Apollo 7 Command Module

The first manned flight of the Apollo Program was accomplished by Walter Cunningham, Walter Schirra, and Donn Eisele in this spacecraft from October 11 to 22, 1968.

Following the tragic launch pad fire in the Apollo 1 mission command module on January 27, 1967 that killed astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee, a major delay was placed on the Apollo Program pending the results of an extensive series of design, engineering, manufacturing and safety reviews. As a result of these investigations, the Apollo command module underwent many design changes which were incorporated into the Block II series command modules. Among the changes was a single quick-operating outward opening crew hatch which replaced the two-piece hatch; the new aluminum and fiberglass hatch could be opened in a matter of seconds by both the crew and pad safety crew. In addition, the launch pad spacecraft cabin atmosphere for pre-launch testing was changed from 100% oxygen to a mixture of 60% oxygen and 40% nitrogen, a mixture that was selected after extensive flammability testing.

Did you know?

The Apollo 7 mission was the first to use the Block II command module. All of the systems and procedures required for the moon mission were flight-tested for the first time with this vehicle during its 163 Earth orbits in 10 days 20 hours and 9 minutes, traveling a total distance of 4,539,959 miles.

About our Spacecraft

This spacecraft is on loan from The National Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Video Credit: NASA

Walt Cunningham

(March 16, 1932 - January 3, 2023)

It is not often that we encounter a hero, fearless adventurer, leader, dedicated advocate for education and most of all loyal friend, but that is what Walt Cunningham was and so much more. His support of Frontiers of Flight Museum over the years has been invaluable and we are deeply saddened by his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Dot and all of the Cunningham family as they deal with the loss of such a great man.

Ronnie Walter Cunningham grew up in Southern California and, inspired by a World War II movie, joined the Navy immediately after graduating from high school. After completing flight training as a Naval Aviation Cadet at Pensacola Naval Air Station, he was commissioned as a Marine Aviator in 1953 and began a series of assignments flying jet fighter aircraft.

In 1956, he transferred to the Marine Reserve in order to attend college at UCLA, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree (with honors) and a Master’s degree (with distinction), both in physics.

Selected by NASA with the third group of astronauts in 1963, Col. Cunningham was originally assigned to the Apollo 1 backup crew. After the tragic launch pad fire, he and his crewmates, Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele, were assigned as primary crew for the first manned Apollo mission—Apollo VII.

Cunningham’s last assignment with NASA was as Chief of the Skylab branch of the Astronaut Office, where he coordinated the operational development, systems integration, and habitability of all Skylab hardware for America’s first space station.

A 1974 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Business, Cunningham was a successful businessman, investor, and Director of numerous public and private companies. He is author of The All American Boys, a book about the human side of the space program. He was a radio talk show host and frequent lecturer throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He was listed in all major Who’s Who publications and was also a recipient of numerous national and international honors.

The Frontiers of Flight Museum honors Col. Cunningham and his wife, Dot, for their extensive efforts in securing the loan of the Apollo VII Command Module to the Museum from the Smithsonian Institution in 2004. This national treasure, the flagship of the Museum’s exhibits, serves as an inspirational icon for our extensive education programs and perpetuates the legacy of the Apollo astronauts.