Table of Contents

Project Apollo 4

Kennedy's Election Creates Uncertainty 7

The Challenge 10

Decision for the Spaceship 14

The Launch Vehicle 16

Mission 1 Saturn Apollo 1 (SA-1) 21

The Mission Mode 22

The Moon Lander 25

New Launch Pads and Factories 29

Mission 2 Saturn Apollo 2 (SA-2) 30

Flying Start for the Subsystems 36

Mission 3 Saturn Apollo 3 (SA-3) 38

Little Joe II 40

Boilerplates 42

Grumman Builds the Moon Ferry 44

1963: The Next Phase 49

Mission 4 Saturn Apollo 4 (SA-4) 54

Mission 5 Little Joe II Qualification Test (QTV) 55

Missions 6 and 17 - Pad Abort 56

1964: The Reference Mission 58

Test Flights 60

The Landing Vehicle 63

Project Fire 64

Saturn I Block 2 66

Mission 7 Saturn Apollo 5 (SA-5) 68

Missions 8 and 15 - FIRE 1 and FIRE 2 69

Mission 9 Little Joe A-D01 70

Mission 10 Saturn Apollo 6 (SA-6) 71

Mission 11 Saturn Apollo 7 (SA-7) 72

Mission 12 Little Joe A-002 73

Life inside the LEM 79

Hatches and Landing Legs 81

Power Plants for Ascent and Descent 84

Breathable Air, Electrical Power and Electronics 87

The Plan Takes Shape 90

1965: Command and Service Module 93

Mission 13 Saturn Apollo 9 94

Mission 14 Little Joe A-003 95

1965: The Moon Landing Module 97

The Spacesuit 100

Things Come Together 102

Mission 16 Saturn Apollo 8 (SA-8) 106

Mission 18 Saturn Apollo 10 (SA-10) 107

Qualification Flights 108

Problems 112

Valuable Lessons from the Gemini Program 115

Who Will Fly Apollo? 118

Saturn IB 120

Mission 19 Little Joe A-004 122

Mission 20 Saturn IB AS-201 123

Mission 21 Saturn IBAS-203 124

Mission 22 Saturn IBAS-202 125

Preparation for AS-204 126

January 27, 1967 129

The Investigation 134

Movement after Standstill 139

Mission 23 AS-501/Apollo 4 140

Apollo 4 - Maiden Flight of the Saturn V 142

Chronology 144