Object Details
- Manufacturer
- North American Aviation Inc.
- Summary
- This hatch was part of the unmanned Apollo 4 Command Module (CM 017), which was launched on Nov. 9, 1967, the first flight of the giant Saturn V launch vehicle. The Apollo hatch had to provide a perfect seal for proper cabin pressurization, thermal protection during re-entry, and water-tight conditions during splashdown and recovery. The hatch is an example of the original Block I hatch design, later modified as a result of the fatal Apollo 204 fire in January 1967, after which rescue crews were unable to open the hatch quickly enough to have any chance of saving the astronauts’ lives.
- North American Aviation made the hatch and it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution with CM 017 by the NASA Johnson Space Center in 1974.
- Credit Line
- Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Inventory Number
- A19700254004
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- SPACECRAFT-Crewed-Parts & Structural Components
- Materials
- Aluminum, Steel, Paint, Plastic, Acrylic (Plexiglas), Foam, Adhesive, Stainless Steel, Titanium
- Dimensions
- Approximate: 14.6 × 106.7 × 83.2cm, 24kg (5 3/4 in. × 3 ft. 6 in. × 2 ft. 8 3/4 in., 53lb.)
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- Location
- National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
- Exhibition
- Destination Moon
- Title
- Hatch, Block I, Apollo 4
- National Air and Space Museum
- Record ID
- nasm_A19700254004
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv93ce54a57-d16f-4e1a-8632-74fbf46710eb
