Apollo 4 was the first flight in the Apollo program and served as an initial uncrewed test of the Saturn V rocket. The first launch from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, where the space vehicle was assembled, it was originally planned to take place early in 1967 but was delayed to November 9 due to a myriad of issues. These included the need for additional inspections following the Apollo 1 fire that killed the first Apollo crew in January 1967. Apollo 4 was an "all-up" test, meaning that the spacecraft was fully functional on its initial flight, the first such for NASA. The Apollo 4 command module splashed down just under nine hours after its launch, having completed all objectives. NASA deemed the mission a complete success as it proved that the Saturn V rocket worked, which was important in achieving NASA's overall goal of landing astronauts on the Moon and bringing them back safely by the end of the 1960s. (Full article...)