Apollo 8

Apollo 8 was the second manned mission of the Apollo space program that was launched. Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders became the first humans to travel beyond Earth orbit and into an orbit around the Moon. It was also the first manned launch of the Saturn V rocket.

The Saturn V

The Saturn V rocket used by Apollo 8 was designated SA-503, the third production model. When it was erected in the Vertical Assembly Building on 20 December, 1967, it was thought that the rocket would be used for an unmanned test flight carrying a boilerplate Command/Service Module. Although Apollo 6 had suffered several major issues (it suffered severe pogo oscillation during its first stage and two second stage engines shutdown early), Marshall Space Flight Center, in charge of the Saturn V, was confident that it could solve all the issues without the need for another unmanned test flight. The SA-503 mission was thus changed to a manned one.

Related Topics:
Vertical Assembly Building - 20 December - 1967 - Boilerplate - Apollo 6 - Pogo oscillation - Marshall Space Flight Center

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However, NASA managers did impose some restrictions on a manned flight taking place: the S-II second stage had to undergo cryogenic testing at the Mississippi Test Facility and other changes were to be made to "man-rate" the vehicle. So on April 30, the Saturn V was unstacked and the S-II second stage shipped by barge to the test site. The spark igniters on the second and third stage engines were also modified. In May a leak was found in a first stage engine, requiring it to be replaced.

Related Topics:
S-II - Cryogenic - Mississippi Test Facility - April 30 - May

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With only two launches of the Saturn V under its belt, the ground crew at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) was having problems keeping to the schedule. The Grumman crew was also having issues with the lunar module. Concern was expressed at the fact so much work had to be done on the lunar module after it had shipped to the Cape. The ascent engine developed leaks that caused redesigns and valve changes.

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Then in August 1968, the entire mission changed. SA-503 would launch men to the Moon and would not be carrying a lunar module, instead carrying a mass equivalent, called a lunar module test article (LTA), similar to ones used for Apollo 4 and Apollo 6. In order to speed up the pre-launch preparations, much of the modification of the Saturn V was taken out of the hands of KSC and given to appropriate development centers; only changes that affected crew safety were made.

Related Topics:
August - 1968 - Apollo 4 - Apollo 6

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The Apollo 8 spacecraft was placed on top of the rocket on September 21 and the rocket made the slow 3-mile (5 km) journey to the launch pad on 9 October. Testing continued all through December until the day before launch.

Related Topics:
September 21 - 9 October

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The SA-503 designation stood for Saturn-Apollo, and was used by NASA departments concerned with the launch vehicle. However, departments concerned with the manned flight often used AS-503, standing for Apollo-Saturn; both of these designations were used at the time to refer to the mission as a whole. The -503 number indicated that it was flight number 3 (503) of the Saturn V (503).

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