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Overall view of the LES pitch motor display.

The graphic reads

A Quick Escape

For any rocket launch, failure is always a possibility. What would happen to the crew if the Saturn V failed? Different abort modes were designed for the various phases of ascent. None were ever used.

Background image: The Apollo Launch Escape System (LES) undergoes a test a White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 1965. The LES was designed to propel the Apollo Command Module (CM) away from the Saturn V in an emergency on the pad or during initial ascent.

LES Pitch Control Motor

The Apollo LES contained three solid-rocket motors:

• The Launch Escape Motor pushed the CM out of the path of the Saturn V.
• The Pitch Control Motor (on display) directed the CM out over the Atlantic.
• The Tower Jettison Motor helped remove the LES from the CM to make way for the capsule's parachutes.