Apollo Mission Profile
(Click here
for a slightly more detailed version of this from NASA)
A typical Apollo lunar landing mission was divided into
18 distinct parts, or phases.
Each phase would normally be preceeded by a Go/No Go
decision from Mission Control.
Many of the more critical phases were broken down into
smaller parts.
| 1 | Launch |
| 2 | Earth orbit insertion - spacecraft checkout |
| 3 | Trans-lunar Injection (TLI) |
| 4 | Transposition and Docking of CSM to LM |
| 5 | Trans-lunar coast |
| 6 | Lunar orbit insertion (LOI) |
| 7 | Mid-course correction(s) |
| 8 | Lunar Module (LM) descent and landing |
| 9 | Luar surface operations & Extravehicular Activitity (EVA) |
| 10 | LM liftoff |
| 11 | LM-Command/Service Module (CSM) docking |
| 12 | LM jettison |
| 13 | CSM Trans-earth Injection (TEI) |
| 14 | Trans-earth coast |
| 15 | Mid-course correction(s) |
| 16 | Trans-earth EVA (Apollos 15, 16, & 17) |
| 17 | Service Module Jettison |
| 18 | Reentry |
| 19 | Splashdown |
| 18 | Recovery |
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| Crew insertion into CM | Launch | First staging | LES jettison | Second staging |
Earth orbit Insertion thru TLI
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| Earth orbit insertion | Trans-lunar Injection |
Transposition & Docking thru Lunar Orbit Insertion
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| CSM Separation | CSM-LM Docking | Trans-lunar Coast | Mid-course Correction | Lunar Orbit Insertion |
Lunar Orbit thru LM Landing
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| CSM & LM In
Lunar Orbit |
Crew Transfer to LM | LM Descent | LM Landing
Final Phase |
LM landing |
Lunar Surface Operations & EVA thru LM Jettison
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| EVA | LM Ascent
Stage Liftoff |
CSM-LM Docking | CSM-LM Docking | LM Ascent
Stage Jettison |
Trans-earth Injection thru CM/SM Separation
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| Trans-earth Injection | Trans-earth Coast | Midcourse Correction(s) | Trans-earth EVA
(Apollos 15, 16, &17) |
CM/SM Separation |
Reentry thru Recovery
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| Reentry | Reentry | Drogue Parachute
Deployment |
Main Parachute
Deployment |
Splashdown
& Recovery |
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