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Apollo

3:58

How the Apollo Spacecraft works: Part 1

2:42

Inside the Apollo 11 exhibit

2:37

Apollo 11: Landing on the Moon

3:08

How the Apollo Spacecraft works Part 3

1:31

Apollo 15 Splashdown

The Apollo spacecraft was composed of three parts designed to accomplish the American Apollo program's goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and returning them safely to Earth. The expendable (single-use) spacecraft consisted of a combined Command/Service Module (CSM) and a Lunar Module (LM). Two additional components complemented the spacecraft stack for space vehicle assembly: a Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter (SLA) designed to shield the LM from the aerodynamic stress of launch and to connect the CSM to the Saturn launch vehicle; and a Launch Escape System (LES) to carry the crew in the Command Module safely away from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch emergency.