Apollo 6

Video from the channel Spaceflight Connections about Apollo 6, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 3:10. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

A brief explanatory piece about Apollo 6 (AS-502), the last uncrewed test flight of the Saturn V before the crewed missions. It lifted off on 4 April 1968 from the Kennedy Space Center with the aim of checking whether the rocket could send a spacecraft toward the Moon.

During the flight, pogo oscillations shook the rocket, putting the structure at risk. In addition, two second-stage engines shut down early and the final burn, meant to simulate the trip to the Moon, failed. Even so, the capsule re-entered and splashed down in the Pacific, confirming the effectiveness of the heat shield.

Thanks to the fixes that came out of these failures, Apollo 8 was able to carry astronauts around the Moon less than a year later. The Apollo 6 command module is on display at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, Georgia.