Liftoff of Apollo 5

Apollo 5 lifts off on the first uncrewed flight test of the Lunar Module, the spidery two-stage spacecraft that would later carry astronauts to the lunar surface. Launched atop a Saturn IB rocket, the mission tested the module's descent and ascent engines in Earth orbit, including a simulated abort, and cleared the way for the Lunar Module to fly with a crew the following year.