Apollo 7: Shakedown Cruise

Starring:Apollo 7-Shakedown Cruise
Studio: Spacecraft Film
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, gave the Apollo CSM a workout in Earth orbit as the first steps in the verification of the lunar hardware. For 11 days the crew fought colds while they put the Apollo spacecraft through a workout, establishing confidence in the machine what would lead directly to the bold decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon just 2 months later.

This 2-DVD collection continues the Spacecraft Films tradition of providing you access to the greatest moments in the history of U.S. Space Exploration. You'll see the first live television transmissions from the Apollo spacecraft, experience the preparation and launch of the Saturn IB which boosted the astronauts into orbit, and experience this often forgotten mission as never before.

DISC 1 -

ALTITUDE CHAMBER - Footage from altitude chamber runs in the Command Module.

CDDT - Footage from the countdown demonstration test. Audio from interview with Don Eisele.

PRELAUNCH ALERT - Footage of pad work. Audio from pre-launch and post-launch press conferences with flight management.

LAUNCH DAY - Suitup, transfer to pad, ingress. Audio from pre-flight interview with Walt Cunningham.

LAUNCH - Multi-angle launch footage.

DISC 2 -

All 7 Television Transmissions

ABOARD APOLLO VII - Onboard 16mm footage. Audio from post-flight press conference with NASA management.

Description

Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, gave the Apollo CSM a workout in Earth orbit as the first steps in the verification of the lunar hardware. For 11 days the crew fought colds while they put the Apollo spacecraft through a workout, establishing confidence in the machine what would lead directly to the bold decision to send Apollo 8 to the moon just 2 months later.

DISC 1 -

ALTITUDE CHAMBER - Footage from altitude chamber runs in the Command Module.

CDDT - Footage from the countdown demonstration test. Audio from interview with Don Eisele.

PRELAUNCH ALERT - Footage of pad work. Audio from pre-launch and post-launch press conferences with flight management.

LAUNCH DAY - Suitup, transfer to pad, ingress. Audio from pre-flight interview with Walt Cunningham.

LAUNCH - Multi-angle launch footage.

DISC 2 -

All 7 Television Transmissions

ABOARD APOLLO VII - Onboard 16mm footage. Audio from post-flight press conference with NASA management.

RECOVERY - October 22nd, 1968 in the Atlantic Ocean.

Customer Reviews:

OK.......2006-03-18

I was really excited when I first saw these DVDs on the web. As an admitting space geek I wanted to have all of the Apollo DVDs, of course. So I thought starting off with the first DVD was smart. Well, I was wrong. I thought you would actally hear the matching air-to-ground communications on every part, but except for the launch sequence and the TV-transmissions all you hear is audio from pre- or postflight press conferences and interviews. I'm not saying, that the audio is bad or not interesting, and the video you see is awesome, but I'd rather watch the video and hear the real audio from the flight, air-to-ground com. or onboard voice recorder and not press conference material.
I just hope that the following DVD's have matching audio and video and in total more material.

Missed opportunity.......2005-04-06

My reasons for giving it 4 stars are:

* I was disappointed with the material on the Saturn IB presented in this DVD. Spacecraft Films could have introduced some pictures of the rocket being assembled in the launch pad. That material is very difficult to find, as opposed to assembling a Saturn V (say).

* There is a long sequence focusing on Glynn Lunney in Mission Control during the flight. The audio is of an interview, thus unrelated to the sequence. You have no clue what the flight controllers are doing, or why you are watching them doing whatever they are doing. This makes the sequence rather uninteresting.

* The multi-angle Saturn IB launch. The angles become available almost at rocket ignition, so you have to be very quick to switch angles. It is a pitty that Spacecraft films did not start the multiangle at T-1 min (say), to give the viewer time to enjoy the final seconds of the countdown. The tracking and staging of the rocket are good, though.

I have many of Spacecraft films' DVDs, including the excellent Apollo 13 and Apollo 11, and the two Saturn DVDs. Therefore I was disappointed when I saw the Apollo 7 DVD, specially because of the lack of potentially interesting material (e.g. stacking of the rocket stages, launch).

Armando

First manned launch of Apollo spacecraft........2005-03-07

This was a very important mission, that tested the Apollo CSM block II spacecraft. The block II design was a redesign-after the Apollo 1 fire that killed Grissom, White, and Chaffee just 21 months prior to the launch of Apollo 7. The mission was a complete success, and encouraged NASA to make a bold leap forward-to lunar orbit with Apollo 8.
The footage of preparation, launch, and the mission is just spectacular. This is the best look at a Saturn 1B launch you will ever get(multi-angle). If you've ever taken Kennedy Space Center's "Then and Now Tour", and been to Pad 34, you will really want this DVD set. It is among my favorites, and I just got it yesterday!

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