Donn F. Eisele, one of three astronauts who in 1968 flew the first manned flight of the Apollo spacecraft that eventually took man to the moon, died yesterday of a heart attack while on a business trip in Tokyo. He was 57 years old and lived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

During the 11-day mission, Mr. Eisele, then a major in the Air Force, sat in the middle couch of the Apollo 7 spacecraft between Capt. Walter M. Schirra Jr. of the Navy and R. Walter Cunningham, a civilian. They circled the earth every 90 minutes in an egg-shaped orbit ranging from 140 to 183 miles in altitute.

Their mission was to check out the safety and reliability of the spacecraft and the Saturn 1-B rocket that took them into orbit. Theirs was the first flight after the accident in which three astronauts, Lieut. Col. Virgil I. Grissom and Lieut. Col. Edward H. White, both of the Air Force, and Lieut. Comdr. Roger B. Chaffee of the Navy, were killed on the launching pad in 1967. Renewed Sense of Confidence

The success of Apollo 7 brought a renewed sense of confidence to the Apollo moon landing mission and the nation's space program. The next mission, Apollo 8, orbited the moon, as a prelude to the Apollo 11 manned landing on the moon in July 1969.

Major Eisele was described as the most methodical and introspective of the crew of the Apollo 7. As navigator, his primary task was to check out the intricate guidance and navigation system of the spacecraft.

The three astronauts became well-known for their daily 10-minute television shows from orbit, during which they clowned around, held up humorous signs and generally educated television viewers back on earth about space flight. The television industry presented them with a special Emmy award.

Major Eisele also won the distiction of becoming the first person to catch cold in space. He came down with a common head cold in the first few days of the mission. The other crew members soon came down with similar head colds, which ground observers said provided the most dramatic ''service test'' possible for research on the transmission of the common cold.

Major Eisele was born in Columbus, Ohio, June 23, 1930. His first name was given to him by his mother who liked Don but added the second n so that it would not be confused with Donald.

He was a high school track star and was proud of the fact that he entered the Naval Academy through competitive examination, rather than political appointment.

He subsequently went through test pilot school and received a master of science degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio.

He became a project engineer and experimental test pilot at the Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirkland Air Base, N.M. His Only Space Flight

While still in test pilot school, Major Eisele filed the first of many applications for astronaut training. He won an appointment in 1963.

The Apollo 7 mission was Major Eisele's only space flight. He left the space agency shortly afterward, retired from the Air Force as a colonel and in 1972 became director of the Peace Corps in Thailand.

For the last several years he has been in the financial services business with Prudential Bache Securities at its Bay Colony office in Fort Lauderdale.

James Gertz, a vice president with Prudential Bache, said Wednesday night that Major Eisele's remains would be cremated in Tokyo and flown home to Fort Lauderdale.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, and four children from a previous marriage.

D F Eisele