Apollo and Soyuz Spacecraft

The Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft were the first manned spacecraft built and flown by the Americans and Russians. The Apollo spacecraft is made up of two modules. They are the Command Module and the Service Module. Only the Command Module returns to Earth. The Command Module houses the crew during flight. The Apollo craft was used to get people to and from the moon. It has also been used to get people to and from Skylab, a U.S. space station. The Apollo spacecraft also has a small amount of food, for in-flight meals. The crew in the Apollo spacecraft is made up of three astronauts. They are the Commander, the Pilot, and the Mission Specialist. The Commander of the mission, like his name implies, commands the crew. The Pilot pilots the ship. And the Mission Specialist specializes in whatever the mission requires doing. The Service module houses the propulsion systems.

The Russian Soyuz

The Russian Soyuz is not much different from the Apollo spacecraft. They both have three seats for crew, and the crew does the same jobs. Although the Russians never made it to the moon, the Soyuz could have been used for that purpose. The Soyuz also ferries people to and from any Russian space station in orbit. The Soyuz has one more module than the Apollo (the other two do the same thing on both ships). This additional module on the Soyuz is kind of a living area for its crew. That module doesn’t return to earth, only the Command module does (just like the Apollo space craft).

Both crafts have been very helpful in our exploration of space. But sadly, both craft are quickly becoming outdated, and will soon be obsolete.