# Names of fictional Apollo CM/LMs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026 "2018-01-07T03:42:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/1 "2018-01-07T03:42:14Z")
No, not a Moon Landing Hoax Conspiracy thread—I’m just compiling a list of the names of fictional Apollo Command Modules and Lunar Modules, from various novels, movies, etc., and I could use a little help filling any gaps. So far, I’ve got: •_Altair_ (CM)/_Luna_ (LM), Apollo 18 from Michener’s _Space_. •_Spirit of Hope_ (CM)/ _Faith_ (LM), from Jerry Oltion’s _Abandon in Place._ •_Freedom_ (CM)/ _Liberty_ (LM), Apollo 18 (a different one), the movie _Apollo 18._ Related notes: •_Argo I_ from 1989’s cinematic clunker Moontrap—Apollo hardware pulled out of mothballs, but oddly enough, both vehicles either shared a name, or were simply “The Orbiter” and “The Lander.” •_Ironman I_—1969’s _Marooned_. Apollo CM only. So…who am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/2 "2018-01-07T08:26:02Z")
[Stowaway to the Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stowaway_to_the_Moon_(film)) - CM: Camalot, LM: Little Dipper ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/3 "2018-01-07T16:19:21Z")
Did the They Might Be Giants album name them? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/4 "2018-01-07T16:29:40Z")
the Lunar module in _Superman II_ which was trashed by the bad guys was named Artemis.I don’t know if they mentioned the CM. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/5 "2018-01-07T21:33:58Z")
It wasn’t completely Apollo hardware, but there was Pilgrim in the 1968 James Caan epic _Countdown_. It actually looked like a Gemini model stuck onto an LM descent module model. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/6 "2018-01-08T17:38:58Z")
According to the show Wings, Ace Galvin (Robert Culp) left a plastic dog turd on the Moon to mess with the Russians. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/7 "2018-01-08T17:51:48Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > It wasn’t completely Apollo hardware, but there was Pilgrim in the 1968 James Caan epic _Countdown_. It actually looked like a Gemini model stuck onto an LM descent module model. That’s because it actually _was_ a Gemini model stuck onto an LM descent module model. Laugh if you want but Robert Altman directed that film and it was a pretty decent, albeit dated, portrayal of things astronautical. (I’ve also built a model of that puppy using spare Revell kits.) The film “Moontrap” features a post-Apollo landing but I don’t recall module call signs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/8 "2018-01-08T18:06:20Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > That’s because it actually _was_ a Gemini model stuck onto an LM descent module model. Laugh if you want but Robert Altman directed that film and it was a pretty decent, albeit dated, portrayal of things astronautical. (I’ve also built a model of that puppy using spare Revell kits.) That is…[odd.](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/lee-stegler-as-the-first-astronaut-to-reach-the-moon-walks-news-photo/102177910?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect#lee-stegler-as-the-first-astronaut-to-reach-the-moon-walks-away-from-picture-id102177910) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/9 "2018-01-08T18:18:50Z")
It does fit the plot, though - a mad rush to get an American on the Moon first before the Soviets could, using whatever hardware was available. That meant a mashup. Caan was to have EVA’d his way over to a shelter craft that had already been sent up as part of a more-ordered program, then wait there while NASA finished designing the rest of Apollo. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/10 "2018-01-08T18:30:31Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Caan was to have EVA’d his way over to a shelter craft that had already been sent up as part of a more-ordered program, then wait there while NASA finished designing the rest of Apollo. How much did Gemini with a service module weigh? If he could leave the moon, he could ride home. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/11 "2018-01-08T19:16:54Z")
The Vulture, from forgotten 1979 TV oddity [Salvage](https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=38388.0), was built in a junkyard from surplus ICBM parts, an old tanker truck and a concrete mixer. Tongue in cheek, [but the writers clearly put some thought into it - they don’t have a guidance system, so they hack a NASA one via a phone modem - c’mon, that’s pretty good writing for 40 years ago - and it actually _looks_ like a mission vehicle.](https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=kppfpc0ejd0p80gh8n068t8ss0&action=dlattach;topic=38388.0;attach=1121455;image) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/12 "2018-01-08T19:25:48Z")
In _[The Old Negro Space Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Negro_Space_Program)_, NASSA sent a used Cadillac Coupe de Ville to the Moon using NASA-rejected Apollo hardware. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/13 "2018-01-08T19:51:44Z")
Most of the good ones I know (including _Countdown_ – for which I have comic book) have already been taken. **Apollo 18** (2011 film) --Command Module _Freedom_[, Lunar Module _Liberty_ ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/14 "2018-01-08T20:09:50Z")
[Capricorn One](https://crberryauthor.wordpress.com/tag/capricorn-one/) was a fake Mars mission, not a moon shot, but it was clearly modelled on the Apollo program, and the descent module sure _looked_ like an [Apollo lander.](https://crberryauthor.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/capricornone01.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/15 "2018-01-08T20:28:05Z")
If alternate history video games count: [Valiant 11 and Valiant 12 in _Fallout 3_](http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Valiant_11). ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/16 "2018-01-08T22:11:18Z")
Well, since we mentioned several fantasy “Apollo” knockoffs already, how about the [title ship](http://media.agonybooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/19003254/m0205_09.jpg) from MST3k favorite “[Moon Zero Two](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064691/)”, which is basically modeled as an Apollo LEM with an extra cargo module (the movie is actually not all that bad, when you think about it). Sadly, I couldn’t find an name for the [Apollo LEM knockoff](http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photopost/data/1689/farspacecraft_far_out2.jpg) used in the legendary “[Far Out Space Nuts](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072499/)” 😛 (Yes, I said Lunch, not Launch) ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/17 "2018-01-08T23:37:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How much did Gemini with a service module weigh? If he could leave the moon, he could ride home. Basically all Gemini had was sufficient fuel to maneuver in orbit and to break orbit when its mission was done. Certainly not enough to do lunar lift-off and TEI burn. And even if it did, I don’t think the heat shield was robust enough to withstand the velocities you’d get from a lunar return. Of course, maybe they could have added additional fuel and beefed up the heat shield, but by then you’re basically talking a new spacecraft anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/18 "2018-01-09T00:21:58Z")
The needs of the movie took precedence over fuel load. Pilgrim had to be a one-way trip so there could be a big rivalry and fight between the expendable single guy James Caan and the married father Robert Duvall over who’d get to fly it. If Pilgrim weren’t suicidally risky, the flick would barely be an hour long. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-of-fictional-apollo-cm-lms/806026/19 "2018-01-09T01:15:59Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The needs of the movie took precedence over fuel load. Pilgrim had to be a one-way trip so there could be a big rivalry and fight between the expendable single guy James Caan and the married father Robert Duvall over who’d get to fly it. If Pilgrim weren’t suicidally risky, the flick would barely be an hour long. That is why I am an Instrumentation and Electronics engineer and not a rocket scientist.