Lunar Capsule

The Apollo Command and Service Module (CSM) was the main spacecraft used by NASA during the Apollo missions to the Moon. Built by North American Aviation, it carried a crew of three astronauts through space and safely back to Earth. The spacecraft was made of two sections: the conical Command Module, where the astronauts lived and controlled the mission, and the cylindrical Service Module, which provided propulsion, electrical power, oxygen, and water. Before re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, the Service Module was detached and burned up, while the Command Module returned to Earth using parachutes for splashdown in the ocean. The CSM played a crucial role in the success of the Apollo lunar landings between 1969 and 1972.