Apollo's Dynamic Duos Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gumdrop (CM) and Spider (LM)

Apollo 9, which launched March 3, 1969, was the first manned mission to feature the lunar module. The objective of the mission was to test out the lunar module while in Earth's orbit. In order make communication between the two ships easier, NASA decided to assign names to each spacecraft.

The names given to the ships of Apollo 9 was simply based off of their distinctive shapes. The command module was named "Gumdrop" and the lunar module was designated as "Spider".

Answer: Charlie Brown (CM) and Snoopy (LM)

Apollo 10 launched on May 18, 1969 and was considered to be a dress rehearsal for the moon landing to follow on Apollo 11. The two spacecraft were named after characters from the "Peanuts" comic strip. The command module was named "Charlie Brown" and the lunar module was named "Snoopy". "Snoopy" was piloted down to an altitude of approximately ten miles above the moon's surface, before the ascent stage separated and returned the astronauts to "Charlie Brown".

Answer: Columbia (CM) and Eagle (LM)

The historic Apollo 11 mission launched on July 16, 1969. The command module was named "Columbia", named after the cannon used in the novel "From the Earth to the Moon" by Jules Verne to send explorers to the moon. The name "Columbia" would again be used as the name of the first space shuttle launched in 1981.

The lunar module was designated as "Eagle", named after the bald eagle, an animal symbolic of the United States of America.

Answer: Yankee Clipper (CM) and Intrepid (LM)

Apollo 12 was launched on November 14, 1969. The names for the spacecraft were chosen by each spacecraft's respective contractors. The command module was named "Yankee Clipper", named after a class of sailing ships from the 1800's. The lunar module was named "Intrepid", which is a word of Latin origin meaning "fearless and adventurous".

Answer: Odyssey (CM) and Aquarius (LM)

Apollo 13 was launched on April 11, 1970. The command module was named "Odyssey", after the epic poem written by the Greek author Homer. The lunar module was named after the Egyptian God, Aquarius, the water carrier. "Aquarius" would serve as a lifeboat for the astronauts after the "Odyssey" was critically damaged after one of its oxygen tanks exploded while en route to the Moon.

Answer: Kitty Hawk (CM) and Antares (LM)

Apollo 14 was launched on January 31, 1971. The command module of Apollo 14 was named "Kitty Hawk" after the town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright brothers made the first powered flight in 1903. The lunar module was named after the star Antares, which was used as a navigational aid by the astronauts during their journey to the Moon.

Answer: Endeavour (CM) and Falcon (LM)

Apollo 15 was launched on July 26, 1971. The command module of Apollo 15 was named "Endeavour", after the ship commanded by 18th century English explorer, James Cook. The lunar module was named "Falcon", after the mascot of the United States Air Force. All three of the astronauts aboard Apollo 15 had served in the Air Force as test pilots.

The name "Endeavour" would later be given to the space shuttle built to replace the fallen Challenger.

Answer: Casper (CM) and Orion (LM)

Apollo 16 launched on April 16, 1972. The command module of Apollo 16 was named "Casper" after the cartoon character "Casper, the Friendly Ghost". The lunar module was named "Orion", after the constellation of the same name. As with Antares on Apollo 14, the stars of the constellation Orion were used to help the astronauts of Apollo 16 navigate to the Moon.

Answer: America (CM) and Challenger (LM)

Apollo 17 was the final mission of the Apollo program. It was launched on December 7, 1972. The command module of Apollo 17 was named "America", in honor of the United States and her people. The lunar module was named "Challenger" to reflect on the challenges of manned space flight.

The name "Challenger" would again be used for one of the space shuttles, which was sadly destroyed shortly after launch in 1986.

Answer: Freedom (CM) and Liberty (LM)

The command module "Freedom" and its lunar module partner "Liberty" were fictional ships that featured in the horror movie "Apollo 18" released in 2011. The movie centers around a fictional moon mission that had been covered up by NASA after the crew had been violently slaughtered by aliens on the Moon.