Reach for the Stars

Apollo 1: The POD
Apollo 1 was the first manned flight of the Block II Command-Service Module, but was not without the fire on the pad during the plugs-out test. However, the CSM had the "Blow-Hatch function" from the Mercury capsule, which had initially been eliminated following the sinking of Liberty Bell 7. When the fire broke out, Gus Grissom was able to blow the hatch. Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee escaped without injury and the fire was quickly extinguished (not the least due to the fact it was now exposed to. NASA investigations found that had Grissom not blown the hatch, the pure oxygen environment would have accelerated rapidly, eventually asphyxiating the crew. NASA delayed the launch to NET April 5, 1967 so that redesign work could be carried out. The Block I spacecraft became the Block IB, replacing the hatch with a new design meant for the Block II spacecraft. The A1C pressure suit was eliminated, and the Block II suit was also nixed, both replaced by the newer A7L suit. Finally, pure oxygen would only be used for the helmets, as the cabin environment switched to liquid oxygen, which was found to not accelerate fires as the pure oxygen could have.

On April 5, 1967, at 12:30 PM EDT, Apollo 1 cleared the tower. Launched on a Saturn 1b, the CSM achieved Low Earth Orbit. The mission lasted 6 days, before the CSM landed in the South Pacific. The USS Iwo Jima recovered the CM and the crew.

Missions
The following is the missions of the program.

Most Missions

 * Command-Service Module (CSM): Crew of three. Used on most manned missions. First flight 1966.
 * Block II: Used as the standard CSM for all missions from 1968-1980.
 * Block III: Standard LEO Apollo spacecraft. Has a service module smaller and lighter than the Block II SM, as well as deployable solar panels. First flight 1976.
 * Block IV: Standard lunar spacecraft. Uses batteries instead of fuel cells, and a pair of Lunar Module Ascent Stage engines in place of the SPS. First flight 1977.
 * Block V: Standard interplanetary spacecraft. Replaces one of the fuel cells with two SNAP-27 RTGs. First flight 1978.

LEO Missions

 * Apollo Supply Craft: Unmanned variant of Block II spacecraft. US equivalent of Progress. First flight 1973.

Lunar missions

 * Lunar Module (LM)/Lunar Excursion Module (LEM): Crew of two. First flight 1967.
 * Lunar Shelter: A "Frankenstein" spacecraft combining the Command Module and LM Descent Stage. Used for extended lunar landings in the late 1970s-early 1980s (it was slated for use in 1976, but the Apollo 33 disaster saw it delayed to 1978).
 * LM Truck: A cargo carrier for early missions to Armstrong Plains
 * LM Cargo: Unmanned. Carries supplies to Armstrong Base. First flight 2008.
 * Lunar Rover: Transportation on the Lunar surface. First used on Apollo 15.

Space Stations

 * Skylab: First space station. Initially launched in 1967, the station grew as new modules were launched and installed.
 * International Space Station: A cooperative project between 16 nations. Skylab ended up as part of the ISS. First module launched 1997. To be completed 2011.
 * Mir: Began life as a Soviet space station, then became Russian after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 (as in the OTL). In the ATL, the station is not de-orbited until 2009. First module launched 1986.

Martian Missions

 * Martian Excursion Module: Crew of two. The lander looks similar to a CSM. First launched 1980.
 * Ares Propulsion Stack: Unmanned. The upper half of the Saturn Vb docks to the Propulsion Stack to boost it to Mars. First launched 1985.

Launch Vehicles

 * Saturn 1b: Used for all LEO flights. First launched 1966.
 * Saturn V: Used for most flights going beyond LEO, mostly to the moon. First launched 1967.
 * Saturn Vb: Used on all Apollo-Ares flights. First launched 1985.
 * Saturn II: Saturn 1b substitute. Lacks the S-II stage. First launched 1975. Used for Skylab Assembly missions until 1980. Formerly known as Saturn INT-20 until 1980.
 * Saturn III: Used to launch Skylab modules, and was later made available for commercial and military use. Basically a Saturn V without the S-IC stage. During development, it was known as the Saturn INT-17. First flight 1980.
 * Solid Rocket Boosters: Attached to Saturn Vb. First used 1981.

Test vehicles

 * CSM Block I: Unmanned. Does not have a docking probe or crew compartment. First flight 1966.
 * Saturn 1: Predecessor to the Saturn 1b. First four vehicles launched had only a structural mock-up of the S-IV. First launch 1961. Retired in 1965.

Bases

 * Cape Canaveral: Three launch complexes have been used by Apollo: LC-34 for all manned Saturn 1b launches, LC-37B for SA-5 to SA-10, as well as Apollo 2 and ASC launches, and LC-39 for all Saturn V, Vb, INT-20 and CSM Shuttle launches.
 * Armstrong Base: A lunar base in Armstrong Plains. Built between 1979 and 2008.