You are a go. Water systems. Go grades operations. All clear to launch. Mercury capsule. Go. All prestart panel lights are correct. The ready light is on. In the fall of 1958, nasas first administrator, t. Keith glennan, approved project mercury with the goal of sending a man into space and bringing him home safely. And do it before the russians do it. But first, nasa needed a spacecraft. Specifications were sent to 20 companies. Eleven bid on the highly prized contract. And in january, 1959, st. Louisbased Mcdonnell Aircraft Corporation was picked to build what had never been built before. This was irresistible. This was a chance to do something that had never been done. We were just basically out of college. I just graduated a year before. I was part of the electrical power and sequential system. I followed mercury from the very beginning after the contract was signed in 1959, january. What they really asked mcdonnell to do was to take the warhead off of a Ballistic Missile and put o
Theme from 2001. April 13, 1970, the moon could only be described as relaxed apollo 13, mans fifth lunar mission. The third scheduled to land on the moon continued its tranquil coast. Its a nice evening and we are going to close out on a pleasant evening. 13, we have got one more item for you when you have a chance. Stir up your cry of tanks. Ok. Were looking for compensation if you need it. Ok, stand by. Ok, weve had a problem here. Say that again, please . Weve had a main be interval. Ok, standby we are looking at it. Had a pretty large bang associated with the caution and warning. It spiked on us once before. We are starting to button up the tunnel again. April 11, 1970. Launch day. Jim lovell, commander in veteran of three Previous Missions had orbited the moon christmas, 1968 on apollo eight. Fred hayes his first time up lunar module pilot. Jack swaggart, command module pilot. Three days ago he was on the backup crew. Now he replaced ken mattingly. Mattingly had been dropped from
Okay. Are there any changes to the schedule, arne . Line 7 which is shown for all day all of first shift tuesday, the tank test will not start until 1,300. When do you want to run the leak check . First shift tuesday. Arne, youre going to extend the time out by five hours by cutting off in the front half of the lh2 tank . Negative. Its three hours and 32 minutes until man begins the greatest adventure in its history. If all goes well, the astronauts are to lift off on the voyage man always has dreamed about. So, it now before they go as their gleaming vehicle sits poised and peaceful out there that there is time, if only briefly in this busy morning, to think of those three men and the burdens and the hope that is they carry on behalf of all man kind. And going through the vastness, the blackness, and the cold of space, theyll carry the pledge made 8 years ago by president kennedy, to put a man on the moon and bring him back safely in this decade. Each segment of the mission, every ind