apollo 11 did not make it to the moon.
apollo 11 did not make it to the moon.
which apollo mission did not make it to the moon?
apollo 11
due to the landing-site restrictions that resulted from constraining the launch to a free return that flew by the moon, subsequent apollo missions, starting with apollo 12 and including the ill-fated apollo 13, used a hybrid trajectory that launched to a highly elliptical earth orbit that fell short of the moon with effectively a free return to the atmospheric entry corridor. they then performed a mid-course maneuver to change to a trans-lunar trajectory that was not a free return. this retained the safety characteristics of being on a free return upon launch and only departed from free return once the systems were checked out and the lunar module was docked with the command module, providing back-up maneuver capabilities. in fact, within hours after the accident, apollo 13 used the lunar module to maneuver from its planned trajectory to a circumlunar free-return trajectory. apollo 13 was the only apollo mission to actually turn around the moon in a free-return trajectory (however, two hours after perilune, propulsion was applied to speed the return to earth by 10 hours and move the landing spot from the indian ocean to the pacific ocean).
free-return trajectory
another proposed spacecraft, the gemini lunar surface survival shelter, was designed to be sent to the moon ahead of an apollo mission. it would have landed close to the planned apollo landing site, and if the apollo lunar module's ascent stage failed to ignite, the crew would have performed an eva to transfer to the lsss. the shelter was not designed to take off again after landing, so an lsrs or another apollo mission would then be sent to collect the crew, while the command module pilot of the original apollo mission would have returned to earth alone aboard his spacecraft. it consisted of a gemini reentry module, which would have housed the astronauts while they awaited rescue, and a descent stage containing life support systems, consumables, and the engine and propellant used to land the spacecraft.
advanced gemini