Official bracket-bound NASA manual entitled “Volume I, Apollo Operations Handbook, Lunar Module 2” (LMA790-3-LM 2 / NAS 9-1100, Exhibit E, Paragraph 10.4) for the canceled Apollo 2 mission, “Mission AS-205/208A.” The manual, 9 x 11.5 x 1, dated January 1, 1967, is marked in felt tip on the title page, “HW Kohlnick, KSC,” and spine textblock and front cover, which are both similarly marked “AOH LM VOL I.” The manual is comprised of nine sections: General Information, Subsystems Data, Controls and Displays, Operational Data (see Vol. 2), Experiments and Scientific Equipment Data, Crew Personal Equipment, Subsystem Schematics, Normal/Backup Procedures, and Contingency Procedures (see Vol. 2). Also contains an appendix for Symbols and Definitions, and detailed lists for the nearly 200 tables and illustrations found within. Interestingly, while the title page identifies the manual as being for mission “AS-205/208A,” aka Apollo 2, the interior pages are all identified as being for mission “207/208A,” which was Apollo 3. In fine condition, with wear to edge of front cover, and some foxing to the title page and textblocks.
On March 21, 1966, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were selected as the crew for the AS-204 mission, which was named Apollo 1. A second mission, AS-205, or Apollo 2, was announced with the crew of Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham. However, when AS-205 was later deemed unnecessary, it was officially canceled on December 22, 1966, and Schirra's crew then became the backup for Apollo 1. The Apollo 2 mission then became AS-205/208 with crew members Jim McDivitt, Dave Scott, and Rusty Schweickart. Their mission was planned as the first manned test in earth orbit of a Block II lunar mission version of the Apollo spacecraft on AS-205 and an unmanned operational Lunar Module on AS-208. On January 27, 1967, Grissom, White, and Chaffee were killed in a flash fire in their spacecraft cabin during a test on the launch pad, interrupting the program for 21 months to identify and fix the root causes of numerous safety problems. This forced cancellation of plans to fly any crewed Block I spacecraft, and effectively forced a ‘reboot’ of all crewed mission plans.
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