Apollo Program Summary Report

Apollo Applications eventually became to be known and flown as America's first space station, Skylab. The actual Skylab was launched "dry" but this document describes plans for a "wet" workshop. Rather than the one Saturn V launch that was needed for Skylab, the "wet" workshop plan called for 3 Saturn IB launches: 1 for the workshop/MDA, 1 for the Apollo CSM, and 1 for the LM-based ATM. Astronauts would take remote control of the ATM and use the LM's thrusters to dock with the station. Flights AAP-1 through AAP-4 are described. This NASA document is dated Feb. 1, 1969, and features rare diagrams and photographs. Note: This report is not vintage. It is a reprint of an original NASA document that was carefully scanned for this publication.

Reviews Apollo mission reports, preliminary science reports, technical crew debriefings, lunar surface operations plans, and various relevant lunar experiment documents, collecting engineering- and operation-specific information by experiment. Organized by discrete experimental and equipment items emplaced or operated on the lunar surface or at zero gravity during the Apollo missions. Also attempts to summarize some of the general problems encountered on the surface and provides guidelines for the design of future lunar surface experiments with an eye toward operations.

This report is a summary of the status, completed in December 1966, of the Apollo lunar landing program prior to the tragic deaths of Astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee preparing for the first manned Apollo flight. This tragic accident will undoubtedly affect to some extent both the schedule and cost of the Apollo program. However, it does not alter the basic conclusions contained in this report, nor the analysis provided.