Education
| Real Pirates
& Buccaneers | America’s
Race to the Moon | Links
Below
is a hyperlinked index of excerpts from the historical
sections of the game manual that comes with Tranquility
Base™,
The Exciting Game
of America’s Race to the Moon. More
will come in the expansion sets!
The
History Behind the Cards
NASA
Project Mercury
NASA
Project Gemini
NASA
Project Apollo
Wild
Cards — Loose Heatshield, 1202 Alarm
and more.
History
Cards — The Wright Brothers, the Bell
X-1 and more.
Instant
Cards — Mission Control, the X-15
and more.
Equipment
— Launch vehicles, spacecraft and more.
Mankind's
Greatest Adventure — A short history
of America’s Space Race.
Timeline
of the Space Age
Glossary of
Terms
Bibliography
Credits
Lunar Facts and
Apollo Landing Sites
Dedication
Expansion Set 1
— Robert Goddard, Wernher von Braun and more.
The
History Behind the Cards
MERCURY
2 — Launch:
January 31, 1961.
Crew: Ham the chimpanzee
The suborbital test flight of Mercury-Redstone 2 was
launched on January 31, 1961, with the chimpanzee
Ham aboard. During the flight, the automatic control
system ignited the escape tower and rocketed the spacecraft
to an altitude of 157 miles. Splashdown occurred 122
miles farther downrange than expected.
MERCURY
3 — Launch:
May 5, 1961.
Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American
in space. During the 15-minute suborbital flight,
Shepard maneuvered the spacecraft Freedom 7
by firing thrusters controlling yaw, pitch and roll.
He reached a speed of 5,134 mph and an altitude of
116.5 miles.
MERCURY
4 — Launch:
July 21, 1961.
Crew: Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom
On July 21, 1961, Gus Grissom became the second American
in space on a flight that nearly mirrored that of
Mercury 3. The spacecraft Liberty Bell 7
had several new features including explosive bolts
that secured the hatch. Unfortunately, the explosive
bolts blew prematurely after splashdown. Grissom was
rescued but the spacecraft sank to the bottom of the
Atlantic Ocean.
MERCURY
5 — Launch:
November 29, 1961.
Crew: Enos the chimpanzee
The orbital test flight of Mercury-Atlas 5 was launched
on November 29, 1961, with Enos the chimpanzee aboard.
Enos experienced over two hours of zero-G during the
successful two-orbit flight. He was recovered safely
after travelling 50,892 miles during the mission.
MERCURY
6 — Launch:
February 20, 1962.
Crew: John H. Glenn, Jr.
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first
American in orbit aboard Friendship 7.
He completed three orbits and reached a speed of 17,500
mph. On the third orbit, a false signal indicated
the landing bag had prematurely deployed. Glenn returned
to Earth safely.
MERCURY
7 — Launch:
May 24, 1962.
Crew: M. Scott Carpenter
Mercury 7 was launched on May 24, 1962, with Scott
Carpenter piloting Aurora 7. Experiments
during the three-orbit mission included the first
study of liquids in zero-G. Due to a late firing of
the retrorockets, the recovery point was overshot
by 250 miles.
MERCURY
8 — Launch:
October 3, 1962.
Crew: Walter M. Schirra, Jr.
The third US orbital mission was launched October
3, 1962, with Walter Schirra piloting Sigma
7. During the six-orbit flight, the first
live telecast from space was broadcast. The textbook
mission ended with a splashdown only five miles from
the recovery ship.
MERCURY
9 — Launch:
May 15, 1963.
Crew: L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.
The final Mercury mission was Gordon Cooper’s
flight aboard Faith 7. Cooper completed
22 orbits and deployed the first satellite from a
spacecraft, a flashing beacon to test the ability
to track objects visually in space. The flight lasted
over 34 hours.
[
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GEMINI
3 — Launch:
March 23, 1965.
Crew: Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, John W. Young
The three-orbit mission of Gemini 3 was a successful
flight of the new Gemini spacecraft and the first
to perform orbital maneuvering. In memory of the Liberty
Bell 7, Grissom named the spacecraft Molly
Brown after the Broadway musical, The Unsinkable
Molly Brown. NASA was not amused.
GEMINI
4 — Launch:
June 3, 1965.
Crew: James A. McDivitt, Edward H. White II
The four-day, 62-orbit flight of Gemini 4 was the
first to be controlled from NASA’s new Manned
Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. During the flight,
Edward White performed a 22-minute spacewalk, the
first ever by an American. This put the US on equal
footing with the Soviets and one step closer to the
Moon.
GEMINI
5 — Launch:
August 21, 1965.
Crew: L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., Charles “Pete”
Conrad, Jr.
The objective of Gemini 5 was to fly in space for
eight days, the amount of time Apollo needed to fly
to the Moon and back to Earth. The spacecraft was
the first to have a fuel-cell power system that created
electricity by converting oxygen and hydrogen into
water. The mission lasted for eight days and 120 orbits,
doubling the manned spaceflight record.
GEMINI
7 — Launch:
December 4, 1965.
Crew: Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr.
Gemini 7 was an extended mission to test the limits
of human endurance in space. During the record-setting
14-day flight, the crew evaluated new lightweight
spacesuits. The high point of the mission was when
the crew performed the world’s first rendezvous
in space with Gemini 6 on December 15, 1965. The flight
completed 206 orbits.
GEMINI
6 — Launch:
December 15, 1965.
Crew: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Thomas P. Stafford
Gemini 6 was originally scheduled to be the first
mission to rendezvous and dock in space, but the mission
was scrubbed when the Agena docking target was lost
after launch. NASA then decided to launch Gemini 6
after Gemini 7 and perform a dual rendezvous mission.
GEMINI
8 — Launch:
March 16, 1966.
Crew: Neil A. Armstrong, David R. Scott
Gemini 8 accomplished the world’s first docking
in space less than six hours after launch. However,
the flight ended unexpectedly due to a malfunctioning
thruster that caused the spacecraft to spin out of
control. The crew regained control and made an emergency
landing.
GEMINI
9 — Launch:
June 3, 1966.
Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, Eugene A. Cernan
Gemini 9 was scheduled to rendezvous and dock with
an augmented target docking adapter (ATDA) after the
original Agena docking target failed to reach orbit.
Unfortunately, the spacecraft was unable to dock with
the ATDA because its nose shroud did not separate.
Two hours of EVA and 44 orbits were completed.
GEMINI
10 — Launch:
July 18, 1966.
Crew: John W. Young, Michael Collins
The five-day, 43-orbit flight of Gemini 10 performed
the Gemini program’s first dual Agena rendezvous.
After docking with their Agena, the crew ignited its
engine and climbed to a record altitude of 458 miles
where they rendezvoused with the Gemini 8 Agena that
was still in orbit.
GEMINI
11 — Launch:
September 12, 1966.
Crew: Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr., Richard
F. Gordon, Jr.
Gemini 11 was the first mission to create artificial
gravity. This was achieved by attaching a 100-foot
tether to an Agena and sending the two into a slow
spin. Gordon made a 38-minute spacewalk and a two-hour
stand-up EVA. The flight completed 44 orbits and lasted
five days.
GEMINI
12 — Launch:
November 11, 1966.
Crew: James A. Lovell, Jr., Edwin E. “Buzz”
Aldrin, Jr.
During the final Gemini mission, Buzz Aldrin completed
an essential objective of project Gemini. By performing
a series of tasks during the first EVA, he proved
that work could be done effectively in zero-G. Aldrin
also set a new EVA record of over five and a half
hours.
[
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APOLLO
1 — Date: January
27, 1967.
Crew: Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H.
White II, Roger B. Chaffee
During a preflight test for the first manned Apollo
mission, tragedy struck at Launch Complex 34 when
astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee
lost their lives in a fire that swept through the
Apollo CM.
APOLLO
7 — Launch:
October 11, 1968.
Crew: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F. Eisele, Walter
Cunningham
After an 18-month delay due to the Apollo 1 tragedy,
Apollo 7 became the first manned Apollo flight. During
the mission, the crew tested guidance and control
systems and practiced rendezvous with the upper stage
of the Saturn IB. The flight completed 163 orbits.
APOLLO
8 — Launch:
December 21, 1968.
Crew: Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, Jr., William
A. Anders
Apollo 8 was the world’s first manned lunar orbital
flight and the first manned flight of the Saturn V
rocket. The mission lasted just over six days and
travelled 500,000 miles including 10 orbits of the
Moon. The Apollo 8 crew were the first humans to view
the entire Earth from space.
APOLLO
9 — Launch:
March 3, 1969.
Crew: James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, Russell L.
Schweickart
The Earth orbiting mission of Apollo 9 was the first
manned flight of all lunar hardware including the
lunar module. The complex mission lasted 10 days and
included LM docking, crew transfer and six hours of
piloted LM flight.
APOLLO
10 — Launch:
May 18, 1969.
Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, Eugene A.
Cernan
The objective of Apollo 10 was to flight test the
LM in lunar orbit. Stafford and Cernan piloted the
LM Snoopy to within nine miles of the
Moon’s surface and surveyed the Apollo 11 landing
site in the Sea of Tranquility. The mission was the
first to broadcast live color television from space.
APOLLO
11 — Launch:
July 16, 1969.
Crew: Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E.
“Buzz” Aldrin, Jr.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became
the first humans to walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong’s
historic first words after landing on the lunar surface
were, “Houston, Tranquility Base
here. The Eagle has landed.”
APOLLO
12 — Launch:
November 14, 1969.
Crew: Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr., Richard
F. Gordon, Jr., Alan L. Bean
Piloting the LM Intrepid, Conrad and
Bean executed a pinpoint landing on the Moon’s
Ocean of Storms, only 600 yards from Surveyor
3 which landed there two years earlier.
APOLLO
13 — Launch:
April 11, 1970.
Crew: James A. Lovell, Jr., Fred W. Haise, Jr., Jack
L. Swigert, Jr.
Apollo 13 was to have been a lunar landing mission
in the foothills of Fra Mauro, but when an oxygen
tank in the CSM exploded halfway to the Moon, the
landing was aborted. The crew returned safely after
a near-catastrophe.
APOLLO
14 — Launch:
January 31, 1971.
Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, Edgar
D. Mitchell
Apollo 14 was the first mission to land in the lunar
highlands of Fra Mauro. Shepard and Mitchell performed
two EVAs totaling over nine hours during which they
collected over 96 pounds of lunar samples.
APOLLO
15 — Launch:
July 26, 1971.
Crew: David R. Scott, James B. Irwin, Alfred M. Worden
Apollo 15 was the first mission to use the lunar roving
vehicle (LRV). Irwin and Scott completed three EVAs
and explored the spectacular lunar canyon Hadley Rille.
They traversed a total of 17.3 miles in the LRV.
APOLLO
16 — Launch:
April 16, 1972.
Crew: John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II, Charles
M. Duke, Jr.
Apollo 16 was the second mission to use the lunar
rover for extended exploration of the Moon’s
surface. In three EVAs totaling over 71 hours, Young
and Duke explored 16.8 miles of the Descartes Highlands.
APOLLO
17 — Launch:
December 7, 1972.
Crew: Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, Harrison
H. “Jack” Schmitt
On the final Apollo mission to the Moon, Cernan and
Schmitt landed in the Taurus-Littrow Valley. They
performed three EVAs totaling over 22 hours and traversed
21 miles in the lunar rover.
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WILD
— Mercury 4 Capsule
Lost
After a nearly perfect flight aboard Liberty
Bell 7, Gus Grissom waited inside the floating
capsule for the recovery team. Without warning, the
explosive bolts securing the hatch triggered and the
spacecraft began to rapidly fill with water. Grissom
was rescued safely, but attempts by a Marine helicopter
to retrieve the spacecraft failed and it sank to the
bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty Bell 7
was recovered in 1999 on an expedition financed by
the Discovery Channel.
WILD
— Mercury 6 Loose Heatshield
During the third orbit of John Glenn’s historic
flight, engineers in Mission Control received a signal
indicating that Friendship 7’s
landing bag had been deployed—which could cause
the heatshield to be loose. If the heatshield came
off during reentry the spacecraft would burn to ashes.
Glenn was instructed not to jettison the retropack
in the hope that its straps would hold the heatshield
in place during reentry. The signal proved to be false
and Glenn splashed down safely.
WILD
— Mercury 9 Power Failure
Trouble hit Faith 7, piloted by Gordon
Cooper, on the 19th orbit. In Mission Control a light
flashed indicating a premature reentry. The signal
proved false but was a sign of electrical problems
inside the capsule. By orbit 21, the automatic control
system was dead forcing Cooper to pilot the spacecraft
manually through the narrow reentry corridor.
WILD
— Gemini 6 Launch Delay
On October 25, 1965, an Atlas booster lifted off from
pad 14 at Cape Kennedy, Florida, carrying an Agena
docking target. One hour and 41 minutes later a Titan
II launch vehicle was scheduled to boost Gemini 6
into orbit to attempt the first rendezvous and docking
in space. Unfortunately, the launch of Gemini 6 had
to be scrubbed when the Agena was lost before reaching
orbit.
WILD
— Gemini 8 Thruster
Malfunction
Neil Armstrong and David Scott found themselves in
a serious emergency after performing history’s
first docking in space. Moments after docking with
an Agena docking target, the two spacecraft began
to yaw and roll rapidly. The crew undocked from the
Agena but the spinning and tumbling accelerated. Armstrong
activated the reentry control system in a final attempt
to regain control of the spacecraft. It worked and
Gemini 8 was forced to make an emergency landing in
the Pacific Ocean. The problem was a thruster stuck
in the open position.
WILD
— Gemini 9 The “Angry
Alligator”
This view of the augmented target docking adapter
(ATDA) was photographed from Gemini 9. The ATDA was
substituted when the original Agena failed to reach
orbit. Failure of the docking target’s nose shroud
to completely separate caused the planned docking
maneuver to be canceled. It was described by the crew
as an “angry alligator.”
WILD
— Apollo 11 1202 Alarm
During lunar descent, the master alarm sounded and
began to glow inside the cockpit of the LM Eagle.
It was a 1202 program alarm indicating a computer
overload. Without a “Go” from Mission Control
in Houston, history’s first attempt at a manned
lunar landing would have to be aborted. Armstrong
and Aldrin waited with uncertainty until Houston came
back with a “Go” a few moments later. This
interior photo of the LM Eagle was taken
after the landing at Tranquility Base
on July 20, 1969.
WILD
— Apollo 14 Docking
Failure
During Apollo 14’s transposition and docking
maneuver, the CM Kitty Hawk failed repeatedly
to dock with the LM Antares. After several
attempts, it was feared that the lunar landing mission
may have to be aborted. Finally, on the sixth attempt,
the docking latches snapped shut. In this photo of
Mission Control, the LM can be seen on the monitor
still attached to Saturn IVB upper stage.
WILD
— Apollo 17 Launch Delay
Project Apollo’s final flight to the Moon was
to begin with the first night launch of a US manned
spacecraft and of a Saturn V rocket. The launch promised
to be spectacular, but the crew and spectators had
to wait when the countdown was stopped with only 30
seconds remaining. The launch was delayed for over
two hours because a computer at the launch pad refused
to accept a manual override.
WILD
— Apollo 17 Fender Bender
During the first EVA of Apollo 17, a hammer got lodged
between the right rear wheel and fender of the LRV.
Unfortunately, it broke part of the fender off. Following
a suggestion from John Young in Mission Control, Cernan
and Schmitt repaired the fender using lunar maps attached
with clamps from the optical alignment telescope lamp.
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HISTORY
— First Powered Flight
After four years of work and thousands of glider flights,
Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright built and named
their first airplane the Flyer. Built
mostly from wood and cloth, the Flyer
was powered by a 12-horsepower engine. On December
17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville
piloted the aircraft on a 12-second, 120-foot flight,
becoming the first person in history to fly an engine
powered, heavier-than-air machine.
HISTORY
— First Solo Trans-Atlantic
Flight
On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh made the first
non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Piloting
the Ryan NYP aircraft that he named the Spirit
of St. Louis, he completed the historic flight
from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 30 minutes.
Because the fuel tanks were placed in front of the
cockpit, Lindbergh could not see directly ahead except
by using a periscope or by turning the plane and looking
out of a side window.
HISTORY
— X-1 Breaks The Sound
Barrier
On October 14, 1947, US Army Air Corps test pilot
Captain Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, piloting
the Bell X-1 experimental rocket plane, became the
first human to exceed the speed of sound in level
flight. Yeager ignited the X-1’s four-chamber
XLR-11 rocket engine after being air-launched from
a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The 6,000-pound thrust
engine of Glamorous Glennis accelerated
him to 700 mph or Mach 1.05 at an altitude of 42,000
feet.
HISTORY
— First American In
Space
On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first
American in space. Launched on a suborbital trajectory,
Shepard piloted the Mercury spacecraft Freedom
7 on a 15-minute flight that reached an altitude
of 116.5 miles. Although proceeded by the Soviet Union’s
orbital flight of Yuri Gagarin less than a month earlier,
this mission was an important milestone for the US
Space Program.
HISTORY
— President Kennedy’s
Challenge
On May 25, 1961, less than three weeks after Alan
Shepard’s 15-minute flight aboard Freedom
7, President John F. Kennedy stunned the world
when he made a speech before Congress and announced,
“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 the Earth. No single space project in this period
will be more impressive to mankind, or more important
for the long-range exploration of space—and none
will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”
HISTORY
— First American In
Orbit
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn became the first
American in orbit during the historic flight of Mercury
6. Piloting the Mercury spacecraft he named Friendship
7, Glenn completed three orbits and then splashed
down safely. President Kennedy expressed his sentiments
by saying, “We have a long way to go in this
Space Race, but this is the new ocean, and I believe
the United States must sail on it and be in a position
second to none.”
HISTORY
— First American Spacewalk
On June 3, 1963, astronaut Edward White performed
the first US spacewalk during the third orbit of Gemini
4. White propelled himself with a hand-held maneuvering
unit and completed a 22-minute EVA. The success of
Gemini 4 put the United States on an equal footing
with the Soviets and one step closer to the Moon.
HISTORY
— First Lunar Orbital
Flight
On December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 became the first manned
flight in history to orbit the Moon. On this lunar
Christmas Eve, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William
Anders transmitted observations to an estimated one
billion people in 64 countries. Commander Borman closed
the live broadcast with, “Good night, good luck,
a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of
you on the Good Earth.”
HISTORY
— “One Giant Leap
For Mankind”
On July 16, 1969, eight years after President Kennedy
committed the nation to put a man on the Moon before
the end of the decade, a Saturn V rocket was launched
carrying the crew of Apollo 11. Four days later, on
July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped from the footpad
of the LM Eagle onto the Moon’s
surface at Tranquility Base. As he made
the historic first step, he said, “That’s
one small step for man…One giant leap for mankind.”
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INSTANT
— “Ham In A Can”
The suborbital test flight of Mercury-Redstone 2 was
launched on January 31, 1961, with the chimpanzee
Ham aboard. An engine overthrust and ignition of the
escape tower caused the spacecraft to reach an altitude
of 157 miles and a speed of 5,857 mph. Ham was recovered
slightly shaken but unharmed after experiencing 14.7
Gs during the rough flight. Ham’s journey into
space became known among the astronauts as “The
Great Chimp Adventure.”
INSTANT
— Corned Beef Controversy
In a case of astronaut humor, a sandwich was given
to Gemini 3 astronaut John Young by Wally Schirra
to smuggle aboard Molly Brown. It was
corned beef, Gus Grissom’s favorite, and Young
gave it to him to eat during the flight. This breach
of protocol caused an uproar that went all the way
to the floor of the US Congress. More stringent rules
as to what could be taken on a mission resulted.
INSTANT
— Gemini 6 Launch Abort
The original launch of Gemini 6 was scrubbed when
its Agena was lost. The launch was rescheduled and
the flight plan was changed to be a dual rendezvous
mission with Gemini 7. Gemini 6 was again ready for
launch on December 12, 1965. Seconds after ignition,
a problem caused the Titan II launch vehicle to shutdown.
Cool-headed Schirra opted not to eject, which would
have damaged the spacecraft. The mission was successfully
launched three days later.
INSTANT
— “Houston, We
Have A Problem”
Apollo 13 was more than halfway to the Moon when an
oxygen tank in the CSM exploded, leaving the crew
without oxygen and power in the command module. This
aborted the planned Moon landing and it became a mission
of survival. The crew was forced to use the LM Aquarius
as a lifeboat. This view of the damaged SM was taken
from the LM/CM following the jettison of the SM before
reentry. The crew splashed down and was recovered
safely.
INSTANT
— A Square Peg In A
Round Hole
This interior photo of the LM Aquarius
shows the makeshift carbon dioxide scrubber built
by the crew of Apollo 13. They had to adapt square
filter canisters from the CM to fit in place of the
round filter canisters in the LM. The procedures were
developed in Mission Control before being relayed
to the crew. The crew was forced aboard the LM Aquarius
after an oxygen tank exploded in the SM leaving them
without oxygen and power in the CM Odyssey.
INSTANT
— Mission Control
This photo of Mission Control in Houston, Texas, was
taken during the ill-fated flight of Apollo 13. The
planned lunar landing mission turned into a near fatal
disaster when a cryogenic oxygen tank in the CSM exploded
en route to the Moon. The mission succeeded as one
of rescue and survival thanks to the ingenuity and
teamwork of Mission Control at the Manned Spacecraft
Center in Houston.
INSTANT
— The “Flying Bathtub”
The M2-F1 lifting body was the first unpowered prototype
created to flight test the concept of a wingless vehicle
designed to be flown back to Earth from space and
land like an aircraft. Nicknamed the “flying
bathtub,” it was completed in 1963 and had a
plywood shell covering a steel frame. Aerodynamic
lift was obtained from the shape of its body.
INSTANT
— X-15 Research Aircraft
Three X-15 research aircraft were built by North American
Aviation to provide data during high speed, high altitude
flight. It was air-launched from beneath a B-52 and
flew into sub-orbital space on a number of flights.
The X-15 was the first reusable manned spacecraft
and by reaching hypersonic speeds, provided data that
was instrumental to the success of future Apollo and
space shuttle missions.
Maximum altitude: August 22, 1963, 66.75 miles (354,200
ft.), piloted by Joseph A. Walker. Maximum speed:
October 3, 1967, Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph), piloted by
William Knight. Length: 15.8m (52 ft. 5 in.)
Wingspan: 6.7m (22 ft.)
Weight: 34,000 lbs. fueled
Engine: Thiokol XLR-99
Thrust: 57,000 lbs.
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REDSTONE
The Redstone launch vehicle was developed by Wernher
von Braun from the ballistic missile that he and his
team designed for the US Army. It was used to launch
the first two manned Mercury missions, the suborbital
flights of Alan Shepard and Virgil “Gus”
Grissom.
Height: 25m (83 ft.)
Weight: 66,000 lbs.
Diameter: 1.8m (70 in.)
Engine: Rocketdyne A-6
Launch thrust: 78,000 lbs.
ATLAS
D
The Atlas D launch vehicle was used to launch all
orbital manned Mercury flights. It was adapted from
the US Air Force Atlas ICBM and was called a “stage-and-a-half”
rocket because of its single main engine and two side-by-side
booster engines.
Height: 29m (95.3 ft.)
Weight: 260,000 lbs.
Diameter: 3m (10 ft.)
Engines: one Rocketdyne LR105NA5, two Rocketdyne LR89NA5
Launch thrust: 367,000 lbs.
TITAN
II
The Titan II launch vehicle was adapted from the US
Air Force Titan ICBM. It was used to launch all Gemini
missions and was first used in 1964 to boost a prototype
Gemini spacecraft into orbit.
Height: 32.9m (108 ft.)
Weight: 340,000 lbs.
Diameter: 3m (10 ft.)
Engines: stage 1, two Aerojet-General LR87AJ7
Engine: stage 2, Aerojet-General LR91AJ7
Launch thrust: 430,000 lbs.
SATURN
IB
The Saturn IB launch vehicle was developed to test
Apollo hardware in Earth orbit. Four such tests were
flown between 1966 and 1968. It was to have launched
Apollo 1 and was used to launch Apollo 7. It was also
used to launch the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
in 1975.
Height: 68.25m (224 ft.)
Weight: 1,300,000 lbs.
Diameter: 6.6m (21.6 ft.)
Engines: stage 1, eight Rocketdyne H-1
Engine: stage 2, Rocketdyne J-2
Launch thrust: 1,600,000 lbs.
SATURN
V
The Saturn V launch vehicle was developed by Wernher
von Braun. It was a towering 363 feet tall and produced
an astounding 7,500,000 pounds of thrust at launch.
The Saturn V was used to send men into lunar orbit
nine times. Six flights included landing on the Moon.
Height: 111m (363 ft.)
Weight: 6,100,000 lbs.
Diameter: 10m (33 ft.)
Engines: stage 1, five Rocketdyne F-1
Engines: stage 2, five Rocketdyne J-2
Engine: stage 3, Rocketdyne J-2
Launch thrust: 7,500,000 lbs.
MERCURY
SPACECRAFT
The first American spacecraft was the McDonnell Mercury.
Inside the cabin was a couch for a single astronaut.
Attitude during flight was controlled manually by
18 thrusters. The blunt end of the spacecraft was
covered with an ablative heatshield to protect it
from the 3000ûF heat of reentry.
Length: 7.9m (26 ft.) with retropack and escape tower
Diameter: 1.9m (6.2 ft.)
Typical weight at launch: 4,265 lbs. (Mercury 6)
Launch vehicles: Redstone (suborbital), Atlas D (orbital)
GEMINI
SPACECRAFT
The McDonnell Gemini spacecraft was a scaled-up version
of the Mercury spacecraft that was designed for a
crew of two. The two astronauts sat side-by-side in
ejection seats. It was the first spacecraft to have
a guidance computer, radar tracking system, and fuel-cell
power system. The adapter module housed four retrorockets
that were fired in sequence to bring the spacecraft
out of orbit.
Length: 5.8m (19 ft.) with adapter module
Diameter: 3m (10 ft.)
Weight: 8,400 lbs.
Launch vehicle: Titan II
APOLLO
SPACECRAFT
Produced by North American Aviation, the Apollo spacecraft
was at the time, the most complex machine ever built.
It consisted of the command module (CM) with the crew
quarters and flight controls, and the service module
(SM) which housed the main engine and support systems.
Launch vehicles: Saturn IB (Earth orbit), Saturn V
(lunar orbit)
Command module:
Length: 3.65m (12 ft.)
Diameter: 3.9m (12.8 ft.)
Weight: 12,250 lbs.
Service module:
Length: 7.5m (24.6 ft.) with
CM
Diameter: 3.9m (12.8 ft.)
Weight: 51,240 lbs.
Engine thrust: 21,500 lbs.
GEMINI
AGENA
The Gemini Agena target vehicle, with its restartable
engine, was developed by Lockheed for use as an unmanned
docking target for project Gemini.
Atlas D launch vehicle:
Height: 36.6m (120 ft.) with
Agena
Weight: 267,000 lbs.
Diameter: 3m (10 ft.)
Launch thrust: 389,000 lbs.
Agena docking target:
Engine: Bell 8096
Thrust: 16,000 lbs.
Weight: 7,000 lbs.
LUNAR
MODULE – LM
The Grumman Apollo lunar module (LM) was designed
to fly only in the vacuum of space and the low gravity
of the Moon. After undocking from the CSM in lunar
orbit, the LM would be piloted by two astronauts to
land on the lunar surface, support them on the Moon,
and then return them to the CSM via the ascent stage.
Height: 7m (22.9 ft.)
Width: 4.3m (14 ft.)
Maximum diameter: 9m (29.75 ft.) with legs extended
Weight: 32,500 lbs.
Engine thrust: descent stage: 10,500 lbs., ascent
stage: 3,500 lbs.
LUNAR
ROVER – LRV
The Boeing lunar roving vehicle (LRV) was used on
Apollo 15, 16 and 17 for exploration of the Moon’s
surface. The four-wheel drive vehicle was equipped
with a movie camera, TV broadcast system, scientific
tools and instruments, and a navigation system. At
the end of each mission the rover was parked and left
on the Moon.
Length: 7m (10 ft.)
Width: 2m (6.75 ft.)
Weight: 460 lbs.
Top speed: 7 mph
Range: 55 miles
FUEL
CARD
Photographed from a chase plane, the Saturn V launch
vehicle of Apollo 6 leaves a trail of flame as it
accelerates through the sky to escape velocity. Apollo
6 was launched on April 4, 1968 as an unmanned test
flight of the Apollo launch vehicle and spacecraft.
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Mankind’s
Greatest Adventure
On
October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union stunned the world
by launching Sputnik 1, the Earth’s
first artificial satellite. For Americans, the success
of Sputnik 1 was an ominous threat at
the height of the Cold War. This historic event marked
the beginning of the Space Race and the Soviet Union’s
clear domination of it. Scrambling to catch up with
the Soviets, the US government formed the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on October
1, 1958. Project Mercury was initiated that same year.
Six manned flights were completed from 1961 to 1963.
The objectives were:
•
To place a manned spacecraft in orbit and return
both astronaut and spacecraft safely
to Earth.
• To test the ability of astronauts to function
in space.
On
April 12, 1961, the Soviets scored another tremendous
first with the orbital flight of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin,
aboard Vostok 1. The US answered on
May 5, 1961, with the suborbital flight of Alan Shepard
aboard Freedom 7. Less than three weeks
later, newly elected President John F. Kennedy issued
a challenge that turned the Space Race into a race
to the Moon.
In
a speech before Congress, President Kennedy announced,
“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 the Earth. No single space project in this period
will be more impressive to mankind, or more important
for the long-range exploration of space—and none
will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”
Project
Gemini was announced in January of 1962. Named after
the third constellation of the Zodiac and its twin
stars Castor and Pollux, the two-pilot Gemini missions
were designed to perfect the techniques that would
be required for project Apollo to land on the Moon.
From 1965 to 1966, 10 manned flights were completed.
Mission objectives were:
•
To orbit two astronauts for up to two weeks.
• To rendezvous
and dock with a target vehicle
and maneuver
using the target vehicle’s engine.
• To control reentry
and landing with greater precision.
• To effectively
perform tasks during a spacewalk.
Although
the Gemini program was a tremendous success, it was
not without a heavy loss. On February 28, 1966, Elliot
See and Charles Bassett, the prime crew of Gemini
9, were flying a T-38 trainer to the McDonnell plant
in St. Louis. After a missed landing approach in snow
flurries, rain and fog, the aircraft struck Building
101 where their Gemini spacecraft was being assembled.
Both astronauts died in the crash.
Project
Apollo was publicly announced in July of 1960, almost
a year before President Kennedy’s historic speech.
Originally the project did not call for a manned lunar
landing, only a circumlunar mission. To achieve Kennedy’s
goal of landing a man on the Moon, project Apollo
would require a national commitment of over 20,000
companies, 400,000 people and 25 billion dollars in
government funding.
On
January 27, 1967, just as the Apollo program was nearing
its first manned flight, tragedy struck during a routine
test at Launch Complex 34. While conducting a full-dress
rehearsal known as a “plugs-out” test, a
flash fire inside the command module took the lives
of Apollo 1 astronauts, Virgil “Gus” Grissom,
Edward White and Roger Chaffee. Following the accident
investigation, NASA resumed manned flights with the
launch of Apollo 7 on October 11, 1968. Beginning
with the Apollo 1 tragedy and ending with Apollo 17,
the program was comprised of 12 manned missions. During
those missions, 24 Apollo astronauts orbited the Moon
and 12 walked on the lunar surface. The objectives
were:
•
To achieve preeminence in space by landing a human
on the Moon.
• To carry out a
series of scientific explorations and
develop
the capability to work in the lunar environment.
• To establish the
technology to meet future interests in space.
On
July 20, 1969, only 65 years after the Wright brothers’
first powered flight, Neil Armstrong, Commander of
Apollo 11, became the first human to set foot on the
Moon. With one foot on the footpad of the LM Eagle
and the other on the surface of the Moon, Armstrong
made the historic comment, “That’s one small
step for man…One giant leap for mankind.”
The incredible voyage of Apollo 11 fulfilled Kennedy’s
dream and achieved a milestone that marked a human
journey millions of years in the making.
During
the final Apollo lunar mission, Gene Cernan, Commander
of Apollo 17, paused at the end of the last lunar
EVA and said, “As I take man’s last steps
from the surface, back home for some time to come—but
we believe not too long into the future—I’d
like to just (say) what I believe history will record,
that America’s challenge of today has forged
man’s destiny of tomorrow. And as we leave the
Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and,
God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope
for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17.”
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Timeline
of the Space Age
1783:
Frenchmen Jean Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes
make the first flight in a hot air balloon.
1865:
French author Jules Verne writes From the Earth
to the Moon, a science fiction story seen
today as prophetic.
1891:
In Berlin, Germany, Hermann Ganswindt draws designs
for the first spaceship using solid fuel rockets.
1903:
Russian Konstantin Tsiolkovsky proposes space travel
using multi-staged rockets with liquid propellants.
1903:
Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright are the first to
successfully fly a heavier-than-air powered aircraft.
1916:
American Robert Goddard receives a $5,000 grant from
the Smithsonian Institution to build test rockets.
1919:
Robert Goddard publishes a 69-page research paper
entitled, A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes.
1923:
Hermann Oberth’s book, The Rocket into
Interplanetary Space, establishes the basic
theories of space flight.
1926:
Robert Goddard successfully launches the world’s
first liquid-propelled rocket in Massachusetts.
1927:
In Germany, the Verein fur Raumschiffahrt is formed,
the first active astronautical society.
1927:
American aviator Charles Lindbergh makes the first
solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
1929:
Hermann Oberth publishes Roads to Space Travel,
called “the most important theoretical work on
the subject.”
1930:
The American Interplanetary Society is formed (later
called the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics).
1932:
Wernher von Braun is put in charge of developing rockets
as military weapons for the German Army.
1942:
The German V-2 rocket, developed by Wernher von Braun,
makes its first successful flight.
1944:
The first German V-2 rockets become operational and
are fired against Paris and London during World War
II.
1945:
Wernher von Braun and about 120 other German engineers
surrender and agree to work for the US Army.
1945:
The US Secretary of War approves the establishment
of White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico.
1947:
The Bell X-1 rocket plane, piloted by Chuck Yeager,
flies faster than the speed of sound for the first
time.
1948:
At White Sands Proving Grounds, a rhesus monkey named
Albert is launched in the nose cone of a V-2 rocket.
1949:
Viking, the first large US rocket, is launched by
Wernher von Braun’s team at White Sands in New
Mexico.
1950:
The First International Astronautical Congress meets
in Paris, France.
1957:
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1,
the Earth’s first artificial satellite—ushering
in the Space Age.
1958:
Wernher von Braun and his team launch Explorer
1, the first US satellite, from Cape Canaveral,
Florida.
1959:
The Soviet Union launches Luna 2 and
it becomes the first manmade object to reach the Moon.
1961:
The Soviets launch the first human into space and
Earth orbit, Yuri Gagarin, aboard Vostok 1.
1967:
The first Saturn V rocket, developed by Wernher von
Braun, is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
1969:
On Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz”
Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon.
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Glossary
of Terms
Abort:
To cut short or terminate a mission or procedure.
ATDA:
Augmented target docking adapter. A back-up docking
target for the Gemini Agena target vehicle.
Attitude:
The orientation of a spacecraft determined by its
horizontal, vertical and lateral axes, in relation
to external reference points such as stars or the
horizon.
CM:
Command module. The section of the Apollo spacecraft
containing the crew and the flight controls. The CM
is recovered after reentry and splashdown.
CSM:
Combined Apollo command and service modules.
Docking:
The process of bringing two spacecraft together in
orbit following rendezvous.
Escape
tower: A framework tower mounted atop a
spacecraft supporting a solid rocket motor, that in
an emergency would blast the spacecraft from the launch
vehicle and parachute it safely into the ocean.
Escape
velocity: The speed an object must attain
to overcome the gravitational attraction of the Earth
or another celestial body. Escape velocity from the
Earth is about 25,000 mph.
EVA:
Extravehicular activity. Maneuvers performed by an
astronaut outside the spacecraft such as a spacewalk
or moonwalk.
Gravity:
The attraction of the mass of a celestial body for
other bodies. “G” is the unit of measurement
of gravitational pull. One “G” is the acceleration
of Earth’s normal gravity, approximately 32.2
feet per second at sea level.
Heatshield:
The protective material on the outside of a spacecraft
that dissipates the intense heat of reentry caused
by atmospheric friction.
Hypersonic:
Five or more times the speed of sound.
ICBM:
Intercontinental ballistic missile. A long range military
rocket designed to carry a nuclear warhead and destroy
an enemy target thousands of miles away.
Launch
pad: A nonflammable platform that is used
as a foundation to launch a rocket from.
Launch
vehicle: The rocket that boosts a spacecraft
from Earth into space.
LM:
Lunar module. A spacecraft designed to carry two astronauts
from the CM to the surface of the Moon and back.
LRV:
Lunar roving vehicle. A four-wheeled vehicle designed
to be driven by astronauts on the Moon’s surface.
Lunar
gravity: About one-sixth of Earth’s
gravity.
Orbit:
The path of a celestial body around another.
Pitch:
The motion of a spacecraft about its lateral axis
so that the nose and tail move up and down.
Reentry:
The descent of a spacecraft into the Earth’s
atmosphere from space.
Rendezvous:
The controlled close approach of two or more spacecraft
during flight.
Retrorocket:
A rocket engine that slows an orbiting spacecraft
to initiate reentry.
Roll:
The rotational movement of a spacecraft around its
longitudinal axis (the axis from nose to tail).
Scrub:
To cancel a scheduled mission.
SM:
Service module. The section of the Apollo spacecraft
that houses the main engine, fuel cells, water, supplies
and other support systems. The SM is jettisoned before
reentry.
Telemetry:
A system for taking measurements on the ground or
within a spacecraft during flight and transmitting
them to another station.
Yaw:
The motion of a spacecraft about its vertical axis
so that the nose and tail move from side to side.
Zero-Gravity:
(zero-G) The state of apparent weightlessness that
occurs when an astronaut is floating in space.
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Bibliography
Alway,
Peter. Rockets of the World. 2nd ed.
Ann Arbor: Saturn, 1995.
Association
of Space Explorers. The Greatest Adventure.
Sydney: C. Pearson, 1994.
Baker,
David. Spaceflight and Rocketry: a chronology.
New York: Facts on File, 1996.
Chaikin,
Andrew. A Man on the Moon. New York:
Penguin, 1995.
Cox,
Donald. America’s Explorers of Space.
Maplewood: Hammond, 1967.
Freeman,
Michael. Space Traveller’s Handbook.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979.
Furniss,
Tim. Manned Spaceflight Log. United
Kingdom: Jane’s, 1983.
Gatland,
Kenneth. Manned Spacecraft. New York:
Macmillan, 1967.
Gurney,
Gene. Walk in Space: the story of project Gemini.
New York: Random, 1967.
Lee,
Wayne. To Rise from Earth: an easy-to-understand
guide to spaceflight. New York: Facts on File,
1995.
McAleer,
Neil. Omni Space Almanac. New York:
World Almanac, 1987.
Myrus,
Don. Keeping up with the Astronauts 2.
New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1963.
NASA
the First 25 Years, 1958-1983: a resource for teachers.
Washington: US Government Printing Office, 1983.
Neal,
Valerie, Cathleen Lewis, and Frank Winter. Spaceflight:
a Smithsonian guide. New York: Macmillan,
1995.
Rumerman,
Judy A. U.S. Human Spaceflight: a record of
achievement, 1961-1998. Washington: NASA,
1998.
Shepard,
Alan B., Deke Slayton, with Jay Barbree, and Howard
Benedict. Moon Shot: the inside story of America’s
race to the moon. Atlanta: Turner, 1994.
Space
Travel: the World Book of space exploration.
Chicago: World Book, 1989.
Wells,
Helen T., Susan Whiteley, and Carrie Karegeannes.
Origins of NASA Names. Washington: US
Government Printing Office, 1976.
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Credits
Game
concept and development, graphic design, research
and writing — Van Overbay. Playtesters —
Glenn Bradley, Clark Cross, Jon Metzger, Lee Overbay
and Van Overbay.
Special
thanks to Robert and Phyllis Troutman. Thank you to
the NASA Media Resource Center and the National Archives
and Records Administration for all photography. Thanks
to Henry Bosak for the Apollo 13 illustration used
on the gameboard. And a sincere thanks to the thousands
of men and women who have and continue to work to
make our nation’s space program an unparalleled
success.
Lunar
Facts and Apollo Landing Sites
Surface
Temperature: 253° F (maximum) to -387° F (minimum)
Distance from the Earth: 221,463 to 252,710 miles
Circumference: 6,790 miles (1/4 that of Earth)
Diameter: 2,160 miles (1/4 that of Earth)
Lunar Day and Night: 14 Earth days each
Surface Gravity: 1/6 that of Earth
View
of the Moon from Earth:
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Dedication
Tranquility
Base™ is dedicated
to the brave men and women who have lost their lives
in the conquest of space.
Tranquility
Base contains no adverse cards representing
the tragic event and loss of the crew of Apollo 1.
In honor of the astronauts, the mission is launched
and completed as if the flight had been made.
Apollo
1 — January 27, 1967
Roger Chaffee
Virgil “Gus” Grissom
Edward White II
STS-51-L,
Challenger — January 28, 1986
Gregory Jarvis
Christa McAuliffe
Ronald McNair
Ellison Onizuka
Judith Resnik
Francis Scobee
Michael Smith
STS-107,
Columbia
— February 1, 2003
Mike Anderson
Dave Brown
Kalpana Chawla
Laurel Clark
Rick Husband
William “Willie” McCool
Ilan Ramon of Israel
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Tranquility
Base™ Expansion Set 1
WILD
— Mercury 3 Launch Delay
Early on the morning of May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan
B. Shepard climbed into a Mercury spacecraft atop
a Redstone rocket. With only 15 minutes left in the
countdown, clouds rolled in and a small electrical
glitch occurred. This resulted in a launch delay of
one hour and 26 minutes before the flight of America’s
first man in space
WILD
— Gemini 11 Fogged Visor
One of the unexpected problems encountered in the
Gemini program was the difficulty of performing tasks
during an EVA. During Gemini 9, Gene Cernan’s
spacewalk had to be cut short because of exhaustion
and perspiration that clouded his faceplate, making
it impossible to see. On Gemini 11, Richard Gordon’s
spacewalk was again terminated early due to fatigue,
a high heart rate, and blinding perspiration that
fogged his visor.
HISTORY
— First Liquid-Fuel Rocket Flight
On March 16, 1926, Robert H. Goddard launched the
first liquid-fuel rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts.
Propelled by liquid oxygen and gasoline, it reached
an altitude of 41 feet while travelling a distance
of 184 feet. In 1929, with the help of Charles Lindbergh,
Goddard received a $50,000 grant and moved his headquarters
to a site near Roswell, New Mexico. Before his death
in 1945, Goddard had received 214 patents covering
almost every aspect of liquid-fuel rockets. In 1950,
Wernher von Braun examined his patents and declared,
“Goddard was ahead of us all.”
INSTANT
— Wernher von Braun
German-born Wernher von Braun was the technical director
of all German rocket research and presided over the
development of the V-2 rocket during World War II.
In 1945 he surrendered to the US Army with about 120
of his engineers. Von Braun and his team moved to
the US and signed contracts to work for the US Army.
In 1958 his team launched America’s first satellite.
He later became the founding director of NASA’s
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,
where his team developed the Redstone rocket and the
Saturn V launch vehicle that would take men to the
Moon.
INSTANT
— Apollo 16 Landing Delay
Soon after the LM Orion undocked from
the CM Casper to prepare for lunar descent,
the CM Casper began to vibrate unexpectedly.
The backup steering system for the CM’s main
engine was causing the engine bell to oscillate. After
a six-hour delay, Mission Control determined that
is was safe to continue the mission and the planned
lunar landing.
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