Apollo 7
The Apollo 7 crew, Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham, are conducting critical systems tests in Earth's orbit, marking the first crewed mission of the Apollo program. They are verifying
Setting
Inside the Apollo 7 Command Module, orbiting Earth at approximately 140 miles altitude. The cramped, cylindrical space is filled with control panels, switches, and instrumentation, with the three astronauts strapped into their couches.
Characters
Wally Schirra
primary
A 45-year-old man with a square jaw, short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair, and piercing blue eyes that reflect years of military discipline and spaceflight experience. His compact, athletic build is well-suited to the cramped conditions of the spacecraft.
Donn Eisele
primary
A lean, athletic man in his late 30s with close-cropped brown hair and sharp blue eyes that constantly scan the instrument panels. His face shows the strain of prolonged focus in zero gravity, with faint dark circles under his eyes.
Walter Cunningham
secondary
A lean, athletic man in his mid-30s with short-cropped brown hair and sharp blue eyes. His face shows the focused intensity of a test pilot, with faint laugh lines around his eyes from years of military service.
Dialog
Wally Schirra
Houston, Apollo 7. Our little bird's flying smooth as silk up here. How's she looking on your end?
Donn Eisele
Guidance systems nominal. No drift. Still don't trust that new gyro though - feels like it's thinking too hard.
Walter Cunningham
Reading electrical systems green across the board. Batteries holding at 98%. This tin can's humming better than my first car.
Wally Schirra
Roger that. Let's keep her humming - we've got a moon program riding on this shakedown cruise.
Donn Eisele
Speaking of shaking - Houston's about to wake us up with another of their 'routine' system checks. Bet you ten bucks it's the fuel cells again.
Wally Schirra
Easy money, Donn. But play nice - we want them thinking we're model astronauts up here. At least until the TV broadcast.
Walter Cunningham
Copy that. Just keep me away from the camera - I look like a kid who stole his dad's spacesuit in these shots.