US Manned Space Program 1961-1981 - elfunnorcal.org · Apollo 13 CM = Odyssey LM = Aquarius •Interesting facts: •CM Pilot Ken Mattingly replaced by Jack Swigert three days before

US Manned Space Program1961-1981

Part 2 – Project Apollo through early Space Shuttle Flights (1967-1981)

GE Elfun Luncheon Presentation – August 28, 2019

Matt Polomik and Dave Hamon

Recap - Project Mercury – 1961-1963

• Developed in response to Soviet space achievements starting with launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957

• Two manned suborbital flights:• Freedom 7 – Alan Shepard• Liberty Bell 7 – Gus Grissom

• Kennedy challenge to nation three weeks after Alan Shepard’s flight to send a man to the moon “within this decade”

Recap - Project Mercury – 1961-1963

• Four manned orbital flights:• Friendship 7 – John Glenn (3)

• Aurora 7 – Scott Carpenter (3)

• Sigma 7 – Wally Shirra (6)

• Faith 7 – Gordon Cooper (22)

• Russians had completed six flights up to five days in length and launched one woman cosmonaut (Valentina Tereshkova) by end of 1963

Recap - Project Gemini – 1965-1966

• Ten manned orbital flights:• Gemini 3 – Initial flight test• Gemini 4 – EVA, extended duration (4 days)• Gemini 5 – Extended duration (8 days), first fuel cell

flight• Gemini 6A – Rendezvous with Gemini 7• Gemini 7 – Extended duration (14 days)• Gemini 8 – Rendezvous and docking, first space

emergency and abort• Gemini 9A – Rendezvous, EVA, couldn’t dock• Gemini 10 – Rendezvous and docking, EVA• Gemini 11 – Rendezvous and docking, EVA, altitude

record for Gemini missions (high earth orbit)• Gemini 12 – Rendezvous and docking, highly successful

EVA

• Established US superiority in space race

Project Apollo

• Questions and goals for Project Apollo to answer:• Is the Deep Space Communication

Network reliable?• Can man orbit the Moon and return

safely? • Can man land on the Moon and

return to lunar orbit?• Can man survive and perform tasks

on the lunar surface?• Can precise landings be made on the

moon?• Expand knowledge of lunar geology

and origins of the moon.

Project Apollo – Mission Types

• A – Unmanned Saturn V and command and service module (CSM) development (Apollo 4, Apollo 6)

• B – Unmanned Apollo Lunar Module (LM) development (Apollo 5)

• C – Manned CSM evaluation in low Earth orbit (Apollo 7)

• C' – Manned CSM flight into lunar orbit (Apollo 8 flew as this revised "C-prime" mission)

• D – Manned CSM and LM development in low Earth orbit (originally planned for Apollo 8; flown as Apollo 9)

• E – Manned CSM and LM operations, a simulated lunar mission in an elliptical medium Earth orbit with an apogee of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km); (Cancelled – step backward from Apollo 8 as flown)

• F – Manned CSM and LM operations in lunar orbit, a "dress rehearsal" for the first landing (Apollo 10)

• G – First manned lunar landing (Apollo 11)

• H – Precision landings with up to two-day stays on the Moon, with two lunar extravehicular activities (EVAs) or "moonwalks" (Apollo 12, Apollo 13 (planned), Apollo 14)

• I – Long duration CSM lunar orbital surveys using a scientific instrument module mounted in an empty service module bay. These were incorporated into the J missions.

• J – Longer three-day stays using an extended LM, with three lunar EVAs and a Lunar Roving Vehicle (Apollo 15, Apollo 16, Apollo 17).

Apollo Saturn V Moon Rocket

• 36 stories tall (363 feet)

• 7,500,000 lbf thrust (typical)

• 6,000,000 lbf weight (typical)

• Payload to Low Earth Orbit: 310,000 lbm (typical)

• Over three million parts

• Burned more fuel in 1 second than Lindbergh used to cross the Atlantic

• Project cost: 44 billion dollars (2019 $)

Apollo Saturn V Moon Rocket

• Interesting facts:• 12 successes, 0 failures, 1 partial failure

(Apollo 6)

• Last mission launched Skylab Space Station (originally intended for Apollo 18)

• Speed after clearing tower = > 100 mph

• Exhaust plume over 1,000 feet long

• Saturn V boosters for Apollo 19 (AS-514) and Apollo 20 (AS-515) never flown … currently on display.

Apollo 1

• Launched planned for February 21, 1967

• Command Pilot – Gus Grissom

• Senior Pilot – Ed White

• Pilot – Roger Chaffee

• Mission – Up to 14-day shakedown test of new Apollo spacecraft

• Crew killed in launchpad fire on January 27, 1967

Apollo 4 (Unmanned test)

• First Saturn V test• “All up” test of all three stages• Launched on November 9, 1967• Included “dummy” lunar module as

ballast• Launch knocked ceiling tiles loose in

Walter Cronkite’s CBS booth• Second orbit apogee increased to

over 9700 miles using third stage and CSM engine

• Reentry speed further increased by CSM engine to simulate return from a lunar mission

• Test objectives successfully completed

Apollo 5 and 6 (Unmanned tests)

• Apollo 5 – Earth orbital test of unmanned lunar module• Launched on January 22, 1968 using

Saturn 1B rocket• Experienced some problems with

automated descent engine testing• Manually firing of descent engine worked

• Apollo 6 – Second Saturn V test• Launched April 4, 1968• Experienced severe “pogo” oscillations

during launch• Two second stage engines failed• Failed to achieve desired reentry speed• Flight considered successful enough to fly

astronauts on next launch

Apollo 7

• Launched October 11, 1968

• Commander – Wally Schirra

• CM Pilot – Donn Eisele

• LM Pilot – Walt Cunningham

• Mission – 163 Earth orbits

• Apogee – 163 nautical miles

• Recovered October 22, 1968, south of Bermuda by the aircraft carrier USS Essex

Apollo 7

• Interesting facts:• First three man American spacecraft• Shakedown test of new Block II Apollo

spacecraft• Flight accomplished all objectives

successfully• Crew transmitted first live TV pictures

from an American spacecraft• Wally Schirra had announced this would

be his last flight, so he wanted everything to go perfectly

• Wally developed a severe head cold early in the flight and was uncooperative when Mission Control wanted to add scope to the flight

• Members of this crew never flew again

Apollo 7

Apollo 8

• Launched December 21, 1968

• Commander – Frank Borman

• CM Pilot – Jim Lovell

• LM Pilot – Bill Anders

• Mission – 10 Moon orbits

• Perilune – 60 nautical miles

• Recovered December 27, 1968, ~900 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii by the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown

Apollo 8

• Interesting facts:• 1st humans to fly to the moon

• 1st humans to pass through the Van Allen radiation belts

• 1st time humans viewed the whole Earth at once

• 1st humans to view the far side of the moon

• 1st spacecraft to orbit more than one celestial body

• 1st manned Saturn V flight

• Fastest reentry to date (24,208 mph)

Apollo 8

Apollo 9 CM = Gumdrop LM = Spider

• Launched March 3, 1969

• Commander – Jim McDivitt

• CM Pilot – Dave Scott

• LM Pilot – Rusty Schweickart

• Mission – 151 Earth orbits

• Recovered March 13, 1969, 160 nautical miles east of the Bahamas by the amphibious assault ship USS Guadalcanal


• Interesting facts:• First shakedown test of the Lunar

Module (LM) in Earth Orbit• First transfer of astronauts into

separate vehicle in orbit• EVA was delayed because Rusty

Schweickart got sick• EVA tested life support backpack

(PLSS) designed for the lunar surface• Plan for Rusty to spacewalk from LM

to CM during EVA was cancelled• Last manned spacecraft to

splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean


Apollo 10 CM = Charlie Brown LM = Snoopy

• Launched May 18, 1969

• Commander – Tom Stafford

• CM Pilot – John Young

• LM Pilot – Gene Cernan

• Mission – 31 Moon orbits (4 for LM)

• Perilune – 8 nautical miles (LM)

• Recovered May 26, 1969, 400 nautical miles east of American Samoa by the USS Princeton

Apollo 10 CM = Charlie Brown LM = Snoopy

• Interesting facts:• 1st test of the LM in lunar orbit

• Dress rehearsal for the 1st moon landing

• 1st all veteran crew

• 1st and only Apollo flight from Launch Complex 39B

• 1st live color TV transmissions from space

• 1st human to fly solo around the moon (John Young)

• All time record for the fastest humans (24,791 mph)

Apollo 10

Apollo 11 CM = Columbia LM = Eagle

• Launched July 16, 1969

• Commander – Neil Armstrong

• CM Pilot – Michael Collins

• LM Pilot – Buzz Aldrin

• Mission – 30 Moon orbits (CM)

• Destination – Sea of Tranquility

• Recovered July 24, 1969, 1440 nautical miles east of Wake Island by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet


• Interesting facts:

• 1st manned landing on the moon

• 2nd all veteran crew

• Landed with less than 30 seconds of fuel remaining

• Mike Collins comment after his respiratory sensor stopped working on Day 4: “I promise to let you know if I stop breathing”

• Overshot intended landing site

• Very few photos exist of Neil on the lunar surface because he had the only camera

• President Nixon attended the recovery aboard the USS Hornet

• Astronauts were quarantined for three weeks from time of leaving lunar surface


Apollo 12 CM = Yankee Clipper LM = Intrepid

• Launched November 14, 1969

• Commander – Charles Conrad

• CM Pilot – Richard Gordon

• LM Pilot – Alan Bean


• Destination – Ocean of Storms (Surveyor Crater)

• Recovered November 24, 1969, ~500 nautical miles east of American Samoa, and recovered by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet

Apollo 12 CM = Yankee Clipper LM = Intrepid


• 1st and only rocket to be hit by lightning (twice)

• 1st pinpoint landing on the moon

• 1st color TV camera on the moon

• 1st and only occasion where humans have "caught up" to a probe which landed on another world (Surveyor 3 which landed on the moon 2 years earlier)

• 1st nuclear-powered ALSEP station set up by astronauts on the Moon

• Pictures of Playboy Playmates attached to checklists on the wrists of Conrad’s & Bean’s lunar space suits during first EVA, and inside Gordon's checklist in orbit.

Apollo 12

Apollo 13 CM = Odyssey LM = Aquarius

• Launched April 11, 1970

• Commander – Jim Lovell

• CM Pilot – Jack Swigert

• LM Pilot – Fred Haise

• Mission – Aborted on way to moon

• Destination – Fra Mauro

• Recovered April 17, 1970, southeast of American Samoa by amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima



• CM Pilot Ken Mattingly replaced by Jack Swigert three days before launch

• Oxygen tank exploded on third day of flight (April 13), disabling the CM Odyssey

• LM Aquarius used as a lifeboat to return crew safely

• Only flight to use LM descent engine to perform course corrections between earth and moon

• Mission Control worked around the clock to develop procedures to get the crew home safely

• Set record for farthest humans from Earth (248,655 miles)


Apollo 14 CM = Kitty Hawk LM = Antares

• Launched January 31, 1971

• Commander – Alan Shepard

• CM Pilot – Stuart Roosa

• LM Pilot – Edgar Mitchell


• Destination – Fra Mauro Highlands (Cone Crater)

• Recovered February 9, 1971, ~760 nautical miles south of American Samoa by the amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans

Apollo 14 CM = Kitty Hawk LM = Antares

• Interesting facts:• 1st launch delay in the Apollo

program (40 min)

• 1st landing in the lunar highlands

• Farthest walking distance from the LM in the Apollo program (~1 mile)

• 1st to EVA out of sight of their spacecraft

• 1st golf shots on the moon (2)

• 1st materials processing experiment in space

Apollo 15 CM = Endeavour LM = Falcon


• Commander – Dave Scott

• CM Pilot – Al Worden

• LM Pilot – Jim Irwin


• Destination – Hadley Rille / Apennines

• Recovered August 7, 1971, in the North Pacific Ocean by amphibious assault ship USS Okinawa


• Interesting facts:• First J-mission (with Lunar Rover)• Three lunar surface EVAs totaling over

19 hours• Discovered the “Genesis Rock”• First deep space EVA (200,000 miles

from earth) by CM Pilot Al Worden• During EVAs, doctors noticed

irregularities in the heartbeats of both Scott and Irwin

• Released sub-satellite into lunar orbit• Jim Irwin had heart problems after

retiring and died in 1991• Post-flight controversy over 400

philatelic covers carried to the moon


Apollo 16 CM = Casper LM = Orion

• Launched April 16, 1972

• Commander – John Young

• CM Pilot – Ken Mattingly

• LM Pilot – Charlie Duke


• Destination – Descartes Highlands

• Recovered April 27, 1972, 220 nautical miles southeast of Kiritimati (or "Christmas Island“) by the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga

Apollo 16 CM = Casper LM = Orion

• Interesting facts:• 1st extended launch delay (due to

technical issues) in the Apollo program (1 month)

• 1st long delay in landing (6 hours) due to a malfunction in the SPS rocket engine backup system.

• 1st person to be in lunar orbit twice during separate lunar expeditions (John Young - Apollo 10 and 16)

• Set lunar rover speed record (10.6 mph), which was later eclipsed by Apollo 17

• Longest solo flight around the moon (Ken Mattingly – 3 days 9 hours)

Apollo 17 CM = America LM = Challenger

• Launched December 7, 1972

• Commander – Gene Cernan

• CM Pilot – Ron Evans

• LM Pilot – Harrison “Jack” Schmitt


• Destination – Taurus-Littrow Valley

• Recovered December 19, 1972, in the North Pacific Ocean by aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga


• Interesting facts:• First manned night launch• Third J-mission (with Lunar Rover)• Because Apollo 18 was cancelled, Joe Engle was

bumped from the crew by geologist Jack Schmitt• Discovered “orange soil” on the moon• Fender extension on lunar rover broke with

accidental bump by hammer handle• New lunar rover maximum speed record of 11.2

mph • Three lunar EVAs totaled over 21 hours• Capcom to Cernan on EVA #2: “Will you go over

and help out Twinkle Toes?”• Third deep space EVA performed by CM Pilot Ron

Evans• Mankind’s last lunar landing• Last manned flight to leave low earth orbit


Apollo Deep Space EVAsApollo 15 – Al Worden

~196,000 miles from Earth

38 min

Apollo 16 – Ken Mattingly


1 hr, 24 min

Apollo 17 – Ron Evans


1 hr, 6 min

Apollo Landing Sites

• Apollo 11 – Sea of Tranquility

• Apollo 12 – Ocean of Storms (Surveyor Crater)

• Apollo 14 – Fra Mauro

• Apollo 15 – Hadley Rille/Apennines

• Apollo 16 – Descartes Highlands

• Apollo 17 – Taurus-Littrow Valley

Skylab 1

• Launched unmanned on May 14, 1973 on the last Saturn V rocket

• America’s first space station

• Visited by three crews for 28, 59 and 84 days, respectively

• Atmospheric reentry began on July 11, 1979

• Debris showered Western Australia, and recovered pieces indicated that the station had disintegrated less than expected

Skylab 1

• Interesting facts:• Skylab was damaged due to failure

of a protective covering during launch

• Lab was pre-stocked with supplies and clothing for all three visits

• Skylab traveled 890 million miles by the time of re-entry in 1979

• Early plans for the second Space Shuttle mission were to push Skylab to a stable orbit, but it came down before shuttle was ready to fly

Skylab 2

• Launched May 25, 1973

• Commander – Pete Conrad

• Pilot – Paul Weitz

• Science Pilot – Joe Kerwin


• Mission – 28 days (404 Earth orbits)

• Recovered June 22, 1973, ~800 nautical miles southwest of San Diego, CA by aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga

Skylab 2

• Interesting facts:• 1st occupation of U.S. space station

• Sets record for human endurance in space (28 days)

• Sets record for distance travelled in space – 10,000,000 nautical miles

• 2nd launch from pad 39B, and only the 2nd manned flight of the Saturn 1B

• 1st major repair in space (crew deploys sunshade)

• 1st space crew to observe a solar flare

Skylab 3


• Commander – Alan Bean

• Pilot – Jack Lousma

• Science Pilot – Owen Garriott



• Recovered September 25, 1973, southwest of San Diego, CA by amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans

Skylab 3

• Interesting facts:• Sets record for human endurance in

space (59 days)• Sets record for distance travelled in

space – 21,000,000 nautical miles• Propellant leak in Service Module’s

reaction control thruster caused planning for a rescue mission

• Crew installed a twin-pole sunshade over the parasol

• Continued a comprehensive medical research program on effects of prolonged space flight

• Originally planned for 56 days, but was extended three days

Skylab 3

Skylab 4

• Launched November 16, 1973

• Commander – Jerry Carr

• Pilot – Bill Pogue

• Science Pilot – Ed Gibson


• Mission – 84 days (1,214 Earth orbits)

• Recovered February 8, 1974, ~160 nautical miles southwest of San Diego, CA by amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans

Skylab 4

• Interesting facts:• 1st all rookie crew since Gemini 8

(1966)

• Sets record for human endurance in space (84 days)

• Sets record for distance travelled in space – 34,500,000 nautical miles

• 1st space mission to observe and photograph a comet (comet Kohoutek)

• 1st space crew to film the birth of a solar flare

• Crew complained about relentless work schedule

Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP)

• Both launched July 15, 1975• Commander – Tom Stafford

• CM Pilot – Vance Brand

• Docking Module Pilot – Deke Slayton

• Soyuz Commander – Alexei Leonov

• Soyuz Pilot – Valeri Kubasov• Apogee – 125 nautical miles


• Apollo spacecraft recovered July 24, 1975, west of Kauai, Hawaii by amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans


• Interesting facts:• First flight involving international

cooperation between US and Soviets• Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft remained

docked for two days• Exchanged crew members on each

day• Soyuz landed three days earlier than

US Apollo spacecraft (two days after undocking)

• Toxic fumes were sucked into the spacecraft during final stage of descent

• Astronauts were hospitalized for two weeks


Where are the Apollo spacecraft now?

• Apollo 7

• Apollo 8

• Apollo 9

• Apollo 10 CM Charlie Brown

• Apollo 10 LM Snoopy

• Apollo 11

• Apollo 12

• Apollo 13

• Apollo 14

• Apollo 15

• Apollo 16

• Apollo 17

• Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas, TX

• Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, IL

• San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego, CA

• Science Museum, London, England, UK

• Heliocentric orbit around the sun

• Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA (on loan thru Sept 2019)

• Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, VA

• Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson, KS

• Kennedy Space Center, FL (Saturn V Building)

• USAF Museum, Dayton, OH

• US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL

• Space Center Houston, TX

Where are the Apollo spacecraft now?

• Skylab 2

• Skylab 3

• Skylab 4

• Apollo Soyuz Test Project

• Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL

• Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland, OH

• Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC

• CA Science Center, Los Angeles, CA

Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT)

• Space Shuttle Enterprise• Constructed without engines or a

functional heat shield

• Flown on the top of Boeing 747 for captive and free flights

• First of five free flights occurred on August 12, 1977

• Crew 1 – Fred Haise and Gordon Fullerton

• Crew 2 – Joe Engle and Richard Truly

Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT)

Space Shuttle Initial Test Flights

• Space Shuttle Flight STS-1:• Space Shuttle Columbia

• Launched on April 12, 1981

• Commander – John Young

• Pilot – Bob Crippen

• Mission – 36 Earth orbits (two-day shakedown flight)

• Landed April 14, 1981 on Rogers Dry Lake Bed at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California


• Interesting facts:• Launched on 20th anniversary of

flight of Yuri Gagarin in Vostok 1

• There were no unmanned test flights prior to the first manned flight

• NASA considered having the first flight be a manned abort test with return to launch site

• John Young vetoed this as being too dangerous to attempt


• Space Shuttle Flight STS-2:• Commander – Joe Engle• Pilot – Richard Truly• Launched November 14, 1981• 37 Earth orbits (2 days)

• Space Shuttle Flight STS-3:• Commander – Jack Lousma• Pilot – Gordon Fullerton• Launched March 22, 1982• 130 Earth orbits (8 days)• Landed at White Sands, NM

• Space Shuttle Flight STS-4:• Commander – Ken Mattingly• Pilot – Henry Hartsfield• Launched June 27, 1982• 113 Earth orbits (7 days)

Space Shuttle Operational Flights

• Fleet of five space shuttles flew a total of 135 missions

• Two failed missions• Challenger – January 28, 1986• Columbia – February 1, 2003

• Mission objectives included:• Launching military and commercial satellites• Launch and repair of Hubble Space

Telescope• Spacelab missions (with European Space

Agency)• Rendezvous missions with Russian MIR

space station• International Space Station construction• Testing of untethered manned maneuvering

unit (MMU)

Where are the Space Shuttles now?

• Enterprise

• Columbia

• Challenger

• Discovery

• Atlantis

• Endeavour

• Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, NYC, NY

• Destroyed February 1, 2003

• Destroyed January 28, 1986

• Air & Space Museum, Chantilly, VA

• Kennedy Space Center, FL

• California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA

Where do we go next?

• SpaceX and Boeing are under contract with NASA to launch humans to the International Space Station (2019 or 2020)

• NASA working on Project Artemis with target to return to the moon by 2024 (not fully funded yet)• Will use Orion spacecraft and Space Launch

System (SLS) that are under development

• SpaceX, Blue Origin and others are working on commercial programs that may include landing men on the moon, possibly even before NASA does it

• Increased focus on getting to Mars by the mid-2030s

Documents

US Manned Space Program 1961-1981 - elfunnorcal.org · Apollo 13 CM = Odyssey LM = Aquarius •Interesting facts: •CM Pilot Ken Mattingly replaced by Jack Swigert three days before