Apollo 7: The 1968 'Shakedown Cruise' That Saved the Moon Program
On October 11, 1968, NASA launched Apollo 7, the first crewed flight of the Apollo program. This 11-day mission served as a critical 'shakedown cruise' to test the redesigned command module after the 1967 Apollo 1 fire. Despite crew motion sickness and interpersonal friction, the flight was deemed a 101% success, validating the spacecraft and clearing the path for the 1969 lunar landing.