Reach for the Stars

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The POD

Apollo 1 was the first manned flight of the Apollo program, but was not without the fire on the pad during the plugs-out test. However, the CSM had the "Blow-Hatch function" from the Mercury capsule, which had initially been eliminated following the sinking of Liberty Bell 7, though concerned engineers at North American Aviation snuck it in regardless. When the fire broke out, Gus Grissom was able to blow the hatch. Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee escaped without injury and the fire was quickly extinguished (not the least due to the fact it was now exposed to outside air). NASA investigations found that had Grissom not blown the hatch, the pure oxygen environment would have accelerated the fire rapidly, eventually asphyxiating the crew to death. Congress put the space agency through the wringer, and found that many safety checks had been skipped after it became clear that the Soviets were on the verge of launching the first Soyuz. The test had also not been classified as "hazardous", as it was believed a fire would happen in space, not on the ground. NASA delayed the launch to NET May 16, 1967 so that redesign work could be carried out. The Block I spacecraft became the Block IB, replacing the hatch with a new design meant for the Block II spacecraft. The A1C pressure suit was eliminated, replaced by the reworked Block II spacesuit (now officially referred to as the A7L). Finally, pure oxygen would only be used for the helmets, as the cabin environment switched to liquid oxygen, which was found to not accelerate fires as the pure oxygen could have.

On May 18, 1967, at 12:30 PM EDT, after two prior launch attempts were scrubbed due to unfavorable weather conditions, Apollo 1 cleared the tower. Launched on a Saturn 1B, the CSM achieved Low Earth Orbit. The mission lasted 14 days, during which all systems were put through their paces, before the CSM landed in the South Pacific. The USS Forrestal recovered the CM and the crew.

A year later, Robert Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in the presidential elections, having survived an assassination attempt earlier that year. Kennedy immediately pulled the United States out of Vietnam and beefed up the budget for the space program.

The Soviet Union, meanwhile, launched the N1 rocket twice, both ending in failure; the second launch on July 3, 1969 destroyed Baikonur Site 110/38, at which point the problematic design was scrapped. The decision was instead made to use the Earth Orbit Rendevouz (EOR) mode, in which a Proton rocket would launch the LK lander (redesigned to hold two cosmonauts and with a docking port added), with the crew following up on a Soyuz 7K-LOK, with a crew of three. The Soviets eventually landed two cosmonauts on the moon in 1972, which spurred the Kennedy administration to grant even more funding to NASA.

In the following years, other nations developed manned spacecraft. Japan developed the HOPE-X spaceplane in the 1980s, with the first manned flight being launched in 1993. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia continued flying the Soyuz and also fully developed the Buran and Energia systems. The European Space Agency developed the Hermes spaceplane, first launched in 1996. China developed the Soyuz-derived Shenzhou, with the first manned flight in 2003.

The United States, for its part, continued developing and evolving the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn launch system. The Space Shuttle was first launched in 1981, with the intention that it would one day fully replace Apollo. Ultimately, though, the Space Transportation System as a whole was plagued with numerous issues, including spiralling costs, long processing times, an ill-conceived purpose, and a fatal accident in 1986 plus a near-miss in 2003 that resulted in the first major space rescue. Ultimately, the Space Shuttle was replaced by the unmanned Shuttle-C in 2011, though the United States Air Force continues using its own fleet of manned Space Shuttles.

Spacecraft Type

Main Spacecraft

• Apollo Command-Service Module (CSM): The primary spacecraft of the United States. Carries 3-5 astronauts, the highly-versatile spacecraft has had a near-perfect record (and the few accidents it has had have, to date, never resulted in any loss of life), with no plans to replace it.
  • Block I: Unmanned boilerplate test vehicle. A manned version was to be used on Apollo 1, but the close call on January 27, 1967 forced modifications to be made. The Block I lacked a docking port (except on Apollo 3), and had a double-hatch design that, had a "blow-hatch" function not been added, would have doomed the Apollo 1 crew. Used on AS-201, AS-202, Apollo 3 Apollo 4, Apollo 6, and Apollo 81.
  • Block IB: A modified version of the Block I spacecraft, the IB used the Block IIs hatch, and switched to using liquid oxygen instead of pure oxygen. Only used on Apollo 1.
  • Block II: The most iconic of the CSM spacecraft, the Block II was first used on Apollo 5, and was the main Apollo spacecraft prior to the introduction of more specialized spacecraft, by which point NASA discontinued production of the Block II and aggressively used the remaining stock until the final was flown on Apollo 62 in 1980. Afterwards, the Block II was retired.
  • Block IIB: Conjectural name for the spacecraft allegedly used on Apollo 73, a classified mission for the Department of Defense. The spacecraft was most likely comprised of a Block III Command Module attached to one of the few Block II Service Modules still in NASA's inventory, as it was assumed high-powered cameras were installed in the SIM Bay to effectively turn the spacecraft into a spy satellite (which was the basic concept of the cancelled Manned Orbital Laboratory). Since Apollo 73, no spacecraft of its kind has been launched, as future DOD missions used the Block III, and NASA was more transparent about these missions.
  • Block III: The first spacecraft of the second-generation Apollo system, the Block III sought to rectify the issues faced with the Block II when it came to space station operations. The Block II was designed first and foremost for lunar spaceflights, and thus was awkward and bulky when launched to Skylab and later Constitution, necessitating many compromises when launched on the Saturn IB (issues not encountered with the Saturn II). The Block III fixed these issues with a smaller and lighter service module, as well as a smaller SPS and high-gain antenna, and solar panels. The Block III was first test-flown in 1976 on Apollo 43, and made its first space station docking later that year on Apollo 48, eventually supplanting the Block II for space station operations in 1980. A five-man version was introduced in 1987 as part of a joint initiative with the European Space Agency.
  • Block IV: The lunar version of the second-generation Apollo system, the Block IV uses a modified Block II Service Module replacing the Service Propulsion Engine with a pair of LM Ascent Engines, and the fuel cells with batteries. First flown on Apollo 50 in 1977.
  • Block V: The interplanetary version of the second-generation Apollo system, the Block V replaces one of the fuel cells with two SNAP-27 radioisotope thermoelectric generators. First flown in 1978, the Block V is, to date, the least-used variant of the Apollo spacecraft, having only been used on the three Martian landings in 1986, 1989, and 1993 before the space program was refocused towards the International Space Station and the Phase 2 Moon Base.
• Soyuz: Primary spacecraft of the Soviet Union and later Russia. Originally launched in 1967, the first flight ended in disaster when the parachute tangled, killing cosmonaut Vladimir Komorov. Soyuz is primarily used to ferry crew to and from space stations, and flew four flights to the Moon from 1972 to 1976. The spacecraft is slated to be replaced by Orel in 2025.
  • 7K-OK: First version of the Soyuz, and the only variant that resulted in the deaths of cosmonauts (one on Soyuz 1, and three on Soyuz 11). Retired after Soyuz 11 in 1971.
  • 7K-L1: Circumlunar variant of the 7K-OK. The most notable modifications were the replacement of the orbital module with a support cone and a high-gain parabolic antenna, the removal of a reserve parachute, and the addition of the gyro platform and star navigation sensors for the far space navigation. The spacecraft was capable of carrying two cosmonauts. At the start of flight testing, there were serious reliability problems with the new Proton rocket, the 7K-L1, and the Soyuz 7K-OK that the L1 was based on. The 7K-L1 was used for the Zond missions, and never flew with cosmonauts aboard.
  • 7K-LOK: Lunar orbital variant of the 7K-OK. The 7K-LOK was originally intended to carry two cosmonauts, and the cosmonaut landing on the moon had to EVA to the LK lander. After the N1 rocket was scrapped, a proper docking tunnel was added, and the spacecraft was expanded to hold three cosmonauts. It was used for lunar landing missions between 1972 and 1976, at which point the Soyuz program became 100% dedicated to the Salyut space stations and the 7K-LOK was retired.
  • 7K-OKS: Modified version of the 7K-OK with a drogue-and-chute docking system. Only flew two missions: Soyuz 10 and the aforementioned-Soyuz 11.
  • 7K-T: Second-generation spacecraft, used between 1973 and 1981. Mainly used for flights to Salyut stations, the spacecraft normally lacked solar panels, only using them for standalone flights. Last used on Soyuz 40 in 1981.
  • 7K-TM: Served as a technological bridge to the third generation Soyuz-T. The 7K-TM was used on Soyuz 19, which flew as part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project with Apollo 34 in 1975. The craft also flew Soyuz 16 to test the docking ring for ASTP, and the backup for ASTP was flown on Soyuz 22, which replaced the docking port with a camera for an Earth sciences mission that also allegedly observed NATO exercises near Norway.
  • T: The third-generation Soyuz, flown from 1979 to 1986. The Soyuz-T was a major upgrade over previous Soyuz spacecraft, sporting solid-state electronics for the first time and a much more advanced onboard computer to help overcome the chronic docking problems that affected cosmonauts during space station missions. In addition, solar panels returned, allowing the Soyuz-T to fly up to 11 days independently as well as a redesigned propulsion system, the KTDU-426.
  • TM: The fourth-generation Soyuz, flown from 1986 to 2002 to Mir and the International Space Station. It added to the Soyuz-T new docking and rendezvous, radio communications, emergency and integrated parachute/landing engine systems. The new Kurs rendezvous and docking system and the new KTDU-80 propulsion module permitted the Soyuz-TM to maneuver independently of the station, without the station making "mirror image" maneuvers to match unwanted translations introduced by earlier models' aft-mounted attitude control.
  • TMA: The fifth-generation Soyuz, flown from 2001 to 2012. The spacecraft featured several changes to accommodate requirements requested by NASA in order to service the International Space Station, including more latitude in the height and weight of the crew and improved parachute systems. It was also the first expendable vehicle to feature a "glass cockpit", which was adopted by Apollo spacecraft in 2003. Soyuz-TMA looked identical to the earlier TM spacecraft on the outside, but interior differences allowed it to accommodate taller occupants with new adjustable crew couches. The TMA-M variant with numerous improvements flew from 2010 to 2016.
  • MS: The sixth-generation Soyuz, first flown in 2016. The Soyuz-MS is the current and final version of Soyuz, as it is expected to be replaced by Orel in 2025. Soyuz-MS has minimal external changes with respect to the TMA-M, mostly limited to antennas and sensors, as well as the thruster placement.
• HOPE: Japan's first manned spacecraft, flown from 1993 to 2009. The system consisted of a spaceplane with a crew of five launched atop an H-IIA rocket. Four HOPE spaceplanes were built, all named after famous Japanese warships: Yamato, Soryu, Hiryu, and Mikasa; all four are preserved in museums.
• Fuji: Japan's second manned spacecraft. Unlike HOPE, Fuji is a more conventional spacecraft derived from the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV, also known as Kounotori), an unmanned spacecraft providing resupply to the International Space Station. Fuji replaces the Pressurized Logistics Module with an Apollo Block III Command Module with space for five astronauts. First flown in 2010 and still in service.
• Shenzhou: China's first manned spacecraft. Derived from the Soyuz, its first unmanned test flight was launched in 1999, and its first manned flight came in 2003. Since then, it has been used mainly for flights to Chinese space stations (as China does not participate in the International Space Station), and it is generally accepted that its military usefulness is limited, as proven by the Manned Orbital Laboratory and Almaz stations.
• Hermes: The first manned spacecraft of the European Space Agency (ESA). Hermes was a three-man spaceplane launched atop the Ariane 5. The craft flew exclusively to the International Space Station from 1996 to 2012. Six Hermes spaceplanes were built, all named for famous European explorers: Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake, Hernan Cortez, Vasco da Gama, and Samuel de Champlain. Five are preserved in museums, while one, Ferdinand Magellan, was destroyed in an accident on May 6, 1999 when, in a near-replay of the Challenger disaster, the Ariane 5 rocket carrying it suffered a failure involving a crack in one of the solid rocket boosters allowing hot gases to burn through a strut connecting it to the first stage, causing the booster to yank itself free of the rocket and destroying the first stage; all three astronauts aboard were killed, and the Hermes program was grounded until 2001; the Ariane 5 was grounded for a year, which resulted in the Ariane 4 not being retired until 2006.
• Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV): The ESA's second manned spacecraft, first launched in 2009. The CTV is much like the Japanese Fuji, being a manned variant of a pre-existing unmanned resupply craft, in this case the Automated Transfer Vehicle. The CTV is primarily launched atop the Ariane 5, but was designed to be compatible with the Saturn II. The CTV can carry five, and can be modifed to carry up to seven. It fully replaced the Hermes craft in 2012. The CTV is planned to be used for other 

Unmanned Resupply Craft

• Apollo Supply Craft: Unmanned variant of Block II (and later Block III) spacecraft with a cargo module in place of a command module. Used for resupply of Constitution and later the International Space Station. First flight 1973. The craft's working name was Autonomous Automated Rendezvous and Docking Vehicle (AARDV), commonly nicknamed "Aardvark". ASC mission designations carry the "C" prefix for "Cargo" (so for example, the first ASC flight was Apollo C1).
• Progress: Unmanned variant of Soyuz. Designed as the Soviet Union's answer to the ASC, Progress has been through several design variations unlike its American counterpart, which has gone unchanged since the Block II ASC was flown in 1978, the same year the first Progress was launched.
• Kounotori: Also known as the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), Kounotori is Japan's resupply contribution to the International Space Station. First flown in 2009, it is still in service.
• Automated Transfer Vehicle: The ESA's first unmanned resupply craft, the ATV flew from 2008 to 2015, at which point it was retired with the advent of the Minotaur.
• Minotaur: The seMeisenzahl / Firecracker 100cond European resupply craft for the International Space Station, Minotaur was developed from a clean slate. It resembles a conventional manned spacecraft, and is man-rated, but exclusively flies unmanned. Unlike most resupply craft, Minotaur is a modular spacecraft with a return capsule and service module, the capsule reentering for recovery. First flown in 2015, it is still in service.
• Dragon: The first private sector resupply craft, developed under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services by SpaceX. Launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket, the Dragon was first launched in 2010, and made its first docking with the ISS in 2012. Dragon is launched from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, as well as LC-39E at Kennedy Space Center. A new version, Dragon 2, made its first flight in 2019, with the first manned flight in May 2020.
• Cygnus: The other private sector spacecraft developed under CRS, Cygnus was developed by Orbital Sciences (now part of Northrop Grumman). The craft is normally launched aboard Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, though after a catastrophic failure that destroyed the pad in October 2014, Orbital Sciences launched Cygnus on the Atlas 5 from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Station until Antares resumed flying in 2016.

Other Manned Spacecraft

• Space Transportation System: Better known as the Space Shuttle, this system was first conceived in 1968 as a replacement for Apollo, but ultimately became a support craft that never achieved its full potential. Envisioned as a cheap, reliable system with quick turnaround times, the system was, in truth, a political tool for the Republicans to try and kill Apollo, proved to be much more expensive than Apollo, had its design irrevokably influenced by military payload needs, and was plagued by a fatal accident in 1986 and a heartstopping rescue in 2003; by comparison, Apollo has, to date, never suffered a fatal incident, though there have been several close calls with Apollos 1, 13, and 33; the Shuttle was intended to be replaced by launch system using a mix of Shuttle and Saturn components called the National Launch System, but the proposed budget caused the Clinton administration to cancel it in 1993 in favor of further developing the Saturn family, and instead, the shuttle was replaced by a disposable unmanned variant known as Shuttle-C, but because of slow development time, the last manned shuttle flight ended up being launched in 2011, with the Shuttle-C put into service shortly thereafter. There were six shuttles: Enterprise (converted to a spaceworthy craft in 1989), Columbia (subject of a spectacular space rescue in February 2003 when damage was discovered to one of the wings that would have resulted in its destruction upon re-entry; the crew was rescued by the Buran shuttle Groza, and the shuttle itself was refueled by an ASC to change its inclination to match the International Space Station, where it was repaired over two Apollo missions and successfully brought back to Earth via remote control and promptly retired), Challenger (destroyed during launch on January 28, 1986), Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. The five remaining shuttles have been sent to museums, while the Shuttle-C remains in service. The United States Air Force also has its own fleet of Space Shuttles, all manned; as of 2020, the Air Force Space System (AFSS) is still in service, and is comprised of four orbiters: Independence, Resolution, Constitution, and Reliance; the USAF shuttles are easily distinguishable from the NASA shuttles due to having the word STS on the left wing instead of the NASA roundel.
• Buran: The Soviet Union's answer to the Space Shuttle. First launched on an unmanned, two-orbit test flight in 1988, the Buran system came into its own in 1995 as one of Russia's major contributions to the ISS. Although superficially similar to the American Shuttle, Buran has many notable differences that ultimately made it a much more reliable system. Five orbiters were built, all named after types of storms: Buran, Burya, Uragan, Tayfun, and Groza. The Buran system is still in use today.
• Dragon 2: A manned version of the SpaceX Dragon, developed for NASA's Commercial Crew Development program, the Dragon 2 is able to transport up to seven astronauts, with four used for flights to the ISS. The first test flight occurred in March 2019, with the first manned flight originally scheduled for November 2019 before numerous issues pushed it back to May 2020; an in-flight abort test was performed in January 2020. A pad abort test was conducted in July 2017.
• CST-100 Starliner: The other CCDev spacecraft, the Starliner was developed by Boeing, and is also designed to transport seven astronauts to the ISS. The first test flight occurred atop an Atlas 5 (the Starliner can also be launched on the Delta IV Heavy, Falcon 9, Vulcan, and Saturn IC) in December 2019, but failed to reach the station on the first try due to a software error that could have been rectified had crew been aboard. This anomaly, coupled with the ongoing crisis with the 737 MAX, led to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg resigning. The first manned Starliner mission is scheduled for sometime in 2022.
• USAF Crew Transfer Vehicle: The Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV), not to be confused with the ESA's later spacecraft, was created by the Air Force and NASA in 1984 after Apollo 83 attracted too much attention. The CTV is a Frankenstein spacecraft: the crew rides in a two-piece command module comprised of the regular Gemini capsule and the Big Gemini crew compartment, propulsion and functionality is provided by an Apollo Block II/IV Service Module with Agena Targeting Vehicle engines, a Launch Escape System derived from the Mercury LES is used during launch, and the spacecraft uses the Saturn I rocket, which was selected for being more than adequate for the spacecraft. The CTV was used for flights to the Manned Weapon Platform and orbital installations related to the SDI system. It was retired in 1996 and replaced by the USAF Space Shuttles, and its existence was declassified on July 20, 2017.

Lunar missions

• Apollo Lunar Module: The American lunar landing system. First tested in 1967 on Apollo 2, it made the first manned lunar landing on Apollo 11 two years later. The LM is scheduled to be retired in 2021 and replaced by the new Artemis lander. Like the Command Service Module, the Lunar Module has had several variants over the years:
  • Lunar Shelter: A "Frankenstein" spacecraft combining the Command Module and LM Descent Stage. Used for extended lunar landings in the late 1970s-early 1980s (it was slated for use in 1976, but the Apollo 33 disaster saw it delayed to 1978).
  • LM Truck: A cargo carrier for early missions to Armstrong Plains. First flown in 1978, and retired in 2008 in favor of the LM Cargo.
  • LM Cargo: A much larger lander, the LM Cargo is a one-stage lander that brings supplies to Armstrong Base, then launches itself into a heliocentric orbit. First flown in 2008, it is still in service. Unlike other Apollo spacecraft, the LM Cargo is too large to fit on the Saturn V, and is instead launched on the Delta IV Heavy.
• Artemis: A new, clean-slate design, Artemis is a much larger lander than the aging Apollo Lunar Module, and as a result, cannot fit on the Saturn V. As a result, future missions to the Moon will require Artemis to be launched into lunar orbit on a Delta IV Heavy (and later Vulcan), with the Apollo Block IV following on a Saturn V.
• LK: The Soviet Union's answer to the Apollo Lunar Module. Originally, the LK was planned to hold one cosmonaut and not have a docking tunnel. After the N1 rocket was scrapped in favor of using the Proton and R-7 for an Earth Orbit Rendevouz, the resulting space on the Proton allowed for enlarging to LK to hold two cosmonauts, as the Soyuz 7K-LOK had also been expanded to hold three cosmonauts. A docking tunnel was also added at this time, precluding the potentially-dangerous EVA to change ships. The LK was used for four landings between 1972 and 1976 and then retired after the Soyuz program became fully dedicated to space stations.

Space Stations

• Skylab: First space station. Launched in 1968 as a proof-of-concept space station. Visited by Apollos 7, 9, 22, and 24, and put into a graveyard orbit by Apollo 26. Later visited by STS-51-A (also designated Apollo 88), which removed equipment and the Apollo Telescope Mount and returned to Earth. Skylab was left in a disposal orbit and re-entered the atmosphere in 1985.
• Constitution: The first modular space station. Developed using lessons from Skylab and in response to Salyut, Constitution was similar in many respects to Skylab, but was more spacious and advanced, built with modular expansion in mind. New modules were added until 1986, when the station reached full operational capacity. Constitution remained constantly occupied from 1974 to 1997, when operations were shifted to the International Space Station. A mission was launched in 2002 to assess the station's condition, ultimately concluding that it would be too expensive to refurbish the station for commercial use. It was deorbited over the Pacific Ocean in 2004.
• Salyut: A series of seven space stations launched by the Soviet Union between 1971 and 1982. Several of the stations were, in truth, Almaz military space stations. Salyut 7 was launched into a lunar orbit in 1982, where it remained until the Cold War ended in 1991.
• Lunarlab: Launched in 1982 as a response to the Soviet Union's plans to put Salyut 7 in lunar orbit. LunarLab was primarily a military station, though this purpose was covered up; publicly, the station was for scientific observation. The station was decommissioned in 1992 after the end of the Cold War, and has since been sent into heliocentric orbit. Its true purpose was declassified in 2007.
• International Space Station: A cooperative project between 16 nations. An amalgamation of several proposed stations (the American Space Station Freedom, the Russian Mir 2, and the European Columbus). The station was constructed mainly using the Space Shuttle, with some modules also launched by the Saturn III and Russian Proton. The Apollo Block III, Russian Soyuz and Buran, European Crew Transfer Vehicle, and Japanese Fuji are used for crew rotation (with the European Hermes and Japanese HOPE having been used in the past), while the ASC, Russian Progress, European ATV, Japanese HTV, SpaceX Dragon, and Orbital Sciences Cygnus used for resupply; the SpaceX Crew Dragon (and eventually, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner) is used for crew rotation under a commercial contract, but is not intended to replace Apollo; . The station was declared completed in 2011, though several additional modules remain to be launched by Buran, and an entire commercial segment is planned for launch by Axiom Space.
• Mir: Began life as a Soviet space station, then became Russian after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 (as in the OTL).  First module launched 1986. Eight Apollo and 11 Space Shuttle flights visited the station. Deorbited over the Pacific Ocean in 2001.
• Manned Weapon Platform: A station launched on the Saturn IV for the Air Force in 1983 following ABLE ARCHER 83, the existence of this station was kept classified for a long time. It carried up to 45 MIRV reentry vehicles with nuclear warheads, to be used against the Soviet Union against missile launch sites to preemptively neutralize their ability to strike back, as well as for a potential decapitation strike on Moscow, as Soviet warning systems could not easily detect warheads coming from space. Apollo 83 visited this station in 1984, though this attracted too much attention, so NASA and the Air Force created the USAF Crew Transfer Vehicle (CTV), which serviced the station from 1984 to 1996, when it was replaced by the Air Force's own fleet of Space Shuttles. The station was deorbited on July 18, 2017, and all information pertaining to it (including pictures, film, documentation, audio, and launch manifests), along with the existence of the CTV, were declassified after a new arms treaty was signed between the United States and Russia.
• Strategic Defense Initiative: An anti-missile shield created by Ronald Reagan in 1984. The system was launched using the Space Shuttle, Saturn III, and Titan IV systems, and maintained by the shuttle, USAF Crew Transfer Vehicle, and occassionally Apollo. Unlike the Manned Weapons Platform, the SDI system was public knowledge, and a point of contention between the United States and the Soviet Union, as it rendered the Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) protocol moot.

Martian Missions

• Martian Excursion Module: Crew of two. The lander looks similar to a CSM. First launched 1982.
• Ares Propulsion Stack: Unmanned. The upper half of the Saturn VI docks to the Propulsion Stack to boost it to Mars. The stack is assembled on-orbit across multiple Saturn IV launches, and fueled by multiple Space Shuttle missions. First launched 1985.

Launch Vehicles

• Saturn family: Originally proposed as a military satellite launcher, the Saturn rocket was adopted as the launch vehicle for the Apollo program. Since then, it has become of the most reliable launch systems in the world.
  • Saturn I: First launched in 1961, the Saturn I was the forerunner to the entire Saturn family. It made its final flight in 1965 and was replaced by the up-rated B model. It was brought out of retirement in 1984 under the designation Saturn IA to launch the USAF Crew Transfer Vehicle, and was retired again in 1996 along with the CTV.
  • Saturn IB: The standard launch vehicle for all missions into Low Earth Orbit until it was retired from manned service in 1975.
  • Saturn IC: A further evolution of the Saturn I, replacing the Saturn IB's eight H-1 engines with a single F-1A engine, First flown in 1973 with the first Apollo Supply Craft, its first manned flight was in 1975. It is still in service, primarily launching the Block III and ASC.
  • Saturn II: Originally known as the Saturn INT-20, this launcher is basically a Saturn V without the S-II stage and four Rocketdyne F-1A engines. First launched in 1975, it was created as a stopgap solution until the remaining stock of Block II spacecraft, which the Saturn IC could not lift without removing most of the propellant load. Its last manned flight was Apollo 62 in 1980, which was also the last flight of the Block II spacecraft. Afterwards, the Saturn II became one of the workhorse launchers of the Air Force.
  • Saturn III: First launched in 1974, the Saturn III is basically a Saturn V without the S-IC stage. This made it a viable mid-range launcher, and indeed, its first major job was launching Constitution modules in 1974 (when it was known as the Saturn INT-17). After the job of launching Constitution modules was delegated to the Space Shuttle, the Saturn III was made available for commercial and military use in a variety of different configurations. This rocket allegedly launched the Manned Weapon Platform.
  • Saturn IV: Used to launch Skylab in 1968. Basically a Saturn V without the S-IVB stage. In 1980, it was renamed from Saturn INT-21, and made available for military use; it would go on to become a workhorse of the National Reconnaissance Office, launching their largest satellites with a perfect record. Also launched the Manned Weapons Platform.
  • Saturn V: At the time of its maiden flight in 1967 on Apollo 4, the legendary Saturn V was the largest rocket ever built, enough that the Sound Suppression System was developed and building codes in Brevard County were amended in 1973 specifically to account for the vibrations caused by Saturn V launches, which out-of-state tourists tend to mistake for earthquakes. The Saturn V was the workhorse of the Apollo program from 1968-1973, and continued seeing use as the prime lunar rocket until the Apollo 33 disaster in 1975. It did not fly again until Apollo 50 in 1977, and continues to see use as the main launcher for all lunar missions.
  • Saturn VI: The largest rocket ever built, the Saturn VI (known as the Saturn VB during development) uses Solid Rocket Boosters, and substitutes the S-IVB for the Crew Module, but otherwise, also uses the S-IC and S-II. Used for missions to Mars. First launched in 1984.

Ground Assets

• Mobile Launch Platform (MLP): Used at Launch Complex 39. There are eight MLPs:
  • MLP-1: Used for Saturn V
  • MLP-2: Used for Saturn V
  • MLP-3: Used for Saturn IC
  • MLP-4: Used for Saturn IC
  • MLP-5: Used for Saturn III and IV, lacks a Launch Umbillical Tower due to both being unmanned
  • MLP-6: Used for Shuttle-C, and originally used by Space Shuttle, lacks a Launch Umbillical Tower
  • MLP-7: Used for Shuttle-C, and originally used by Space Shuttle, lacks a Launch Umbillical Tower
  • MLP-8: Used for Saturn VI, tallest Launch Umbillical Tower
  • MLP-9: Built in 2018, this MLP is intended to be a universal platform compatible with numerous rockets such as Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Vulcan Centaur, and any of the Saturn Rockets. It has optional, modular Launch Umbillical Towers to support Apollo, Crew Dragon, and Starliner.
• Crawler-Transporter: Built in 1965 by Marion Power Shovel Company, the crawler-transporters are used at Kennedy Space Center to move the Saturn rockets and shuttle stacks from the Vehicle Assembly Building to LC-39. A crawlerway to LC-34 also exists, but was never used because it was too far, and Saturn IB operations between 1966 and 1988 at the pad ultimately involved traditional vertical integration at the launch site. The two transporters are nicknamed "Hans" and "Franz", after the characters from Saturday Night Live.
• Launch Umbillical Tower: Attached to the MLPs, these towers are used for fueling the Saturn rockets and loading the crew aboard. All MLPs except 5, 6 and 7 have these towers attached.
• Fixed Service Tower: Built at LC-39D and E in 1977, these structures were used for supporting Space Shuttle operations, including fueling the shuttle and external tank, and loading the crew aboard. Also has the Rotating Service Structure for servicing the payload. The FSS at Pad E was originally slated for demolition in 2013 after all Shuttle-C operations were consolidated at Pad D, but was retained and modified by SpaceX.

Bases

• Cape Canaveral: Initially used as a missile test range starting in 1950, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station eventually evolved into the main spaceport of the American space program.
  • Launch Complex 39: The main complex for the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, and located on Merritt Island as part of the Kennedy Space Center, LC-39 is home to five pads:
    • Pad A: Mainly used for the Saturn V.
    • Pad B: Mainly used by the Saturn IC and sometimes for the Saturn V.
    • Pad C: Mainly used for the Saturn III and IV; the Saturn V was launched from here in the past.
    • Pad D: Originally used for the Saturn IC, fixed structures were erected in the late 1970s for the Space Shuttle program, meaning Apollo could no longer use the pad.
    • Pad E: The other Space Shuttle launch site, it was converted back to a clean pad state in 2013. Currently leased by SpaceX for their Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets following the AMOS 6 pad explosion at SLC-40 on September 1, 2016.
  • Launch Complex 34: Located south of LC-39, LC-34 was the launch site for all manned Saturn IB flights until the rocket was retired from manned flights in 1988; afterwards, a Saturn IB was placed on the pad, and the complex turned into a museum about Saturn IB operations.
  • Launch Complex 37: Used for unmanned Saturn IB launches until the rocket's 1988 retirement; it was then decommissioned, until it was reopened in 2001 for the Delta IV rocket.
  • Space Launch Complex 13: SLC-13 was used to launch the Saturn III until all Saturn launch operations were consolidated at LC-39; SLC-13 was later reopened as Landing Zone 1 for SpaceX's Falcon 9 first stages.
• Vandenburg SLC-6: Used to launch several classified DOD missions into polar orbit in the 1980s. Currently used by the US Air Force for their own Space Shuttle fleet, as well as Delta IV launches.
• Armstrong Base: A lunar base in Armstrong Plains. Built between 1979 and 2008.