Spacecraft call sign
Project Apollo kept up the trend of taking inspiration from ancient mythology: Apollo was a critical God to the Greeks and the Romans.
Often the names take inspiration from what the purpose symbolizes or a legendary voyage from history or popular culture.
Throughout NASA’s history, there have been periods when the crew decided upon the call sign.
In 1969 the Apollo 9 mission used two different spacecraft: the lunar and command modules.
For this mission and those that followed; therefore, it became necessary to give each part of the spacecraft individual call signs.
Director of Space Flight Development
The main objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a human-crewed lunar landing and return to Earth.
Abe Silverstein, Director of Space Flight Development, suggested the name “Apollo” because it was the name of a god in ancient Greek mythology with engaging meanings.
Apollo was a Greek god and one of the Twelve Olympians.
He was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis.
He was the god of healing, medicine, archery, music, and poetry.
The model for naming operated spaceflight projects for mythological gods and heroes had been set with Mercury.
Call Signs For Command Module And Lunar Module
Initially, the crew of Apollo 11 named the command module Snowcone and the lunar module Haystack, based on the shapes of the vehicles.
Nevertheless, NASA felt these names did not spark much confidence in the spacecraft or the mission.
They were renamed Columbia and Eagle, apiece.
Once Eagle arrived on the lunar surface, the call sign changed to that used for the base on the lunar surface – Tranquillity Base – rather than the lunar module itself.
List Of Code Names For All The Command And Service Modules (CSM) And Lunar Modules (LM)
That’s it – I hope you enjoyed the article! Check out this article that reveals the inside of the Apollo Saturn V rocket and its significant components. See for yourself these fantastic drawings. You will be amazed.
Do you want to know more about NASA’s naming of its programs and modules? Please visit my new article named: Why Was It Named Apollo?