10 SPACECRAFT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

The past, present and future of the world’s greatest spacecraft, from the early pioneers to the modern marvels

- Nigel Watson

1 APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE

The first manned spacecraft to land on the Moon

To perform the first Moon landing, the Apollo 11 mission used two very different spacecraft. The first was the pressurised, conical-shaped Command Module that served as the main living quarters. It was attached to an unpressurised Service Module containing the main rocket engine and propellant.

At launch, the Apollo 11’s Command and Service Module (CSM) was mounted above the Lunar Module (LM) on top of the Saturn V rocket. When they moved out of Earth orbit, the CSM separated itself and turned around to attach to the docking port on the LM.

On 20 July 1969 at 20:17 (UTC), Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin touched down on the Sea of Tranquillity and deployed exploration equipment from a bay on the side of the descent module. On leaving the Moon, the ascent stage’s own rocket motor blasted off the descent stage, which remained behind on the Moon. After docking with the CSM, the ascent stage was jettisoned and left to crash back into the Moon. Prior to re-entry the Service Module was jettisoned, and after re-entry the Command Module parachuted down to a splashdown in the sea.

2 SATURN V

A true powerhouse