| 1st October 1958 NASA is formed. 9th April 1959 - Mercury 7 astronauts meet for the first time and are introduced to the press "Ladies and gentlemen the astronaut volunteers." Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard and Slayton. 20th January 1961 - Astronauts told first crew assignments. MR3 Shepard MR4 Grissom, Glenn will be backup for both flights. 20th February 1961- Public announcement that either Glenn Grissom or Shepard will make the first Mercury flight on 2nd May 1961. 5th May 1961 - Mercury Redstone 3 - Freedom 7: Cdr Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr USN BU Glenn 25th May 1961 - President J.F.Kennedy tells congress: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." NASA has 3142 days in which to fulfil their president's challenge. 21st July 1961 - Mercury Redstone 4 - Liberty Bell 7: Capt Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom USAF BU Glenn 1st September 1961 - MR5 Glenn cancelled. 27th October 1961 - First Apollo launch vehicle test, SA-1. 1st November 1961 - MR6 Slayton cancelled. 29th November 1961 - Public announcement For next two Mercury flights. MA6 Glenn December 1961 backup Carpenter. MA7 Slayton April 1962 backup Schirra. 20th February 1962 - Mercury Atlas 6 - Friendship 7: Lt-Col John Hershel Glenn Jr USMC BU Carpenter 15th March 1962 - MA7 Delta 7 Slayton removed from flight due to heart irregularity, idiopathic atrial fibrillation. Carpenter assigned to mission after backing up Glenn on the first orbital flight. 24th May 1962 - Mercury Atlas 7 - Aurora 7: Lt-Cdr Malcolm Scott Carpenter USN BU Schirra 27th June 1962 - Public announcement that Schirra will pilot the next Mercury flight with Cooper as backup. 17th September 1962 - Group 2 astronauts announced. Armstrong, Borman, Conrad, McDivitt, Lovell, See, Stafford, White and Young. 18th September 1962 - Donald Slayton confirmed as the Coordinator of Astronaut activities at the MSC. 30th October 1962 - Mercury Atlas 8 - Sigma 7: Cdr Walter Marty Schirra Jr USN BU Cooper 14th November 1962 - Public announcement that Cooper will pilot next Mercury flight with Shepard as backup. Shepard is hoping to fly MA10 on a 3 day flight in 1963. 15th May 1963 - Mercury Atlas 9 - Faith 7: Maj Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr USAF BU Shepard 12th June 1963 MA10 - Freedom II: Shepard cancelled. 14th October 1963 - Group 3 astronauts announced. Aldrin, Anders, Bassett, Bean, Cernan, Chaffee, Collins, Cunningham, Eisele, Freeman, Gordon, Schweickart, Scott and Williams. Early crews for Gemini. GT3 Shepard Stafford 18 orbit flight backups Grissom Borman 14 day flight. GT 4 McDivitt White 7 day SEVA with station keeping exercises backups Conrad Lovell. GT5 Schirra Young first rendezvous flight. Gemini Agena Target Vehicle delayed until GT6. Schirra Young moved to GT3 backups and Grissom Borman moved to GT5. October 1963 - Shepard removed from GT3 and astronaut flight status due to Menieres Syndrome. Grissom moved to GT3 with Young, Stafford removed from GT3 and teamed with Schirra on GT6 for the rendezvous mission whilst Cooper is made commander on GT5. Conrad is moved from the GT4 back-up slot to the GT5 prime crew. Borman moved to the GT4 back-up crew to join Lovell who will now fly on GT7. Grissom and Young are also pencilled in for the GT6 back-up crew. 16th January 1964 - John Glenn leaves astronaut corps. 13th April 1964 - GT3 crew announced as Grissom Young with backups Schirra Stafford. 16th July 1964 Carpenter has motorcycle accident in Bermuda and is later removed from astronaut active list. His injury was to his left forearm which resulted in his ulna and radius being fused, causing him to be unable to rotate his forearm to the palm up position. 27th July 1964 - GT4 crew announced as McDivitt White with backups Borman Lovell. 30th October 1964 - Capt Theodore Cordy "Ted" Freeman USAF is killed in a T-38 crash near Ellington AFB. His plane was hit by a goose that shattered his canopy sending pieces into both engines. He ejected too low for his parachute to work and died of a fractured skull and massive internal injuries. Freeman would have been Slayton's choice to join Stafford on Gemini 12. 8th February 1965 - GT5 crew announced as Cooper Conrad with backups Armstrong See. 23rd March 1965 - Gemini Titan 3 - Molly Brown: Maj Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom USAF BU Schirra Lt-Cdr John Watts Young USN BU Stafford 5th April 1965 - GT6 crew announced as Schirra Stafford with backups Grissom Young. 25th May 1965 - EVA approved for GT4 3rd June 1965 - Gemini Titan 4: Maj James Alton McDivitt USAF BU Borman Maj Edward Higgins White II USAF BU Lovell June 1965 - Group 4 astronauts announced. Garriott, Gibson, Graveline, Kerwin, Michel and Schmitt. 29th June 1965 - X-15 flight 44 Capt Joseph Henry Engle USAF flies to a height of 53.14 miles at a speed of 3432 mph during a ten and a half minute flight. 1st July 1965 - GT7 crew announced as Borman Lovell with backups White Collins. 14th August 1965 - James Webb, NASA Administrator, approves the wearing of the first crew patch for GT5. 21st August 1965 - Gemini Titan 5: Lt-Col Leroy Gordon Cooper USAF BU Armstrong Lt-Cdr Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr USN BU See 20th September 1965 - GT8 crew announced as Armstrong Scott with backups Conrad Gordon. See had been removed as Armstrong's pilot because Slayton said "I hadn't been able to assign him to GT8 as pilot because I didn't think he was up to handling an EVA." 25th October 1965 - Gemini Agena GATV-5002 failed to achieve orbit. Schirra and Stafford are told their launch has been scrubbed. 8th November 1965 - GT9 crew announced as See Bassett with backups Stafford Cernan. Slayton explained "I made him (See) commander of GT9 and teamed him with Charles Bassett - who was strong enough to carry the two of them." 4th December 1965 - Gemini Titan 7: Lt-Col Frank Frederick Borman II USAF BU White Lt-Cdr James Arthur Lovell Jr USN BU Collins 15th December 1965 - Gemini Titan 6: Capt Walter Marty Schirra Jr USN BU Grissom Maj Thomas Patten Stafford Jr USAF BU Young Grissom and White move to Apollo. Early crew for Apollo 1 AS-204 Grissom White Eisele with backups McDivitt Scott Schweickart. January 1966 - Robert Seamans, Deputy Administrator, says "We may even get off a manned Apollo flight before the end of the year." A hint that a dual flight between GT12 and an Apollo mission was a possibility. 25th January 1966 - GT10 crew announced as Young Collins with backups Lovell Aldrin. 27th January 1966 - Donn Eisele admitted to hospital for surgery on his shoulder and is replaced on the Apollo 1 crew by Roger Chaffee. Exactly one year later Chaffee would be killed with his crewmates in spacecraft 012. 26th February 1966 - First flight of the Apollo Saturn 1B rocket, SA-201. 28th February 1966 - GT9 crew Elliot McKay See Jr and Maj Charles Arthur Bassett II USAF are killed in a T-38 crash at the McDonnell Plant in St.Louis when they hit the building which contained their spacecraft and crashed into a car park. See's body was thrown from the wreckage while Bassett was decapitated. Slayton said afterwards "Now they were both dead. I had let myself get sentimental about Elliot, wanting to get him a flight." GT9 backups Stafford and Cernan become the new prime crew. GT12 backups Lovell and Aldrin move to GT9A backups with a view to flying GT12 with backups Cooper and Cernan. 16th March 1966 - Gemini Agena GATV - 5003 launched. 16th March 1966 - Gemini Titan 8: Neil Alden Armstrong BU Conrad Maj David Randolph Scott USAF BU Gordon 19th March 1966 - GT11 crew announced as Conrad Gordon with backups Armstrong Anders. 21st March 1966 - GT10 backup crew announced as Bean and Williams. Originally slated for GT11 and GT12 backup pilots. 21st March 1966 - Apollo 1 AS-204 crew announced as Grissom White Chaffee with backups McDivitt Scott Schweickart. 4th April 1966 - Group 5 astronauts announced. Brand, Bull, Carr, Duke, Engle, Evans, Givens, Haise, Irwin, Lind, Lousma, Mattingly, McCandless, Mitchell, Pogue, Roosa, Swigert, Weitz and Worden. 17th May 1966 - Gemini Agena GATV-5004 failed to achieve orbit. 1st June 1966 - ATDA launched. 3rd June 1966 - Gemini Titan 9A: Lt-Col Thomas Patten Stafford Jr USAF BU Lovell Lt-Cdr Eugene Andrew Cernan USN BU Aldrin 17th June 1966 - GT12 crew announced as Lovell Aldrin with backups Cooper Cernan 18th July 1966 - Gemini Agena GATV-5005 launched. 18th July 1966 - Gemini Titan 10: Cdr John Watts Young USN BU Bean Maj Michael Collins USAF BU Williams 25th August 1966 - The unmanned spacecraft 011 is launched on top of a Saturn 1B. Spacecraft 012 is scheduled to be flown by the crew of Apollo 1. 12th September 1966 - Gemini Agena GATV-5006 launched. 12th September 1966 - Gemini Titan 11: Cdr Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr USN BU Armstrong Lt-Cdr Richard Francis Gordon Jr USN BU Anders September 1966 - Slayton asked Cernan if he would replace Aldrin on GT12 to fly the USAF AMU, but before the swap could be made the AMU was dropped from the mission plan. 29th September 1966 - Apollo 2 AS-205 crew announced as Schirra Eisele Cunningham with backups Borman Stafford Collins. Bassett had been first choice as CMP on Borman's crew. 11th November 1966 - Gemini Agena GATV-5001R launched. 11th November 1966 - Gemini Titan 12: Cdr James Arthur Lovell Jr USN BU Cooper Maj Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr USAF BU Cernan Original backups for GT12 would have been See Williams. 17th November 1966 - Apollo 2 AS-205 block I cancelled as an unnecessary repeat of Apollo 1 AS-204 block I. 29th November 1966 - Block II crew positions named as Commander, Command Module Pilot and Lunar Module Pilot. 2nd December 1966 - Apollo crews announced for Apollo 1 Grissom White Chaffee Prime Schirra Eisele Cunningham Backup Evans Givens Swigert Support Apollo 2 McDivitt Scott Schweickart Prime Stafford Young Cernan Backup Worden Mitchell Haise Support Apollo 3 Borman Collins Anders Prime Conrad Gordon Williams Backup Mattingly Bull Carr Support On Apollo 3 Stafford was given his own command and Collins moved to CMP. On the Apollo 3 backup crew Conrad had requested Bean as his LMP but Slayton rejected his choice. Support crews are introduced to cope with the extra workload of Apollo assignments. 27th January 1967 - Fire in the spacecraft kills Apollo astronauts Grissom White and Chaffee. They had been due to launch on 21st February for a 14 day mission. After the fire the Block I spacecraft is dropped from manned flights and all announced crew assignments were cancelled. Slayton explained "There's no point in worrying about crew assignments until we know what we're going to do." 20th April 1967 - Surveyor 3 lands on the Ocean of Storms and returns the first colour images of the Earth from the Moon. 9th May 1967 - Apollo 7 crew announced as Schirra Eisele Cunningham Prime Stafford Young Cernan Backup Evans Givens Swigert Support 6th June 1967 - Maj Edward Galen Givens USAF killed in a car accident near Houston. He was on the Apollo 7 support crew and could possibly have been assigned to Apollo 13. His place on the support crew goes to William Pogue. 10th August 1967 - Carpenter leaves NASA to return to his naval career, in particular his aquanaut duties. 11th August 1967 - Group 6 astronauts announced. Allen, Chapman, England, Henize, Holmquest, Lenoir, Llewellyn, Musgrave, O'Leary, Parker and Thornton. 5th October 1967 - Maj Clifton Curtis "CC" Williams USMC is killed in a T-38 crash near Tallahassee, Florida, he ejected too low for his parachute to deploy. During an interview when asked if Apollo crews in spacecrafts were "...as safe as in an airplane" he replied "Really, more so." 9th November 1967 - Apollo 4 launched, first flight of the Saturn V Apollo rocket. 20th November 1967 - Apollo crews announced for Apollo 8 McDivitt Scott Schweickart Prime Conrad Gordon Bean Backup Worden Mitchell Haise Support Apollo 9 Borman Collins Anders Prime Armstrong Lovell Aldrin Backup Mattingly Bull Carr Support After the death of his LMP Conrad requests that Bean joins his crew and this time Slayton agrees. 22nd January 1968 - Apollo 5 launched, first flight of the Apollo lunar module, LM-1. 4th April 1968 - Apollo 6 launched, second test flight of Saturn V Apollo rocket. 5th - 7th April 1968 - Lovell Roosa Duke conduct a 48 hour test to evaluate the CM under delayed recovery conditions after splashdown. 14th May 1968 - Shepard undergoes surgery to correct his Menieres Syndrome at St. Vincent Hospital in Los Angeles.. 27th May 1968 - Irwin and Gibbons perform 1st LTA-8 LM tests in vacuum chamber. It was to have been Bull with Irwin but he had to pull out due to medical problems. 29thMay 1968 - Irwin Gibbons 2nd LTA-8 test. 31st May 1968 - Kingsley Gagliano 3rd LTA-8 test. Grumman Consulting pilots. 1st June 1968 - Irwin Gibbons 4th and final LTA-8 test. The LTA-8 is now on display at JSC. 16th - 24th June 1968 - 2TV-1 CSM tests. Kerwin Brand and Engle conduct a test of the Block II CSM in the vacuum chamber. The motto on their crew patch says "The proud bird with the heavy tail" implying that their CSM was never going to leave the Earth. 12th July 1968 - Collins is diagnosed with a growth pressing on his spinal cord and removed from Apollo 9, Lovell moves from the backup crew to the prime crew to replace him and Haise joins the backup crew as LMP and is replaced on the support crew by Jack Lousma. Aldrin moves to CMP on the backup crew. 16th July 1968 - John Bull resigns due to pulmonary disease. Slayton said "He was a great guy and would have been one of my early picks for a lunar module pilot." His Apollo 8 support crew place goes to Vance Brand. 10th August 1968 - Slayton tells McDivitt that he is moving him to Apollo 9 to keep his LM test flight. McDivitt said later "Over the years the story has grown to the point where people think I was offered the flight around the moon but turned it down....it was never really offered." 12th August 1968 - Slayton offers Borman the lunar orbit flight which he accepts. As a result two men lost their spacecraft, Anders his LM and Scott CM 103. 16th August 1968 - With LM 3 not expected till early 1969 James Webb agrees to make Apollo 8 a lunar orbit mission. 19th August 1968 - Apollo crews announced for Apollo 8 Borman Lovell Anders Prime Armstrong Aldrin Haise Backup Mattingly Brand Carr Support Apollo 9 McDivitt Scott Schweickart Prime Conrad Gordon Bean Backup Worden Mitchell Lousma Support This crew announcement puts Armstrong in line to command Apollo 11. 26th August 1968 - Schmitt and Lind demonstrate deployment of the ALSEP. 14th September 1968 - Zond 5. USSR launches first spacecraft to fly to the moon and back. A recording transmits the voice of a cosmonaut from the vicinity of the moon. Splashdown and recovery occurs in the Indian Ocean. 11th October 1968 - Apollo 7: Capt Walter Marty Schirra Jr USN BU Stafford SC Evans Maj Donn Fulton Eisele USAF BU Young SC Swigert Ronnie Walter Cunningham BU Cernan SC Pogue 21st October 1968 - Oxygen tank number 2 is removed from SM106, Apollo 10, to be upgraded to incorporate new technical improvements. This tank is later installed in SM109 for use on Apollo 13. 12th November 1968 - Public announcement that Apollo 8 would fly to the moon. 13th November 1968 - Apollo 10 crew announced as Stafford Young Cernan Prime Cooper Eisele Mitchell Backup Duke Engle Irwin Support Mitchell is named as Apollo 10 backup LMP and is replaced on the Apollo 9 support crew by Stuart Roosa. 21st December 1968 - Apollo 8: Col Frank Frederick Borman II USAF BU Armstrong SC Mattingly Capt James Arthur Lovell Jr USN BU Aldrin SC Brand Maj William Alison Anders USAF BU Haise SC Carr 9th January 1969 - Apollo 11 crew announced as Armstrong Collins Aldrin Prime Lovell Anders Haise Backup Evans Mattingly Pogue Swigert Support Collins had recovered from surgery and Armstrong and Aldrin had requested he join their crew which he did as CMP, Aldrin moves to LMP. Haise moves to the LMP position on the backup crew. Anders was going to leave NASA so Mattingly was added to the support crew to replace him when he resigned. 3rd March 1969 - Apollo 9: Col James Alton McDivitt USAF BU Conrad SC Worden Col David Randolph Scott USAF BU Gordon SC Lousma Russell Louis "Rusty" Schweickart BU Bean SC Roosa 10th April 1969 - Apollo 12 crew announced as Conrad Gordon Bean Prime Scott Worden Irwin Backup Carr Weitz Gibson Support Irwin is named as Apollo 12 backup LMP and is replaced on the Apollo 10 support crew by Jack Lousma. 7th May 1969 - NASA announces that Shepard is back on the active astronaut list. 18th May 1969 - Apollo 10: Col Thomas Patten Stafford USAF BU Cooper SC Duke Cdr John Watts Young USN BU Eisele SC Engle Cdr Eugene Andrew Cernan USN BU Mitchell SC Lousma 25th June 1969 - James McDivitt is named as Manager for Lunar Landing Operations in the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office and thus becomes ineligible for crew selection. McDivitt had been offered the LMP job on Apollo 13 with Shepard but McDivitt had considered Shepard unprepared for the Commander's role, an opinion later shared by NASA Management resulting in Shepard being moved back to Apollo 14. 1st July 1969 - Walter Schirra resigns from NASA. 16th July 1969 - Apollo 11: Neil Alden Armstrong BU Lovell SC Evans Lt-Col Michael Collins USAF BU Anders SC Mattingly Col Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin USAF BU Haise SC Pogue Swigert 20th July 1969 - Armstrong steps onto the moon followed shortly by Aldrin, and President Kennedy's challenge is met with 164 days to spare before the decade was out. 6th August 1969 - Apollo crews announced for Apollo 13 Lovell Mattingly Haise Prime Young Swigert Duke Backup Brand Pogue Lousma Support Apollo 14 Shepard Roosa Mitchell Prime Cernan Evans Engle Backup McCandless Pogue Chapman Support Cooper had been in line to command Apollo 13 but Slayton chose to submit Shepard's name for this mission instead. Eisele also lost his place on the crew and was replaced by Roosa Slayton had offered McDivitt the chance to be Shepard's LMP but he turned the offer down. NASA management rejected Shepard for Apollo 13 because they thought he was not ready to command the mission so Slayton asked Lovell to swap to Apollo 13 and give Shepard Apollo 14. Lovell's original CMP was Anders but he left NASA to work for the National Space Council and was replaced on the crew by Mattingly. Cernan turned down the chance to be the Apollo 13 backup LMP and held out for his own command. Slayton asked Collins if he wanted the backup Commanders role on Apollo 14 but Collins turned this offer down leaving Slayton free to give the Apollo 14 backup Commanders slot to Cernan. 9th August 1969 - Group 7 astronauts announced. Bobko, Crippen, Fullerton, Hartsfield, Overmyer and Peterson. 14th November 1969 - Apollo 12: Cdr Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr USN BU Scott SC Carr Cdr Richard Francis Gordon Jr USN BU Worden SC Weitz Cdr Alan Lavern Bean USN BU Irwin SC Gibson 4th January 1970 - Apollo 20 cancelled. One crew suggested for this mission was Conrad, Weitz, Lousma. 26th March 1970 - Apollo 15 crew announced as Scott Worden Irwin Prime Gordon Brand Schmitt Backup Allen Henize Parker Support 6th April 1970 - Mattingly, CMP for Apollo 13, removed from flight due to exposure to German measles, he was replaced by his backup Swigert. Mattingly never developed the measles. 11th April 1970 - Apollo 13: Capt James Arthur Lovell Jr USN BU Young SC Brand John Leonard Swigert Jr BU SC Pogue Fred Wallace Haise Jr BU Duke SC Lousma 31st July 1970 - Gordon Cooper resigns from NASA. 2nd September 1970 - Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 cancelled, in reality Apollo's 15 and 19 were cancelled. Although never officially named the crews would have been: Apollo 18 Gordon Brand Schmitt and Apollo 19 Haise Pogue Carr. 23rd January 1971 - Apollo 14 backup Commander Eugene Cernan crashes the helicopter he is flying into the Indian River whilst showing off. 31st January 1971 - Apollo 14: Capt Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr USN BU Cernan SC McCandless Maj Stuart Allen Roosa USAF BU Evans SC Pogue Cdr Edgar Dean Mitchell USN BU Engle SC Chapman There had been some discussion before the mission to replace Mitchell with Engle, but Slayton never carried out his threat. 3rd March 1971 - Apollo 16 crew announced as Young Mattingly Duke Prime Haise Roosa Mitchell Backup England Hartsfield Peterson Support Chapman would have been on the support crew if he had not left. 26th July 1971 - Apollo 15: Col David Randolph Scott USAF BU Gordon SC Allen Maj Alfred Merrill Worden USAF BU Brand SC Henize Lt-Col James Benson Irwin USAF BU Schmitt SC Parker Some discussion before the flight in having Schmitt replace Irwin to allow the scientist to fly but Scott held out for his LMP and the swap never occurred. 10th August 1971 - Engle learns that he has not been chosen for the Apollo 17 prime crew. Slayton had submitted his name to NASA but they rejected his choice saying Schmitt the geologist must go to the moon. 13th August 1971 - Apollo 17 crew announced as Cernan Evans Schmitt Prime Scott Worden Irwin Backup Fullerton Parker Overmyer Support 13th March 1972 - Donald Slayton returned to active astronaut list and gives Kraft his recommendation for the ASTP mission: Slayton Swigert Brand. 16th April 1972 - Apollo 16: Capt John Watts Young USN BU Haise SC England Lt-Cdr Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly USN BU Roosa SC Hartsfield Lt-Col Charles Moss Duke Jr USAF BU Mitchell SC Peterson 23rd May 1972 - Apollo 17 backup crew, Scott Worden Irwin, dropped from the mission and replaced by Young Roosa Duke. Mattingly requested more time with his family, hence he is replaced on Young's team by Roosa. 7th December 1972 - Apollo 17: Capt Eugene Andrew Cernan USN BU Young SC Fullerton Cdr Ronald Ellwin Evans USN BU Roosa SC Parker Harrison Hagen "Jack" Schmitt BU Duke SC Overmyer |
| Apollo "The Path To The Moon" |
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| History records the names of the 12 men that crossed the 250,000 miles between the Earth and the Moon to walk over its plains, climb its slopes, view its gaping rilles and explore its valleys and craters. Any of the astronauts in the first 5 groups chosen by NASA could have made the trip, but only a few were lucky enough to be chosen to carry out mankind's greatest program of exploration. Below is a chronological record of the events that shaped the Apollo program and the history of lunar exploration. |
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| Copyright 2001-2009 by Robert M. Southall |