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

Five months after that, Apollo 10 took off and proved that the Lunar Lander could dock with the command module.

From Literature

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

From BBC

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

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

From Los Angeles Times

Several days into the mission, an oxygen tank on the spacecraft’s service module exploded, knocking out most of the power and oxygen to the command module.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• capsule
• spacecraft
• spaceship