PRE-MISSION BRIEFING

Mission Commander, Flight Director, and crew review mission objectives, mission profile and trajectory information, communication techniques, and overall crew preparedness.

CREW INGRESS

Mission Control and Spacecraft crews take their stations for the first half of the mission.

LAUNCH

Final countdown and launch of the Saturn V booster rocket is monitored by all crew. The 3-stage rocket will develop 7.5 million pounds of thrust in its first stage alone as it attempts to accelerate the vehicle to the required escape velocity of 25,000 mph.

EARTH ORBIT

A stable "parking orbit" is established and maintained at an altitude of 115 miles above the Earth's surface. From here all systems are rechecked before commiting to a translunar flight. All teams begin their assigned tasks.

LEAVING EARTH ORBIT

The spacecraft breaks out of Earth orbit and establishes a translunar trajectory, or path toward the Moon. This is the single longest phase of the mission.

LUNAR PROBE DEPLOYMENT

A probe containing science instruments is built, tested, and finally deployed toward the lunar surface. The data retreived from the probe is vital to the selection of a landing site in the final stages of the mission.

MID-MISSION BRIEFING

Mission Control and Spacecraft crews are reunited to discuss the mission so far. Teams identify and discuss internal communication and procedure problems, and decide which tasks to begin with as the second half of the mission begins.

ENTERING LUNAR ORBIT

The translunar phase concludes, and the spacecraft enters a stable lunar parking orbit at an altitude of 60 miles above the Moon's surface. All teams return to their assigned tasks.

LUNAR LANDING

Once a landing site is selected and the coordinates and engine firing parameters are verified, the final lunar landing sequence begins. Upon landing, crewmembers view the terrain surrounding the landing vehicle and discuss their observations.

CREW EGRESS

The Mission Control and Spacecraft crews gather their valuable data, clean up their stations in preparation for the next crew, and are once again reunited in the briefing room.

POST-MISSION BRIEFING

The combined crew reviews the key events of the mission, the essential skills and tools leading to the missions success, and some ideas for further exploration in the classroom.