Apollo 7: The NASA Mission Reports [With CDROM]

by Robert Godwin

Book Overview

October 1968 and the US manned space program was about to be reborn. An entirely new space vehicle awaited its pilots at Pad 34. After 21 months the three-man Apollo space capsule had undergone a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1896522645
• ISBN13: 9781896522647
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Apogee Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.9" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Another Hit

In January 1967, NASA suffered the loss of its first crew to a fire during the ground testing of Apollo 1. As a result, the entire Apollo program was grounded until October 11, 1968 when Apollo 7 the first manned Apollo flight launched from Cape Kennedy. The mission was commanded by Walter M. Schirra, Jr., with Donn F. Eisele as the Command Module Pilot, and R. Walter Cunningham as the Lunar Module Pilot. The primary object of this shakedown mission was to evaluate the Apollo Command and Service Modules (CSM) to ensure that the vehicle functioned properly after the project was modified due to the findings of the Apollo 1 fire investigation. The book opens with the typical NASA mission press kit. Unlike many later Apollo mission press kits, this is quite long and very detailed, containing descriptions on everything from orbit and reentry profiles to the crew biographies. The next section contains the preflight and postflight operation reports which provide an enormous amount of information on the operation of the Saturn IB, the Command Module and numerous orbital mechanics testing scenarios. The debrief section, which is about two-thirds of the book, contains the crew comments and feelings about various parts of the mission and is especially long and detailed because not only was this the first mission after the Apollo 1 fire, but it was also the first manned flight of the Apollo CSM. The crew debrief contains crew comments from the lift-off to the landings and discusses many of the technical aspects of the mission, such a telemetry, photography, communications, etc. I always like this section of these reports, because it provides an insight to the crew's feelings on the operation of the space vehicle and the mission in general. The CD Rom that accompanies the book is divided into three sections. The first section contains a half hour interview with both Wally Schirra and Walt Cunningham. The second section contains a 15 minute NASA produced movie called "The Flight of Apollo 7" which presents highlights from the mission and is very informative. The CD also includes a silent film showing the launch. The final section contains over 800 of the mission photos taken by the crew. Some general information that might be useful. 1) This report contains scanned-in documents from previously released NASA documents. In order to preserve the spirit of the original reports, all typographical and grammatical errors have NOT been fixed. 2) Proceeds from the book goes to "The Watch" an asteroid impact research project of the Space Frontier Foundation. In other words, Apogee Books is making very little off the sale of US government produced books and documents.

CM and Crew Support Info Galore!

If you are looking for information on the CSM (heavily the CM) then this is the NASA Mission Report for you! Since this mission was the shakedown flight for the Apollo CSM, a majority of the material is related to that. There is also a good summary of the changes made from the Apollo 1 Block I module to Apollo 7's Block II Command Module. There is also a lot of information about life support, including the "Waste Management System" and such.

Another must-have for the completist

The first flight of Apollo was key: it was the first American manned mission since the Apollo 1 disaster, and it was the first test of the hardware designed to get human beings to the moon. This book contains the press kit, the prelaunch report, the postlaunch report, and the postmission crew debriefing. The latter is the most interesting part. Though technical at times, it shows that there were quite a few problems encountered with the new systems of Apollo and hints at the truculence and frustration experienced by the crew (that incidentally resulted in the effective grounding of astronauts Eisele and Cunningham).I haven't checked out the CD yet, though it is supposed to contain the usual official NASA movie about the mission, interviews with crew members Wally Schirra and Walter Cunningham, and footage of the launch. Yet another must-have for the space-ophile completist.

Very good - as usual

Once again, Robert Godwin managed to compile a rich source for space buffs - as usual. To read the book is very exciting - as usual. And to explore the enclosed CD is very informative - as usual. I'm looking forward for the next volume of the NASA Mission Reports - as usual.

The Golden Age of Space Exploration - The First Apollo Step

Robb Godwin's exciting presentation of the original documents from the Apollo program takes a quick jump back to catch the Apollo 7 flight. A quick review of the depth of the documentation, when compared to the Apollo 13 and subsequent documentation, shows the real growth and maturation of NASA and their presentation of information to the interested public. What caught my interest the most was the recorded interviews with Wally Schirra and especially Walt Cunningham presented in the CD-ROM that comes with the volume. Most of us only vaguely recognize Walt Cunningham's name whereas everybody remembers Wally Schirra from the TV commentaries on later Apollo flights. Walt Cunningham's experiences are therefore much more interesting to hear. He is, more or less, the "unknown" astronaut and has a more unique and different perspective of the program and history. I fully agree on his views that the Golden Age of Space Flight was the Apollo era. Like all of other volumes in this series they are a must for those who live through the Apollo age and for those who wished they had.