The American Society ofMechanical Engineers

APOLLO COMMAND MODULE

International Historic Mechanical Engineering LandmarkDesignated July 24, 1992

Rockwell International CorporationSpace Systems Division

The confines of earth were expanded onOctober 4, 1957, with the launch of the SovietUnion’s Sputnik I, the world’s first artificialspace satellite. American reaction was one ofshock in the midst of the cold war. U.S.assumptions of being number one militarilyand technologically were quickly swept away.The value of the educational system, thestrength of the military, and the fundamentaleffectiveness of the democratic form of gov-ernment came into question. Early U.S.attempts to match the Soviet space feat endedin failure, adding to the unease.

The United States entered the SpaceAge on January 31, 1958, with the launch ofExplorer I. The Soviets, however, continuedto dominate in this undeclared “space race”with larger rockets and payloads. In responseto great public pressure, President Eisenho-wer signed the bill creating the National Aero-nautics and Space Administration (NASA) inJuly 1958. NASA’s mandate was to developAmerica’s aeronautical and space explorationpotential for the “benefit of all mankind.”

T h e g o a l o f P r o j e c t M e r c u r y ,announced in the fall of 1958, was to launchan American astronaut into orbit. But theSoviets were first again, when cosmonaut YuriGagarin became the first human to orbit theearth on April 12, 1961. Three days later, thefailed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigsoccurred. American prestige in the world wasat a low.

We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,

not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because there is

new knowledge to be gained and new rights to be won,

and they must be won for the progress of all mankind. . . .

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY

September 12, 1962

President Kennedy recognized thatprestige was real and not simply a public rela-tions factor in world affairs. He was frustratedby being second to the Soviets in space. VicePresident Lyndon Johnson was asked to studyAmerican options in space and determine inwhat areas the U.S. could beat the Soviets.Johnson submitted a report, less than 2 weekslater, urging approval of a project to land aman on the moon.

Kennedy initially had reservations, butthe enthusiastic response to Alan Shepard’sMercury Freedom 7 flight on May 5, 1961,convinced him it was time for such a commit-ment. In a speech before a joint session ofCongress on May 25, 1961, Kennedy issuedthe challenge:

“I believe this nation should commititself to achieving the goal, before thisdecade is out, of landing a man on themoon and returning him safely toearth.”

Project Apollo was born. What followedwas one of the most highly technical peace-time programs ever undertaken by the UnitedStates. It required a combined effort of gov-ernment, industry, and academia that, at itspeak, involved over 350,000 people and over20,000 companies throughout the country.Kennedy’s challenge was met just over 8 yearslater, July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 lunarmodule Eagle landed on the moon’s Sea ofTranquillity and the crew was returned safelyto earth on July 24, 1969.

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C O M M A N D

M O D U L E

( C M )

A D A P T E R

T H I R D S T A G E

( S - I V B )

A P O L L O

S P A C E C R A F T

8 2 F T

L A U N C H

E S C A P E S Y S T E M

S A T U R N V

L A U N C H

V E H I C L E

2 8 1 F T

S E C O N D S T A G E

( S - I I )

F I R S T S T A G E

( S - I C )

B O O S T

P R O T E C T I V E

C O V E R

C O M M A N D

M O D U L E

S E R V I C E

M O D U L E

A D A P T E R

L U N A R

M O D U L E

S A T U R N V L A U N C H V E H I C L E A P O L L O S P A C E C R A F T

Figure 1 Figure 2

Saturn V and Apollo Spacecraft Service Module

Overall height 3 6 3 f t H e i g h t 24 ft 9 in .

Overall launch weight 6.4 million lb Diameter 1 2 f t 1 0 i n .

Launch weight 5 4 , 1 6 0 l b

Launch Escape System

Height

Diameter

Launch weight

H e i g h t

Diameter

Weight

C o m m a n d M o d u l e

10 ft 7 in .Lunar Module

1 2 f t 1 0 i n .

1 2 , 8 0 0 l b Height 23 ft 1 in . ( legs extended)

Diameter 31 ft (diagonal)

Launch weight 3 6 , 2 0 0 l b

3 3 f tSpacecraft Lunar Module Adapter

3 f t Height 2 8 f t

9 , 0 0 0 l b Diameter 12 ft 10 in. (top)

21 ft 8 in . (bottom)

Weight 5 4 , 0 0 0 l b

PROJECT APOLLO

Project Apollo, which followed the Mercuryand Gemini programs, was the culmination ofNASA’s manned space flight program to landAmerican astronauts on the moon. The objec-tive was to send a three-man Apollo spacecraftto the moon and into lunar orbit, land two ofthe three men on the moon in the lunar mod-ule while the third remained in orbit, returnthe lunar explorers to the orbiting spacecraft,and then return all three men safely to earth.The entire trip, from launch to earth landing,would last between 8 to 10 days.

The major challenge of the programwas to develop the Apollo spacecraft and theSaturn launch vehicle that would perform themission. These elements consisted of threeintegral parts: the command and service mod-ule (CSM), the lunar module (LM), and theSaturn V launch vehicle (Figure 1).

THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT

The 82-foot Apollo spacecraft was the entirestructure that sat atop the Saturn V launchvehicle (Figure 2). It had five distinct parts:the command module (CM), the service mod-ule (SM), the lunar module, the launch escapesystem, and the spacecraft-lunar moduleadapter. Of these, the integrated CSM was thecore of the Apollo spacecraft; and the CM, theonly part to splash down on earth, is the his-toric engineering landmark.

November 28, 1961, NASA awardedthe basic Apollo spacecraft CSM contract tothe Space Division of North American Avia-tion (now known as Rockwell International).Project Apollo was managed by the Office ofManned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters,Washington, D.C. The Apollo Spacecraft pro-gram was directed by NASA’s Johnson SpaceCenter (then known as the Manned SpacecraftCenter) in Houston, Texas.

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Interior of the CM had threecompartments. Shown here isthe crew compartment, whichprovided 210 cubic feet ofpressurized living space.

Following the fatal accidentduring the Apollo 1 groundsimulation, the main hatchwas redesigned to open out-ward for quick egress.

COMMAND MODULE

The CM was the control center for the space-craft, the living and working quarters for thethree-man crew. It was the only part of thespacecraft that returned to earth, separatingfrom the SM just before atmospheric entry.

The CM stucture consisted of twoshells: an inner crew compartment (pressurevessel) and an outer heat shield. The outershell was stainless-steel honeycomb betweenstainless-steel sheets. It was covered on theoutside with ablative material of varying thick-ness that charred and dissipated in the heat ofreentry.

The inner pressurized shell was alumi-num honeycomb between aluminum alloysheets. A layer of insulation separated the twoshells. This construction made the CM as lightas possible yet rugged enough to withstandthe stresses of acceleration during launch,possible strikes by meteorites, decelerationduring entry into earth’s atmosphere, and theimpact of splashdown.

Inside the CM was a compact but effi-ciently arranged combination cockpit, office,

laboratory, radio station, kitchen, bedroom,bathroom, and den. In flight, the cabin wasair-conditioned to a comfortable 70 to 75degrees. The atmosphere was 100-percentoxygen, pressurized to 5 pounds per squareinch (psi), which is about one third of sea-levelpressure (14.7 psi).

The crew compartment was a sealedcabin with a habitable volume of 210 cubicfeet. Pressurization and temperature weremaintained by the environmental control sub-system. In the compartment were couches,controls and displays for spacecraft operation,and all the other equipment needed by thecrew, packed in a number of bays. There werealso two hatches and five windows.

The interior of the CM was lined withequipment bays containing all of the itemsneeded by the crew for up to 14 days, as wellas the equipment and electronics needed forspacecraft operation. The lower bay was thelargest and contained the most criticalequipment–the navigation station, telecom-munication subsystem electronics, electricalpower subsystem, and stowage for food, per-sonal hygiene, and other supplies.

The left-hand equipment bay containedthe environmental control subsystem. Theright-hand bay contained the waste manage-ment system controls and electrical powerequipment. The right-hand forward and aftbays housed other mission components.

The two-shell construction created twoother compartments: forward and aft. The for-ward compartment was the area around theforward docking tunnel. It was separated fromthe crew compartment by a bulkhead and cov-ered by the forward heat shield. The compart-ment was divided into four 90-degree seg-ments tha t con ta ined ear th l and ingequipment.

The aft compartment was locatedbetween the CM pressure vessel and the heatshield, around the periphery of the CM at itswidest part. The compartment was dividedinto 24 bays containing ten reaction controlengines; the fuel, oxidizer, and helium tanksfor the CM reaction control subsystem; watertanks, and a number of instruments, valves,regulators, and related equipment.

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F O R W A R D C O M P A R T M E N TB U L K H E A D

S T R I N G E R

D O C K I N G T U N N E L

E A R T H L A N D I N GE Q U I P M E N T

R E A C T I O N C O N T R O LP I T C H E N G I N E S

I N S U L A T I O NS P A C E

A B L A T I V E

M A T E R I A L

S T A I N L E S S S T E E L

H O N E Y C O M B

MAIN DISPLAYC O N S O L E

C R E W A C C E S S

H A T C H

R E N D E Z V O U S W I N D O W

A L U M I N U M

H O N E Y C O M B

M A I N T E N A N C EP A N E L S

C O M P A R T M E N T

E Q U I P M E N T

R E A C T I O N

C O N T R O L R O L L

E N G I N E S

W I R EB U N D L E

R E A C T I O N

C O N T R O L Y A W E N G I N E S R E A C T I O N C O N T R O L

P I T C H E N G I N E S

POTABLE WATER TANK R E A C T I O N C O N T R O L

R O L L E N G I N E S

C O M M A N D M 0 D U L E

10 ft 7 in.

1 2 f t 1 0 i n .

1 2 , 8 0 0 l b

1 1 , 7 0 0 l b

Reaction control subsystem

(fuel–monomethylhydrazine;

oxidizer–nitrogen tetroxide)

Dimensions

Height

Diameter

Weight (including crew)

Weight (splashdown)

Propellant

2 7 0 l b

Major Subsystems

C o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Earth landing

Electrical power

Environmental control

Guidance and navigation

L a u n c h e s c a p e

Reaction control

Service propulsion

Stabilization and control

Thermal protection (heat shields)

ELECTRICAL POWER SUBSYSTEMR A D I A T O R S

R E A C T I O NC O N T R O LS U B S Y S T E MQ U A D

S C I M I T A R

A N T E N N A

24 FT 9 IN.

12 FT 10 IN.

E N V I R O N M E N T A L

C O N T R O L S U B S Y S T E M

R A D I A T O R

S E C T O R 2 SERVICE PROPULSION AND SYSTEM

SECTOR 3 } OXlDIZER TANKS

SECTOR 4 OXYGEN TANKS. HYDROGEN TANKS. FUEL CELLS

S E R V I C EP R O P U L S I O N E N G I N EZ O Z Z L E E X T E N S I O N

SECTORS 5 S E R V I C E P R O P U L S I O N S U B S Y S T E M

S E C T O R 6 } FUEL TANKS

CENTER SECTION—SERVICE PROPULSION ENGINE ANDH E L I U M T A N K S

S E R V I C E M 0 D U L E

Dimensions Major Subsystems

H e i g h t

Diameter

Weight (loaded)

Weight (less propellants)

1 2 f t 1 0 i n .

5 4 , 1 6 0 l b

1 3 , 4 6 9 l b

24 ft 9 in .

1 5 , 6 6 0 l b

2 5 , 0 3 0 l b

1 , 2 5 0 l b

Electrical power

Environmental control

Reaction control

Service propulsion

Telecommunications

pyrotechnically to expose scientific

experiments to space.

An SM panel could be removed

Propellant

SPS fuel

SPS oxidizer

R C S

SERVICE MODULE

The SM served as the storehouse for criticalsubsystems and supplies that were either usedor controlled by the CM. The SM wasattached to the aft portion (heat shield) of theCM from launch until just prior to entry intoearth’s atmosphere, when it was jettisoned.

The SM contained the spacecraft’s ser-vice propulsion system (SPS), with its 20Kthrust engine and propellant tanks. The SPSwas used to make midcourse corrections,brake for lunar orbit, return from the moon,and decelerate for reentry, whereupon it wasjettisoned. The SPS propellant consisted ofhypergolics–hydrazine plus unsymmetricaldimethylhydrazine as fuel and nitrogen tetrox-ide as the oxidizer. When the fuel and oxi-dizer mixed, ignition occurred without theneed for oxygen. These corrosive fuel lines, aswell as other lines, were purged with heliumbefore reentry.

The SM also contained a major portionof the electrical power subsystem, oxygen andhydrogen cryogenic storage, fuel cells, envi-ronmental control subsystem, and reactioncontrol subsystem as well as a portion of thecommunication subsystem. These subsystemswere housed in six wedge-shaped sectionsarranged around the SPS thrust structure.

Although the SM was strictly a servicingunit of the Apollo spacecraft, it was more thantwice as long and, when fueled, more thanfour times as heavy as the CM. Nearly 80 per-cent of the SM weight was in SPS propellant.

The Apollo CM and SMare mated and hoistedfor fit check on lunaradapter

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APOLLO’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The Apollo CSM was the only spacecraft tosupport successful manned landings on themoon and return its crew safely to earth. Afterthe lunar landing program ended, the ApolloCSM was adapted to support America’s Skylabspace station and the Apollo-Soyuz rendez-vous and docking with the Soviet Union.

Between October 1968 and July 1975,there were 15 manned Apollo flights—9 to themoon with 6 lunar landings, 3 flights to theSkylab space station, and 1 to the Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous. (See summary of flights,p. 6 .)

Kitty Hawk, steered by Roosa,looked like this to Shepardand Mitchell as theyapproached in Antares fora reunion in lunar orbit.

THE APOLLO 14 MISSION

The Apollo 14 CM, the designated landmark,was launched January 31, 1971. The three-man crew consisted of Alan B. Shepard, com-mander, Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar modulepilot, and Staurt A. Roosa, command modulepilot. Apollo 14 was very important in puttingthe moon program back on track followingthe aborted Apollo 13 flight. As a result of themodifications made after Apollo 13 to addmore safety and backup features, Apollo 14became the heaviest Apollo spacecraft.

Designated CSM 110, the Apollo 14spacecraft was named Kitty Hawk and thelunar module was called Antares. The mainpurpose of the Apollo 14 mission was to inves-tigate the hilly upland region of the Fra Maurocrater. Antares landed on the lunar surfaceFebruary 5, 108 hours and 54 minutes afterleaving earth.

There, astronauts Shepard and Mitchellset up the ALSEP (Apollo lunar surfaceexperiments package). This package of exper-iments and instruments was left on the moonfor continued monitoring after the crewdeparted.

In all, the astronauts spent a total of 33hours and 31 minutes on the lunar surface.There were two moon walks, or EVAs (extra-vehicular activities), that totaled 9 hours and24 minutes. The astronauts collected 94pounds of lunar material to be used for 187projects in the U.S. and 14 foreign countries.

The CM Kitty Hawk splashed down inthe Pacific Ocean February 9, 1971, 216hours and 2 minutes after launch. Apollo 14was the third lunar landing, the sixth mannedlunar flight of Apollo, and the eighth mannedApollo flight.

Of Apollo’s numerous firsts, some of themore significant are listed below:

� First three-man American spacecraft

� First manned spacecraft to complete a lunar

orbit and to return crew safely after lunarlanding

� First lunar rendezvous with another space-craft (LM)

� First American spacecraft to dock success-fully with a space station (Skylab)

� First American spacecraft to dock success-fully with a foreign spacecraft (Soyuz)

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APOLLO’S LEGACY

The Apollo lunar landings are among thegreatest engineering and technologicalachievements of all time. The development ofa spacecraft that could make the 8- to 10-dayround trip to the moon and protect the astro-nauts from the hostile environment of spacerequired many advances in engineering, mate-rials, and technology. Highly complex envi-ronmental, computer, guidance, and naviga-tion systems had to be developed. A broadarray of integration and checkout programs,and new equipment designed and built to anew standard of safety and reliability, wereessential to mission success.

These needs spurred advanced develop-ments in computer technology, miniaturiza-tion, microelectronics, materials processing,rocket propulsion, and medicine. The com-mercial spin-offs from these developmentsinclude the silicon microchip processor andsoftware design. Other newly developed prod-ucts were used by Apollo, such as Teflon,Mylar, and fluorocarbons for fire supression.

Apollo also made great contributions tothe sciences. The lunar missions returned 850pounds of rock, 33,000 photos, and 20,000reels of magnetic tape data. They taught usmore about the moon than all previous earth-based studies combined. We now know themoon’s age, its gross structure, its internalt e m p e r a t u r e , a n d m u c h a b o u t i t scomposition.

The Apollo program was born out ofcold-war tension. Its success restored faithand pride in America during a very turbulentperiod of civil and social change, and helpedbring the nations of the world a little closertogether.

Nearly 1.5 billion people witnessed theApollo 11 moon walk via satellite. Neverbefore had so many people been simultane-

James Irwin—Apollo 15(July 1971).ously focused on one event. President

Richard Nixon said, in speaking to the Apollo11 astronauts, “For one priceless moment inthe whole history of man, all the people onthis earth are truly one.”

If there can be only one message thatbest describes Apollo’s meaning, it is that ofNeil Armstrong: “. . . in the spirit of Apollo, afree and open spirit, you can attack a very dif-ficult goal and achieve it if you can all agreeon what that goal is . . . and that you will worktogether to achieve it.”

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SUMMARY OF APOLLO MANNED FLIGHTS

Apollo 7. First manned Apollo. Demonstratedability of CSM spacecraft crew, and MannedSpace Flight Network to conduct earth orbitalmission. Crew: Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F.Eisele, R. Walter Cunningham. Launched Octo-ber 11, 1968, with a Saturn IB. Mission dura-tion 10.8 days.

Apollo 8. First manned lunar orbital mis-sion. Demonstrated CSM and crew performancein cislunar and lunar orbit. Crew: Frank Bor-man, James A. Lovell, Jr., William A. Anders.Launched December 21, 1968, with a Saturn V(first manned Saturn V launch). Duration: 6.1days.

Apollo 9. Second earth orbital mission; firstmanned flight of lunar module. Evaluatedcrew operation of LM; demonstrated dockingfunctions with CSM in earth orbit. Crew: JamesA. McDivitt, David R. Scott, Russell L.Schweickart. Launched March 3, 1969, with aSaturn IB. Duration: 10.1 days.

Apollo 10. First lunar orbit flight of com-plete spacecraft (CSM and LM). DemonstratedLM rendezvous and CSM docking in lunar gravi-tational field; confirmed all aspects of lunar land-ing mission except descent to lunar surface.Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young,Eugene A. Cernan. Launched May 18, 1969,with a Saturn V. Duration: 8 days.

Apollo 11. First lunar landing. Met nationalobjective of landing men on the moon andreturning them safely to earth before end of dec-ade. Obtained data on capabilities and limita-tions of astronauts on lunar surface; returnedsamples from lunar surface; left science packageto return data to earth after departure. Crew:Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E.Aldrin, Jr. Launched July 16, 1969, with a Sat-urn V. Duration: 8.1 days.

Apollo 12. Second manned lunar landing,and second before the end of the decade.Investigated lunar surface environment andobtained lunar soil samples. Crew: Charles Con-rad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr., Alan L. Bean.Launched November 14, 1969, with a Saturn V.Duration: 10.2 days.

Apollo 13. Manned lunar landing mission toinvestigate Fra Mauro area of moon. Landingaborted after failure of service module oxygentank; astronauts returned safely. Crew: James A.Lovell, John L. Swigert, Fred W. Haise. Jr.Launched April 11, 1970, with a Saturn V. Dura-tion: 8.9 days.

Apollo 14. Third manned lunar landing.Investigated hilly upland region north of FraMauro crater and returned 96 pounds of lunarsoil. Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Stuart A.Roosa, Edgar D. Mitchell. Launched January 31,1971, with a Saturn V. Duration: 9 days.

Apollo 15. First of three lunar landing mis-sions with greatly expanded capability forscientific investigations (J missions). One bayof the Apollo spacecraft service module con-tained two cameras for mapping the lunar sur-face and instruments to measure x-ray, gamma-ray, and alpha particle flux, the density andcomposition of the lunar atmosphere, magneticfields, and the lunar mass. The lunar rover wasfirst used to explore the moon’s surface on thismission. Crew: David R. Scott, Alfred M. Wor-den, Jr., James B. Irwin. Launched July 26,1971, with a Saturn V. Duration: 12.3 days.

Apollo 16. Second lunar landing missionwith scientific instrument module in theApollo service module. Continued photo-graphic mapping and scientific experimentsfrom lunar orbit; while on the surface, usedlunar rover to extend exploration to 27.1 kilo-meters (16.8 miles). Crew: John W. Young, T.Kenneth Mattingly II, Charles M. Duke, Jr.Launched April 16, 1972, with a Saturn V. Dura-tion: 11.1 days.

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Apollo 17. Last Apollo lunar mission: pro-duced more scientific information than anyApollo flight. Continued mapping from lunarorbit and gathered data on surface andsubsurface features to a depth of 1 kilometerwith a variety of scientific instruments. Traveled36.1 kilometers (22.4 miles) with lunar rover;collected record of 249 pounds of soil and rocksamples. Crew: Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E.Evans, Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt (first of theNASA scientist-astronauts to fly). LaunchedDecember 7, 1972, with a Saturn V. Duration:12.6 days.

Skylab 1. Unmanned launch of Skylab (Sat-urn S-IVB workshop) into earth orbit.Shortly after launch, a portion of the micro-meteoroid shield and one solar panel were tornoff, and the other solar panel was jammedclosed. Launched May 14, 1973, with a two-stage Saturn V.

Skylab 2. An Apollo CSM spacecraft carriedthree astronauts to an orbital rendezvouswith Skylab for its first occupancy. Crewrepaired the damaged vehicle in orbit, checkedits habitability, and began series of scientificexperiments and observations of earth and solarsystem. Crew: Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul J. Weitz,

Joseph P. Kerwin. Launched May 25, 1973, witha Saturn IB. Duration: 28 days.

Skylab 3. An Apollo CSM spacecraft carriedthe second crew to Skylab. The astronautscontinued the experiments and observations ofthe first crew, and started new ones. Crew: AlanL. Bean, Jack R. Lousma, Owen K. Garriott.Launched July 28, 1973, with a Saturn IB. Dura-tion: 59.5 days.

Skylab 4. The third and last Skylab crewtraveled to and from Skylab in an ApolloCSM spacecraft. The crew’s work with experi-ments and observations was so successful thatthe mission was extended 4 weeks. Crewreturned with 20,500 photographs of earth and47 kilometers (29 miles) of data on recordingtape. Crew: Gerald P. Carr, William R. Pogue,Edward G. Gibson. Launched November 10,1973, with a Saturn IB. Duration: 84 days.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. World’s first inter-national manned space mission, linking anApollo CSM spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuzspacecraft in earth orbit to test rendezvous anddocking techniques and conduct joint experi-ments. Crew: Thomas P. Stafford, Donald K.Slayton, Vance D. Brand. This last use of theApollo spacecraft took place July 15, 1975.

Bibliography

Baker, David. The History of Manned Spaceflight. New York: Crown Publishers (1981).

Bilstein, Roger. Stages to Saturn. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1980).

Hurt, Harry. For All Mankind. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press (1988).

Lowman, Paul. “The Apollo Program: Was it Worth it?” World Resources (Aug. 1975),pp. 291-302.

McDougall, Walter. The Heavens and the Earth. New York: Basic Books (1985).

Rabinowitch, Eugene, and Richard Lewis, ed. Man on the Moon: The Impact on Science,Technology, and International Cooperation. New York: Basic Books (1969).

Wilford, John. We Reach the Moon. New York: Bantam Books (1969).

Yenne, Bill. The, Encyclopedia of U.S. Spacecraft. New York: Bison Books (1987).

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ASME History and Heritage Program

The ASME History and Heritage RecognitionProgram began in September 1971. To imple-ment and achieve its goals, ASME formed aHistory and Heritage Committee, initiallycomposed of mechanical engineers, historiansof technology, and (ex-officio) the curator ofmechanical engineering at the SmithsonianInstitution. The committee provides a publicservice by examining, noting, recording, andacknowledging mechanical engineeringachievements of particular significance.

The Apollo spacecraft is the 36th Inter-national Historic Mechanical EngineeringLandmark to be designated. Since the ASMEHistory and Heritage Program began, 151Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks,6 Mechanical Engineering Heritage Sites, and3 Mechanical Engineering Collections havebeen recognized. Each reflects its influenceon society in its immediate locale, nationwide,or throughout the world.

An ASME Landmark represents a pro-gressive step in the evolution of mechanical

engineering. Site designations note an eventor development of clear historical importanceto mechanical engineers. Collections markthe contributions of a number of objects withspecial significance to the historical develop-ment of mechanical engineering.

The ASME History and Heritage Pro-gram illuminates our technological heritageand serves to encourage the preservation ofthe physical remains of historically importantworks. It provides an annotated roster forengineering students, educators, historians,and travelers. It helps establish persistentreminders of where we have been and wherewe are going along the divergent paths of dis-covery.

The History and Heritage Committee ispart of the ASME Council on Public Affairsand the Board of Public Information. For fur-ther information, please contact the PublicInformation Department, American Society ofMechanical Engineers, 345 East 47th Street,New York, NY 10017, (212) 705-7740.

INTERNATIONAL HISTORIC MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LANDMARK

APOLLO COMMAND MODULE1968-1972

Apollo was the vehicle that first transported humans to the moon andsafely back to earth. Nine lunar flights were made between 1968

and 1972. The command module, built by North American Aviation(at the time of launch, North American Rockwell Corporation),

accommodated three astronauts during the mission.It was the only portion of the Apollo spacecraft system designed towithstand the intense heat of atmospheric reentry at 25,000 mph

and complete its mission intact. This command moduleflew as Apollo 14 in 1971.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS

1992

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Acknowledgments

The Los Angeles Section of the AmericanSociety of Mechanical Engineers gratefullyacknowledges the efforts of all who contrib-uted to the designation of the Apollo space-craft as an International Historic MechanicalEngineering Landmark. Particular thanks areextended to David Sutherland, Al Ogram, andthe staff of Rockwell International’s SpaceSystems Division who produced this brochureand who provided the financial support neces-sary to make this designation possible. TheLos Angeles Section would also like to thankDiane Kaylor of ASME Public Informationand Lynden Davis, director of the ASMEWestern Regional Office, for their encourage-ment, guidance, and suggestions in organiz-ing this event.

American Society of Mechanical EngineersJoseph A. Falcon, P.E., presidentCharles Howard, vice president, Region IX

George I. Skoda, P.E., Region IX Historyand Heritage Committee

Thomas D. Pestorius, senior vice president,Council on Public Affairs

Lorraine A. Kincaid, P.E., vice president,Board of Public Information

David Belden, P.E., executive director

Lynden F. Davis, P.E., director, WesternRegional Office

ASME History and Heritage Committee

Euan F.C. Somerscales, chairmanRobert M. Vogel, secretary

Robert B. GaitherR. Michael Hunt, P.E.

J. Paul Harhnan, P.E.

J.L. Lee, P.E.

John H. Lienhard

Joseph P. Van Overveen, P.E.

William Warren, P.E.

Richard S. Hartenberg, P.E., emeritus memberCarron Garvin-Donohue, staff liaison

Diane Kaylor, Special Projects

ASME Los Angeles Section

Sang H. Lee, P.E., chairmanEdmund C. Baroth, vice chairman

Paul Biba, P.E., secretary

Asuquo Attah, treasurer

NASA

George M. Low

Aaron CohenMaxime Faget

Christopher C. Kraft, Jr

Rocco A. Petrone

Robert R. Gilruth

James A. McDivitt

Neil A. ArmstrongKurt H. Debus

Rockwell InternationalDonald R. Beall

Sam F. Iacobellis

Robert G. Minor

Harrison A. Storms

Dale D. Myers

George W. Jeffs

Charles H. FeltzJoseph P. McNamara

George B. Merrick

Thomas J. O’Malley

Rockwell and ASME extend a specialthank you to Burton Dicht, past chair-man, L.A. Section, for his contributionto this brochure.

Rockwell InternationalSpace Systems Division

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