Apollo 4
Apollo 4 was launched November 11, 1967, and it was the first unmanned Apollo mission to test the Saturn V rocket (which had 3 booster stages instead of two, unlike the earlier Saturn 1B model). The mission objectives stated that NASA needed to test the rocket that would put the CM (Command Module) and Apollo Command capsule in Earth's orbit. The Apollo 4 was also a test of durability within the rocket and the smooth consistency of each of the passing phases of the launch (Described in the AS-201 and AS-202 launch). The operation ran smoothly and the mission became a success. This mission contributed greatly to the testing of the Saturn V rocket.
Facts and Statistics from the NSSDC (National Space Science Data Center) Master Catalog:
Orbital insertion was achieved by ignition of the third (S-IVB) stage, putting the spacecraft (S-IVB and CSM) into a 184 x 192 km parking orbit with a period of 88.2 minutes and an inclination of 32.6 degrees. After two orbits the S-IVB was re-ignited for a simulated trans-lunar injection burn, putting the spacecraft into an Earth-intersecting trajectory with an apogee of 17,346 km. The S-IVB stage then separated from the CSM, and the service propulsion system (SPS) ignited for 16 seconds, raising the apogee to 18,216 km. Later the SPS was re-ignited for 271 seconds to accelerate the CSM to beyond lunar trajectory return velocities. SPS cutoff was followed by separation of the Command Module (CM) from the Service Module and orientation of the CM for reentry. Atmospheric entry at 122 km occurred at a flight path angle of 7.077 degrees with a velocity of 11,140 meters/second. The CM landed near Hawaii at 20:37 UT 9 November 1967 about 16 km from the target landing point.