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Moon again

Discussion in '2006 Archive' started by Phillip, Jul 25, 2006.

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  1. Phillip

    Phillip <b>Moderator</b>

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    This is too much fun to close. I love the space program, let's discuss it a little more.

    A quote from Magnetic Poles says:
    This was absolutely correct, but only on the first flight. Neil Armstrong took a risk and went over some rocky area with 1 or 2 seconds of fuel left. He would not have crashed; however, the abort procedure was for the ship to immediately seperate if the descent engine died and immediately start ascending after dropping the descent module. The co-pilot had this responsibility and was almost ready to do this. A crash would be very unlikely unless the ascent engine didn't fire, but since the engine used hypergolic fuels and oxidizers (fuel that burns automatically when mixed with no spark required), then the likelihood of engine failure was quite small. These were good engines.

    Someone else said we didn't have any failures in flight, don't forget Apollo 13. Actually, the movie Apollo 13 is quite accurate. I knew several engineers on the program who said that although there was a little leeway for the movie, it was all, in all quite accurate, including the commander's wife loosing her wedding ring in the bathtub drain the night before the flight. These three boys were lucky to get back home (or God was watching over them.) It is true that they had a carbon dioxide problem and had to make a round peg fit in a square hole, and also came very near running out of both oxygen and electricity. The navigation was also amazing considering the first burn correction was checked when they went to the back-side of the moon with stars and it was just about perfect. Then having to fire a final correction without a computer was quite amazing, too.


    Also, we mustn't forget the use of 15 PSI of pure oxygen caused the death of three good astronauts on the pad in Apollo one.
     
    #1 Phillip, Jul 25, 2006
  2. Ransom

    Ransom Active Member

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    Oh, and thanks to MP for the correction, too. :)

    Incidentally, a fascinating bit of reading on the space program during the Mercury-Gemini-Apollo days is Failure is Not an Option by Gene Kranz. Kranz is a retired NASA flight director; the Apollo 13 failure happened on his watch.
     
    #2 Ransom, Jul 26, 2006
  3. Phillip

    Phillip <b>Moderator</b>

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    Try "Angle of Attack", the story of North American and the development of the Apollo space craft and third stage. It is the story of the manager named "Storms" (who was indeed a "stormy" personality). GREAT story. Tells about the fights between them, NASA and Huntsville (the German team with Von Braun).
     
    #3 Phillip, Jul 27, 2006
  4. Magnetic Poles

    Magnetic Poles New Member

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    I think the USSR used Nitrogen/Oxygen blend, much like natural atmosphere, which is not flammable. I seem to recall talk about the US changing to that, but don't know if it ever happened or not. Also, does anyone know what is used on the ISS?

    I agree, we should always remember Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. Brave explorers who died a horrible death.
     
    #4 Magnetic Poles, Jul 27, 2006
  5. NaasPreacher (C4K)

    NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

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    Being from Huntsville we have a lasting legacy for these men.

    Chaffee Elementary
    Ed White Middle School
    Grissom High School

    space was a BIG part of my growing up. I remember the "earthquake" caused the first time they tested all five engines from the Saturn V at the same time.
     
    #5 NaasPreacher (C4K), Jul 27, 2006
  6. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    Same here.

    My uncle, who still lives in Clear Lake City (home of Houston's LBJ Space Center), was part of the development team for the first stage of the Saturn V during the Apollo program, and then was reassigned to the earliest development of the Space Shuttle in the late 1960s.

    We watched every launch religiously and occasionally got to go to the Mission Control VIP observation room during one of the late Apollo missions and a few of the Shuttle missions.

    When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. While that dream changed a long time ago, I still wouldn't mind taking a trip into orbit.
     
    #6 Baptist Believer, Jul 27, 2006
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