command module

American  

noun

1. (often initial capital letters) the portion of the Apollo spacecraft that contained the crew's living compartment and the on-board controls.

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command module British  

noun

1. the cone-shaped module used as the living quarters in an Apollo spacecraft and functioning as the splashdown vehicle

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Etymology

Origin of command module

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

It should have been a routine procedure but the command module, Odyssey, shuddered.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2025

For her 16th, Joel takes her to a science museum, where she lives out her dream of going to space by climbing inside the Apollo 15 command module.

From Salon • May 19, 2025

In Downey, North American Aviation built the command module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed astronauts on the moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

However, his own first spaceflight only came in 1972 when he orbited the moon as pilot of the Apollo 16 command module, while two other crew members landed on the moon’s surface.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023

In the command module, there were over three hundred of one type of switch alone.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Related Words

• capsule
• spacecraft
• spaceship