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T O P I C R E V I E WastronutClick to vote for the most historic Apollo mission: http://pub.alxnet.com/poll?id=2048790 ------------------Happy trails,Wayne Edelman"Take sides! Always take sides! You will sometimes be wrong, but the man who refuses to take sides must ALWAYS be wrong...let us stand up and be counted." Robert A. HeinleinastronutWith 37 votes cast so far it's:Apollo 11 with 35%A8 w/32%A17 w/10%The others have 5% or less.If you haven't cast your vote, please make your voice heard. You can only vote once though.------------------Happy trails,Wayne Edelman"Take sides! Always take sides! You will sometimes be wrong, but the man who refuses to take sides must ALWAYS be wrong...let us stand up and be counted." Robert A. HeinleinspacecowboyWayne,I think you should have two questions?Most historic?Most Important?I think the most important flight would have been AP8 but most historic will be AP11 actually achieving the goal of walking on the moon.AdamastronutGreat idea Adam! I'll create an additional poll in a day or so.------------------Happy trails,Wayne Edelman"Take sides! Always take sides! You will sometimes be wrong, but the man who refuses to take sides must ALWAYS be wrong...let us stand up and be counted." Robert A. HeinleinthecollectorI actually would rearrange what Adam said. Most Historic--Apollo 8 being the first around the moon and allMost Important--17 because they spent the most time on the lunar surface, had the best crew =) and collected the most scientific data*.17 all the way on importance.JacquelineI think that all the missions were just as important as each other, but lets not forget the Apollo Soyuz mission back in 1975. At the time Amercia and Russia were still enemies! And another astronaut worth thinking about is Deke Slayton. He was one of the Original 7 but never got to go into space until Apollo Soyuz, and he did a superb job running the Astronaut Selections didn't he?Really, choosing is just too hard because Alan Shepherd and John Glenn are hovering in my mind too!!! WAWalsh To give credit to other crews, it is difficult not to view each of the first four Apollo missions as important. Each proved the technology, the system and the vehicle and but for the success of each mission, it is possible that the United States would not have made its lunar goal. Equally, a number of autobiographies have suggested that the Apollo 1 fire might have played the most significant role in Apollo 11 reaching the Moon within the decade. The 18 month flight hiatus allowed NASA, North American and Grumann to significantly improve each vehicle. All that said, I did cast my vote for Apollo 8 under the original question. If a distinction exists between most historic and most important, the Genesis Rock probably makes Apollo 15 the most "important."AztecdougAh! A kindered soul!I believe in the Apollo 8/Apollo 15 rating for the exact same reasons.Apollo 8 for getting there. Remember, Chris Columbus never actually set foot on the new world.Apollo 15 for the Genesis Rock. (The Hammer and the Feather, the lunar rover....)Warm Regards------------------"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled."PlutarchKen HavekotteThe most historical of the manned Apollo missions, most would agree, was Apollo 8's first lunar orbit and Apollo 11's first lunar landing. But I would have to vote differently in determining the "Most Important" Apollo flight of both the manned and unmanned series.Without question, Apollo 7 -- the first manned mission -- had been delayed about 20 months because of the Apollo 1/AS-204 spacecraft fire and its reprecussions. The tragic fire in Jan. 1967 changed everything about Apollo; a redesigned spacecraft, new training and operational procedures were installed, many other potential fire hazards were addressed, and most importantly -- a new, different and better management approach was initiated from the very top on down within NASA, its contractors, and the military.Therefore, if Apollo 7 was not successful as it was -- the first man-rated flight test of a complete CSM in Earth orbit for nearly 11 days -- especially if a crewmember(s) were lost a second time ... I don't think the American people and the U.S. Congress would have continued on with Project Apollo. If either Apollos 8 or 11 failed--even if a crew was lost--I still believe that NASA would have continued the program and achieved those specific goals by subsequent Apollo missions.But probably the MOST IMPORTANT flight of the Apollo era was AS-501, or better known as Apollo 4 (the first Saturn V launch), in Nov. 1967. The results of this unmanned mission would confirm or deny the validity of a management decision made in the fall of 1963 -- the use of all-up flight testing! Based in part on the unqualified successes of the first four Saturn 1 missions, but made before ANY Apollo spacecraft (Block II) had flown, the eggs-in-one-basket decision involved a calculated risk. Success in all-up testing was the quickest way to accomplish a manned lunar landing. On the other hand, failure of the first Saturn V would have been a major catastrophe that would have certainly impacted the first landing.The three Apollo-Saturn 1B launches of 1966 from the new launch complexes of 34 & 37 represented important gains for NASA's Saturn launch team. In the 20 months or so between AS-201 in Feb. 1966 and the first Saturn V/AS-501 in Nov. 1967, most of the problems facing the Saturn teams had been corrected, especially the automation concerns during that time. Without these crucial trial and error advances, AS-501...the toughest launch in Apollo's history...would have been far more difficult.Remember -- the former Soviet Union (now Russia) -- had failed in their attempt to put a cosmonaut on the Moon mainly because their large booster rocket, the N-1, had failed in maiden test and launch attempts. Our Saturn V moon rocket had performed well (though sub-par on AS-502) on all ten manned flights and three unmanned missions.astronutLast chance to vote. I'll be closing out this survey in a couple of days, so if you haven't voted & want to, please click on the link at the top.Thanks for the interest & responses. I'll create some new polls in a few days.------------------Happy trails,Wayne Edelman"Take sides! Always take sides! You will sometimes be wrong, but the man who refuses to take sides must ALWAYS be wrong...let us stand up and be counted." Robert A. HeinleinJacquelineWayneI just went to your web site to vote for Apollo Soyuz and found that it wasn't there. Surely it does count as an Apollo mission doesn't it. In lieu I voted for Apollo 11. I just think that the American Russian thing back in the 70's was pretty historic.Jacqueline
------------------Happy trails,Wayne Edelman
"Take sides! Always take sides! You will sometimes be wrong, but the man who refuses to take sides must ALWAYS be wrong...let us stand up and be counted." Robert A. Heinlein
If you haven't cast your vote, please make your voice heard. You can only vote once though.
17 all the way on importance.
Really, choosing is just too hard because Alan Shepherd and John Glenn are hovering in my mind too!!!
Equally, a number of autobiographies have suggested that the Apollo 1 fire might have played the most significant role in Apollo 11 reaching the Moon within the decade. The 18 month flight hiatus allowed NASA, North American and Grumann to significantly improve each vehicle.
All that said, I did cast my vote for Apollo 8 under the original question. If a distinction exists between most historic and most important, the Genesis Rock probably makes Apollo 15 the most "important."
I believe in the Apollo 8/Apollo 15 rating for the exact same reasons.
Apollo 8 for getting there. Remember, Chris Columbus never actually set foot on the new world.
Apollo 15 for the Genesis Rock. (The Hammer and the Feather, the lunar rover....)
Warm Regards
------------------"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled."Plutarch
Without question, Apollo 7 -- the first manned mission -- had been delayed about 20 months because of the Apollo 1/AS-204 spacecraft fire and its reprecussions. The tragic fire in Jan. 1967 changed everything about Apollo; a redesigned spacecraft, new training and operational procedures were installed, many other potential fire hazards were addressed, and most importantly -- a new, different and better management approach was initiated from the very top on down within NASA, its contractors, and the military.
Therefore, if Apollo 7 was not successful as it was -- the first man-rated flight test of a complete CSM in Earth orbit for nearly 11 days -- especially if a crewmember(s) were lost a second time ... I don't think the American people and the U.S. Congress would have continued on with Project Apollo. If either Apollos 8 or 11 failed--even if a crew was lost--I still believe that NASA would have continued the program and achieved those specific goals by subsequent Apollo missions.
But probably the MOST IMPORTANT flight of the Apollo era was AS-501, or better known as Apollo 4 (the first Saturn V launch), in Nov. 1967. The results of this unmanned mission would confirm or deny the validity of a management decision made in the fall of 1963 -- the use of all-up flight testing! Based in part on the unqualified successes of the first four Saturn 1 missions, but made before ANY Apollo spacecraft (Block II) had flown, the eggs-in-one-basket decision involved a calculated risk. Success in all-up testing was the quickest way to accomplish a manned lunar landing. On the other hand, failure of the first Saturn V would have been a major catastrophe that would have certainly impacted the first landing.
The three Apollo-Saturn 1B launches of 1966 from the new launch complexes of 34 & 37 represented important gains for NASA's Saturn launch team. In the 20 months or so between AS-201 in Feb. 1966 and the first Saturn V/AS-501 in Nov. 1967, most of the problems facing the Saturn teams had been corrected, especially the automation concerns during that time. Without these crucial trial and error advances, AS-501...the toughest launch in Apollo's history...would have been far more difficult.
Remember -- the former Soviet Union (now Russia) -- had failed in their attempt to put a cosmonaut on the Moon mainly because their large booster rocket, the N-1, had failed in maiden test and launch attempts. Our Saturn V moon rocket had performed well (though sub-par on AS-502) on all ten manned flights and three unmanned missions.
Thanks for the interest & responses. I'll create some new polls in a few days.
I just went to your web site to vote for Apollo Soyuz and found that it wasn't there. Surely it does count as an Apollo mission doesn't it. In lieu I voted for Apollo 11. I just think that the American Russian thing back in the 70's was pretty historic.
Jacqueline
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