tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20863486630086735932023-11-16T08:10:19.548-05:00A Space Junkie's Space JunkMusings about life growing up with the space program, illustrated with pictures of artifacts from my collection. Space collectibles, autographs, models, souvenirs, training aids, Apollo, Gemini, Mercury, Space Shuttle, flown and unflown, astronauts and capsules, science fiction, you name it!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-87813444739654359062010-03-01T13:54:00.005-05:002010-03-01T13:58:57.828-05:00Touring the KSC Apollo 8 Firing Room exhibitWhen I was in Florida for the STS-130 launch, I had the opportunity to take an after-hours tour of the Apollo 8 Firing Room 1 exhibit at the Saturn V Center. I photographed every workstation and console in the exhibit, and I'll be posting my Virtual Tour shortly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DdTlyN2AUUES7b4SjtJs4YIKVDgTa_KRZzMiNKtNipzsfDtifhJ6G8Lsu1bcDWuSue05KmKjNiEUY3Vy4bzjgPf2oOSnbN4G34CNkKdHmRjfrpMauZ5juW2C4NMQAeczHk2lgYDSCTU/s1600-h/DSC_0184.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DdTlyN2AUUES7b4SjtJs4YIKVDgTa_KRZzMiNKtNipzsfDtifhJ6G8Lsu1bcDWuSue05KmKjNiEUY3Vy4bzjgPf2oOSnbN4G34CNkKdHmRjfrpMauZ5juW2C4NMQAeczHk2lgYDSCTU/s200/DSC_0184.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443741388716971474" border="0" /></a>In the meantime, work progresses on my Saturn IB Operations and Saturn IB Networks panel. I'm about to start connecting to the backplane on the Networks panel so I can start testing switches! More on that soon, too.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-80878132179607382012009-10-12T12:40:00.003-04:002009-10-12T12:50:08.081-04:00Countdown test demonstrationI obtained a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DirectLogic</span> 205 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">PLC</span> this past weekend. The trainer module only has 4 outputs, but that was enough for me to practice programming a launch timer connected to my S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IB</span> Operations panel. It's shown here as a proof of concept:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyVxs8P8aVZds0bbu3zfBPOO7Jo1oRUDbaqPg2nmYyDBKyp9UTxRV1jabwxv8x-wx-ulWu-Q7iNx9qfwGQdHw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I only threw one switch, which started the countdown clock at T-10 seconds. The rest of the lights went on via program control: ignition at T-3 seconds, all engines running at T-1.75 seconds, and liftoff at T-0. This was the sequence for the Skylab 2 launch.<br /><br />I ran wires directly from the D2-08<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CDR</span> relay interface on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">DL</span>205 to the terminals at the back of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tellite</span> enclosures. <br /><br />This will be a fabulous way to drive the display!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-48331837881366986352009-10-10T11:25:00.011-04:002009-10-10T14:07:24.364-04:00Can I light up these panels?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEf_jvpAbOW6KEKU_VVhpRf5Co5ynWabRdnSyabNKgSRLR6aD4fbio9gvDaQBoqehaLCsZeFsEfaplciqTgkzbyc79sqnwaAoKSXTMyEHulX7EIG1gZ8yCJo1WH7LREaWvoPS-nU4Q5c/s1600-h/DSC_0440.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEf_jvpAbOW6KEKU_VVhpRf5Co5ynWabRdnSyabNKgSRLR6aD4fbio9gvDaQBoqehaLCsZeFsEfaplciqTgkzbyc79sqnwaAoKSXTMyEHulX7EIG1gZ8yCJo1WH7LREaWvoPS-nU4Q5c/s200/DSC_0440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391030344448717586" border="0" /></a>Cleaning off the indicators was a relatively straightforward task. If I did nothing else to the panels, they look much better now, and they'd be suitable for building into some sort of display. But I don't want to stop here. There is so much potential to make these beauties really "pop" back to life. Going to the next level means getting the indicators to light up.<br /><br />I must state at this point that I am most decidedly <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> an electrical engineer, nor have I had any formal training in electronics. I do have some experience in building simple circuits to light <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LEDs</span> in model airplane and rockets. I have a healthy respect for electricity, but I'm not afraid to experiment. Some of what I will describe here will be grossly oversimplified and the result of trial-and-error compared to what might happen if I actually <span style="font-style: italic;">knew</span> what I was doing. I'm just documenting my learning process.<br /><br />On the other hand, there isn't a lot of documentation for these panels. No instruction manuals or wiring diagrams have survived the past 35 years.<br /><br />I knew from my experience with a segment from another control panel (see the thread <a href="http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum14/HTML/000402.html">here</a> from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">collectSPACE</span>.com) that these panels use 28V GE 327 aircraft lamps. In my previous project, I substituted 12V equivalents of the lamps. I decided to stick with 28V lamps for this project.<br /><br />The other decision point here is: do I use the existing wiring, or do I use alligator clips to attach to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Tellite</span> power posts like I did in my other project? In my other project, the wires had been clipped off when the display segment was removed from the larger panel. The panels I have now are complete and (apparently) undamaged - no wires have been cut, and they are attached to the original connectors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6raTsIQGOVHJemKKw_-9UQb4qbDRIRBBHn33d335hyphenhyphen2qx6ef_LgjFANqut4FDJ6XwOYES3QgO_e6g61wCzkr0vbwV6SZteOe6xVDtFyvFGsp2xMAvOTlrYLD-ff_2t6oi96Ik5-4YxBY/s1600-h/DSC_0438.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6raTsIQGOVHJemKKw_-9UQb4qbDRIRBBHn33d335hyphenhyphen2qx6ef_LgjFANqut4FDJ6XwOYES3QgO_e6g61wCzkr0vbwV6SZteOe6xVDtFyvFGsp2xMAvOTlrYLD-ff_2t6oi96Ik5-4YxBY/s200/DSC_0438.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390999290030077442" border="0" /></a>Here you can see a portion of the back of the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">IB</span> Operations panel. It appears relatively straightforward, since it is only comprised of indicator lamps in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tellite</span> enclosures. The primary concerns here are:<ol><li>Do the lamps work? Which ones are burned out?</li><li>Are there any short circuits in the wiring?</li><li>How does the connector map to the lamps? (i.e., which holes in the connector are attached to which lamps?)</li></ol><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWWD48GWponABFKBFaDK9WHAi55aSQlgPCGXcUoCi9g7gnc0eDBtvfP4sMHG730p2vxMRyr_ss-ckLA4wrq_idVcs2mrbk8d8mqCfkV_YwLg3aXe7B7WB-nGE9BJzFifMU3OKlr7KQy0/s1600-h/panel+back+cropped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWWD48GWponABFKBFaDK9WHAi55aSQlgPCGXcUoCi9g7gnc0eDBtvfP4sMHG730p2vxMRyr_ss-ckLA4wrq_idVcs2mrbk8d8mqCfkV_YwLg3aXe7B7WB-nGE9BJzFifMU3OKlr7KQy0/s200/panel+back+cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391000961924094994" border="0" /></a>The mapping task with the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">IB</span> Networks panel is going to be a lot more complicated. In addition to the 49 lamps in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Tellite</span> enclosures, there are 8 analog meters, 9 individual lamps, a mechanical counter, 1 rotary switch, 18 three-position switches, and 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">push button</span> (momentary) switches. There are 9 resistors on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">backplane</span>, and wires go to both posts on the frame as well as to 3 circular connectors.<br /><br />So, let's start simple, with the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">IB</span> Operations panel. To assist in documenting the functions of the panel, I created an Excel spreadsheet that lists each indicator and its position on the panel. There are location designations stenciled onto the back of the faceplate. For example, the "LOX LOADING REVERT" indicator is in the upper left corner of the panel, and it is labeled "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">DS</span>1" on the back of the faceplate. The numbers run consecutively along the rows (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">DS</span>1 through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">DS</span>8 on the top row, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">DS</span>9 through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">DS</span>16 on the second row, etc.). I transferred these designations to the spreadsheet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41JgBHxtpJB5XpRnBLoJAiGVnuwCkBBFN9R6F5OyxFe-6FCAKPHm2jPqlOInvNvgurquICq5D5Cg9VbzZ1jWf74eY8zMIhQ1ik0K8m5WilXciVjNNDdGNRBjDiI4C1rpl1vySkdRm7bI/s1600-h/running500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41JgBHxtpJB5XpRnBLoJAiGVnuwCkBBFN9R6F5OyxFe-6FCAKPHm2jPqlOInvNvgurquICq5D5Cg9VbzZ1jWf74eY8zMIhQ1ik0K8m5WilXciVjNNDdGNRBjDiI4C1rpl1vySkdRm7bI/s200/running500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391027028077519410" border="0" /></a>Now, it was time to see what worked and what didn't. For my first simple test, I wired two 9V batteries in series, figuring that 18V would be enough to produce at least a little light from the 28V bulbs. My past project taught me that the center post of each <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Tellite</span> enclosure was the ground and the two outside posts were +. I connected the battery negative terminal to a center post, and then clipped the power alligator clip to the power post on the "ALL ENGINES RUNNING" indicator (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">DS</span>23). Success! The lamp lit, probably for the first time in 34 years!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV5_Fj6FjvlQJ9hDj0B5qgH7Y2b73O4uuiNZB-RL1xdBb74wmK31BUQCu011DkDw-cqU7oRQ22o7DLiZmDBArC_W7lLIEOJ1saxvNkrQzLy78NvcpjKSb5fMrr_1JeIs8f9VWp3mGTCQ/s1600-h/liftoff500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV5_Fj6FjvlQJ9hDj0B5qgH7Y2b73O4uuiNZB-RL1xdBb74wmK31BUQCu011DkDw-cqU7oRQ22o7DLiZmDBArC_W7lLIEOJ1saxvNkrQzLy78NvcpjKSb5fMrr_1JeIs8f9VWp3mGTCQ/s200/liftoff500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391027487502440850" border="0" /></a>Two more alligator clips were attached, to the IGNITION and the LIFT-OFF indicators, just for fun at this point. Fortunately, the lamps in these indicators were still good, so they glowed as well. I dutifully photographed the indicators as my inspiration for lighting up the panels.<br /><br />At this point, the simplest thing to do would have been to touch the positive alligator clip to a post on each indicator to see which bulbs were still working and which were burned out. I opted to combine two steps here, by also seeing which pin on the connector corresponded with which indicator.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzqNKEcG7j3ot0O4_I6yDCz7n-nwklu8BSPOdw-lQFWG8bBxlxSyt9Tg9SeCJeZxMLrxDJ_B1B4xnqVz6SjgWcoeIm363dbb0agPn6F1JXvPLOuDsPcjCeayjOhTT2to89STb6xVF-JA/s1600-h/connector.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzqNKEcG7j3ot0O4_I6yDCz7n-nwklu8BSPOdw-lQFWG8bBxlxSyt9Tg9SeCJeZxMLrxDJ_B1B4xnqVz6SjgWcoeIm363dbb0agPn6F1JXvPLOuDsPcjCeayjOhTT2to89STb6xVF-JA/s200/connector.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391029527131867442" border="0" /></a>The connectors on these panels are "24-61" connectors, which are standard military hardware. Each hole has a corresponding letter. Unfortunately, the placement of the labels on the connector for the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">IB</span> Operations panel was pretty inconsistent. The letters were often not immediately adjacent to a hole. This quickly became a problem as I worked my way around the connector, sticking a probe into a hole and seeing which lamp lit, then making notes on my spreadsheet. By the time I had worked about 1/3 of the way around the outside of the connector, I was losing track of which hole corresponded to which letter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-2BrdhN35icJfTVEcU3nPWDzFBkKEMXpwqhyphenhyphenK7HDGCxFuPoLMGegUAVVZvW_HtiYkGS0EGthJ4VjD9JChGmMCZfBFz43V75ZolixEDeTX6KJi_3T7tvp0M7zFwYJ0xGwAmUU-IkyKyY/s1600-h/S-IB+ops+plug+annotated.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-2BrdhN35icJfTVEcU3nPWDzFBkKEMXpwqhyphenhyphenK7HDGCxFuPoLMGegUAVVZvW_HtiYkGS0EGthJ4VjD9JChGmMCZfBFz43V75ZolixEDeTX6KJi_3T7tvp0M7zFwYJ0xGwAmUU-IkyKyY/s200/S-IB+ops+plug+annotated.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391033938365089122" border="0" /></a>To aid in my documentation, I needed to make a diagram of the connector, invert the colors on my PC (to make a better printout), and then draw lines connecting each letter to its corresponding hole. That way, I could ensure that I was being consistent.<br /><br />I found that as I worked around the connector from A-Z, the lamps lit in order, running horizontally. "A" corresponded to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">DS</span>1, "B" to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">DS</span>2, etc. A little lesson I learned, so that I wouldn't have to keep craning my neck from the back to the front of the panel, was to put a mirror in front of the panel so that I could see the bulbs light up while I stayed at the back of the panel.<br /><br />I found that the bulbs in nine of the indicators were burned out and would need to be replaced. I may be able to move some bulbs from unused indicators to the ones that need new bulbs. A little spark told me that pins <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">aa</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">bb</span> were ground, which I should have determined first, before checking the bulbs!<br /><br />So now I have the connector mapped to the indicators in the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">IB</span> Operations panel. This was also documented in my spreadsheet.<br /><br />As I mentioned, I would like to explore powering this panel through the 24-61 connector rather than with alligator clips. I will need to find out what kind of plug corresponds to this receptacle. They are labeled "Burndy MS3124E 2461S."<br /><br />Next time: What does it mean?Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-35886413022757671952009-10-09T09:59:00.011-04:002009-10-09T11:19:31.846-04:00Taking a new direction: A restoration projectI've decided to take my blog in a different direction. It's still going to be dedicated to my space collection, but I'm going to concentrate most of the posts on a few items of particular interest to me at the moment: my control panels from the Apollo-era firing rooms at Kennedy Space Center.<br /><br />I highlighted these panels in a <a href="http://jonathan-spacejunk.blogspot.com/2009_06_28_archive.html">previous post </a>early this summer. I have started working to restore two of the panels, with the goal of "lighting them up" again and having operate similarly to how they might have looked during the launch of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.<br /><br />I'm going to use this blog to document the process that I'm going through to bring these relics back online.<br /><br />Let's start with general clean-up.<br /><br />I purchased these panels from Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hankow</span> at <a href="http://farthestreaches.com/">Farthest Reaches</a> in June. Steve's consignor acquired them from the estate of <a href="http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/richardbaker/gallery/NASA-Space-Junk-Auction/G00001e3YRKECnEY/">Charles Bell</a>. Bell was a NASA inventor and engineer who was involved in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. He amassed a huge junkyard full of rockets, spare parts, control panels, test equipment, and just about anything that could be salvaged when NASA junked the items. Bell's materials were not catalogued or kept in environmentally-controlled conditions, so they were not in pristine condition (to say the least) when his estate was auctioned off.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRTyn8Jusk82Mx0JbfEsT1qYtnIUBE3Zyf0cXFUIZMFgs_NyEhzlLWgDoO9UIMX-TT_78H8oy141hDSLKHynQrpdw_aae800EoyJWROaIzCtMJgYLZRrIRyRHs3bVLoy3E19EqCu5EII/s1600-h/S-IB+operations+panel+before+cleaning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 64px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRTyn8Jusk82Mx0JbfEsT1qYtnIUBE3Zyf0cXFUIZMFgs_NyEhzlLWgDoO9UIMX-TT_78H8oy141hDSLKHynQrpdw_aae800EoyJWROaIzCtMJgYLZRrIRyRHs3bVLoy3E19EqCu5EII/s200/S-IB+operations+panel+before+cleaning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390607850056498066" border="0" /></a>The S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">IB</span> Operations Panel displayed the critical events in the countdown and flight of the Saturn <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IB</span>, the first stage of the Saturn rockets that flew Apollo 7, as well as the crews of the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project missions, into Earth orbit. Although I don't know for sure, I assume that this was used by a person in a supervisory function, who was monitoring the overall progress of the countdown.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNPkkzbvhJWyjztgFTgORc6KACUEwV3JWYlvoZaXQ6R8zb4tU7adniKo91SXaPxyJqq4MiE_ZANYMk356LFQqr-zXDMk-BK5C80rLK-RnfjHtWC30R7oVku40cXOOv_hnoH_o3Mh3FoM/s1600-h/preclean.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 99px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNPkkzbvhJWyjztgFTgORc6KACUEwV3JWYlvoZaXQ6R8zb4tU7adniKo91SXaPxyJqq4MiE_ZANYMk356LFQqr-zXDMk-BK5C80rLK-RnfjHtWC30R7oVku40cXOOv_hnoH_o3Mh3FoM/s200/preclean.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390614843080290850" border="0" /></a>The panel is a 19" x 5-1/2" bank of 40 indicator lamps in "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tellite</span>" enclosures. Each enclosure has one or two 28V indicator lamps, a colored gel (usually green, blue, or red), a translucent white plastic piece, and a clear plastic insert with lettering stenciled on. In many cases, a lot of dust had accumulated in these enclosures when I opened up the panel. Also, the ink from the stenciled lettering had bled, and some of the gels may have melted slightly in the Florida heat of Bell's junkyard, causing the gel to wick between the indicator's plastic inserts. You can see that some of these labels were almost illegible from the accumulated grime.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvjoDRF7CbhhOETgiga-PcjfOU4FEpG58k9ar1-72tgLMTpVgXbxBSTzPhd8z6K2RnRU23isDzwqQhfvhyK8XfqXQ2s3FpeQdLZbyGP-CpxwFJA2NypMvGpg_DupBVsuCuxLxMraRyJU/s1600-h/open+cell.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvjoDRF7CbhhOETgiga-PcjfOU4FEpG58k9ar1-72tgLMTpVgXbxBSTzPhd8z6K2RnRU23isDzwqQhfvhyK8XfqXQ2s3FpeQdLZbyGP-CpxwFJA2NypMvGpg_DupBVsuCuxLxMraRyJU/s200/open+cell.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390611926433656018" border="0" /></a>My first task, after photographing the panel to document its original condition, was to clean up these plastic inserts. To do this, one first has to remove the inserts from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Roto</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tellite</span> enclosures. You have to push on one side of the enclosure to rotate the cell. In some cases it was easier than others. These cells hadn't been moved in 35 years, so they were very reluctant to turn. Once the cell is rotated 45 degrees, you then have to pop open the clip on the end of the enclosure. This was particularly hard on my fingernails and fingers, and I was lucky not to get a lot of blood on the panel!! After opening the clip, the plastic insert can be slid out. In some cases, it was stuck to the enclosure and had to be gently loosened with an X-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">acto</span> knife.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVAlQv_2WItxWGYVyoQCmmiSUa3P2kgBwDwat2nzKL-ZN0y8psuZW4DbqCRmtx8Fff7FIf9jjaqi_QYGWwt5UCnaAhyjDFvkdu1-F6cuW3dOIjmWRCHVZoD3J6hFIinnCjGy6Njd7zE4/s1600-h/label+clean.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVAlQv_2WItxWGYVyoQCmmiSUa3P2kgBwDwat2nzKL-ZN0y8psuZW4DbqCRmtx8Fff7FIf9jjaqi_QYGWwt5UCnaAhyjDFvkdu1-F6cuW3dOIjmWRCHVZoD3J6hFIinnCjGy6Njd7zE4/s200/label+clean.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390615116750864850" border="0" /></a>The plastic inserts were generally stuck together. I was able to separate most of them into their component pieces using my thumbnail at the corner of the insert, gently pulling the stuck pieces apart. I tried a variety of methods, starting with mildly soapy water, to clean up the plastic inserts. Soaking in water didn't get rid of the gunk. I found that the colored gels and the translucent white pieces could be rubbed clean with a paper towel with a little rubbing alcohol on it.<br /><br />With the lettered inserts, I wasn't sure if rubbing alcohol was a good idea. Gentle rubbing with a paper towel accidentally rubbed off the ink on one letter, much to my horror. I switched to rubbing alcohol, applied gently with a Q-tip. That worked much better and didn't seem to damage the lettering. In 90% of the cases, the Q-tip removed the dirt and left the letters intact. In a few cases, though, the ink seemed to start to dissolve in the alcohol, so I quickly dipped the label into water and blotted it dry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcPRtDbRhVj49TzaNHXiwWDP2PhsOpjWNFIQaIFCf9KFIXbrR9w2hv8Enzvu3HTwtvSeaR3W7KqYCPRL2FkKvUHd95gbCtt_jYAHqu9-oRWkHxKL3wsktEZ6WsPVS8lYEBYAYvSRYxwE/s1600-h/before-after.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcPRtDbRhVj49TzaNHXiwWDP2PhsOpjWNFIQaIFCf9KFIXbrR9w2hv8Enzvu3HTwtvSeaR3W7KqYCPRL2FkKvUHd95gbCtt_jYAHqu9-oRWkHxKL3wsktEZ6WsPVS8lYEBYAYvSRYxwE/s200/before-after.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390618104888350866" border="0" /></a>After drying each piece of the insert, I reassembled them and put them back into their original cell. You can see here the side-by-side comparison of this one bank of indicator lights, before and after cleaning off the "LOX TANK PRESSURIZED" indicator.<br /><br />Repeat forty times, for this panel...and forty-nine times for the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">IB</span> Networks panel. But the end result was well worth it. All of the indicators survived the cleaning process, with the loss of only one letter on one label. Below are comparisons of the two control panels, before and after cleaning up the inserts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MpYN-zBEM2cC16w2OlSJY4HrgFuOSQOiuHniKoCHJAf7eLznbrsvYHsBG-vrjQolTppKE2_jGhHx4Tnu3j5V9e-CKBV98-Uaxq_xbRU9OTlvWlXp3dSlX3B5ldRZ5Vata7-jGt0iCkw/s1600-h/S-IB+Operations+Panel+before+and+after+indicator+cleaning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MpYN-zBEM2cC16w2OlSJY4HrgFuOSQOiuHniKoCHJAf7eLznbrsvYHsBG-vrjQolTppKE2_jGhHx4Tnu3j5V9e-CKBV98-Uaxq_xbRU9OTlvWlXp3dSlX3B5ldRZ5Vata7-jGt0iCkw/s200/S-IB+Operations+Panel+before+and+after+indicator+cleaning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390619096585638610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oZlk5mxDB-AB4laXA1LINBDgUYCEeN3BGdt2Pt5s9fCFOB9SSTEK4E6SbhmsP4z39-znKmy27OnGQqFt5VG52ofgVvuy5ngenfP7saHcS2_JqVHokppjLUaJEYtcE_61bW6t5-QH-98/s1600-h/S_IB+Networks+planel+before+and+after+cleaning.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oZlk5mxDB-AB4laXA1LINBDgUYCEeN3BGdt2Pt5s9fCFOB9SSTEK4E6SbhmsP4z39-znKmy27OnGQqFt5VG52ofgVvuy5ngenfP7saHcS2_JqVHokppjLUaJEYtcE_61bW6t5-QH-98/s200/S_IB+Networks+planel+before+and+after+cleaning.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390619591531124914" border="0" /></a>Next time: Testing the lights and connectors!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-39653513216361813142009-09-27T14:52:00.003-04:002009-09-27T15:17:40.672-04:00The future of manned spaceflight?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWDons42uol8Ilmsm7XhFxC6WuWETLCWmMxDKhUYZwi-Sk_kWMbT0yK0jZmvsmuNM833OunFIsHIgcV-yd9-EPkmL2HBh3r06OgWTz1oM8V2r8qtSsnv8yifGaEo1J31SWcXlkohpGX4/s1600-h/Shenzhou+7+pen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 66px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWDons42uol8Ilmsm7XhFxC6WuWETLCWmMxDKhUYZwi-Sk_kWMbT0yK0jZmvsmuNM833OunFIsHIgcV-yd9-EPkmL2HBh3r06OgWTz1oM8V2r8qtSsnv8yifGaEo1J31SWcXlkohpGX4/s200/Shenzhou+7+pen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386222129853963954" border="0" /></a>A year ago this week, the Peoples Republic of China flew three <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">taikonauts</span></span> aboard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Shenzhou</span> 7. The mission was the third of the Chinese manned spaceflight program, their first flight with three passengers, and the first EVA conducted from a Chinese spacecraft.<br /><br />The anniversary of this flight comes on the heels of some very sobering news for the US manned spaceflight program. The Augustine Commission reported that the US program is significantly underfunded and will be unable to achieve the goal of a manned lunar landing. The Space Shuttle will be retired in late 2010 or early 2011, and there is still debate as to whether the US should continue to develop the Orion launch vehicle or adapt the existing Delta IV booster to get crews into low Earth orbit. In my opinion, each month of debate further reduces the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">US's</span> likelihood of getting anyone to the Moon in the next 15 years. <br /><br />In fact, it has been noted that other than astronauts hitching rides aboard the Soyuz, the only near-term option available to the US for supporting the Space Station after retiring the Shuttle will be commercial vehicles like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">SpaceX's</span> Falcon 9.<br /><br />I am frustrated at the lack of direction, commitment, and willpower shown at present. A recent survey asked a random sample of Americans what percentage of the Federal budget went to the space program. The average guess was 24% - when it fact it's closer to 0.5%, and never exceeded 5% even during the Apollo program. As someone pointed out during Apollo, not one dollar of the NASA budget was spent on the Moon - it was all spent here on Earth, in employing over 400,000 engineers, scientists, plumbers, electricians, seamstresses, and other trades who were all vital to the success of the program. We have an opportunity to put a lot of people to work on something positive and inspiring, but we appear to lack the vision and leadership to make it happen.<br /><br />I hope that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Shenzhou</span> rocket (depicted in the souvenir pen shown in the illustration) won't be the first picture that comes to mind for our kids when they think about manned spaceflight.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-81993836690715551162009-09-13T20:19:00.007-04:002009-09-14T15:00:14.251-04:00Ride 'em, Cowboy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5cOdBCPskT-3gPhIQWRrvdPJSju5XinQD80_xttfl_VkBqtOR7bhEA0kA0k-LbDRMhC4oTwxPKliDkyabDj2apY53-Np_yM8f47Jl2T4mh0ICq3Y_R9qHY2O7zls6IK1YDre3qTe5ig/s1600-h/Gemini+11+White+Room+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5cOdBCPskT-3gPhIQWRrvdPJSju5XinQD80_xttfl_VkBqtOR7bhEA0kA0k-LbDRMhC4oTwxPKliDkyabDj2apY53-Np_yM8f47Jl2T4mh0ICq3Y_R9qHY2O7zls6IK1YDre3qTe5ig/s200/Gemini+11+White+Room+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381112839804801522" border="0" /></a>This week marks the anniversary of the flight of Gemini XI, which flew from September 12-15, 1966.<br /><br />Commander Pete Conrad and Pilot Dick Gordon made space history by docking with their Agena target vehicle on the very first orbit after liftoff. This "M=1" rendezvous plan required extremely precise timing. The launch window was only <span style="font-style: italic;">2 seconds</span>, which would have been an unthinkably thin margin only a few years before. The Titan II lifted off less than 1/2 second into its launch window, and Conrad and Gordon were on their way to a rendezvous only 85 minutes later, over California.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgbp_nxxxhQZ2lxpOSqzI1USuPQudIvCIlBngSIiwTo4L4UDa2mkzXj53LytWbgo-57Xa0xZrKTergJU4_5Qc-OjQ1duBi_UMtXGbqs_Z2egLL_4KG-0h07D7rcscTD2J8MpfnPJh60U/s1600-h/Gemini+11+launch+vehicle+test+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgbp_nxxxhQZ2lxpOSqzI1USuPQudIvCIlBngSIiwTo4L4UDa2mkzXj53LytWbgo-57Xa0xZrKTergJU4_5Qc-OjQ1duBi_UMtXGbqs_Z2egLL_4KG-0h07D7rcscTD2J8MpfnPJh60U/s200/Gemini+11+launch+vehicle+test+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381112985372829810" border="0" /></a>Once docked, they set an altitude record, by using the Agena's rocket engine to propel themselves into an orbit with an 860-mile apogee. Other than the Apollo flights to the Moon, no other manned vehicle has flown that far from Earth to this day.<br /><br />While the Gemini and Agena were docked, Dick Gordon undertook the first of two space walks. One of his tasks was to attach a 100-foot tether to connect the two vehicles for subsequent experiments. Sitting astride the nose of the Gemini while he worked at the Agena's docking collar, Gordon reminded Conrad of a bronco buster, and he called out, "Ride 'em, cowboy!" That image, captured on film and shown to American audiences after the mission ended, became <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> memorable image of the mission. It's certainly the one I most remember from that mission.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/lores/S66-54455.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 162px;" src="http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/lores/S66-54455.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>As with the spacewalks on Gemini IX and X, the EVA proved much more strenuous than anticipated. Gordon became so over-exerted that it was necessary to end the spacewalk early. A second EVA, in which Gordon stood up in his seat for two hours and leaned outside the hatch was as relaxing as the first EVA had been strenuous. Gordon fell asleep while he was standing in the hatch!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYPm7UMJWZXSegbf11qn0581Jd09ZoX95k4YKCnjGsQxthINwWa-niPJ6YutGAhFKJ8HSuX6jSz5mt82e1PvblBhSD-tZXtqHq8t7b_lnmidotRMRClZ_t5DhDtFahs3kLzeojbFo8dA/s1600-h/Gemini+11+Mission+Control+Center+Viewing+Room+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYPm7UMJWZXSegbf11qn0581Jd09ZoX95k4YKCnjGsQxthINwWa-niPJ6YutGAhFKJ8HSuX6jSz5mt82e1PvblBhSD-tZXtqHq8t7b_lnmidotRMRClZ_t5DhDtFahs3kLzeojbFo8dA/s200/Gemini+11+Mission+Control+Center+Viewing+Room+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381117511492930146" border="0" /></a>Conrad and Gordon were a fun-loving crew. They flew together again three years later, on Apollo 12. Conrad was smitten with the idea of flying a modified Gemini mission around the Moon - something he had been pushing for as a mission objective for Gemini XI. He didn't make it to the Moon on that flight, but he realized his dream on Apollo 12.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-25533214025698485712009-09-04T20:29:00.004-04:002009-09-04T20:51:56.879-04:00's SMEAT time!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyTRE1lq-YiEdOJmT3EpC0S0Oe5NiQcS8hWsjgGQc0KyUXO7qrbidgrp24VqF96XuJnueGzSN-KK9ebUPmmsM2H7v1V6K2APbfHkxrv2Q9XASS2EY3laNKJCsg77VyhEjV3Zvtn0UlqA/s1600-h/SMEAT.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyTRE1lq-YiEdOJmT3EpC0S0Oe5NiQcS8hWsjgGQc0KyUXO7qrbidgrp24VqF96XuJnueGzSN-KK9ebUPmmsM2H7v1V6K2APbfHkxrv2Q9XASS2EY3laNKJCsg77VyhEjV3Zvtn0UlqA/s200/SMEAT.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377774069422333474" border="0" /></a>The Beta cloth patch at left ranks as one of my all-time favorite Apollo-era mission emblems. <br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">SMEAT</span>, short for the Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test, was a full-up dress rehearsal for missions aboard Skylab, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">US's</span> first space station. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">SMEAT</span> duplicated all of the medical experiments, food, and equipment that were planned for Skylab. It even duplicated Skylab's reduced-pressure atmosphere. Since it was conducted on Earth, though, the crew obviously could not experience weightlessness.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">SMEAT</span> ran from July 26 through September 20, 1972, simulating a full 56-day duration Skylab mission. The crew consisted of Commander Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Crippen</span>, Karol "Bo" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bobko</span>, and Dr. William Thornton, M.D. None of the crew actually flew during Apollo or Skylab, but all three subsequently flew on the Space Shuttle. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Crippen</span> was the Pilot for the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">SMEAT</span> was invaluable in testing medical equipment and systems before they were installed aboard Skylab. Once Skylab was launched, there would have been no way to replace equipment that didn't work properly or subsequently broke. Thornton, a large and powerful man, was particularly noted for his ability to destroy test equipment during his "normal" exercise routines. Several pieces of exercise equipment were beefed up after Thornton defeated them, and none of those uprated items subsequently broke down during the Skylab missions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJAJFGm5LN3aasXJ5xieVscGvAx9vTssLcxzk1HHyVz9Qb_f5TdppeDsASjEoECRIjssjWXGCPfEXUdxf5tZFDNDDBmLpZsV-LiVE_1UQ9R-AI4RvZl_r_ocafqAOdiePbTs7vriHbjw/s1600-h/SMEAT+crew+signed+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJAJFGm5LN3aasXJ5xieVscGvAx9vTssLcxzk1HHyVz9Qb_f5TdppeDsASjEoECRIjssjWXGCPfEXUdxf5tZFDNDDBmLpZsV-LiVE_1UQ9R-AI4RvZl_r_ocafqAOdiePbTs7vriHbjw/s200/SMEAT+crew+signed+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377778163992440418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Peanuts</span> creator Charles M. Schultz designed the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">SMEAT</span> patch, continuing his long association with the American space program. Symbolizing the "grounded" nature of the mission, a distressed-looking Snoopy is being held back to Earth instead of flying among the stars!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-88381844807522796672009-08-29T09:18:00.003-04:002009-08-29T09:52:04.787-04:00Happy Anniversary, Discovery!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtXTIPlt66BRO5_ZgqferwXGcQVh_NY0jKeJDHph1B-eT_wUg9iRfI0UQ7tghgpa1O875Dm4qIFh053Q_r8AIfqIij4M7E3B7u_bG3jSnb5_aG7IDMeqgDqrnSaH4dAs_OtEzwyJGUYc/s1600-h/STS+41-D+EG-G+Base+Operations+Team+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtXTIPlt66BRO5_ZgqferwXGcQVh_NY0jKeJDHph1B-eT_wUg9iRfI0UQ7tghgpa1O875Dm4qIFh053Q_r8AIfqIij4M7E3B7u_bG3jSnb5_aG7IDMeqgDqrnSaH4dAs_OtEzwyJGUYc/s200/STS+41-D+EG-G+Base+Operations+Team+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375376692304548050" border="0" /></a>At about midnight last night/this morning, the shuttle <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery</span> blasted off on a mission to resupply the International Space Station (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ISS</span>). This is <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery's </span>37<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> mission, and her 10<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ISS</span>.<br /><br />This week marks the 25<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> anniversary of <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery's</span> maiden flight, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">STS</span>-41D, which flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. <br /><br />Given her role in constructing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ISS</span>, it's perhaps fitting that one of the primary experiments on <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery's </span>first flight was a test of the <a href="http://spacefacts.net/graph/drawing/large/english/sts-41d_oast-1.htm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">OAST</span>-1</a> solar array. This was a prototype of the solar panels that now supply power to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ISS</span>. Folded into a package that was 13 feet wide but only 7 inches deep, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">OAST</span>-1 was extended to a full length of 102 feet. <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery</span> also deployed three communications satellites during the mission.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery's</span> launch had been delayed since the originally-scheduled date in June 1984. A launch attempt on June 26, 1984 resulted in the shutdown of the Space Shuttle Main Engines after a few seconds. (Astronaut Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Hawley</span> quipped, "Gee, I thought we'd be a lot higher at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">MECO</span> [Main Engine Cut-Off]!") About 10 minutes later, while the crew were still strapped in their seats, there was a hydrogen fire at the base of the launch pad. It was a very tense and dangerous situation, and NASA revised its safety procedures using the lessons learned from this pad abort.<br /><br />It's sad to note that this was <a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/resnik.html">Judith <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Resnick</span></a>'s first flight, and that her first launch attempt was such a scary one. She perished a year and a half later aboard <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster"><span style="font-style: italic;">Challenger</span></a>.<br /><br />When <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery</span> flew, she was the third and newest Space Shuttle. With the loss of <span style="font-style: italic;">Challenger</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Columbia</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery</span> is now the oldest orbiter in the fleet. <br /><br />There is speculation that <span style="font-style: italic;">Discovery</span> will replace the Shuttle <span style="font-style: italic;">Enterprise</span> at the National Air and Space Museum's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Udvar</span>-Hazy Center once the Space Shuttle program ends in late 2010.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-1504590483207855182009-08-23T13:18:00.005-04:002009-08-23T15:11:55.253-04:00Apollo-Saturn 202 and the USS Hornet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZPucyfsJS76P7sajXydtGWLgYqNC-T5ANbH-oUfd3zZcQCCDevGQQGDKH0jLmFwLR89zvMeIv56dnezgFkf5t-32PtL0WoJYNUUqMwBsdFChyphenhyphenfF32u_sxDcLYRePVUx7l8igdC9NBOU/s1600-h/Apollo+Saturn+202+Firing+Room+Access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZPucyfsJS76P7sajXydtGWLgYqNC-T5ANbH-oUfd3zZcQCCDevGQQGDKH0jLmFwLR89zvMeIv56dnezgFkf5t-32PtL0WoJYNUUqMwBsdFChyphenhyphenfF32u_sxDcLYRePVUx7l8igdC9NBOU/s200/Apollo+Saturn+202+Firing+Room+Access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373210230953295378" border="0" /></a>I've been leading workshops in Santa Cruz, California for four weeks this summer. My last one concluded this past Friday, August 21, at 10:30 a.m. I had a 10:30 p.m. red-eye back to Washington DC from San Francisco, and I wondered what I could do to fill in my time before my flight. Several people at <a href="http://www.collectspace.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">collectSPACE</span></a> recommended that I tour the aircraft carrier USS <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet</span>, docked at Alameda Point on San Francisco Bay. I'm very pleased that I took their advice!<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet</span> was commissioned in 1943 and saw action in the western Pacific during some of the major campaigns at the end of World War II. Perhaps its most famous role was as the recovery ship for Apollos 11 and 12 when they returned from the Moon in 1969.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet</span> hosts what is billed as the largest collection of Apollo-related material on display on the West Coast. Among the exhibits one can see:<br /><ul><li>A Sea King helicopter which was last used in the movie <span style="font-style: italic;">Apollo 13</span>, and which is painted identically to the helicopter that brought the Apollo 11 crew on board the <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet</span> following splashdown.</li><li>Painted footprints on the deck, tracing the Apollo 11 crew's walk from the Sea King to a Mobile Quarantine Facility (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MQF</span>) van.</li><li>The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MQF</span>, which is the one used by the Apollo 14 crew, the last crew which was quarantined following a Moon landing. The tabletop in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MQF</span> is autographed by Ed Mitchell of the Apollo 14 crew!</li><li>A 1/48 scale model of the Saturn V launch vehicle, nearly 9 feet tall.</li><li>A 1/12 or 1/10 scale contractor's model of an early version of the Lunar Excursion Module.</li><li>A Moon rock from Apollo 15 (not present during my visit).</li><li>Numerous Lucite displays with pieces of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kapton</span> insulation from Apollos 11 and 12.</li></ul>Most noticeable on the hangar deck is an Apollo capsule. This is CM-011, which was flown on the Apollo-Saturn 202 mission (informally also called <span style="font-style: italic;">Apollo 3</span>).<br /><br />My visit to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet </span>was, coincidentally, just four days shy of the anniversary of the AS-202 flight on August 25, 1966.<br /><br />AS-202 was an unmanned test of the Command and Service Modules in Earth orbit, primarily to test the Service Propulsion System and the ability of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">CM's</span> heat shield to withstand a high-velocity reentry. The tests were successful, although the capsule splashed down nearly 200 miles off target. The capsule was recovered by the <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet</span> about 8-1/2 hours after landing.<br /><br />I wish I'd had the foresight to bring a camera with me to California this trip. However, I doubt that I could have captured the scale of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Hornet</span> or the sense of history that I felt getting to tour her. The ship's <a href="http://www.uss-hornet.org/">website</a> provides information for potential visitors, including several <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Quicktime</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">VR</span> panoramas of various locations on the ship. If you scroll <a href="http://www.uss-hornet.org/exhibits/photos/picts/pano-hanger_bay_two.mov">this panorama</a> about 180 degrees around and zoom in, you'll see the capsule as well as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">MQF</span> and Sea King helicopter.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-80159733486455538272009-08-15T20:57:00.003-04:002009-08-15T21:19:50.152-04:00Addendum - One More Capsule Mystery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nXgnNuTKALwAnGvEwl06BI7swGP9Ey54gUfJDRIqGSsWbuLt75FBECZkDqzGqfMYXsOqdqi91eojJLEImM0AM0DcwmPvOBdlJOpBTYLp6jZe3Ho0XgQExxFwoOfUz2uPiuCKUPwR5V4/s1600-h/CM+on+platform.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nXgnNuTKALwAnGvEwl06BI7swGP9Ey54gUfJDRIqGSsWbuLt75FBECZkDqzGqfMYXsOqdqi91eojJLEImM0AM0DcwmPvOBdlJOpBTYLp6jZe3Ho0XgQExxFwoOfUz2uPiuCKUPwR5V4/s200/CM+on+platform.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370359477722167554" border="0" /></a>While on the tour of MSC and JSC, my dad snapped this photo of a flown Apollo Command Module on a platform. There's no explanatory information in this photo. I'm relatively certain it's at MSC in Houston, since none of the VIP party are wearing hard hats. (They were all wearing hard hats in the photos within the VAB at Kennedy Space Center.)<br /><br />I believe that this might be <span style="font-style: italic;">Columbia</span>, the Apollo 11 Command Module.<br /><br />After the crew splashed down in the Pacific on July 24, 1969, <span style="font-style: italic;">Columbia</span> was brought aboard the <span style="font-style: italic;">USS Hornet</span> and secured to the quarantine facility. All of the rock boxes, film, space suits, and other materials were removed from the spacecraft. The spacecraft was decontaminated and the hatch sealed again on July 26. <br /><br />The Command Module arrived at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the MSC on July 30. It was transferred to North American Aviation's Downey, California facility on August 14, where it was prepped for turnover to the Smithsonian.<br /><br />So, given that my dad's tour fell within the first two weeks of August 1969, it is quite conceivable that this CM is indeed <span style="font-style: italic;">Columbia</span>, two weeks after its historic return from the Moon. <br /><br />The Apollo 10 Command Module was sent to Downey in June, so this is not <span style="font-style: italic;">Charlie Brown</span>.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-40462259241418139142009-08-11T21:12:00.031-04:002009-08-12T14:41:59.227-04:00A VIP tour of MSC and KSC, August 1969<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZyJEfXWxitdobEJryJlzGmAauYoAws7K8OKao2B-4niRrM1SsvNAQDxsc4TIqJm0RsTFBrHVpAXJp_5LOeE-U6FRVJW4as4RClwwWhFByzBTAssPG9FAkIqyTLo0oT_yyRjpWnpzUdA/s1600-h/VAB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZyJEfXWxitdobEJryJlzGmAauYoAws7K8OKao2B-4niRrM1SsvNAQDxsc4TIqJm0RsTFBrHVpAXJp_5LOeE-U6FRVJW4as4RClwwWhFByzBTAssPG9FAkIqyTLo0oT_yyRjpWnpzUdA/s200/VAB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368879069642614530" border="0" /></a>My dad was a career civil servant, who worked in the CIA from the days of the Korean War past Vietnam. He started off pretty low on the totem pole and was promoted one grade at a time until he achieved the "exalted" status of GS-14 Branch Chief in 1969.<br /><br />In recognition for his accomplishments, and with a light on his future development, he was selected in June 1969 to participate in a special management program. From his memoirs,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwGk3Y_rSnE-clVoxah8P2QSDc_uOMb7pl4_KL5O5-d_oFtgu2wEDDi9taEH9RjGHp844an4n5nnNB3bQL52_kb0QUJvWMSib1NVanjFtHfNAShFTdiCHuEQTeKSWiBhqDqNHIJgPH6s/s1600-h/dad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwGk3Y_rSnE-clVoxah8P2QSDc_uOMb7pl4_KL5O5-d_oFtgu2wEDDi9taEH9RjGHp844an4n5nnNB3bQL52_kb0QUJvWMSib1NVanjFtHfNAShFTdiCHuEQTeKSWiBhqDqNHIJgPH6s/s200/dad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368907947862717554" border="0" /></a><i>In June 1969 I was selected to attend the Mid-Career Executive Development Course, an honor which meant that Management had identified me as a “comer.” The course provided not only a broad overview of the U.S. Government, but considerable in-depth coverage on Congressional dynamics, the election process, new Department of Defense development programs, interrelationships of components of the Intelligence Community, NASA, NATO, and other public affairs. First-rate and high-level officials gave us candid briefings, private "think-tank" analysts gave us an outside look at how our government was working, and we were privileged to meet the Director of Central Intelligence and learn about White House views of the Agency's role in the national security establishment.<br /><br />In addition, we were put aboard chartered aircraft and flown to Norfolk for NATO briefings and a luncheon aboard a new nuclear aircraft carrier, <b>then to Houston for a full day NASA briefing and tour and a sneak preview look at the moon rocks bought back only two weeks before by the crew of the first lunar landing. This was followed by a full day at Cape Kennedy and a VIP tour of the facilities.</b> We received the whole treatment and I don't remember any of my classmates who did not grow a little vain as a result of the experience. Pretty heady stuff for an old paramilitary type, used to stumping along the corridors on his knuckles or brachiating along on the overhead pipes in the bowels of the old tempo buildings on the Mall.</i><br /><br />Forty years after my dad's tour of MSC [now the Johnson Space Center] and KSC, I'm honored to present here some of the photos he took in the second week of August 1969. Unfortunately, he did not label where the pictures were taken, so if there are cases where there were duplicate facilities at MSC and KSC, I'm not entirely sure which is which. I'm very open to and appreciative of comments from folks who can help me identify places and objects that I may have missed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK2bT3m_gxlwqgYzdwXOAqcuQT4bFNFN0HYwwTupzCNiv0EvtgZ-hmDHYFnogyYiGp_HTzCCh44xZcg9v64TnQpNApX_vxqPGkOpMYed6JuZY11zrLXLE5JvsvBdgU3AqwDFGjoq-DUM/s1600-h/Apollo+11+sample.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK2bT3m_gxlwqgYzdwXOAqcuQT4bFNFN0HYwwTupzCNiv0EvtgZ-hmDHYFnogyYiGp_HTzCCh44xZcg9v64TnQpNApX_vxqPGkOpMYed6JuZY11zrLXLE5JvsvBdgU3AqwDFGjoq-DUM/s200/Apollo+11+sample.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368885445004611266" border="0" /></a>First, the sneak peak of a Moon rock. As my dad mentioned, this sample was brought back by the Apollo 11 crew only two weeks previously! Forty years hence, it's hard to conceive that this sample had been on the Moon only two weeks prior to this photograph. This represented one of the first public views of the material brought back by mankind's first exploration of our Moon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPter7cMm2g8g9cKdH2EkDUW0khJ4uOz-VY8TrLE-1LMPm5SdJpeLnHeqsEMPzgH49-uC0roL6PiAasyCZOpgHzqpJQn5nLArRx30g-RxMiKHx4z7wNeN9L9U95jgBeITuP4O5vAyKnk4/s1600-h/LM+2+ascent+stage.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPter7cMm2g8g9cKdH2EkDUW0khJ4uOz-VY8TrLE-1LMPm5SdJpeLnHeqsEMPzgH49-uC0roL6PiAasyCZOpgHzqpJQn5nLArRx30g-RxMiKHx4z7wNeN9L9U95jgBeITuP4O5vAyKnk4/s200/LM+2+ascent+stage.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368887433508723938" border="0" /></a>While at the MSC, my dad snapped this photo of the ascent stage of Lunar Module 2 (LM-2). LM-2 was at the MSC for "drop tests," where it was dropped from various heights and at different angles to see how well the Lunar Module would hold up in various Moon landing scenarios. The last drop test was in May 1969. No longer needed for testing, the ascent stage is packaged here prior to its shipment back to Grumman, where it was reunited with the descent stage and prepared for its eventual display at the National Air and Space Museum.<br /><br />Edit: I just noticed for the first time, in looking at the picture today, that you can see the <span style="font-style: italic;">descent</span> stage of LM-2 in the background of this picture, too! Some of the supports for one of the landing legs, wrapped in silver foil, can be seen sticking out from a black panel, just to the upper left of the plastic sheeting around the ascent stage. Perhaps one of the reasons I didn't notice the descent stage before is that the color scheme is "wrong" compared to what I am used to seeing, which would be the gold Kapton foil.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72OFD2Wl9Lh6vX9jZxkCyC0w2mEso58eHALbgqyJI0tZ3pDN7Cf9LgXP867Vj2GpHe3Gyhrb6qN7MKYku35TNro6rur9AKmlYyoi3nu-LLoRBeEfJQ3jWHI0C63ce0QcPX_YL93QJCFk/s1600-h/PLSS+demo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72OFD2Wl9Lh6vX9jZxkCyC0w2mEso58eHALbgqyJI0tZ3pDN7Cf9LgXP867Vj2GpHe3Gyhrb6qN7MKYku35TNro6rur9AKmlYyoi3nu-LLoRBeEfJQ3jWHI0C63ce0QcPX_YL93QJCFk/s200/PLSS+demo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368888070404587234" border="0" /></a>Also at MSC, Dad was given a briefing on various aspects of the Apollo hardware. Here, he is attending a lecture on the PLSS, the Portable Life Support System backpack that the astronauts wore on the Moon. The table holds a demo until as well as a peek of the "guts" of the hardware.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWcMaPRcnrC3BvE3JWiLrb0e6MsgDvmWCgz_W8DjoNoiXLp_PgmqelpD5k5FZU9prtgKkR_01uzD4ZQSO_qSoK8Ml-cZz8bDv7g5dyhTCGvOW0aapRacBDkXixKKAw73PGtEZ7vo64To/s1600-h/centrifuge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWcMaPRcnrC3BvE3JWiLrb0e6MsgDvmWCgz_W8DjoNoiXLp_PgmqelpD5k5FZU9prtgKkR_01uzD4ZQSO_qSoK8Ml-cZz8bDv7g5dyhTCGvOW0aapRacBDkXixKKAw73PGtEZ7vo64To/s200/centrifuge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368888806494666690" border="0" /></a>Here's the centrifuge, where the crews practiced for the G-loads they would experience during ascent to orbit and during re-entry. The centrifuges evolved significantly since the early days of Mercury. The Apollo-era centrifuges contained simulated crew compartments for the entire three-man Apollo crew.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIMGszdLyiWkAMN3d9mve2Vu6pWUfLX8iUG8qBPxAXzrfUL2ZnWiwdQZ-c123cBEWsCtzcGa1M8qjwuCTBsaaMxc6V_YkRRpurCcRoQZTfqU__D1b75h8rcZ21iVlZXesikphtVzo3Zw/s1600-h/CM+on+display+at+MSC.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIMGszdLyiWkAMN3d9mve2Vu6pWUfLX8iUG8qBPxAXzrfUL2ZnWiwdQZ-c123cBEWsCtzcGa1M8qjwuCTBsaaMxc6V_YkRRpurCcRoQZTfqU__D1b75h8rcZ21iVlZXesikphtVzo3Zw/s200/CM+on+display+at+MSC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368889679692331010" border="0" /></a>Also at MSC was this Apollo Command Module on display. Unfortunately, the number on the side of the vehicle is turned away from us, so I am not sure which one it is. Since there is so much of the Kapton foil still attached to the CM (i.e., not burned away from the heat of re-entry from return from a Moon trip), I assume that it was from an Earth-orbital mission, either one of the unmanned flights or Apollo 7.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXFonthddthPE6yKjKM0kS-sOXuPStu9OZfAcYNsomYPyvuM8OkLrjID87CjYaq7NWBH9ujfrA8i25OPJnfWRtU5y5HRtt6Hga-Gg9U9ZZ1Yo1-2_i7ZLc63o5VuZqitN0Uu4Uq3Ooxs/s1600-h/vacuum+chamber.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXFonthddthPE6yKjKM0kS-sOXuPStu9OZfAcYNsomYPyvuM8OkLrjID87CjYaq7NWBH9ujfrA8i25OPJnfWRtU5y5HRtt6Hga-Gg9U9ZZ1Yo1-2_i7ZLc63o5VuZqitN0Uu4Uq3Ooxs/s200/vacuum+chamber.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368890548350870546" border="0" /></a>The vacuum chamber shown here was used for full-scale tests of Apollo hardware. It could simulate not only the vacuum of space to test for leaks, but also the differential between solar heating (via heat lamps) and the unlit portion of a spacecraft in vacuum. This chamber was the home for the 2TV-1 "mission" (in which the crew spent more than a week sealed inside a Command Module) as well as LTA-8, vacuum tests for the Lunar Module.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VPWxtYZ5s2r6SfFI85uPgq72ykweImr2YxQHyF21RJ4sIx1T8ZNngfgDCqdS8390mjgIqZf-VfXW8l-0QPWvvb9cmqEcBHqrddHZXCLcIJEp1wYnyQVsJR3mLhKTuJMbMq_-EmM_4js/s1600-h/CM+docking+sim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VPWxtYZ5s2r6SfFI85uPgq72ykweImr2YxQHyF21RJ4sIx1T8ZNngfgDCqdS8390mjgIqZf-VfXW8l-0QPWvvb9cmqEcBHqrddHZXCLcIJEp1wYnyQVsJR3mLhKTuJMbMq_-EmM_4js/s200/CM+docking+sim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368891490570679954" border="0" /></a>The MSC also housed simulators for the Apollo missions. Here's a view of the Translation and Docking Simulator (TDS). In this simulator, crews could practice the maneuvers associated with lining the Command Module up with a Lunar Module, and then moving in to dock. The spacecraft moved on all axes, enabling the crew to experience how their command inputs would translate into actual spacecraft movements.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQkABQ0GuE5xCE1FsNcNviP6_DVoAUbofYq4HwdhQzYRKcD4H7PMHc0eF5U0iYnwwGso-yAHelSiCGY9wW2qhyphenhyphen13YWXTUwG8OmwXXrmxlfweo1k_qY0QD3ayhFSmDI8k6d6TylaKDDXo/s1600-h/CM+simulator+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 98px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQkABQ0GuE5xCE1FsNcNviP6_DVoAUbofYq4HwdhQzYRKcD4H7PMHc0eF5U0iYnwwGso-yAHelSiCGY9wW2qhyphenhyphen13YWXTUwG8OmwXXrmxlfweo1k_qY0QD3ayhFSmDI8k6d6TylaKDDXo/s200/CM+simulator+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368892146098159218" border="0" /></a>Other simulators at the MSC were the Command Module Simulator and the Lunar Module Simulator. The first photo in this series is an overhead view of the simulator controls for the CM simulator. Inside the jumble of boxes at the top is a complete CM interior, with every switch and circuit breaker duplicated for the mission being flown. The boxy structures are the hardware for simulating the view out the windows.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8OdEl3OS99EAAaPtbpVW4YBK5HOEouGnuPnc0Oo0Ol08NghoA4c5F1mbiFuOXUD7dsLeP2LW3gJGp6HZ4TbYA7fQjxdoJKviPg_4O7ChxlcyDgOyhBZcrt5YwY9VezB0cYjbW3eFmVs/s1600-h/CM+Sim+controls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 105px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8OdEl3OS99EAAaPtbpVW4YBK5HOEouGnuPnc0Oo0Ol08NghoA4c5F1mbiFuOXUD7dsLeP2LW3gJGp6HZ4TbYA7fQjxdoJKviPg_4O7ChxlcyDgOyhBZcrt5YwY9VezB0cYjbW3eFmVs/s200/CM+Sim+controls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368893295018058834" border="0" /></a>Since computer graphics were non-existant in 1969, TV camera shot scenes of a simulated environment, and images were shown on TV displays outside the windows on the CM. It was very crude, but it gave the crew a good impression of what they would see in the mission. You can also get a look at the computers that were required to drive the simulation...quite an array of hardware! I imagine a modern-day laptop could easily surpass all of the computing power in this room.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrVXEoH9FaIC-iBquw320i8jULb-emlXf7PO2eCHMMR3ilANwc0LfAE5oDPWD1QC0n9yxcpe0daSTNhf_bKJFwiZOGRv88FRQm9xbQ96B60dl3wj2Ou7TNM7h4ofLDTC37zeovWGVu1E/s1600-h/LM+sim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 102px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrVXEoH9FaIC-iBquw320i8jULb-emlXf7PO2eCHMMR3ilANwc0LfAE5oDPWD1QC0n9yxcpe0daSTNhf_bKJFwiZOGRv88FRQm9xbQ96B60dl3wj2Ou7TNM7h4ofLDTC37zeovWGVu1E/s200/LM+sim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368893840391509922" border="0" /></a>The Lunar Module Simulator was slightly less boxy than the CM simulator, primarily because there weren't as many windows for which to generate displays. Not shown in this photo is a key element of the LM simulator, which was a large plaster 1:2,000 scale model of the landing site, over which a TV camera "flew" in response to the crew's guidance. The model/map for a given landing site was 32 feet by 14 feet and weighed over 600 pounds, with over 500,000 craters.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXup7cTNC8uLFm8cAnfEnN-T8CTm0FTcYTokQM3uoxUXUP_bY1w1_bgV_ulhTCqpHPuy6mBMmttYryt5HCgDpRFdZ_bAb_voEMuUoTKnY6ar_GKIk8X9m9vWnN-rySPMZgwlY36IVUlNs/s1600-h/a13+stack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 111px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXup7cTNC8uLFm8cAnfEnN-T8CTm0FTcYTokQM3uoxUXUP_bY1w1_bgV_ulhTCqpHPuy6mBMmttYryt5HCgDpRFdZ_bAb_voEMuUoTKnY6ar_GKIk8X9m9vWnN-rySPMZgwlY36IVUlNs/s200/a13+stack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368895981199018642" border="0" /></a>At KSC, Apollo 12 and 13 were both being stacked in August 1969. I'm not sure of the exact date of my dad's visit. Two weeks after the Apollo 11 return to Earth would have placed his trip at about August 6 or 7. The Apollo 13 stack was moved from High Bay 2 to High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on August 8, so he was just a few days away from having witnessed that activity. This shot appears to be the Apollo 13 vehicle "stack," with a boilerplate Command and Service Module on top, as was the case at the time of the roll-around. Unfortunately, I can't tell if they're putting the CM boilerplate on top of the stack or removing it from the stack.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaIOsecPh5ELeU26nv-jQIHyHMHMHTLOPeZrHXreN_y9t8zExKT7HQTG-26PauqvtoF5Ntb96X6ItM7-iTxw87V1wJErhLe6UqtBjrETtMNGbVMEJAoKYO_YlW_CTn3S2px6by6w2aFk/s1600-h/A12+S-IC+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaIOsecPh5ELeU26nv-jQIHyHMHMHTLOPeZrHXreN_y9t8zExKT7HQTG-26PauqvtoF5Ntb96X6ItM7-iTxw87V1wJErhLe6UqtBjrETtMNGbVMEJAoKYO_YlW_CTn3S2px6by6w2aFk/s200/A12+S-IC+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368896933191825490" border="0" /></a>Dad got some pretty spectacular views of the base of the first stage of Apollo 12's Satuvn V rocket, which is clearly labelled S-IC-7 (the 7th S-IC stage produced). It's hard to get a feel for the immense scale of this vehicle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6V9cAOm5Vc1hb5AV_Rgb4SZLk1Rsa-qeunJbG4c1SNScTtQxJTQwaH-h20-59xkCtaut7hXMbkffIz0oxJ9myPZdVtNWZMJfOWNo57PUd36tH_aTKQB74KYhWP24Gyl5KbmhfAlHA2ds/s1600-h/A12+S-IC+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 105px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6V9cAOm5Vc1hb5AV_Rgb4SZLk1Rsa-qeunJbG4c1SNScTtQxJTQwaH-h20-59xkCtaut7hXMbkffIz0oxJ9myPZdVtNWZMJfOWNo57PUd36tH_aTKQB74KYhWP24Gyl5KbmhfAlHA2ds/s200/A12+S-IC+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368898611668660194" border="0" /></a>It's interesting to note that the fairings are removed from the forward (upper) ends of the engine cowlings. Just follow the parabolic outlines above the engine cowlings. In flight, after the first stage burns out, the fairings are jettisoned and retro rockets fire through these openings to help separate the first and second stages. You will also note the hold-down arm that kept the monster from lifting off the pad until all engines were running at constant thrust.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6EQdDBxH8QWiWkTwkMw_suTokpEA8inwdTJrAJw5wGJPdCE6H9MmQPavyOeolVCaYsGlevS264xvIxjFnM3UKFIQ5SBUDMhv5tmZkpLkg-wCA1h5J2jnIeQx8aBO8J3mn8yA5JzuSXk/s1600-h/A12+stack+looking+up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6EQdDBxH8QWiWkTwkMw_suTokpEA8inwdTJrAJw5wGJPdCE6H9MmQPavyOeolVCaYsGlevS264xvIxjFnM3UKFIQ5SBUDMhv5tmZkpLkg-wCA1h5J2jnIeQx8aBO8J3mn8yA5JzuSXk/s200/A12+stack+looking+up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368899589553545266" border="0" /></a>Here's a shot from the base of the Saturn V, looking up into the High Bay. You can't see the upper stages of the rocket, more than 300 feet above the floor level. I have a hard time what it must have been like to work on something so immense. I also have a hard time imagining what was going through my dad's head, as he stood here next to the rocket that would carry the second group of humans to land on the Moon, only two weeks after the first crew had come back!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYw3nFSmZir4wM8hnK4c4n_AMzL4Hvfr2IDUqolTFzkmDTwzWTRcyrhpkAp9oyUS2lGpN7J5btvfSl2-wq54s-wOl3mCrxSA0GC_LZ0MxHGpTf7oEy9iA18lV7kg6tpaC8S71oKBizM0/s1600-h/high+bay+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYw3nFSmZir4wM8hnK4c4n_AMzL4Hvfr2IDUqolTFzkmDTwzWTRcyrhpkAp9oyUS2lGpN7J5btvfSl2-wq54s-wOl3mCrxSA0GC_LZ0MxHGpTf7oEy9iA18lV7kg6tpaC8S71oKBizM0/s200/high+bay+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368900819439189314" border="0" /></a>Here's a view of another of the High Bays in the VAB. In here, you can get a sense of scale from the Econoline van in the background. The CM/SM/adapter section on the floor here appears to be a boilerplate and may be a Block I. The skeletal hemisphere above the van attaches to the top of the first stage of the Saturn V when it is being hoisted into position. I look at this photo and think that none of this existed - even in anyone's mind - only 8 years prior to this photo being taken. Not only did we build the vehicles to put men on the Moon within 8 years of Kennedy's challenge, but we also had to design and construct the infrastructure to build the rockets themselves! Nothing on this scale existed prior to Apollo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMbovGgAw1UtRWQo7et-OJAo9o4a7QA1N_oiePNT1AkQbRBEDuRmOJeDViRvObtjJGQsPevnIcjrSZayxrnxBNo7RA-a69ahc0K967Jw3foP2wgnJhdlGmn6xSUZUWS_n_3dO2wjfN8M/s1600-h/low+bay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMbovGgAw1UtRWQo7et-OJAo9o4a7QA1N_oiePNT1AkQbRBEDuRmOJeDViRvObtjJGQsPevnIcjrSZayxrnxBNo7RA-a69ahc0K967Jw3foP2wgnJhdlGmn6xSUZUWS_n_3dO2wjfN8M/s200/low+bay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368902055633259170" border="0" /></a>Here's a view inside one of the VAB's Low Bays. Here, the various stages of the Saturn V were brought in through the doors at the end of the bay. From here, they were lifted to a verticle position and moved into the High Bays to stack the vehicle. Even the Low Bay is pretty darned tall!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLiUGz97A52XiBTDuCYPeUN1ezcutgu6LUIxTBgwbEMrnMfjVQIgSJgXrOb5aND_qzSvIRurf82BBPg0_bOV3WButmKY6BXLu7jneGFlwayFF6giodEJSwlOklRjLGEnru6rwtDoyvIQ/s1600-h/firing+room.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLiUGz97A52XiBTDuCYPeUN1ezcutgu6LUIxTBgwbEMrnMfjVQIgSJgXrOb5aND_qzSvIRurf82BBPg0_bOV3WButmKY6BXLu7jneGFlwayFF6giodEJSwlOklRjLGEnru6rwtDoyvIQ/s200/firing+room.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368902808024217506" border="0" /></a>Leaving the VAB, we move to a view of one of the Firing Rooms in the adjacent Launch Control Center. Here, all aspects of the countdown and launch were controlled, until the point where the vehicle rose above the launch tower. At that time, mission control was transferred to Houston. It's humbling for me to think that some of the scrapped launch control panels that I have now may have been in this very Firing Room. I can't tell for certain, since there were three Firing Rooms in use during the Apollo program.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIswdAbQRfMVhgMlQkC0VTYPI47ocblJzea44N9Lof318TDhgwaVLG58j0q11w1wI_-EUNzfvZ73ianVOECrZorpFzOsJiA7uUJviyclLhyeweSbkxs3iXjpAqME8d9EypQljGJnrg8E/s1600-h/crawler.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIswdAbQRfMVhgMlQkC0VTYPI47ocblJzea44N9Lof318TDhgwaVLG58j0q11w1wI_-EUNzfvZ73ianVOECrZorpFzOsJiA7uUJviyclLhyeweSbkxs3iXjpAqME8d9EypQljGJnrg8E/s200/crawler.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368903491194565874" border="0" /></a>This is one of the "crawlers" which transported the stacked Saturn V rocket from the VAB to the launch pad. Once the vehicle was in place on the launch pad, the crawler would then move over to pick up the Mobile Service Structure (MSS) and move it into place alongside the Saturn V. These same crawlers have been refurbished and are still in use 40 years later with the Space Shuttle program. This has to be some sort of longevity record for a Government-owned land vehicle!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5_HzkGU2wwdORUGZxmdjYL2RqAB79B2ivKHSkGzjwIgSl72s4nq9cWguX49yAibl-UqVoRJ9GT6tNWM-IISzNY-MW8B48BGkefu7tcbh6rgCAHdRAR1CmZMIwQtLV2hRiuyYzS_PSSM/s1600-h/crawlerway+to+pad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5_HzkGU2wwdORUGZxmdjYL2RqAB79B2ivKHSkGzjwIgSl72s4nq9cWguX49yAibl-UqVoRJ9GT6tNWM-IISzNY-MW8B48BGkefu7tcbh6rgCAHdRAR1CmZMIwQtLV2hRiuyYzS_PSSM/s200/crawlerway+to+pad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368903577775569442" border="0" /></a>Here's a view (from a bus) from the roadway adjacent to the crawlerway, approaching the launch pad. It's a very gentle slope, but you would obviously not want to tilt a 360 foot tall launch vehicle at this angle on the ground. The crawler deck is maintained in a level position with hydraulic pistons as the crawler ascends the ramp to the launch pad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_RzHoe54L3-zSx7jxvBmuntNK87GBdeMJXKYlaRlnAIux7rvZB9aj1vlerXC3a94RvYOA_jyZPvA2wOmxCd818R4JRg9YwF1xzEIEzdSKkDiGRRNFtbib-YhN9psu-fcz_TcU4vtNXE/s1600-h/pad+and+flame+diverter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_RzHoe54L3-zSx7jxvBmuntNK87GBdeMJXKYlaRlnAIux7rvZB9aj1vlerXC3a94RvYOA_jyZPvA2wOmxCd818R4JRg9YwF1xzEIEzdSKkDiGRRNFtbib-YhN9psu-fcz_TcU4vtNXE/s200/pad+and+flame+diverter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368905217469172978" border="0" /></a>The final stop on our tour is the launch pad itself. Here, we have an excellent view of the flame trench. The flame diverter, the triangular metal structure at center left, was place directly beneath the engines. As they ignited, the flame diverter directed the flames and hot gasses out either side of the launch pad, thus protecting the engines from overpressure and excessive heat.<br /><br />So, that's the tour. I have some other photos that my dad took in the Rocket Garden at the Canaveral Air Force Station later that day, and I'll share those in another post.<br /><br />I was incredibly fortunate to grow up during the Apollo era. I was even more fortunate that my dad inspired me to learn and explore. Although I didn't get to go with him on this trip, he made me feel like I had been there. I'm happy that he was able to go and get this sneak peak behind the scenes of mankind's greatest adventure. It's been my pleasure to share these photos with you, 40 years after my dad's tour. Here's to you, Dad! --JonathanJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-74062821625898844962009-07-30T22:40:00.007-04:002009-07-30T23:34:34.033-04:00Remembering Apollo 15<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhB0pfItOgrSncodBbZHHUJIHebyBJ5fKJV5H4dufuTx6WO-VvLcXLB_nEWoh0FQCiG8Tq6zsiH32yErw7jgcfqs-ucmEZxRU3buFROypGyUQNicoom8P-Wz7XY_MNA3qjH_K0hvpv44c/s1600-h/Apollo+15+launch+team+plaque+-+Hal+and+Mary+Shelton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhB0pfItOgrSncodBbZHHUJIHebyBJ5fKJV5H4dufuTx6WO-VvLcXLB_nEWoh0FQCiG8Tq6zsiH32yErw7jgcfqs-ucmEZxRU3buFROypGyUQNicoom8P-Wz7XY_MNA3qjH_K0hvpv44c/s200/Apollo+15+launch+team+plaque+-+Hal+and+Mary+Shelton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364450039460016178" border="0" /></a>Apollo 15 was without a doubt my favorite of the Apollo Moon landing missions when I was growing up. The mission launched on July 26, 1971, when I was on summer vacation between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. That was the first summer that I worked as a volunteer tour guide at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, when Mike Collins was the Director. It was the perfect summer for a space geek!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlxRpEfM53afL2pomZdeN6OXZ3pnzWEXjl3gpnCVCUT3MqYUwlI0lt0olk1YpJDUmgXZxe8Ckby-uJ3VWGxIR4boLIijvDdFngC9B4I81EosvXaneGK4dhX6lEhU6Fz93B8K4cRBxh6E/s1600-h/Apollo+15+postal+cover+-+crew+signed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlxRpEfM53afL2pomZdeN6OXZ3pnzWEXjl3gpnCVCUT3MqYUwlI0lt0olk1YpJDUmgXZxe8Ckby-uJ3VWGxIR4boLIijvDdFngC9B4I81EosvXaneGK4dhX6lEhU6Fz93B8K4cRBxh6E/s200/Apollo+15+postal+cover+-+crew+signed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364462525451281890" border="0" /></a>The mission had it <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span>. The Lunar Module <span style="font-style: italic;">Falcon</span> was the new J-type, which would enable the astronauts to stay on the Moon for 3 days. This was the first mission for the Lunar Roving Vehicle (a.k.a. the Lunar Rover, or Moon Buggy), which could take the astronauts miles away from their base on the Moon. The mission also landed in one of the most spectacular locales of any of the missions, with miles-high mountains on either side of the landing site and a mini Grand Canyon (Hadley <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rille</span>) in front of the landing site. Finally, there was a spacewalk outside the Command Module as it returned home from the Moon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ54S1gXe97iMNfbAS6WH1tOCpFRxdoPm8S-wsqaBqLWwWucUBR2cexhxEh35bSRkxJBS_CRAwJKsXPg2xWnWdBLYhSbXN_73gcweMNYa_sVY1UuJMPXrWn20WvcAytuyfZ6mCrNjM6E/s1600-h/Apollo+15+Mission+Support+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ54S1gXe97iMNfbAS6WH1tOCpFRxdoPm8S-wsqaBqLWwWucUBR2cexhxEh35bSRkxJBS_CRAwJKsXPg2xWnWdBLYhSbXN_73gcweMNYa_sVY1UuJMPXrWn20WvcAytuyfZ6mCrNjM6E/s200/Apollo+15+Mission+Support+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364462160678333378" border="0" /></a>The TV coverage did not disappoint us. The TV networks actually covered most of the moonwalks, the last time this would happen during the Apollo program. On Apollo 11 and 14, the camera was mounted on a fixed tripod and could not follow the astronauts if they walked out of the field of view. On Apollo 15, the color TV camera was mounted on the Rover and showed all of the work the astronauts did as they ventured far afield from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Falcon</span>. We got to visit all of the exotic places with them. It was a great front-row seat for the mission!<br /><br />The last treat for this mission from the Moon's surface was watching the crew blasting off and returning to orbit, thanks to the TV camera mounted on the Rover and parked several hundred feet behind the Lunar Module.<br /><br />I have many, many badges, patches, and the like for Apollo 15, but I wanted to show something a little different. At the top of this post is a ceramic "launch team" commemorative plaque, issued to Hal and Mary Shelton. Hal was a cartographer and employee of the US Geological Survey. Hal Shelton (1916-2004) is best remembered as a pioneer in producing <a href="http://www.reliefshading.com/cartographers/shelton.html">natural-color relief</a> maps, which were very similar to what a pilot or astronaut would see from on high.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBK_mQcahR-tMBP4KQl0Iwdy2e_KiaumocV3tOJAJlUVY1WfVPN62xXUIfPxgDB_MdmmeMyt5XDypQp9YeGadd9KiMpi_ZIjHgrWZ8fXfWDd7NX7Rhr1A9-23rZog07Sb6bmlU9TCYWg/s1600-h/Apollo+15+Dow-Corning+commemorative+acrylic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBK_mQcahR-tMBP4KQl0Iwdy2e_KiaumocV3tOJAJlUVY1WfVPN62xXUIfPxgDB_MdmmeMyt5XDypQp9YeGadd9KiMpi_ZIjHgrWZ8fXfWDd7NX7Rhr1A9-23rZog07Sb6bmlU9TCYWg/s200/Apollo+15+Dow-Corning+commemorative+acrylic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364461957872071666" border="0" /></a>At left is a commemorative display from Dow-Corning, celebrating the use of Fiberglas in the Apollo 15 mission. The acrylic item encapsulates a Beta-cloth Apollo 15 patch, as well as a miniature representation of the Lunar Rover.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-69244745753750571512009-07-21T12:00:00.004-04:002009-07-21T12:10:41.436-04:00An Apollo 11 Beta cloth patch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENnyXVrJJpIKeHun57qawhWyL2QUqltfEVuIWOgC3E71uXG87E3zlkKEnpAIVHyRjQ5smrhqo202CvD6yo5T3KBCH41OV0ssLyWlRDmTz0Z0x2XFUlywKl_ND541dYN5KvBxwb_qUjL4/s1600-h/Apollo+11+beta+cloth+patch+-+8+inch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENnyXVrJJpIKeHun57qawhWyL2QUqltfEVuIWOgC3E71uXG87E3zlkKEnpAIVHyRjQ5smrhqo202CvD6yo5T3KBCH41OV0ssLyWlRDmTz0Z0x2XFUlywKl_ND541dYN5KvBxwb_qUjL4/s200/Apollo+11+beta+cloth+patch+-+8+inch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360944296988202194" border="0" /></a>Shown here is a commemorative "patch" printed on Beta cloth, the fireproof Fiberglas material used to make the outer layer of the Apollo space suits. This patch was produced by Dow-Corning in celebration of its role in the Apollo 11 mission. Instead of the usual 4-inch diameter emblem, this one is 8 inches across. The piece of Beta cloth it's printed on (not all of which is shown here) is nearly 12 inches by 18 inches!<br /><br />I had the item signed at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spacefest</span> this year. Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin signed for the crew. The two other signatures are from two other Apollo astronauts who were <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">CAPCOM</span> (capsule communicators) for the mission. Charlie Duke (later <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LMP</span> on Apollo 16) was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CAPCOM</span> during the landing, and added his famous, "We copy you down, Eagle!" This made Duke the first human to talk to a astronauts on another heavenly body. <br /><br />Bruce <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">McCandless</span> II, who never flew on Apollo but later was the first person to fly untethered in space, was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">CAPCOM</span> during the Moon walk. He inscribed, "Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now," which he said just after the TV camera was turned on and Armstrong was descending to the lunar surface. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">McCandless</span> became the first person to talk to someone standing on another heavenly body.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-15216149541012979302009-07-18T15:20:00.007-04:002009-07-18T16:09:08.970-04:00Monitoring Apollo 11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k-DwY75kflHv0-lV4Lt68cmPIok_cxkIcdta8b2lgRB07pzwcU_MDMW0COy2m83sCoWuK2C2dZDPm7MipCiCnvVUFXx0Brp2MwhqXX4-kE5pCZnfDtaJBFoOFw66OmVp4cV2bqIMoQY/s1600-h/apollo+11+secondary+firing+room+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k-DwY75kflHv0-lV4Lt68cmPIok_cxkIcdta8b2lgRB07pzwcU_MDMW0COy2m83sCoWuK2C2dZDPm7MipCiCnvVUFXx0Brp2MwhqXX4-kE5pCZnfDtaJBFoOFw66OmVp4cV2bqIMoQY/s200/apollo+11+secondary+firing+room+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359883814327722706" border="0" /></a>Perhaps the only people on Earth watching Apollo 11 more intently than me were the NASA folks in Launch Control and Mission Control. (Okay, I'll admit that perhaps that this is a <span style="font-style: italic;">slight</span> exaggeration.) As glued as I was to my TV set, I was just an amateur. These folks were <span style="font-style: italic;">paid</span> to stare at their screens, bite their nails, and chain smoke their way through the mission..<br /><br />The Firing Room at Launch Complex 39, in a building adjacent to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, was responsible for all operations from prior to launch until the vehicle rose completely above the launch tower, about 7 seconds after liftoff. The Firing Room staff controlled the preparation and execution of the launch sequence. The Firing Room staff also monitored all of the status readouts for the immense Saturn V rocket and the systems aboard the Apollo spacecraft, which was at the time the most complex machine ever built.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZs8toUAiFcGJR9cFgtw7GHDDwM2m_GKt7ZrPttEa8_K74eeqGOLZn0KeYJFw19bmGwDft0dkRPMDb3sLaXqX1u8qmQ1G35HQhnyc24H_dJsOvpENQ2G3BWBMBqmSIlK9_wE-s7Nx3Z0/s1600-h/Apollo+11+Operations+Management+Room+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZs8toUAiFcGJR9cFgtw7GHDDwM2m_GKt7ZrPttEa8_K74eeqGOLZn0KeYJFw19bmGwDft0dkRPMDb3sLaXqX1u8qmQ1G35HQhnyc24H_dJsOvpENQ2G3BWBMBqmSIlK9_wE-s7Nx3Z0/s200/Apollo+11+Operations+Management+Room+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359885770221226594" border="0" /></a>At the back of the Firing Room was a small glass-in enclosure known as the Operations Management Room. The team that worked in this area supervised the Firing Room and made the executive decisions. This is also where the VIPs (NASA brass like Werner von Braun) observed the launch. The red stripe on this badge indicates a security clearance for its bearer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ_SS7fBmgjW2BO1Z1f2s4ivQT2JMuXk8gBtrpO5krVeGdsRwDQOp4A2OaMDjDZrPyCagEew-4cNO3B5oZcTa5rPs6DDFOleTjjI60YjoPTv93B81NysyR0YefUG9Ihz-Gk8YfPnjdzs/s1600-h/Apollo+11-MCC+Houston+badge+Edward+Pavelka.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ_SS7fBmgjW2BO1Z1f2s4ivQT2JMuXk8gBtrpO5krVeGdsRwDQOp4A2OaMDjDZrPyCagEew-4cNO3B5oZcTa5rPs6DDFOleTjjI60YjoPTv93B81NysyR0YefUG9Ihz-Gk8YfPnjdzs/s200/Apollo+11-MCC+Houston+badge+Edward+Pavelka.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359889618090663842" border="0" /></a>When the vehicle cleared the launch tower, control transferred to the famed Mission Operation Control Room (MOCR) was located, on the third floor of Bldg 30 (Mission Control Center, or MCC) at the Manned Spaceflight Center, now the Johnson Spaceflight Center, in Houston. The remainder of the mission, through splashdown, was run from this room. The badge shown at left was issued to Edward Pavelka, who supervised the Flight Dynamics Officer (FIDO) team for Apollo 11.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM4WfvwCxxCyr12ehMm8xbkIbvfyQKr3p5ESNtZbvy2BS43ZLrwlLPsr2rwqdPz5zLcUi-xkIrg-lqT_rrp46WnjywOHXI5CUh7RZ_wQQmXUO-l6g4vQkjz-vz6BSCPTlTULwqagrFXA/s1600-h/Apollo+11+GSFC+Operations+Control+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM4WfvwCxxCyr12ehMm8xbkIbvfyQKr3p5ESNtZbvy2BS43ZLrwlLPsr2rwqdPz5zLcUi-xkIrg-lqT_rrp46WnjywOHXI5CUh7RZ_wQQmXUO-l6g4vQkjz-vz6BSCPTlTULwqagrFXA/s200/Apollo+11+GSFC+Operations+Control+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359892610337731666" border="0" /></a>Other NASA Centers played a vital role in the Apollo 11 mission. For example, Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC), in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, provided computer support and radar tracking of the flight through a network of ground-based sites. The colorful badge at left was issued to a GSFC employee for Apollo 11.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywrwIVuF_lHRyUF3f7aTPA5dh_aubHaCsXnvMzXG7XLMGfjbRfkf2TScqqCHMzhFpQNcqCfSr_w4zNoASbCtRShq-9S4D6ql4C65S3t7uCAjl2oCr74EEjC3GxdH0D3hgbgXqh2ZgFx0/s1600-h/Apollo+11+McDonnell+Douglas+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywrwIVuF_lHRyUF3f7aTPA5dh_aubHaCsXnvMzXG7XLMGfjbRfkf2TScqqCHMzhFpQNcqCfSr_w4zNoASbCtRShq-9S4D6ql4C65S3t7uCAjl2oCr74EEjC3GxdH0D3hgbgXqh2ZgFx0/s200/Apollo+11+McDonnell+Douglas+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359893946225564930" border="0" /></a>And, of course, contractors got their own badges, too. The example at the bottom of this blog was issued to George Faenza, a McDonnell Douglas employee who oversaw Apollo/Saturn testing during the Apollo era.<br /><br />As a 12 year old boy during the mission, my role was to have my models of the Saturn V and the LM constantly at the ready in front of the TV, in case there was an urgent need to act out some portion of the mission as a critical event occurred. No one issued me a badge, but I <span style="font-style: italic;">belonged</span> to that program!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-66834805338152105062009-07-14T17:04:00.010-04:002009-07-14T17:36:34.222-04:00July 1969: Moon Fever!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4qpGZnVLiOijC2oSdwuh7d3CalQoYmwV7vwN3-uVK4gO9BpbJa6D-B17XiEzNZxq1apKrwWqtQjSf6kt1xq0BTVzBi6S5aFi9gViXhPFS9re3fiM1RpsXXbxr4Od-GkEjco5_P6ZraU/s1600-h/Apollo+11+launch+invitation+-+Mae+Burke.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 117px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4qpGZnVLiOijC2oSdwuh7d3CalQoYmwV7vwN3-uVK4gO9BpbJa6D-B17XiEzNZxq1apKrwWqtQjSf6kt1xq0BTVzBi6S5aFi9gViXhPFS9re3fiM1RpsXXbxr4Od-GkEjco5_P6ZraU/s200/Apollo+11+launch+invitation+-+Mae+Burke.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358424846281950962" border="0" /></a>In July 1969, the eyes of the world turned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as we waited for the launch of Apollo 11.<br /><br />NASA invited dignitaries and media <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">representatives</span> from around the world, and they gathered by the thousands. Even the most jaded person knew that this was not "just another launch" - this was a key landmark of human history, and everyone wanted to be there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8T5wR6Ie2pKj1z8y2L755Sii6VcxkuPD9T1aT4iwFXYnBO5D1p6S1ngiBXdEit-OnpR7Jh8b68CIsylkFVouYc2B7jDrOFlHol954lRHIE2AFrVSN7RA6euaMANuSfNWsNx7BBP-ov0/s1600-h/Apollo+11+Official+Guest+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 86px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8T5wR6Ie2pKj1z8y2L755Sii6VcxkuPD9T1aT4iwFXYnBO5D1p6S1ngiBXdEit-OnpR7Jh8b68CIsylkFVouYc2B7jDrOFlHol954lRHIE2AFrVSN7RA6euaMANuSfNWsNx7BBP-ov0/s200/Apollo+11+Official+Guest+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358424924854086034" border="0" /></a>Those fortunate enough to be attending as invited guests received badges that would eventually become collector's items (for people like yours truly). In addition to the "Official Guest" badge, there was a more colorful VIP launch badge which is more commonly seen. A sample of this badge, which displays the mission patch, is shown at left.<br /><br />T<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZwkbPggkJwKicrEH5gg7Cy7IVFZ00OjyZA07rekCD5_OrDD84Oe8zcI1ksjVEe3fQtEN0cE_poGIFpHbBQ7Eau4gKRFYf0CInlTymCtrNNMlcKBl1esDfZeXv2RB83bIECMgK_mpXe8/s1600-h/Apollo+11+sample+launch+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZwkbPggkJwKicrEH5gg7Cy7IVFZ00OjyZA07rekCD5_OrDD84Oe8zcI1ksjVEe3fQtEN0cE_poGIFpHbBQ7Eau4gKRFYf0CInlTymCtrNNMlcKBl1esDfZeXv2RB83bIECMgK_mpXe8/s200/Apollo+11+sample+launch+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358427925049106322" border="0" /></a>he tens of thousands of people who gathered along the highways lining the Cape had to content themselves with unofficial, but nonetheless cherished, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mementos</span> of the occasion, such as the "Launch Witness Certificate" shown below. Everyone wanted to be able to prove "I was there!"<br /><br />Thanks to worldwide, live TV (which wasn't even technologically possible a mere 7 years earlier in the decade!), people around the world were able to share in the event. We all watched as the countdown clock click inexorably downward. The final two minutes seemed interminable to me, yet the steps of launch sequence began happening so quickly that Public Affairs Officer (PAO) Jack King, the "Voice of NASA Launch Control," could barely keep up. I held my breath...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZmDrvcLxv5r5RBS2xZL8wo2TQLgNCYtu-mVztJwMNoVvdwt-dHReBCOQQwsFtZS6VPVBrgUVz9NEbzbEdiIV7OEMQ-iA8fWwGEXUEBLyrESLJ5FqSQIKsuUYl5BG9fLBSGKJlwPWPP8/s1600-h/Launch+day+certificate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZmDrvcLxv5r5RBS2xZL8wo2TQLgNCYtu-mVztJwMNoVvdwt-dHReBCOQQwsFtZS6VPVBrgUVz9NEbzbEdiIV7OEMQ-iA8fWwGEXUEBLyrESLJ5FqSQIKsuUYl5BG9fLBSGKJlwPWPP8/s200/Launch+day+certificate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358428933918305810" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><b>PAO:</b> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">T minus 60 seconds and counting. We have passed T minus 60. 55 seconds and counting. Neil Armstrong just reported back: "It's been a real smooth countdown". We've passed the 50-second mark. Power transfer is complete - we're on internal power with the launch vehicle at this time. 40 seconds away from the Apollo 11 lift-off. All the second stage tanks now pressurized. 35 seconds and counting. We are still Go with Apollo 11. 30 seconds and counting. Astronauts report, "It feels good". T minus 25 seconds. </span><p> <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><b>PAO:</b> Twenty seconds and counting. T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal. 12, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence starts.</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">..6, 5, 4, 3</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">, 2, 1, zero, all engine running, LIFT-OFF! </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">We have a lift-off, 32 minutes past the hour. Lift-off on Apollo 11!</span></p>Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-55442340738229056222009-07-07T22:30:00.002-04:002009-07-07T22:47:11.379-04:00Apollo Saturn 203 - another test on the road to the Moon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO8PNyd0pDF5Kx_xx0t0oEyEKq-QqTUZPzmyT_dKVPPY6M8z_AnS2CFIsXG79FiRgfcYcEXGQGqcTOJTBcR4EHqnXnzMH6wdA8a9HLjfg8vLC-eDXYpLqwrWF_p9kcUmMTXHF6kwNRKw/s1600-h/Apollo+Saturn+203+access+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO8PNyd0pDF5Kx_xx0t0oEyEKq-QqTUZPzmyT_dKVPPY6M8z_AnS2CFIsXG79FiRgfcYcEXGQGqcTOJTBcR4EHqnXnzMH6wdA8a9HLjfg8vLC-eDXYpLqwrWF_p9kcUmMTXHF6kwNRKw/s200/Apollo+Saturn+203+access+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355911415416059810" border="0" /></a>On July 5, 1966, NASA launched Apollo Saturn 203. It was the 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> launch of a Saturn vehicle in preparation for the eventual flight of manned Apollo spacecraft.<br /><br />Apollo Saturn 203 (also sometimes informally called Apollo 2) provided the first flight test of restarting the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">IVB</span> upper stage in orbit. This was a key requirement for manned flights to the Moon. The S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IVB</span> was the third stage of the Saturn V rocket. It would first be used to put the Apollo spacecraft into orbit around the Earth while systems were checked out. After everything was confirmed to be okay, the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">IVB</span> would fire again to send the spacecraft en route to the Moon. This was one of the first rocket stages to use liquid hydrogen as fuel. Engineers weren't entirely sure how liquid hydrogen would behave in the fuel tank in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">weightlessness</span>, so the fuel tank was heavily <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">instrumented</span> for this flight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/AS-203_launch.jpg/240px-AS-203_launch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 295px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/AS-203_launch.jpg/240px-AS-203_launch.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Apollo Saturn 203 launched without an Apollo capsule on top, so its blunted nose looked quite unusual compared to subsequent Apollo flights. The liquid hydrogen fuel behaved as predicted in orbit, and the engine was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">successfully</span> restarted. The S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">IVB</span> was certified as operational and ready to be used with a manned vehicle. <br /><br />Another milestone was passed that would lead to landing men on the Moon just three years later.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-54560195710586103842009-07-01T23:19:00.005-04:002009-07-01T23:41:11.750-04:00Launching Apollo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflSfCi6hiKST7Ru2YveJYqLCfKzArFE5_EiTxBAb5fCtshWNSUoBupwds5GdXkJeRfv7X4n_LuwRYUlzxFM7tQWg0YqHNCRuyTGbbRb9_6d833a_FwBUxO-hjhbAb8Fa5m1JAPP39svY/s1600-h/S-IB+Networks+panel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflSfCi6hiKST7Ru2YveJYqLCfKzArFE5_EiTxBAb5fCtshWNSUoBupwds5GdXkJeRfv7X4n_LuwRYUlzxFM7tQWg0YqHNCRuyTGbbRb9_6d833a_FwBUxO-hjhbAb8Fa5m1JAPP39svY/s200/S-IB+Networks+panel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353698910298922866" border="0" /></a>I recently acquired three control and indicator panels that were in the Firing Rooms of the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center during the Apollo era. <br /><br />Two of these panels are for the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IB</span>, the first stage of the rocket that was used to launch Apollo 7, the Skylab crews, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ASTP</span>). The panel at the top of this entry is the "S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">IB</span> Networks" control panel. It monitored the state of the electrical power transfer between the various stages of the Saturn rocket. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Interestingly</span>, this panel also includes switches for simulation as well as ignition. The stickers on the gauges at the top of the panel indicate its <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">certification</span> for use with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ASTP</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dHaAXP0vUdHnH4nv77pYVxtXUNzh8p5R4X0BAC6gxJSAa-T_HOI1LqfLUYA5lvJLhcSrCuqyc8a_A5RME6tOAryQ21-5UZZvWUEOc-EZmbYFpLx6WukLVG6GrlceHEYENJhlPAXa8xo/s1600-h/S-IB+Operations+panel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 62px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dHaAXP0vUdHnH4nv77pYVxtXUNzh8p5R4X0BAC6gxJSAa-T_HOI1LqfLUYA5lvJLhcSrCuqyc8a_A5RME6tOAryQ21-5UZZvWUEOc-EZmbYFpLx6WukLVG6GrlceHEYENJhlPAXa8xo/s200/S-IB+Operations+panel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353700595635756034" border="0" /></a>The panel at left is an "S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">IB</span> Operations" panel. It is composed strictly of indicator lights, but it has some very interesting ones, including "IGNITION," "ALL ENGINES RUNNING," and "LIFTOFF." I have already begun cleaning the plastic inserts over the indicator lights, getting rid of 40 years of accumulated gunk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZO635JwEB5Qk_1avvBfbGiAaxlaKPyue5MgBIfNopVVrcDDepaABXiNDLyLCQc8hsCfk-VHmURGytMwWF_prrA92h5holuvx584BM0NOUUO8cyFyqbxyfM5j2mOW87duyai4Jwcnbns/s1600-h/S-IC+Control+and+Purge+panel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZO635JwEB5Qk_1avvBfbGiAaxlaKPyue5MgBIfNopVVrcDDepaABXiNDLyLCQc8hsCfk-VHmURGytMwWF_prrA92h5holuvx584BM0NOUUO8cyFyqbxyfM5j2mOW87duyai4Jwcnbns/s200/S-IC+Control+and+Purge+panel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353700766625001266" border="0" /></a>The third panel is for the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">IC</span>, the first stage of the Saturn V rocket that launched the missions to the Moon, as well as Apollo 9 and the Skylab orbital workshop. This "S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">IC</span> Control and Purge" panel dealt with venting the oxygen that boiled off from the LOX tanks in the S-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">IC</span> after the initial fueling of the vehicle several hours before liftoff.<br /><br />When I was a kid, I used the top of a washing machine as a control panel and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">view screen</span> when I played "Star Trek" with my friends. (The timer knob and start button were the only switches available, and we would open the lid to expose the '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">view screen</span>' - cutout pictures of the Enterprise and other vessels!) I'm <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">tremendously</span> excited about bringing these actual launch control panels into my life, as they were critical parts of the ground support equipment that made the Apollo program possible. It's quite a step up from the top of a washing machine!!<br /><br />I'll be updating this blog regularly with my progress in researching and restoring these panels. Stay tuned.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-88956501854591189702009-06-26T22:18:00.005-04:002009-06-26T22:43:02.191-04:00Renovation of LM-2The Lunar Module that is currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum is undergoing renovation. (See <a href="http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2009/06/apollo-lunar-module-gets-a-facelift/">this article</a> in Smithsonian online.)<br /><br />The Smithsonian houses LM-2, the second Lunar Module built by Grumman. It was originally intended to fly in space as an unmanned test vehicle. However, the flight of LM-1 on Apollo 5 was so successful that NASA determined it was not necessary to fly LM-2. LM-2 was used for "drop tests" on Earth, to see how much stress the vehicle could take in simulated landings. As I posted in a <a href="http://jonathan-spacejunk.blogspot.com/2008/11/intrepid-or-aquarius.html">blog entry</a> last year, my dad actually saw the LM-2 ascent stage wrapped in plastic at the Manned Spaceflight Center in Houston in August, 1969.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_pxH23AubIJUJQc6p1UgSxj5-tDDdTAiSXl5d68M6y46ida2m0-EgAe_vN_OrvJjvJ6pQ9kEEuYY0Wk1VzxZiAk8JUbU1Go37bI65fxolUbXgPwDENPGOYJ-Z9cavtFRTJX-Kss5jLk/s1600-h/LM-2plus-z.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_pxH23AubIJUJQc6p1UgSxj5-tDDdTAiSXl5d68M6y46ida2m0-EgAe_vN_OrvJjvJ6pQ9kEEuYY0Wk1VzxZiAk8JUbU1Go37bI65fxolUbXgPwDENPGOYJ-Z9cavtFRTJX-Kss5jLk/s200/LM-2plus-z.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351830066880163698" border="0" /></a>After the flight of Apollo 11, NASA donated LM-2 to the Smithsonian. It went on display at what was then the Air and Space Museum, in the Arts and Industries Building, in late 1970 or early 1971. Here's how the LM looked in its old housing, in a photo I took in June 1971 - certainly seeming to me to be a jarring juxtaposition of 1880's architecture and the height of modern technology.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwI58iMD5Y6-Ml_0df97gbPOjOmoayLvdKBIqNkylHIrLPQlQcsOF4qtgZM6U-Y3LlxDOB7uSintPC2UJ8ObX7AI-DCWXwIi_xlEgSLQPWHzwwBXBycvrWYge_hLOoS9C2WvQsIFI-78/s1600-h/LM-2plus-y.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwI58iMD5Y6-Ml_0df97gbPOjOmoayLvdKBIqNkylHIrLPQlQcsOF4qtgZM6U-Y3LlxDOB7uSintPC2UJ8ObX7AI-DCWXwIi_xlEgSLQPWHzwwBXBycvrWYge_hLOoS9C2WvQsIFI-78/s200/LM-2plus-y.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351830450742949090" border="0" /></a>As mentioned in my blog entry earlier this week, I did some research for a Smithsonian curator in May 1971. When I gave him the results of the research, I asked him, "Can you recommend me for a job?" That took him aback! Here I was, a teenager, asking for a job at the Smithsonian! He told me that the only positions they had were for volunteer tour guides, which of course is exactly what I wanted. He recommended me to the docent coordinator, even though I was several years younger than the usual requirements (rising high school seniors).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6y0_DM8X690kO4YDnc-JQ8LrD69FQgQtl0QiBwzey3cniA3dSILBRJ4wx3DaVaIYaVJphe-v5E_IwTHAX0mYr-pr1nMEEaPfcO4wGIx8Ijng6833t1i4Lx0BsJIOY-9DmJ_zXt_iJJ4M/s1600-h/LM-2+Kapton+fragment.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6y0_DM8X690kO4YDnc-JQ8LrD69FQgQtl0QiBwzey3cniA3dSILBRJ4wx3DaVaIYaVJphe-v5E_IwTHAX0mYr-pr1nMEEaPfcO4wGIx8Ijng6833t1i4Lx0BsJIOY-9DmJ_zXt_iJJ4M/s200/LM-2+Kapton+fragment.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351831402138224706" border="0" /></a>Shortly after I began working as a tour guide, a curator made some adjustments to LM-2 to improve its display. Part of his work involved cutting off a small strip of the Kapton foil, the aluminized Mylar that covered the descent stage. Several of the other docents and I got small pieces of that Kapton foil from him. I kept it for several years in the same frame as my photo of Neil Armstrong.<br /><br />In the current renovation of LM-2, the Smithsonian is removing all of the original Kapton from the Lunar Module and replacing it with something that I assume is equivalent but in better shape. I'm happy to have my little piece of history as a souvenir of my working "up close and personal" with this Lunar Module!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-47105461149641722512009-06-23T21:05:00.003-04:002009-06-23T21:44:55.637-04:00Our new Lunar Orbiters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/da/25/da25f75fffc991c597972795141434d414f4541.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 190px;" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/da/25/da25f75fffc991c597972795141434d414f4541.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Two new US space probes, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LCROSS</span>, entered orbit around the Moon today. These are the first US Moon probes since Clementine, which studied the Moon in the mid-1990's, and they will certainly entail our most detailed study of the Moon since Apollo.<br /><br />To pave the way for Apollo, the US sent five appropriately named satellites (Lunar Orbiters I through V) into orbit around the Moon from August 1966 to August 1967. The Lunar Orbiters photographed the potential Apollo landing sites in high resolution, mapped more than 90% of the lunar surface at medium resolution, and discovered the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mascons</span>" (mass concentrations) which cause the Moon's gravitational pull to be stronger in some spots. Combined with the data from the Ranger crash-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">landers</span> and the Surveyor soft-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">landers</span>, the US gained the information that it needed to send astronauts to orbit and land on the Moon.<br /><br />The book illustrated above is NASA Publication SP-200, "The Moon as Viewed by Lunar Orbiter," from 1970. This is actually the oldest item in my collection which I bought with my own money. When I was in 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> grade, I was introduced to a curator from the Smithsonian, who had several poster-size Lunar Orbiter photographs that he could not identify. I offered to find out what they were for him. The only resource I was aware of was this recently-published book that I had seen at the public affairs office at NASA Headquarters. It cost $10, which was a lot of money to a kid who was only getting a $1.00 per week allowance. My dad suggested that to earn the money for the book, I should saw up a large tree that had fallen in our backyard. Much to his surprise (I was, after all, a bookish, overweight, nerd who was not predisposed to anything resembling physical labor), I took our bow saw and cut up the 40-ft. tree in one afternoon.<br /><br />I was very pleased to have a real, official NASA publication of my very own. I spent a lot of time studying the photos. Perhaps the best part of the book was the four pages of 3-D <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">anaglyphs</span>. The book came with a set of red-blue glasses for the 3-D photos. The photo of the crater Tycho was particularly eye-popping!<br /><br />I am pleased now that I can share in the images from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">LRO</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">LCROSS</span> in real-time. In addition, the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (<a href="http://www.moonviews.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">LOIRP</span></a>) is applying modern image processing techniques to the original Lunar <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Orbiter</span> data tapes, with astonishing results. All this , without my having to get out of my comfy chair, and without having to saw up trees!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-780810386326760412009-06-16T10:46:00.002-04:002009-06-16T11:01:12.213-04:00Flight of the Seagull<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT09mx33ynIFsgQruChJy6BnbVOgyS7BnLB75XxxFPzhNqKDCd5Ox3OmcUBMdK1aiYx2y5_KLtBtdfoEC-0BRg-I33Ptz4eFExjevYhIkgDXaRox09rkRZ9ENYWAt19PglinshmIcHskA/s1600-h/Valentina+Tereshkova.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT09mx33ynIFsgQruChJy6BnbVOgyS7BnLB75XxxFPzhNqKDCd5Ox3OmcUBMdK1aiYx2y5_KLtBtdfoEC-0BRg-I33Ptz4eFExjevYhIkgDXaRox09rkRZ9ENYWAt19PglinshmIcHskA/s200/Valentina+Tereshkova.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347937123748368370" border="0" /></a>Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Vostok</span> 6, with the call sign <span style="font-style: italic;">Seagull</span>, carried Tereshkova for 48 orbits of the Earth over the course of 3 days. <br /><br />It was only recently revealed (in the last 5 years) that Tereshkova experienced some serious problems during her flight. An error in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">onboard</span> computer programming caused her ship to go into a higher orbit rather than descending as intended. She was able to reprogram the computer with data called up from the ground, and she re-entered safely. After she ejected from the capsule just before landing (as the early cosmonauts did), high winds nearly blew her into a nearby lake.<br /><br />Her flight was another propaganda victory for the USSR in the early space race, ostensibly illustrating the equality of the sexes in Soviet society. However, it would be more than 19 years before the Soviets launched another woman into space. Only three female cosmonauts have flown in the entire history of the Russian space program, while the US has flown more than 40 female astronauts during the Space Shuttle era.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-42442138533360670402009-06-14T21:34:00.006-04:002009-06-14T22:09:40.574-04:00Remembering Deke Slayton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnp5zg0KA2btv1NC5QG_zeh1rEaLsbACr-y5L7amIuj2b6aMINEsS97IAWOHU_Gqwm1nxaITSfmISMw3MLkGf1ogfC0UJygiA04nuhl1QoXKofSAonovBy-D4ZOTmSn7p9NtT2qOaMyQ/s1600-h/Apollo+15+Flight+Readiness+Review+access+badge+Deke+Slayton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnp5zg0KA2btv1NC5QG_zeh1rEaLsbACr-y5L7amIuj2b6aMINEsS97IAWOHU_Gqwm1nxaITSfmISMw3MLkGf1ogfC0UJygiA04nuhl1QoXKofSAonovBy-D4ZOTmSn7p9NtT2qOaMyQ/s200/Apollo+15+Flight+Readiness+Review+access+badge+Deke+Slayton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347365091802091938" border="0" /></a>Donald K. "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Deke</span>" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Slayton</span> died 16 years ago this past week. He was, to me, the least familiar of the original Mercury astronauts. As mentioned in a prior post, his paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, which was discovered after he was named to the Mercury program, grounded him for more than a decade. He was in line to fly next after John Glenn but was taken off the rolls once his heart condition became apparent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jRP6bFo5flSN5y4nhWgHUMn9Vdj7RngM3l9MyLSZfNFDt7-GBtI6YRj2S9d1Nd_czcJLSpsEIo6gZ16xx946jEWU_cbf8m9XGyZY-kZhd74PgmJWNmDS3ZcQSXQOlje1EE6XYtHT9hM/s1600-h/Skylab+4+Flight+Readiness+Review+access+badge+-+Deke+Slayton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jRP6bFo5flSN5y4nhWgHUMn9Vdj7RngM3l9MyLSZfNFDt7-GBtI6YRj2S9d1Nd_czcJLSpsEIo6gZ16xx946jEWU_cbf8m9XGyZY-kZhd74PgmJWNmDS3ZcQSXQOlje1EE6XYtHT9hM/s200/Skylab+4+Flight+Readiness+Review+access+badge+-+Deke+Slayton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347366336955672306" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Deke</span> was a fighter, first and foremost. Even after he was grounded, he vowed to stay involved in the space program however he could, hoping that someday he would be allowed to go into space. He volunteered to head the Astronaut Office at the Manned Spaceflight Center, and as such, he was the person who made the recommendations about who would fly and who would not. He is generally credited with establishing the crew rotation system, where a crew would act as backup on one mission, and then be assigned as the prime crew three missions later.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCaeglM3IE0Bx-g_bVshS4xE3ttRhvQLxbU2wGEIWz1D_Rjicv9IVEt4WvBFfvv_ZJMmUr70DOExojngoLHo_mLbZU1WivH3PMsBdFblC9dqxlaKCmF6Ww_geFzqN2vjVK8ZR4MuHF6k/s1600-h/Deke+Slayton%27s+ASTP+lapel+pin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCaeglM3IE0Bx-g_bVshS4xE3ttRhvQLxbU2wGEIWz1D_Rjicv9IVEt4WvBFfvv_ZJMmUr70DOExojngoLHo_mLbZU1WivH3PMsBdFblC9dqxlaKCmF6Ww_geFzqN2vjVK8ZR4MuHF6k/s200/Deke+Slayton%27s+ASTP+lapel+pin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347367011934187874" border="0" /></a>According to the book "Moon Shot," by Jay <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Barbree</span> and Howard Benedict (although ostensibly written by Alan Shepard and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Slayton</span>, who actually died before the book was published), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Slayton</span> took <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">megadoses</span> of vitamins and was somehow able to eliminate all symptoms of his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">atril</span> fibrillation. [I haven't tried that for my symptoms - maybe it's worth a shot!] The NASA flight surgeons certified him as fit to fly, and he pushed for a spot on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Trying to pull seniority, he insisted on commanding the mission, but higher authority ruled in favor of the much more experienced Tom Stafford to be Commander. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Slayton</span> decided not to press the issue, deciding to be satisfied with having a seat on the mission at all. The pin shown at left was one of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Slayton's</span> commemorative lapel pins from the mission.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjPCJsmHUKrQDuQeb83Hxgr7_YAwL0xOqqAwKWqVDGkVZNzPQOj1J03sSUyzbGQibf7WOUYPZkXvzivccSxTtTBhRYBRk-AwFcxvhzk2RGd87gdDjfIHfsojH8ulUSzKnCsUA-46asVE/s1600-h/Deke+Slayton+vaccination+certificate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjPCJsmHUKrQDuQeb83Hxgr7_YAwL0xOqqAwKWqVDGkVZNzPQOj1J03sSUyzbGQibf7WOUYPZkXvzivccSxTtTBhRYBRk-AwFcxvhzk2RGd87gdDjfIHfsojH8ulUSzKnCsUA-46asVE/s200/Deke+Slayton+vaccination+certificate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347369080152691682" border="0" /></a>This last item is one of the more unusual in my collection. It's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Slayton's</span> International Certificate of Vaccination from 1982. I picked it up -- accidentally -- at the first live online auction in which I participated.<br /><br />One wonders how the thread of US manned spaceflight would have spun out in Gemini and Apollo had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Slayton</span> not been so influential behind the scenes. He was a tough boss, but generally fair. He would also fight for his fellow astronauts against political pressure - not always successfully, but the astronaut corps knew he was on their side.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-8423840001662896502009-06-09T23:33:00.003-04:002009-06-09T23:53:40.050-04:00A birthday shout out to Jim McDivitt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocqDMXtFPRQTmzaNgc2h0OogwtYoliMyVmA0bHtJIydBvpqZo2kL-9iNtg7xKRAyEXgz-JjMj0_Ku9Lfr0Ar21ucKjqJeDuhs4Cn1VGRSDt0s73mvYYQKmgjKXmp0iZgnobtxYn6MCF0/s1600-h/Jim+McDivitt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocqDMXtFPRQTmzaNgc2h0OogwtYoliMyVmA0bHtJIydBvpqZo2kL-9iNtg7xKRAyEXgz-JjMj0_Ku9Lfr0Ar21ucKjqJeDuhs4Cn1VGRSDt0s73mvYYQKmgjKXmp0iZgnobtxYn6MCF0/s200/Jim+McDivitt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345537191408031826" border="0" /></a>Yet another of the early astronauts reaches his 80<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> birthday on June 10, as hard as it is to believe. Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">McDivitt</span>, who was the Commander of Gemini IV and Apollo 9 has reached this milestone.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">McDivitt</span> was "at the stick" when Ed White took his famous spacewalk on Gemini IV. When I met <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">McDivitt</span> at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Spacefest</span> this year, I told him that I always thought it unfair that he didn't get EVA credit. At the same time that White was outside the capsule, the door was open and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">McDivitt</span> was exposed to hard vacuum just as much as White was - he just wasn't standing up in his seat or leaving the confines of the ship. Nowadays, on Space Shuttle and Space Station missions, the start of an EVA is counted from the time when the hatch is opened, even before the astronauts have ventured outside. By that definition, in my humble opinion, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">McDivitt</span> could have gotten EVA credit both for Gemini IV and Apollo 9! He said he agreed with me but it wasn't worth arguing with anyone about!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vtA7fSnxG5H_PKCxXM-wMnFeowVvsXUkY_ISpiTwpZO4JnmBmw3lMtEGUpvAG0ZAXGYKKis1jO2-q5uv8zl6f0F1m1D9EVa4qPhrgNIAmu-PrIEZeWXAXPkKzoy13HdZ-fjBFbt17p0/s1600-h/DSC_0122.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vtA7fSnxG5H_PKCxXM-wMnFeowVvsXUkY_ISpiTwpZO4JnmBmw3lMtEGUpvAG0ZAXGYKKis1jO2-q5uv8zl6f0F1m1D9EVa4qPhrgNIAmu-PrIEZeWXAXPkKzoy13HdZ-fjBFbt17p0/s200/DSC_0122.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345541806787595218" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">McDivitt</span> had the most infectious laugh of anyone I have met. Even though he didn't know me from Adam, he pulled me right away into some hilarious stories about NASA in the good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ol</span>' days and some of the characters that he used to work with. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him over the weekend at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Spacefest</span>!<br /><br />Happy birthday, General, and many many more --Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-89526840350643445872009-06-08T23:55:00.004-04:002009-06-09T00:24:34.874-04:00Happy birthday, Bruce McCandless<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EufSXZzIatdim4oCslqTgh3nGqjDfK6ns6ht91GNLGHnpcBvJGaoB4DPRWWRocYEvE5XDuucUEAB_xYlJqIV9I8mR7AjCY9jt47KVZD4inbUCxKlFKewEQU886eunW2_m_v85mYOlMw/s1600-h/DSC_0134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EufSXZzIatdim4oCslqTgh3nGqjDfK6ns6ht91GNLGHnpcBvJGaoB4DPRWWRocYEvE5XDuucUEAB_xYlJqIV9I8mR7AjCY9jt47KVZD4inbUCxKlFKewEQU886eunW2_m_v85mYOlMw/s200/DSC_0134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345171925495529090" border="0" /></a>Astronaut Bruce <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">McCandless</span> II turned 72 on June 8.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">McCandless</span>, whose father was a highly-decorated hero in World War II, went to the US Naval Academy. He graduated in 1958, in the same class as John McCain. He flew fighters off of the <span style="font-style: italic;">USS <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Forrestal</span></span> and the <span style="font-style: italic;">USS Enterprise</span>, including flights from the latter during the Cuban Missile Crisis.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">McCandless</span> was one of the "Original 19", the third group of astronauts selected by NASA, in 1966. He is sometimes called "the first human to speak to a person on another planet," because he was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CAPCOM</span> (Capsule Communicator) during the Apollo 11 moonwalk, when Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the Moon. However, it would be 18 years from his selection as an astronaut before <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">McCandless</span> would fly into space himself.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3OnquWJsi5hPwfTHPRKrbbudx6Z4sC3ELxVV7w-wtPZJN0V5xMWnz2id1t3ek6inSf9c6EmjviMuE75Q-wj1o70ChQlfiDwk3PDxYZMuHXHiHdwLq8ayEpFcvpbxX33XUg0ZQOswAo4/s1600-h/Bruce+McCandless.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3OnquWJsi5hPwfTHPRKrbbudx6Z4sC3ELxVV7w-wtPZJN0V5xMWnz2id1t3ek6inSf9c6EmjviMuE75Q-wj1o70ChQlfiDwk3PDxYZMuHXHiHdwLq8ayEpFcvpbxX33XUg0ZQOswAo4/s200/Bruce+McCandless.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345176910637404658" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">McCandless's</span> big moment came in February 1984, when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">McCandless</span> flew as a Payload Specialist in <span style="font-style: italic;">Challenger</span> on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">STS</span>-41B. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">McCandless</span> flew the first tests of the Manned Maneuvering Unit, which he had helped develop, dating from a prototype that flew <span style="font-style: italic;">inside</span> Skylab. Donning the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">MMU</span> and releasing his tethers, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">McCandless</span> became the first human being to fly free from a spacecraft in orbit. He flew several hundred feet away from <span style="font-style: italic;">Challenger</span> and spent four hours as a "human satellite." The photo of him floating free is one of the iconic images of the Space Program.<br /><br />I enjoyed spending some quiet moments with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">McCandless</span> during <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Spacefest</span> in February. He was a quiet and unassuming man yet extremely friendly and eager to discuss his experiences. I asked him about his extraordinary patience, to have waited so long before getting his first flight. He said he had been keeping plenty busy during the intervening years, developing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">MMU</span> and providing astronaut input into the development of several important technologies that would come of age in the Shuttle program. He knew that his time would come, so he kept with the program. <br /><br />All of his friends in the space community wish him a very happy birthday!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-66274819112246692832009-06-05T22:06:00.006-04:002009-06-05T22:31:49.548-04:00Happy birthday, Dave Scott<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYlnISeRGOhNNNClMzFc4og-0ro9b1npVr85ch_PcU8pMhw7s2cgZfqiPp1q13ZWL-waSKKfMsjirfFz9dg_DgXO3AOJudQ65R6OOVJLGW5oGZVvVWZ_9YtOkaqbJt8YZl5QHwIwrj-Y/s1600-h/DSC_0085-400.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYlnISeRGOhNNNClMzFc4og-0ro9b1npVr85ch_PcU8pMhw7s2cgZfqiPp1q13ZWL-waSKKfMsjirfFz9dg_DgXO3AOJudQ65R6OOVJLGW5oGZVvVWZ_9YtOkaqbJt8YZl5QHwIwrj-Y/s200/DSC_0085-400.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344036080910256274" border="0" /></a>Dave Scott, American astronaut, turns 77 on June 6.<br /><br />Dave's first mission was the ill-fated Gemini VIII mission, which he flew alongside Neil Armstrong. After piloting the world's first on-orbit docking with an unmanned <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Agena</span> rocket, the spacecraft began to tumble violently. The Gemini capsule <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">undocked</span> and then went into an even faster spin, exceeding one revolution per second. Almost at the point of blacking out, the crew regained control but was forced to make an emergency splashdown near Okinawa.<br /><br />My family and I lived on Okinawa at the time. I was in 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> grade at an elementary school on the Air Force base in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Naha</span>, the port where the crew returned from their journey. Feigning illness, I stayed home from school so I could watch them on TV as they came into port. Unfortunately, the crew were whisked away immediately and I didn't get to see them.<br /><br />Scott flew next as the Command Module Pilot on Apollo 9, the first test of the Lunar Module. It was as part of the celebration of the 40<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> anniversary of that flight that I got to meet Scott and the rest of the crew at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Spacefest</span> in San Diego this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpypz8gHu8VcVaJCMZNhBeC2kgfIBtDAMn3NLlImEBdlQwyo6nniFkjudqxTEHbPzk2FMMBtwa5mdTwAmdpPmZxxUa330Sks7EUXgJbVSihN4crrkXH7GpcoZrd0HBR0XjC5ajrgL_o0/s1600-h/Dave+Scott.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpypz8gHu8VcVaJCMZNhBeC2kgfIBtDAMn3NLlImEBdlQwyo6nniFkjudqxTEHbPzk2FMMBtwa5mdTwAmdpPmZxxUa330Sks7EUXgJbVSihN4crrkXH7GpcoZrd0HBR0XjC5ajrgL_o0/s200/Dave+Scott.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344030282073995538" border="0" /></a>Scott's finest hours were as Commander of Apollo 15, in July and August 1971. It was the first extended-stay lunar mission and the first to use the Lunar Rover. I followed that mission intensely, because it was a true adventure - landing in the middle of mountains and a deep valley, and exploring far from the safety of "home base." They broadcast some of the most spectacular TV images I have ever seen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcGIIdMSHcyd8UASl1ZeBuF3PR9r9Iw_16ExTyCPCfc4XWC6zp9-Pc_r-g2yeKhTC1lkFbFp5zIH0-kI2fdoszj5UxjZ2ev_V-bLCKSLzQP6_FUQlfetn3dMazuJGVOs5-apOiVlihzA/s1600-h/Apollo+15+Descent-Ascent+Summary+chart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcGIIdMSHcyd8UASl1ZeBuF3PR9r9Iw_16ExTyCPCfc4XWC6zp9-Pc_r-g2yeKhTC1lkFbFp5zIH0-kI2fdoszj5UxjZ2ev_V-bLCKSLzQP6_FUQlfetn3dMazuJGVOs5-apOiVlihzA/s200/Apollo+15+Descent-Ascent+Summary+chart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344034089785235794" border="0" /></a>Just prior to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Spacefest</span>, I picked up an interesting "Apollo 15 Descent/Ascent Summary" chart, which detailed the ground track of the Lunar Module <span style="font-style: italic;">Falcon</span> just prior to landing and after liftoff. It also included profiles of the flight, a map of the landing site, and a simulated view out of the Commander's (Scott's) window. I asked Scott to sign it at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Spacefest</span>, and he spent a good 5 minutes looking it over and remarking that he had never seen it before. Just above the view from the cockpit, he signed "Flight of the Falcon."<br /><br />The next night, at the reception prior to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Spacefest</span> banquet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLY_MWnBrxxa5EyNcwHETHcdSngVLqyxFWimtiZQv65nOPh_9hVTOGPvWwg9ZhHy3xkWFZy0z5YSucgVCYbjEHTZ-fgWyJkBY6XrTiZqtLjt643jVvXaVj2mjdG_NITBwbi0Jk-vHUeI/s1600-h/DSC_0081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLY_MWnBrxxa5EyNcwHETHcdSngVLqyxFWimtiZQv65nOPh_9hVTOGPvWwg9ZhHy3xkWFZy0z5YSucgVCYbjEHTZ-fgWyJkBY6XrTiZqtLjt643jVvXaVj2mjdG_NITBwbi0Jk-vHUeI/s200/DSC_0081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344035787130595202" border="0" /></a>, Scott got into line behind me at the bar. I got a chance to buy a drink for one of my boyhood heroes. It doesn't get any better than that!Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2086348663008673593.post-66438568188129785462009-06-03T15:03:00.005-04:002009-06-03T15:30:41.874-04:00America catches up with the Russians<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9BgRbRNKAuHqJp1kdwnZw-4PQiWe8ajepJ6LjIVHlfjWyKk2ZzGYes5bSXfx_bqX_4BxRVrZTk7iiiAhfbwc-3RHI-cq0p3vt7_5t_cvNsVilczwSB8zcVAJ8eeoJNZiu3KIIsBi-Mg/s1600-h/Gemini+4+launch+certificate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9BgRbRNKAuHqJp1kdwnZw-4PQiWe8ajepJ6LjIVHlfjWyKk2ZzGYes5bSXfx_bqX_4BxRVrZTk7iiiAhfbwc-3RHI-cq0p3vt7_5t_cvNsVilczwSB8zcVAJ8eeoJNZiu3KIIsBi-Mg/s200/Gemini+4+launch+certificate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343179326026693714" border="0" /></a>June 3, 1965 was the date on which the Americans caught up with the Soviet Union, in terms of proving the nation's capabilities in manned spaceflight. Ed White II became the first American to "walk" in space, less than 3 months after Alexei <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Leonov</span> performed a similar feat.<br /><br />The Soviets trumped the Americans in many important "firsts" during the early years of the space race. It was frustrating for me as a kid - of course I <span style="font-style: italic;">knew</span> that we Americans were superior but we always seemed to be getting beat. I can only imagine how infuriating it was to America's adults, and to the Government, Department of Defense, and NASA in particular.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu4vlf3P1oUbg1FsLjvg5Pph9BDXK4GozeeF3gm3gojZrR_ExezThmjDvrdq794QobSgDu-CVFcaSDMTZM7D_qRl0AY8rkNZy9fyN6Aofyx6R0yEdtBzgfnwyi-XqmwM1MpEDrX3j3N4/s1600-h/Gemini+4+mission+control+viewing+room+badge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu4vlf3P1oUbg1FsLjvg5Pph9BDXK4GozeeF3gm3gojZrR_ExezThmjDvrdq794QobSgDu-CVFcaSDMTZM7D_qRl0AY8rkNZy9fyN6Aofyx6R0yEdtBzgfnwyi-XqmwM1MpEDrX3j3N4/s200/Gemini+4+mission+control+viewing+room+badge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343182363487424082" border="0" /></a>Ed White's EVA in Gemini IV brought us up to par on all of the important technical capabilities that the Russians had demonstrated. From that date forward, the US clearly became the leader in the race to the Moon, as we publicly tried out complex techniques in orbit change, rendezvous, docking, and performing useful construction tasks outside of the spacecraft that would be needed to execute a successful lunar mission.<br /><br />There were no cameras on board the Gemini IV capsule, so we couldn't watch the spacewalk live. I clearly remember listening to it on TV. I don't recall if it was being broadcast live, or if I listened to a replay at a later time. I do remember that this was on an afternoon when we lived in North Carolina, and the spacewalk did occur in the afternoon Eastern Daylight Time, so perhaps it may have been a live news broadcast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcIWn_7wuRSMGrKsyQJNVbXzSThP-6CvDPsFEzQGeFSXW8Fwg-_3RdVOS2uU2adEyI-TVjsPZJ2P_1mgWpSgLM8BFs0M_kPHWWROnJXD-6rkh0e-5HxtTpc_Q7ozPsA5QsgSyuG6a6xQ/s1600-h/Gemini+4+A+Walk+in+Space.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcIWn_7wuRSMGrKsyQJNVbXzSThP-6CvDPsFEzQGeFSXW8Fwg-_3RdVOS2uU2adEyI-TVjsPZJ2P_1mgWpSgLM8BFs0M_kPHWWROnJXD-6rkh0e-5HxtTpc_Q7ozPsA5QsgSyuG6a6xQ/s200/Gemini+4+A+Walk+in+Space.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343185343271932914" border="0" /></a>The photos that we saw in <span style="font-style: italic;">Life</span> magazine a week later, after Gemini IV returned from orbit, were incredible. Unaccustomed to the strange sight of someone outside of a space capsule, it was sometimes hard for me to tell exactly what I was looking at. The tether and nitrogen jet gun were strangely alien. I remember being particularly intrigued by the blackness of space as reflected in Ed White's visor...how eerie! Where was his face? But I knew from these photos that my concept of spaceflight would never be the same again.Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12915612764619614846noreply@blogger.com0