Official bracket-bound NASA manual entitled “Volume II, Apollo Operations Handbook, Lunar Module 2” (LMA790-3-LM 2 / NAS 9-1100, Exhibit E, Paragraph 10.4) for the canceled Apollo 2 mission, “Mission AS-205/208A.” The manual, 9 x 11.5 x 1.5, dated January 1, 1967, is marked in ink or felt tip on the title page, “KSC / Kohlnick,” spine textblock, “RLP,” and front cover, “LM-2 AOH Vol II.” The manual is comprised of three main sections: Operational Data (with subsections for subsystems like Guidance, Navigation, and Control, Main Propulsion, Reaction Control, Electrical Power, Environmental Control, and Communications), Normal / Backup Procedures (with subsections like Display Keyboard Symbols, DSKY Modes of Operation, Verbs and Nouns, and more), and Malfunction Procedures. Also contains lists for the procedures, tables, and illustrations found within. Interestingly, while the title page identifies the manual as being for mission “AS-205/208A,” aka Apollo 2, the interior pages are all identified as being for mission “207/208A,” which was Apollo 3. In fine condition, with wear to covers, and some foxing to the opening pages and textblocks.
On March 21, 1966, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were selected for the AS-204 mission, named Apollo 1. Also announced was a second crewed mission, AS-205, or Apollo 2, with a team composed of Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele, and Walter Cunningham. However, when AS-205 was deemed unnecessary, it was officially canceled on December 22, 1966, and Schirra's crew then became the backup for Apollo 1. In turn, the Apollo 2 mission became AS-205/208, and featured crewmen Jim McDivitt, Dave Scott, and Rusty Schweickart. Their mission was planned as the first manned test in earth orbit of a Block II lunar mission version of the Apollo spacecraft on AS-205 and an unmanned operational Lunar Module on AS-208. On January 27, 1967, Grissom, White, and Chaffee were killed in a flash fire in their spacecraft cabin during a test on the launch pad, interrupting the program for 21 months to identify and fix the root causes of numerous safety problems. This forced cancellation of plans to fly any crewed Block I spacecraft, and effectively forced a ‘reboot’ of all crewed mission plans.
