Project Apollo by Norman Ferguson

Author:Norman Ferguson
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: The History Press

Mission patch:

Inside the astronauts’ names and mission number, a LM and CM circle a Saturn V

Date (launch):

3 March 1969

Date (return):

13 March 1969

Mission duration:

10 days, 1 hour, 1 minute

LM:

Spider (its spider-like shape)

CM:

Gumdrop (when delivered it was covered in a blue material, resembling a sweet wrapper)

Landing site:

n/a

Time on the Moon:

n/a

Mission objective:

Test of spacecraft, systems, and docking and rendezvous procedures in Earth orbit

Test Mission

The flight was seen as a test pilot’s dream as it included many items being evaluated in space for the first time, such as the spacesuits, the LM, the extraction of the LM from its adapter by the CSM and rendezvous between the spacecraft. It had to be without major failure or the end of the decade target for the first lunar landing would be missed.

Delayed

When the crew caught head colds, the launch was delayed by three days.

Staging

The accelerative forces had caused the Saturn to become slightly compressed in length. When the first stage engines stopped, it attempted to spring back into shape and this, combined with the deceleration from 4g to 1g, threw the astronauts forward. Scott and Schweickart almost hit the control panel with their helmets.

Sickness

Schweickart was to demonstrate the Apollo spacesuit but suffered a bout of sickness. As being ill while wearing the spacesuit was potentially fatal, the EVA was cancelled. When he recovered it was reinstated but curtailed: instead of demonstrating an emergency transfer between the LM and CM, Schweickart stood on the LM’s porch. He later spent three months being evaluated to discover the reasons behind what became known as space adaptation syndrome.

Schweickart’s Experience

During the EVA, Schweickart was told to halt activity while attempts were made to fix a jammed camera. This allowed him 5 minutes to gaze at the Earth. Years later he expressed how powerful an impact this had, leading him to try to answer questions about existence.

Separation

The LM and CSM undocked to perform rendezvous manoeuvres and separated to a distance of over 100 miles (161km) before converging. The LM was put into a different orbit to test its descent engine, then staging procedures – the LM’s ascent stage separating from the descent stage – were carried out.

Success

The mission was a success and meant the next flight would be to the Moon.

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