Apollo crew assignments as of January 1967

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Author	Topic: Apollo crew assignments as of January 1967
Tom Member Posts: 1769 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000	posted 03-22-2025 05:15 PM I have a question regarding Apollo crew flight assignments just prior to the Apollo 1 accident in January, 1967. Following are the crew assignments: Apollo 1 - Grissom, White, Chaffee Apollo 2 - McDivitt, Scott, Schweickart Apollo 3 - Borman, Collins, Anders The assignments for Apollo 4 through 6 were based on the back-up crews for the first three flights. Apollo 4 - Schirra, Eisele, Cunningham Apollo 5 - Conrad, Gordon, Willians Apollo 6 - Armstrong, Lovell, Aldrin Based on that, Apollo 4 commanded by Schirra would have been either a high Earth orbit (or lunar orbit) flight aboard a Saturn V with a command and service module and lunar module. I thought Slayton's lunar flight plans did not include Schirra's crew. Did I miss something?
Axman Member Posts: 727 From: Derbyshire UK Registered: Mar 2023	posted 03-23-2025 02:39 AM I think it was all a little more complex, and the combined sources I have consulted tell a different tale than that which you have outlined above. As far as I know, the last crew announcements before the tragic fire took place in December 1966. Well before the fire, the block 1 #012 command module was experiencing multiple difficulties and failures at the Cape, so many that the Project Manager John Shinkle pushed back the launch on at least five occasions. Before the first pushback the planned and announced program was for: Apollo 1/AS-204 a block 1, 14 day LEO Crew: Grissom, White, Chaffee Backup: McDivitt, Scott, Schweickart Apollo-2/ AS-205 another block 1 LEO Crew: Schirra, Eisele, Cunningham After the first pushback, in November 1966, when Apollo 1 was already delayed beyond the end of the year, Apollo 2/AS-205 was scrapped. The Apollo 2 Crew of Schirra, Eisele and Cunningham were moved to backup for Apollo 1. The original backup crew of McDivitt, Scott and Schweickart were given a new assignment for Apollo 2/AS-205-208, which was a LEO rendezvous and transfer between a separately launched LM and CSM. Backup for this was announced as Stafford, Young and Cernan. Following the newly planned AS-205/208 flights there would be two unmanned Saturn V launches before a manned Saturn V launch, AS-503/Apollo 3, a block 2 High elliptical orbit. Crew: Borman, Collins, Anders Backup: Conrad, Gordon, Williams. Missions for Apollos 4, 5 and 6 had not been specified, no mission goals set, nor crews announced. The assumption that the backup crew would rotate on the third mission to become prime crew is simply that: an assumption. And as can be seen when Apollo 2/AS-205 was cancelled and replaced in the planning by Apollo 2/AS-205/208, it was by no means set policy. And after the fire, it was change once again with AS-205/208 being scrapped totally.
ashot Member Posts: 82 From: Registered: Mar 2010	posted 03-23-2025 04:15 AM Indeed, the latest pre-fire crew assignment picture was the one of November 1966: 204: Grissom, White, Chaffee / Schirra, Eisele, Cunningham 258: McDivitt, Scott, Schweickart / Stafford, Young, Cernan 503: Borman, Collins, Anders / Conrad, Gordon, Williams In my opinion, before looking at possible crew compositions for 504 and onwards, we should not forget about Slayton's then rule - both Commander and CMP must be experienced (even docking-experienced). This leaves Armstrong, Lovell, and Aldrin as the only potential ones, who were still unassigned. There is also an impression, that Schirra (especially after making noise when his own flight (the original 205) was eliminated) somehow might have not been considered as one who should stay in further rotation. Nor his crew including two rookies would fit (in Slayton's then mind) to a complex Block 2 CSM and LM mission. Also, the "plus 3" crew rotation rule didn't seem to be carved in stone and was not always respected by Slayton. For example, per pre-November 1966 plans McDivitt's crew was Apollo-1 backup and then was to be rotated to Apollo-3 (278). And Borman's crew was supposed to back-up Apollo-2 (the original 205) and then to fly Apollo-4 (503). So, it would be logical to expect that Apollo-4 (aka 504) prime crew would have probably been the rotated Apollo-2 backups (i.e. Stafford and co). The backup crew is even more tricky subject. Either Slayton puts Armstrong in command, or rotates Grissom (with someone from the unassigned pool given above as a CMP). And even more radical scenario (eg, breaking rotation completely) could not be excluded... And one more thing. Even with Apollo-1 successfully flown, the LM for 258 would be very likely seriously behind the schedule. Then the question is: how does NASA decide to proceed - to wait until the LM gets ready (could take several months, a year, or even more) or to create a new Apollo-2 (and maybe even a new Apollo-3, too) mission to be flown without Lunar Module to fill in the gap? For the latter scenario Schirra's crew could fit well again.
Headshot Member Posts: 1388 From: Vancouver, WA, USA Registered: Feb 2012	posted 03-23-2025 08:26 AM Also, didn't Schirra view the Apollo 2 assignment with a bit of contempt as, at the time, it was pretty much a repeat of the Apollo 1 mission? It seemed to me that he always wanted his assignments to expand the envelope. As I recall (and I may be wrong about this) his attitude annoyed Slayton, who would have flown ANY mission at the drop of a hat.
Tom Member Posts: 1769 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000	posted 03-23-2025 02:22 PM In defense of Schirra, he was an original astronaut, flew two very successful flights in the Mercury and Gemini programs, and felt slighted first by the Apollo assignment received, and then by the back-up demotion. In Slayton's defense, it's possible he saw that Schirra's training ethics weren't as strong as they were in Gemini and realized that could be a problem with the more complicated Apollo missions. And in addition, Slayton was trying to get back on flight status with this mission and used Schirra as a stand-by commander until Slayton was cleared to take over.
Michael Cassutt Member Posts: 378 From: Studio City CA USA Registered: Mar 2005	posted 03-24-2025 09:19 AM This is not true, in spite of Walt Cunningham's long held and uninformed claim (which is where this theory surfaced, in "The All-American Boys" in 1977). Slayton made no attempts to regain flight status between 1962 and 1970, when his heart condition seemed to change. He was quite clear on this in our conversations. Alan Shepard DID try to get back on flight status, even going through Naval medical exams in 1966 (which is probably where Cunningham got his notion), prior to taking a Tom Stafford referral to an LA doctor for ear surgery in 1968.
Delta7 Member Posts: 1773 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007	posted 03-24-2025 09:26 AM I believe there’s a passage in "Deke" where he mentions that Schirra was showing signs of "burn out" by the time he was assigned to Apollo.
Tom Member Posts: 1769 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000	posted 03-24-2025 10:25 AM Michael, thank you for clarifying the claim in Walt Cunningham's "The All-American Boys."
Michael Cassutt Member Posts: 378 From: Studio City CA USA Registered: Mar 2005	posted 03-24-2025 11:11 AM You're welcome. I talked this through with Walt three to four times in the twenty years I knew him — he never believed me or changed his mind. Oh well.

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