Soyuz and Apollo.

The year 1967 was one of tragedy for both space-faring nations. On January 27, during a ground test of the Apollo spacecraft at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral), fire broke out in the three-man command module (CM). Because of the pressurized pure-oxygen atmosphere inside the spacecraft, a flash fire engulfed and killed the three astronauts—Grissom, White, and Lt. Comdr. Roger B. Chaffee (1935–67) of the navy. As a result of this tragedy, the Apollo program was delayed more than a year for a major review of vehicle design and materials.

On April 23, 1967, cosmonaut Komarov was launched in the first manned flight of a new Soviet spacecraft, Soyuz. The Soyuz had room for three cosmonauts and a separate working compartment, accessible through a hatch, for experiments. Following reentry into the earth’s atmosphere and deployment of landing parachutes, the shroud lines became twisted, and Komarov plunged to his death. The Soviet space program was set back nearly two years.

In October 1968 the first manned Apollo flight was launched by a Saturn 1B booster. Astronauts Schirra, Maj. R. Walter Cunningham (1932– ) of the U.S. Marine Reserve Corps, and Maj. Donn F. Eisele (1930–87) of the air force circled the earth for 163 orbits, checking spacecraft performance, photographing the earth, and transmitting television pictures. In December 1968 Apollo 8, a landmark flight carrying astronauts Borman, Lovell, and Maj. William A. Anders (1933– ) of the air force, circled the moon 10 times and returned to earth safely. The Apollo 9 flight, with Maj. James A. McDivitt (1929– ) and Col. David R. Scott (1932– ) of the air force and civilian Russell L. Schweickart (1935– ), checked out undocking, rendezvous, and docking of the Apollo lunar module (LM) landing craft during a 151-orbit mission. The Apollo 10 flight, with astronauts Stafford and Lt. Comdr. John W. Young (1930– ) and Comdr. Eugene A. Cernan (1934– ) of the navy, made 31 orbits of the moon in a rehearsal for the lunar landing. As planned, Stafford and Cernan transferred from the Apollo CM to the LM, separated, and descended to within 16 km (10 mi) of the lunar surface while astronaut Young piloted the CM. Subsequently, rendezvous and docking of the ascent stage of the LM was accomplished; the two astronauts then transferred to the CM, discarded the LM, fired the service module rocket for return trajectory to earth, and returned safely. Project Apollo was now ready to land astronauts on the moon (see Human Lunar Exploration below).

Meanwhile, the USSR launched automated Zond spacecraft around the moon, carrying cameras and biological specimens. Col. Georgi T. Beregovoi (1921–95) flew a 60-orbit mission in Soyuz 3 in October 1968. Soyuz 4 and 5 rendezvoused and docked in earth orbit in January 1969. While the spacecraft were linked, cosmonauts Aleksei S. Yeliseyev (1934– ) and Lt. Col. Yevgeny V. Khrunov (1933–2000), in space suits, transferred by EVA from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4, which was piloted by Col. Vladimir A. Shatalov (1927– ). In October 1969 Soyuz 6, 7, and 8, each launched a day apart, rendezvoused in orbit but did not dock. Soyuz 9, with a two-cosmonaut crew, set a flight duration record of almost 18 days in June 1970.

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