The Apollo Project
also known as the Apollo Project, was a series of manned missions to the moon undertaken by the United States from 1961 to 1972.
July 16, 1969, the huge "Saturn 5" rocket carrying the "Apollo 11" spacecraft from the U.S. launch site at Cape Kennedy ignited and lifted off, began the first human moon landing in space journey. American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins drove the Apollo 11 spacecraft over 380,000 kilometers, carrying the dream of all mankind to the surface of the moon. It was indeed a small step for one man, but a great step for all mankind. They witnessed the realization of the dream of going from the Earth to the Moon, a step that spanned 5,000 years.
Human exploration of the moon
Human research on the exploration of the moon began in the 1950s, when the two countries, the United States and the former Soviet Union, engaged in a fierce space race against the backdrop of the Cold War.
In 1957, the former Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial Earth satellite.
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union's Vostok spacecraft entered space with Yuri Gagarin wearing a 90-kilogram suit. Wearing a 90-kilogram space suit, Gagarin became the world's first aeronautical warrior to enter cosmic space and see the entire Earth from the cosmos. Gagarin's name, together with his charming smile, spread to every corner of the world. Marked down the manned spaceflight this epic scroll of the heavy one.
From then on, the science of manned spaceflight advanced by leaps and bounds. When the time is fixed in 1969 July 16, the United States took the lead in landing on the moon to complete this dream of mankind. By December 1972, the last flight of the Apollo program --- Apollo 17 landed on the moon, there have been 12 astronauts on the surface of the moon.
Mankind had an increasingly rational understanding of the moon. Each Apollo flights on the lunar surface for extensive investigation, collected a large number of lunar rocks, soil specimens, which brought back to earth from the moon on the moon rock samples amounted to 440 kilograms. Apollo flights at the same time installed many instruments on the moon to carry out scientific research, such as solar wind experiments and moonquake measurements. The moon was no longer a mystery.
The Moon is not as crystalline as when we look up at her from Earth. Her surface is uneven, covered with craters, and even a little eerie. As a permanent satellite of the Earth, she has always faithfully revolved around it. The diameter of the Moon is 3,476 kilometers, about 3/11 of the diameter of the Earth, and the surface area of the Moon is about 1/14 of the surface area of the Earth, which is slightly smaller than the area of Asia. The volume of the Moon is only equal to 1/49 of the volume of the Earth.
The surface of the Moon has a high vacuum, no magnetic field, stable geological structure, weak gravity and high clean environment, the backside of the Moon is not subject to the interference of the Earth's radio waves, and the establishment of the lunar astronomical observation bases, laboratories of bioproducts and new materials, the Earth observatory and the outposts of the deep-space exploration are of great political and scientific significance. The Moon is an ideal place to study lunar science, astrochemistry, space physics, life science, Earth observation science and material science.
The establishment of an astronomical observatory on the Moon can be free from the limitations of the Earth's atmosphere, and observations can be made in bands ranging from qamar rays to long radio wavelengths. An array of interferometers can be set up on the Moon in any wavelength band, and the quiet environment on the lunar surface ensures the accuracy of the measurements. Astrophysical phenomena such as supernova explosions and Qamar bursts can be observed in different bands.
While the moon is only a tiny member of the billions of stars, it is not just an ordinary satellite that revolves around the Earth forever. For human beings, the Moon is not only an outpost of the vast universe, but also a storehouse of resources on which human beings depend for their survival. The resources on the Moon are of incredible value to mankind. The basalt on the Moon contains 25 per cent ilmenite by volume, and there are probably more than 100 trillion tons of titanium. In the future, mankind will be able to produce water, liquid oxygen fuel and other resources directly from this rock. Uranium and rare earths, which are scarce on Earth, are also quite abundant on the Moon. In particular, helium-3, which is unique to lunar soil, will change the energy structure of human society. The soil on the surface of the Moon contains millions of tons of helium-3, which is a highly efficient, clean and safe nuclear fusion fuel, and 1 ton of helium-3 produces enough electricity for all mankind to use for 1 year. The moon's rich silicon, aluminum, iron and other metal resources are also a huge storehouse of future Earth mineral resources.
Today, the Moon has become more and more important to the development of human space technology. The development and utilization of lunar resources has become an important issue in the 21st century.
This is what makes the Moon so attractive and seductive. It is for this reason that the United States, the only country to have successfully landed on the moon, has restarted its lunar landing program after a 30-year hiatus, and on January 14, 2004, President George W. Bush made an ambitious announcement of a new U.S. space program.
President George W. Bush said, "It is time for America to take the next steps. Today I announce a new plan to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system. We will begin the effort quickly using existing programmes and personnel. We'll make steady progress, one mission, one voyage, one landing at a time. The last man to set a foot on a lunar surface said this as he left: 'We leave as we came, and God willing as we shall return with peace and hope for all mankind. America will make those words come true." ("The time has come for America to take the next step in the exploration of the universe. Today I am announcing our new plan to explore the vast universe. We will utilize the human and material resources available to us to define a clear plan. The last man to set foot on the moon once said this: we leave as we came, and God knows we will return with the hope of all mankind. Yes, we will make that come true.")
The plan, proposed by Bush, includes a series of unmanned U.S. explorations of the moon's surface no later than 2008, followed by putting a man on the moon as early as 2015 and no later than 2020, with the goal of continually prolonging the time spent living and working on the moon. Based on the knowledge and experience gained on the Moon, the U.S. will next be prepared to send people to explore Mars and beyond. A new generation of manned space vehicles is beginning to be designed and built, and the Cosmic Space Station will be assembled in the shortest possible time.
$86 billion provides NASA's budget for the next five years. The U.S. begins to build a new lunar program.
Besides the United States, a growing number of countries began to take an interest in the moon at the beginning of the new century. Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, and India have each launched their own lunar programs, and the sooner they set foot on the moon, the greater the opportunity to understand it and develop it. And in the far east opposite the United States, a giant dragon that had been sleeping for a hundred years roared.
Looking at our blue planet from space, the Asian continent is so vast, and China is so beautiful. A firm gaze, an upright body to carry the Chinese nation's dream of flying - October 15, 2003, the roar of the "Long March 5" rocket carrying 1.3 billion people's expectations straight to the dome of the sky, the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft astronaut Yang Liwei is the The Chinese government is proud to have the first Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei on board the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft.
The Chinese people's 40-year dream of flying to the sky, carried by the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft, has finally been realized. The moon is one step closer to us. At this time, the excited people of the country once again gathered their attention to the ancient myth - "Chang'e to the moon", people can not help but ask: "When will the Chinese people go to the moon, to see our relatives far away from the homeland
When will the Chinese go to the moon to see our loved ones who are far away from their homeland?
The moon beckons, and China's researchers have been quietly working for 10 years to explore the moon. China's aerospace science and technology workers as early as 1994 conducted the necessity and feasibility study of lunar exploration activities, completed the study of the technical program of lunar exploration satellites in 1996, completed the study of key satellite technologies in 1998, and later carried out the demonstration work. After 10 years of gestation, we have finally determined that our entire lunar exploration project will be divided into three phases, namely, "orbiting", "landing" and "returning". The first step will be the launch of the lunar probe satellite Chang'e-1 in 2006 to explore the lunar surface environment, geomorphology, topography, geological structure and physical field.
The second step, set for 2007 to 2010, is to develop and launch a spacecraft to land on the moon in a soft landing for exploration. The rovers and automated robots landing on the lunar surface will be used to detect the rock and mineral composition of the landing area and to measure the heat flow and the surrounding environment at the landing site.
The third step of the lunar run is scheduled for 2011 to 2020, with the goal of lunar surface inspection and sample return to provide data for the next step of manned lunar exploration and the selection of sites for the establishment of lunar outposts.
China's acceleration of the pace of the space industry because of the progress of space technology, but also able to drive the development of a large number of high-tech industries, the U.S. Apollo lunar landing program is the best example. "The Apollo lunar landing program not only trained a generation of high-level scientists, and its scientific research results also led to the 1960s and 1970s the United States and the world's computer technology, communications technology, measurement and control technology, rocket technology, laser technology, materials technology, medical technology and other high-tech comprehensive development, raising the overall level of science and technology to a new level. Development, the overall level of science and technology to a whole new height. The whole Apollo moon landing program*** has obtained more than 3,000 patents. On the economic front, according to statistics, every dollar invested in the Apollo program brought about an average of about five dollars in benefits.
Science and technology are productive forces in the space industry has once again been verified.
Mankind has now broken into space and set out to explore the moon. When we learned that China's lunar probe program is progressing well, we felt infinite relief. The moon is not so far away, and one day we will experience it together.
Maybe it will take another 20 years or more for the Chinese to realize their dream of going to the moon, but the moon is there, and she will never refuse to be explored
U.S. President George W. Bush said, "With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon we will then be ready to take the next steps of the space exploration, human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond." ("With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon we will then be ready to take the next steps of the space exploration, human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond. universe")
Missions
The Apollo program included 11 manned missions, from Apollo 7 through Apollo 17, all launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Apollo 4 through Apollo 6 were unmanned test flights (officially there was no Apollo 2 or Apollo 3).
Apollo 1
January 27, 1967. Astronauts Virgil Gleason, Edward White and Roger Chaffee were killed in a fire tonight. The fire engulfed their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the time. The spacecraft was scheduled to launch Feb. 21 and put them in Earth orbit for 14 days, and it was during a simulation exercise to conduct that launch that they died on the ground.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said an electrical spark probably ignited the pure oxygen in the Apollo spacecraft's cockpit. The three astronauts were sitting side by side on top of the Saturn 1 rocket on Launcher 34 at Cape Kennedy as if they were flying for real when the fire broke out at 6:31 p.m. that day.
They were stuck behind a closed hatch, unable to use the Apollo safety system because it was blocked by a missile trailer. First responders tried to reach them but were blocked by smoke rolling out of the hatch. The Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration gathered all information related to the fire. Officials said, "The loss of personnel and spacecraft dealt a severe blow to the Apollo moon landing program. Faced with budget cuts, the Apollo program struggled to achieve a moon landing in the late 1960s.
Apollo 7
After several unmanned Earth-orbit flights, Apollo 7 finally flew 163 times around the Earth on Oct. 11, 1968, with three astronauts.
Apollo 8
The first step toward manned lunar exploration was taken by Apollo 8. The Apollo 8 team of Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders lifted off aboard a Saturn 5 rocket on Dec. 21, which moved from orbit around the Earth to orbit the Moon. On December 21, 1968, the members of the Apollo 8 spacecraft returned safely to Earth after flying from Earth to the moon.
Apollo 9
Apollo 9 made a long flight in orbit around the Earth and further testing of the Lunar Module.
Apollo 10
Apollo 10, on the other hand, flew into orbit around the Moon and lowered the lunar module to within 15 kilometers of the lunar surface to test its performance.
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 finally landed on the Moon in July 1969, culminating the gradual Apollo lunar landing program, and Armstrong became the first man to land on the Moon, the most brilliant result of U.S. lunar exploration. In addition to bring back the moon rocks and dust research also played a great role. NASA has announced the Apollo moon landing program of the top ten discoveries
"Apollo" 12-17 spacecraft from November 1969 to December 1972, the United States launched the "Apollo" 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 spacecraft, which in addition to the "Apollo" 13 due to the explosion of the service module liquid oxygen tank suspended landing. Service module liquid oxygen tank explosion aborted the mission to the moon (two astronauts driving the spacecraft safely back to earth), *** have 12 astronauts are successful on the moon.
Apollo manned lunar landing project is specifically divided into the following aspects:
One, the lunar landing program: including the demonstration of the spacecraft to the moon flight trajectory and determine the overall layout of the manned spacecraft. From the "Apollo" spacecraft in the three kinds of flight program selected lunar orbit rendezvous program, accordingly determine by the command module, the service module and the lunar module composed of the overall layout of the spacecraft program.
Second, auxiliary plan: 4 auxiliary plans for the preparation of the lunar landing flight are: ① "Prowler" detector plan (1961-1965): *** launch 9 detectors, take 18,000 photos of the lunar surface condition in different lunar orbits, in order to understand the possibility of the spacecraft landing on the lunar surface. possibility. (ii) "Surveyor" Probe Program (1966-1968): ****Launched 5 automatic probes for soft landing on the lunar surface, sent back 86,000 photographs of the lunar surface through television, and detected data on the physical and chemical properties of the lunar soil. (iii) "Lunar Orbital Circulator" Program (1966-19677): **** Launched 3 probes to fly around the Moon, took high-resolution photographs of more than 40 pre-selected landing zones, and obtained more than 10,000 small-scale, high-resolution photographs of the Moon's surface, from which about 10 projected lunar landing sites were selected. ④ Gemini spacecraft program (1965-1966): 10 spacecraft with two astronauts each were launched to conduct medical-biological research and training in maneuvering, docking and extravehicular activities.
Three, the launch vehicle: "Apollo" spacecraft using high-thrust "Saturn" launch vehicle launch. Launch vehicle development in two stages: ① development of "Saturn" 1 and 1B, used to obtain experience in the development of large-scale launch vehicles and flight tests of the "Apollo" spacecraft. The Saturn 5 giant 3-stage launch vehicle was developed as a launch vehicle for the lunar landing of the spacecraft.
Four, test flights: 1966-1968, six unmanned flight tests were conducted, in near-Earth orbit to identify the command module, service module and lunar module of the spacecraft, and to test the power unit of the lunar module. 1968-1969, Apollo 7, 8 and 9 spacecrafts were launched to carry out manned flight tests. The main tests were simulations of orbiting the Earth and the Moon and of the descent of the lunar module from the circumlunar orbit, orbital maneuvers and simulated rendezvous, and simulations of the separation and docking of the lunar module from the command module. The Apollo 10 spacecraft, launched on May 18, 1969, conducted a rehearsal flight of the whole process of lunar landing, flying 31 times around the moon, and the two astronauts in the lunar module descended to an altitude of 15.2 kilometers above the surface of the moon.
V. Apollo spacecraft: The Apollo spacecraft consists of three parts: the command module, the service module and the lunar module.
1. Command module - astronauts live and work in flight cockpit, but also the control center of the whole spacecraft. Command module is conical, 3.2 meters high, weighing about 6 tons. The command module is divided into three parts: the front cabin, the astronaut cabin and the rear cabin. Inside the front cabin are the landing parts, recovery equipment and attitude control engine, etc. The astronaut cabin is sealed and contains the landing parts, recovery equipment and attitude control engine. The cosmonaut module is a sealed compartment containing necessities and life-saving equipment for the astronauts to live for 14 days. The aft module contains 10 attitude control engines, various instruments and storage boxes, as well as attitude control, guidance and navigation systems, on-board computers and radio subsystems.
2. Service module -- the front end and the command module docking, the rear end of the propulsion system with the main engine nozzle. The cabin is cylindrical, 6. 7 meters high, 4 meters in diameter, weighing about 25 tons. The main engine is used for orbit transfer and re-orbiting maneuvers. Attitude control system consists of 16 rocket engines, they are also used for the spacecraft and the third stage of the rocket separation, docking of the lunar module and the command module and the command module and the service module separation.
3. The Moon Landing Module (MLM) is composed of a descent stage and an upper stage, weighing 14.7 tons at takeoff from the ground, with a width of 4.3 meters and a maximum height of about 7 meters. ①Descent stage: consists of landing engine, four landing legs and four instrumentation compartments. The upper stage is the main body of the lunar module. The astronauts will return to the circumlunar orbit in the upper stage to meet the command module after completing the lunar surface activities. The upper stage consists of the astronaut's cockpit, return engine, propellant tank, instrument module and control system. The capsule can accommodate two astronauts (but has no seats) and has equipment for navigation, control, communications, life support and power supply.
4. Moon landing flight - "Apollo" 11 spacecraft in 1969 July 20-21 for the first time to realize the ideal of man on the moon. Since then, the United States launched the Apollo spacecraft six times, five of which were successful. A total of 12 astronauts landed on the moon.
"Apollo" 11 spacecraft to the moon on July 16, 1969 by the "Saturn" No. 5 rocket carrying the "Apollo" 11 spacecraft ascension. The spacecraft was sent to a low altitude parking orbit around the Earth when the third stage rocket was extinguished. A second ignition of the third stage accelerated the spacecraft into an Earth-Moon transition orbit. The spacecraft separated from the third stage rocket and began to approach the Moon after 2.5 days in the transition orbit, decelerated by the main engine of the service module, which put the spacecraft into a circumlunar orbit. Astronauts N.A. Armstrong and E.E. Aldrin entered the Lunar Module and piloted it to separate from the mother ship and descend to the lunar surface for a soft landing. The other astronaut remained in the command module and continued along the circumlunar orbit. The astronauts unfolded the solar cell array on the lunar surface, set up the lunar seismometer and laser reflector, collected 22 kg of lunar rock and soil samples, and then piloted the upper stage of the lunar module to return to the circumlunar orbit, rendezvoused and docked with the mother ship, and then discarded the lunar module, started the main engine of the service module to accelerate the spacecraft and entered the transition orbit between the Moon and the Earth. When approaching the Earth, the spacecraft enters the re-entry corridor, throws off the service module, makes the domed bottom of the command module face forward, and decelerates under the powerful aerodynamic force. At low altitude, the command module ejected three parachutes to further reduce the rate of descent." Apollo" 11 spacecraft command module on July 24 in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii splashdown.