Shot in late October, 1968, this silent footage shows part of the journey of the Apollo 7 Command Module to Long Beach and then Downey, California and the North American Aviation’s facility where the spacecraft was assembled. (Actually, both the Apollo command and service modules were built at North American’s plant at Downey.) The capsule was then thoroughly studied to see damage effects from the re-entry process. Apollo 7 (October 11–22, 1968) was the first crewed flight in NASA’s Apollo program, and saw the resumption of human spaceflight by the agency after the fire that had killed the three Apollo 1 astronauts during a launch rehearsal test on January 27, 1967. That fire took place in the Command Module, and led to a variety of modifications to the spacecraft, including making the hatch easier to open. The Apollo 7 crew was commanded by Walter M. Schirra, with Command Module pilot Donn F. Eisele and Lunar Module pilot R. Walter Cunningham (so designated even though Apollo 7 did not carry a Lunar Module). The Command Module shown here was later displayed on the NASA float in the inauguration parade of President Richard M. Nixon. After being transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1970, the spacecraft was loaned to the National Museum of Science and Technology, in Ottawa, Ontario. It was returned to the United States in 2004.Currently, the Apollo 7 CM is on loan to the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field in Dallas, Texas.
00:00-00:12 Slated film box, 27 Oct. 1968
1:20: Large Douglas C-133B-DL Cargomaster / 59-0532 military aircraft moves across tarmac, probably at Long Beach Airport. The flight originated at Norfolk, Virginia. Douglas
2:56: People, possibly including NAA engineers and astronauts or NASA staff, watch the arrival of the capsule.
4:25: Capsule moved from the back of the aircraft.
6:30: Children watch the capsule being moved with enthusiasm.
7:00: Slated film box, stating “Apollo 7 return”, 27 Oct. 1968.
9:01: U.S. Air Force C-133B Cargomaster #59632A arrives at the airport, probably Long Beach
11:14: low view showing the considerable ablation of the heat shield.
12:00: The spacecraft moves past a church; a crowd of churchgoers watches it go past.
14:45: the spacecraft is shown being moved with aircraft Military Airlift Command #90532 visible in the background.
16:07: the spacecraft moves past the famous Tahitian Village Motel at Lakewood Blvd. and Rosencrans. It then passes a Shell gas station on its way to NAA
16:26: the capsule enters Bellflower, California
17:03: Women in hair curlers look at the capsule on display at NAA
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