(10/11/1968) -- Apollo 7 astronauts enter transfer van, which transported them to Cape Kennedy's Launch Complex 34 and their Saturn IB space vehicle that lifted off at 11:03 a.m. EDT, Oct. 11, 1968. First to enter the transfer van was Donn F. Eisele, command module pilot, followed by Walter Cunningham, lunar module pilot, and Walter M. Schirra Jr., Apollo 7 commander. The space pilots are scheduled to orbit the Earth 11 days, gathering information for future lunar voyages directed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.