NASA: Apollo 7’s crew and objectives (opens a new tab) · NASA: Apollo 7’s tests and television (opens a new tab)
Eleven Days
The crew spent nearly eleven days in Earth orbit, longer than the planned lunar landing mission. This extended test checked whether Apollo’s spacecraft systems could support the journey.
Emmy Award
In 1969, the Apollo 7 astronauts received a special Emmy for their broadcasts from space. Schirra had joked about earning a television award while still in orbit.
Head Cold
Schirra developed a head cold early in the mission. Eisele and Cunningham reported similar symptoms, and congestion made the crew worry about clearing their ears during reentry.
NASA: Apollo 7 launches (opens a new tab) · NASA: Apollo 7 returns to Earth (opens a new tab)
Helmets
The crew reentered Earth’s atmosphere without helmets after discussion with Mission Control. Congestion had made them concerned that rising cabin pressure could injure their eardrums.
Hot Food
Apollo 7’s crew could add heated water to their dried meals and prepare hot coffee. This gave them warm food while they tested living aboard Apollo for nearly eleven days.
Live TV
The first live television broadcast from an American spacecraft began on October 14, 1968. Apollo 7’s crew carried a small video camera and made seven broadcasts during the mission.
Did you know?
One Saturday broadcast displaced the usual cartoons on all three television networks. Viewers instead watched the astronauts tour their spacecraft and perform a mock military drill.
NASA: Apollo 7’s crew and objectives (opens a new tab) · NASA: Apollo 7’s tests and television (opens a new tab)
S-IVB
The S-IVB was the Saturn IB’s second stage. Apollo 7 separated from it and then practiced returning to the spent stage, rehearsing approaches needed on later lunar missions.
Saturn IB
A Saturn IB lifted Apollo 7 from Launch Complex 34 on October 11, 1968. It was the first Saturn rocket to carry people, placing the crew in Earth orbit.
Schirra
Wally Schirra commanded Apollo 7 after flying in Mercury and Gemini. His Apollo flight made him the only astronaut to fly in all three programs.
USS Essex
After Apollo 7 splashed down in the Atlantic on October 22, 1968, a helicopter carried the crew to USS Essex. Navy personnel later brought the capsule aboard the carrier.
Yabba Dabba Doo
During an Apollo 7 engine test, Schirra called out Fred Flintstone’s familiar cartoon exclamation. The borrowed phrase expressed his excitement as the service module’s engine fired.
Sources
- Apollo 7 Ends, “101% Successful”John Uri; NASA Johnson Space Center; October 22, 2018; mission duration, reentry and recovery; original URL redirects to the article’s current address
- 50 Years Ago, Accolades for Apollo 7 AstronautsJohn Uri; NASA Johnson Space Center; November 1, 2018; postflight Bob Hope television appearance
- About Apollo 7, the First Crewed Apollo Space MissionNASA; July 8, 2015; mission objectives, crew roles, television broadcasts and flight summary
- 50 Years Ago, The Apollo 7 Mission ContinuesJohn Uri; NASA Johnson Space Center; October 18, 2018; Eisele’s engine test, television broadcasts, Emmy and Schirra’s cartoon exclamation
- 50 Years Ago: NASA Launched Apollo 7John Uri; NASA Johnson Space Center; October 11, 2018; launch, S-IVB approaches, hot meals and reported cold symptoms
- Walter M. SchirraNASA astronaut biography; NASA Experience, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions