Before the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) could be certified to carry astronauts to the lunar surface, the vehicle had to be thoroughly tested on the ground. In addition to building space qualified LM’s, the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in Bethpage, NY, also built test vehicles. The first man-rated LM, called the LM Test Article (LTA) 8, arrived at the Manned Spacecraft Center on September 24, 1967, by Super Guppy. After arrival, the ascent and descent stages were remated and the landing gear was attached. The LTA was then installed in the 35-foot diameter Chamber B of the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) in Building 32 in preparation for thermo-vacuum testing. During four runs in the chamber in May 1968, two-person crews evaluated the Environmental Control System necessary to prove the LM’s flight worthiness prior to the vehicle’s first crewed space flight, which ended up being Apollo 9. These tests gave confidence in the lunar hardware and were critical steps on the way to a successful Moon landing before the end of the decade.
NASA transferred the LTA-8 to the Smithsonian in 1978 and it is now on display at Space Center Houston.
For more on the Apollo Program, please visit the JSC History Office page at https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/apollo.htm