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D O U G L A S P AP E R N O .
343
SATURN HISTORY DOCUMENT
University of Alabama Research Institute
History of Science Technology Group
Date Doc. No.
.. a
P P L IC T I O N O F S T U R N S Y S TE M S
T O O R B I T L U N C H O P E R T I ON S
P R E P A R E D B Y :
T. P.
SAPP
O P E R A T IO N S E N G I N E E R S A T U R N E X T E N S IO N S
A D V A N C E S A T U R N A N D L A R G E L A U N C H S YS TE M S
T O BE P R E S E N T E D T O :
A I A A / A A S S T E P P I N G S T O N E S T O M A R S M E E T I N G
B A L T I MO R E M A R Y L A N D
M A R C H 28 30. 1966
DOUGL S
M S S LE
;
S P A C E SYSTEMS D V S U V
SPACE SY STE MS CENTER HUNT INGTO N BEACH CALIFORNIA
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PPLIC TION OF SATURlV SYSTEMS TO ORBIT LAUNCH OPERATIONS
T
P
Sapp
DOUGLAS MISSILE ND SPACE SYSTEMS DIVISION
ABSTRACT
The payload ve lo ci ty spectrum fo r ex is ti ng and fu tu re missions a re compared
with Saturn
V
c a pa b i l i t i e s .
Maximum system uprating s considered and the
inc rease
i n the mission spectrum coverage by use of o r b i ta l assembly and launch
with Satu rn systems i s presen ted. The system and ope ratio ns requirements f o r
an or bi t launch veh icle are assessed and thre e o r b i t al oper at ions support modes
ar e compared t o the se requirements. The permanent f a c i l i t y mode
s
se l ec t ed
and th e necessary support e lements and t h e ir fu nct ions described. Detai led
or bi t op era t ions procedures a r e descr ibed fo r an orb i t l aunch vehic le der ived
from th e S-IVB and task -tim e networks of the procedures a r e pre sen ted . The
req uire d changes t o th e basi c S-IVB ar e del in eate d and the Saturn V c a p a b i l i t i e s
f o r th e assembly orb i t presented. An example OLO mi ss ion s examined t o det er-
mine th e t o t a l or b i t a l operat io ns and support procedures and requirements.
The
ground operat ions and support procedures and fa c i l i t i e s requirements are
as ses sed and compared t o th e pr es en tl y planned ground launch complex.
t
i s
concluded t h a t th e S-TVB i s adaptable a s a pioneer o rb it launch ve hic le and
tha t Sa turn po pol lo systems coupled wi th the p2esen t ly envisioned o rb i t labo-
r at o ry systems can form th e bas ic components of an ea r ly o r b i ta l launch system
fo r plane tary reconnaissance missions i n the next decade.
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CREDIT
This paper presents a portion of the results from a Douglas
funded study of
Pl an et ar y Reconnaissance SM-46912) conducted by th e Advance Sa tur n and Large
Launch Systems Directorate under the direction of M
W
Root.
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APPLICATION OF SATURN SYSTEMS
TO ORBIT LAUNCH OPERATIONS
INTRODUCTION
The ob jec t ive of t h i s pape r i s t o explore t he
fe as ib i l i t y and problems of
conduct ing o rb i t al launch operat ions with t he Saturn system and t o determine
th e requirements fo r o r b i t al launch operat ions and the corresponding adapta-
t i o n s of t h e Saturn ~ / ~ ~ o l l oystems.
The Saturn V w i l l launch the United
S ta te s i n to manned space expl orat io n.
I t s development and f ac i l i t i e s repre sen t
no t only a la rg e monetary investment bu t an expenditure of an important po rti on
of the na t ion a l t echnologica l cap abi l i ty as wel l . By the
end of t h i s decade
t he na t i on w i l l have i n ve st ed o ver 1 7 b i l l i o n d o l l a r s i n th e ~ a t u r n / ~ p o l l oys-
tems inclu ding approximately
9
b i l l i o n d o l l a r s i n t h e S a tu rn
V
l aunch vehic le
and the suppor t i ng fac i l i t i e s .
An a dd i t i ona l
2
t o b i l l i o n do l l a r s may be
inves ted in th e development of Ear th o rb i t a l l ab ora tor i es .
The scope of these
programs demands th e fu l l e s t ex pl oi tat ion of th e ir systems and op era t ion al
ca pa bi l i t i e s t o per form fu tur e mi ss ions i n o rde r t o amort ize t hese i nvestments
over the next decade.
Although the Saturn V sys tem i s bas ica l ly des igned f or lunar explora tory mis-
si ons numerous s tu d ie s by NASA Douglas and o th er aerospa ce companies have
eva lua t ed t he f ea s i b i l i t y o f us ing th i s boos t e r fo r mi ss ions f r beyond the
manned lunar landing.
I f t he se appl i ca t i ons a re accep ted in to l o g i c a l fu ture
programs th e co st of development may be amortized over a per iod of t e n t o
f i f t e e n y e ar s and permi t explora t ion of the en t i re sola r sys tem.
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Ex is ti ng systems and tho se cu rr en tl y under development are , however, li m it ed
i n payload cap ab il i t y and velo cit y required f or many of t he more a t t ra ct iv e
futur e missions. Burnout ve lo ci t i es on th e order of fourteen ki lometers per
second (46,000 f e e t
p2r
second) and payloads of 70 metric tons (154,000 pounds)
ar e re qu ir ed t o accomplish even the minimum manned pl an et ar y mission s, i. e. ,
low energy ~ a r s / ~ e n u slyb ys . These requirements exceed th e Satu rn V launch
vehicle direct ascent performance even with signif icant uprat ing.
Even the
nuclear t h i rd s tage d i r ec t ascent performance i s marginal or inadequate fo r
th es e minimum manned i nt e rp la n et a ry miss ions .
However, th e o rb it a l launch concept , u t i l i zi ng Saturn V and the technologies
and operat i onal procedures th at
w i l l
be developed for the manned lunaz landing
program, form th e b a s i s of
a
system which
w i l l
allow the Saturn
V
t o adequate ly
meet t he f uture missions req uiremen ts.
This i s not t o say th at new development
s
not requi red , ra th er
t
de fin es t he are as i n which fu rt he r and new develop-
ment i s necessary to f u l ly exploi t the systems and fa c i l i t i e s being const ructed .
Saturn
V
Mission Capability
The mission spectrum po te n ti a l of th e Saturn V with a combination of booster
upra t ing and o rb i ta l assembly and launch operat ions i s shorn i n f ig ure 1
Up-
r a t i n g t h e S at ur n V shows
a
considerable increase i n mission capa bi l i ty but not
enough f o r manned pl an et ar y recon naissan ce.
Orbital launch operat ions using
two or th re e S-IVB s allo w
a
s ign i f i can t suppor t capab i l i t y fo r
a
manned lunar
bas e and performance of li m it e d Mars and Venus manned fl yb ys w it h
a
standard
Saturn V Or bi ta l launch of uprated Saturn V 3 provides ample c apa bi l i ty i n
two new c las se s of manned missions pl us considerable inc reas e i n c ap ab il i ty fo r
unmanned c apt ure and land ing probes t o Ju p i t e r and Mercury.
Further growth
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FIGUR
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(f ou r or b i t a l launch S-IVB s and use of advanced Satur n V w i l l have the
ca pa bi li ty of manned captu re missions t o Mars
and Venus, and manned ex pl or a-
t i on of t he a s t e ro ids .
Orbit Launch vs Direct Ascent Comparison
The Saturn V capab i l i ty achieved by upra t ing and o rb i t a l opera t ions has s ign i -
ficant advantages over the development of new vehicles with similar payload
capabi l i t y .
For example, a new ve hi cl e (based on cur re nt techno logy) capable
of launching 70 metr ic tons di re c t l y t o the Mars f lyby t ra jec to ry f rom Ear th
would have t o be two or t hr ee times a s la rg e a s Saturn V. To send 180 me tr ic
ton s t o Mars, a sin gl e vehicle would have t o be approximately 6 t imes as la rge
as Saturn V. While more advanced app roaches such as high p re ss ur e plug n ozzl e
engines, more ex ot ic pr op el lan ts , et c. , would reduce th e growth fa ct or s, com-
pletely new stages and engine development programs would be required.
The
or bi ta l l aunch/upra ted Sa turn
V
requires only evolut ionary extensions of exist -
in g programs, and development of ea r th or b i t a l assembly techniqu es.
An
o r b i t a l
launch ve hi cl e assembled from two or th re e modified S-IVB s tages would have a
payload cap abi l i ty of
9
t o 180 metric tons, which i s s uf fi cie nt fo r manned
~ a r s / ~ e n u slyby missions. By t rading payload for higher veloci ty, 3 metric
tons can be del ivered a t 19 ki lometers per second. This i s suff ic ie nt fo r
extens ive explora tion of the solar sys tem ( inc luding sa te l l i t es and the outer
planets) with unmanned probes.
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New Development and F a c i l i t i e s Requirements
The o rb i t a l l am ch concept w i l l req uir e new development i n some are as t o f u l l y
ex pl oi t th e systems and f a c i l i t i e s now being constructed . For example,
rendezvous and docking must be perfected within the operational constraints
imposed by meeting Eart h, or bi t, and pl an eta ry launch window schedules . O rb it al
assembly and checkout tech niqu es must be developed and tes te d .
New su pport
equipment w i l l
be r equ ir e d i n o r b i t .
Both modified and ad di ti on al support
equipment and faci l i t ies w i l l be required a t the Kennedy Space Center and
poss ibly i n t he world t rack ing network.
The S-TVB st ag e must be modified t o
extend i t s or b it st ay time and provide a rendezvous, docking, assembly and
checkout capabi l i ty.
The or bi ta l labora tory
w i l l
have t o be adapted fo r i t s
dual r ol e of o rb i t al launch f ac i l i t y an d manned planetar y mission module.
Or bi ta l opera t ions developed fo r t he Sa turn po pol lo systems not only would
provide t he nat io n with an ear ly cap abi l i ty t o perform manned plane tary recon-
naissance but t w i l l al so provide t he valuable oper at ion al experience and
te ch no lo gi ca l base fo r th e development of more advanced systems i n th e 19 80 s
for manned planetary landing programs.
Analys i s indica te s th a t the or bi ta l launch concept i s a feas ible and logica l
extension of ex ist in g and pianned programs, and tha t o rb i t al op erat ions ar e an
essential ingredient for any manned planetary program.
ORBITAL L UNCH OPERATIONS REQmbIENTS
The bas ic requirements f or o rb i t al launch operat ions may be grouped i n to fi v e
broad ca tegor ies as noted i n f igure 2. The components must be launched i n t o
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ORBIT LAUNCH OPERATIONS
(OLO) REQUIREMENTS
PERSONNEL
CREWS ACCOMMODATIONS AND SAFETY
CREW TRANSFER
BUILD UP
LOGISTICS
RENDEZVOUS
DOCKING
ASSEMBLY
FABRICATION
PROPELLANT TRANSFER
MAINTAIN
PROP ELLANT CONTROL
ENVIRONMENT CONTROL
ATTITUDE CONTROL
MAINTENANCE AND
SUPPORTING SUPPLIES
PREPARATIONS
COMMAND AND CONTROL
CHECKOUT
FAULT DETECTION
REPAIR AND REPLACE
COMMUNICATIONS
DATA EVALUATION
LAUNCH
COUNTDOWN AND LAUNCH
LAUNC H WINDOWS
EMERGENCIES AND ABORT
TRACKING AND NAVIGATION
FIGURE
2
o r b i t t o b ui ld -u p t h e o r b i t l a un ch v e h i c l e . These components must be main-
ta ined i n o r b i t un t i l the ope ra t ions a r e comple ted and the o rb i t pe r s onne l
assem bly crews, checkout crews, and t h e missi on crew) must be accommodated.
When th e build-up i s completed, pr ep ar at io n must be underway t o perform the
launch within the mission window constraints .
Most of th ese t as k requirements
ar e appl icab le t o orb i t launch of any vehic l e . The pa r t ic u l ar manner i n which
the o rb i t a l ope ra t ions t a s ks a r e pe r fo rmed
w l l
depend i n pa r t on the ba s ic
ope rat ion al mode se le ct ed .
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O r b i t a l Launch Modes
Figure 3 shows the t hre e bas ic modes considered fo r the o r b i t a l launch veh icle
opera t ions .
Figure s a gene ral evaluat ion of these modes.
The independent
o rb i t a l l aunch vehic le concept imposes unacceptable pena l t ies t o the or bi ta l
launch vehic le s ta ges . t i s marginal i n crew accommodations and ex cessiv e i n
workload per man. Pre par atio n f o r launch such as checkout re pa ir et c. ar e
margina l or severe ly l imi ted.
Rendezvous and assembly of t h e o r b i t a l launch
vehic le and ac tua l launch from or bi t appears feas ib le but l imi ted .
Although
addition of temporary orbital support equipment may permit launch requirements
t o be met crew accommodations and workloads
w l l
have a l im ite d margin t o de al
with con t ingencies or with very s op his t ica ted or b i t a l launch systems and opera-
t i o n s .
The major f a c to r ag ain st th e temporary OSE mode may be i t s l im it ed
resou rces fo r achieving and meet ing an o rb i t a l launch schedule.
T his i s q u i te
c r i t i c a l f or such or b i t a l l aunch missions as manned plane tary reconnaissance .
The permanent o r b i t a l launch f a c i l i t y concept rep res ent s maximum o r b i t a l sup-
por t and resources . t provides added personnel for orbi t operat ions and a
cons idera ble in cre ase i n the command and con tro l funct ion s contingency response
re pa i r cap abi l i ty and resources in depth t o ensure meet ing the op era t ion a l
schedule.
In se le c t in g the permanent or bi ta l launch fa c i l i t y mode fo r the
o r b i t a l launch concept ra th er than th e temporary o r b i t a l support equipment
mode two f a c t o r s were paramount.
The f i r s t was th e added resources i n depth
which w l l l e ad t o g rea t e r p r obab i l i t y o f mi ss ion success .
The second i s th e
assumption th a t a manned Ear th or bi t s ta t io n s imi la r t o the o rb i t a l l aunch
f a c i l i t y
w l l
be developed and deployed se ver al years bef ore o r b i t a l launch
operat ions are conducted.
The permanent o rb i t a l launch f a c i l i t y approach
simply adds another o per at io nal ro le t o a system prev iously developed.
The
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OLO MODES
h SPACECRAFT
pr
INDEPENDENT OLV
OSE
TEMPORARY OLO SUPPORT
EQUIPMENT (OSE)
SPACECRAFT
SE
PERMANENT
FIGUR
OLO MODES EVALUATION
FIGUR
OLO
REQUIREMENTS
B U I L D U P
M A I N T A I N
PERSONNEL
PROVISIONS
PREPARATIONS
L A U N C H
INDEPENDENT
OLV
ADEQUATE BUT
L I M I T E D
INADEQUATE
UNLESS SUPPORT
SYSTEMS ADDED T O OLV
(DECREASED OL V PAYL OAD
INCREASED COMP L EXITY )
MARGINAL
T O I N A DE Q U A T E
M A R G I N A L
AND SEVERELY
L I M I T E D
ADEQUATE
BUT
L l M l T E D
TEMPORARY
OSE
ADEQUATE
ADEQUATE
L I M I T E D
L I M I T E D
ADEQUATE
PERMANENT
OLF
ADEQUATE
ADEQUATE
ADEQUATE
ADEQUATE
ADEQUATE
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pe cu lia r o r b i ta l support equipment hardware must be developed i n ei th e r of
th e two adequate modes. O r b it a l support equipment development and support
w i l l
be e as ie r i n th e presence of a manned st a ti on which can la t e r be converted
t o s er v e a s o r b i t a l la un ch f a c i l i t y d ur in g o r b i t o pe r at io n s.
The
assumption
of pr io r manned s ta t i on development i s lo g i ca l in th a t
it
i s eas i e r t o accom-
p l i s h t h a n t h e o r b i t l a un ch o pe ra ti on i t s e l f .
In add i ti on t o p roviding
1) x p e r i e x e i n o r b i t a l o p er at io ns ,
( 2 )
infor matio n on man s s ur vi va l capa-
b i l i t y i n o r b i t and l ong du ra t ion space m i ss ions, t he o r b i t a l s t a t i o n ha rdware
may s erve a s a proto type f o r manned in te rp la ne ta ry mission modules.
Orbital Launch Vehicle Svstem Reauirements
I n
order t o id en t i f y t he OLV
stage requirements,
a s pec i f i c S a tu rn
V
sta ge was
s e l e c t e d f o r a n a l y si s .
The S-IVB/~aturn
V
Stage because of i t s s ix hour or b i t
s t ay capab i l i t y , r e s t a r t capab i l i t y , and m is sion p ro f i l e fo r t he Apollo OR
Program, i s most s imil ar t o
an
OLV and was s el ec te d as a prototy-pe s ta ge f o r
the requi rements analys i s .
n
a na ly si s of t h e S-TVB f o r th e Or bit Launch Vehicle
(OLV)boos ter s tage ind i -
ca t es t h a t ne i t he r f a b r i ca t i on o r p rope ll an t t r ans f e r ope ra ti ons a re r equ i red .
The standard Saturn
V
boos ter can del i ver
a
modified OLS-IVB t o th e assembly
or b i t wi th s uff ic i en t p ropel la n t on board t o perform usefu l o rb i t l aunch mis -
s ions us ing o rb i t a l assembly only .
Moderate uprating of the Saturn
V
( 2 5 0 ~
J - 2 ~ )can de li ve r t he OLS-TVB docked and un fir ed wit h 95 of pr op el la nt loa d
( a
rendezvous kick stage, CUSS, i s requ ire d f or t he Gemini st y le rendezvous
gro ss maneuvers i n any ca se) .
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Figure 5 is a list of increased or new system requirements which must be pro-
vided to adapt or convert an earth launch stage to an orbit launch stage.
Incorporation of all these requirements aboard the O V
stage would represent
an unacceptable burden on the
O V
performance and undue complexity in the
stage systems. For these reasons, the concept of separate packages of orbit
support equipment to meet or supplement these requirements is advocated.
The
particular requirements which can be off-loaded onto the Orbit Support Equip-
ment
(OSE)
a-re noted on figure 5.
Because of the multiple functions of some
of the systems, they are categorized by design disciplines (propulsion, struc
tures, mechanical, electrical/electronic) rather than functions (rendezvous,
docking, environment control, checkout, etc noted under OLO requirements.
Many of these system requirements are due to the time required for orbital
build-up of the O V and the desire to provide sufficient orbit hold time to
mitigate launch window constraints on the operations schedule.
A
minimum orbit
stay design time of 2 days was indicated and a desired time of 3 days selected
for system criteria. Performance and control requirements for rendezvous and
docking along with a desire to maintain the main stage propulsion system in a
buttoned-up condition until orbit launch improving orbit stay time,
OLV
performance, safety, and checkout capabilities) led to separate propulsion sys-
tems tailored to these functions.
A rendezvous kick stage, designated as the
cryogenic utility space stage (CUSS), can perform the major velocity injections
(plane change,
slow catch up injection, and near circularization) of a quasi-
Gemini rendezvous technique.
Added APS (~uxiliary ropulsion system) modules
provide rendezvous attitude control, final circularization, and docking pro-
pulsion. Propellant control systems are needed to settle the main stage
propellants for venting (thermal control, etc., are designed to allow at least
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a 24-hour span between vent op erat ion s to minimize int erf ere nc e wit h o rb it
ope ratio ns) and fo r launch. Abort motors are required t o re t r o the OLV
st ag es away from the manned s pa ce cra ft fo r a launch ab or t.
The deb ris problem has not been s uf fi ci en tl y analyzed,
bu t poss ib ly the abor t
motors can double as propuls ion un i t s t o in j ec t the spent OLV stages i n t o safe
junkp il e o rb i t s o r des t ruc t ive r e - en t ry .
S tep th ru s t t o we ight r a t io o f 0 .7 o r g rea te r i s des i r ed to minimize g r av i ty
losses a t o rb i t l aunch ( f i r s t s t age th rus t t o weigh t should exceed 0 .25) .
Restar t i s desi red t o increase the or bi ta l launch window even wi th a mul t i s tage
OLV ( a
4
second burn a t apogee of the in termediate escape e l l ip t i c a l o rb i t
allows about 6 t o
8
p lane change p r io r t o f in a l i n j ec t ion near pe r igee ) .
High energy pro pe lla nts are des ira ble fo r OLV stag es t o minimize OLV growth
fac to r . Th i s w i l l not only decrease the co st of the OLV stage, but th e cos t
o f e a r th t o o rb i t t r anspo r t a t ion (pounds r equ i r ed i n o rb i t ) a s we l l.
The
s t ruc tu re r equi rement s l i s t e d i n f igu re
5
are l a rg e ly se l f explana tory
an exception might be the umbilical tunnel.
The dynamics and s t r u c t u r e problems
of removing long umb ilica l li n e s (from th e OSE t o each OLV st ag e) with ei th e r
f l e x i b l e o r r i g i d arms i n d i c a t e s t h e d e s i r a b i l i t y of a b u i l t - i n u m b i li c a l
tun ne l on each sta ge with automatic connections from stag e t o stag e. Use of
t h e
standard ground umbil ic al pl at e f or stage in ter fac e does not appear adaptable
t o a dual purpose (ground and or b it ) int erf ac e.
Proper minimization and
sel ec t io n of umbil ica l l in es , and th e use of staggered stacking connections
minimized the penalty thus incu rred. This added burden t o th e or b i ta l launch
veh ic l e (OLV) was considered acceptable i n order t o minimize t he con tro l
dynamics and deb ris problem a t launch, and s imp lify the o r b i t a l assembly operatio
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Pneumatic supply must be increased t o perform perio dic valve dithe r t o ensure
valv es do not become frozen during the se ver al weeks in or bi t .
This can be
accomplished by pneumatic supply l i n e s from the OSE t o t h e sta ge pneumatic ve nt
valve downstream of the regulator.
Thermal con tro l requirements of t he stag e
systems, subsystems, and components can b e s t be met by a combination of cool ant
mounting pl at es (cold pl at es ) and el ec tr ic al heat ing elements (blank ets) . These
w i l l re qu ir e space ra di at or s on th e stage. Power requirements f o r heating and
pumping cool ant can be supplie d by OSE. Heat rejection from the coolant should
employ a secondary closed loop space ra di at or r at he r th an the pre sent secondary
open loop water sublimation .
rJwnerous con tro l and sensor el ec tro ni cs a re needed t o perform the o r b it a l
operat ions.
A
major e le c tr ic a l requirement i s the long durat io n power supply
and possible load increases.
This requirement would present an unacceptable
weight penalty
i f
incorpor ated on the OLV stag e.
Power supply f o r t he OLV
stage while docked i n o rb i t can be supplied by the
OSE.
Sta ge power systems
must be modified t o meet t he increased requirements d uring o r b i t a l rendezvous
and poss ibly dur ing or bi ta l l aunch.
Orb i tal umbil ical in ter fa ce must be
inc orp ora ted i n th e power, command, and da t a systems. A checkout interface
between t h e sta ge system and th e checkout system (can be provided by OSE
must be incorporated.
These system requirements present
a br ie f desc ript io n of t he necessary added
weight and complexity of a sta ge t o achieve a tru e o rb it assembly nd launch
capabi l i t y .
f
pro pel lan t tr an sf er were employed, sev era l ad di tio na l systems
and modifications would be required.
t appears f ea sib le t o meet each of the se
requirem ents by modifying and adding systems t o
a
sui tab le e xi st in g ground
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launch stage (e .g., the
S-IVB)
By developing separate orbit support equip-
ment the requirements can be met within acceptable performance penalties to
the orbit launch vehicle.
Orbital Launch S-IVJ3 Description
The orbit launch version of the S-IVB stage is illustrated in figure
6
in the
configuration as launched on the Saturn V Earth Launch Vehicle (ELV).
The
modified S -NB, the CUSS stage, and nose cone comprise the payload to be
injected to rendezvous orbit by a modified Saturn V.
The
5-2
ngine is replaced by the
~ ~ o K / J - ~ T
ngine to increase performance
and ensure adequate first stage thrust-to-weight ratio in multiple tandem
assembled Om-IVB s for the orbital launch vehicle.
The propulsion system
and thrust structure must be modified to accommodate the modified engine.
The OLS-IVB can perform orbit launch missions with the ~OOK/J-2ngine but at
mazginal performance for a manned planetary reconnaissance mission.
Three
tandem OLS-IVB/~~OK/J-~Ttages can boost an 86 metric tons 190,000 ounds)
spacecraft into the heliocentric trajectory.
The
LH ?
tank was lengthened
4.75
feet to increase LH2 volume and allow the
vent cycle (with the added external installation and heat blocks) to be
increased from
10
hours to 24 hours.
This decreased the
settling and venting
operations required during orbit build-up and preparation.
A separate (third) bulkhead was required to isolate the LO2 tank from the LH2
tank to reduce heat transfer and
i2 I
boiloff.
The LO2 tank pressure was
2
increased to meet
J-2T
engine requirements.
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ELV S IVB STAGE LAUNCH
S - I V B W I N . M O D .
S E P A ~ A T ~ O N E P ARATIO N L ~ ~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ R E
PLANE PLANE
S E P ARATIO N
PLANE
FIGURE
Docking s tr uc tu re s a re added with a male frust rum on the st er n and a female
fru stru m on t he bow.
E x t er na l i n s t a l l a t i o n i s a dded t o t he Ll tank walls and
addi t i o na l s t ru c tu ra l hea t b locks i ncorpora t ed t o reduce the rma l i nput t o t he
LH
tank.
A meteoroid sh i e ld i s added t o l m t meteoroid penet ra t io n t o a 99 pr oba b i l i t y
of no more than one penetration
of
t he s h i e l d i t s e l f dur ing a 3 day s t ay i n
E a r th o r b i t .
Eight a ux i l i a r y propuls ion modules a re added t o each s tage t o provide a t t i tu de
co nt ro l during rendezvous docking and launch and t o provide t r an sl at io n al
acc e ler a t io n dur ing f i n a l c i rc ula r iza t ion docking and or bi t l aunch ul lage .
A l l but t he four a f t modules on the or b i t a l launch veh ic l e f i r s t and th i rd
s tages a re removed i n the o rb i t assembly opera t ions pr io r t o o rb i t a l l aunch.
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The Instrument Unit IU) is retained with each S-IVB stage throughout the
orbital operations and launch.
It is an integral part of the S-IVB command
and control, environmental control, and orbital checkout systems. During
orbit launch, guidance and control commands are generated by the uppermost
instrument unit with the other systems (first and second stages)
slaved to it.
This approach imposes a penalty of the S-IVB inert weight which might be
eliminated if more extensive stage modifications were acceptable. However,
it was deemed easier to provide slightly higher propulsion performance capa-
bility to compensate for retaining the instrument unit system intact at
orbit launch.
The rendezvous kick stage
(CUSS) consists of an LO ~/ LH ~ropellant and pres-
surization system, two RL-10 engines, and interfaces with the S-IVB stage
instrument unit and power supply (including emergency batteries).
It is
mounted on the bow of the S-IVB (the stage is docked stern first) and removed
by the assembly crew using the orbit tug after the stage is docked.
The
system descriptions presented in this paper are primarily intended to
indicate the scope of the impact orbital launch operations imposed on the
S-IVB stage. Further details on these systems modifications to the S-IVB
stage are presented in Douglas Engineering Paper Number
3645,
Application
of ~aturn/s-IVB/~polloystems to Planetary Exploration,
by
M. W.
Root pre-
sented to the Post-Apollo Space Exploration Symposium, AAS, May 4-6 1965.
For clarity, the S-IVB modified to the orbital assembly and launch configuratio
is hereafter referred to as the OLS-IVB.
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PETMMENT OXBITAL
L UNCH
FACILITY SUPPORT ET;EMENTS
Or bit al launch elements, based on th e permanent o rb i t a l launch f a c i l i t y
concept, a re i l l u s t ra t ed i n f i gure 7. The supporting elements include the
o r b i t a l s ta ti o n , th e SORD, CUSS and th e or b it tug. The o rb it s t a ti o n pro-
vi de s housing and work ar ea s f o r the s ta ti o n crew, assembly, checkout, and
launch crew, and fo r a sho rt t ime, the mission crew. The o rb i t al s ta t i on i s
th e command and con tr ol cente r f o r th e o rb it operatio ns.
represen ta t ive o rb i t a l l aunch vehic le i s shown fo r a manned in te rpl ane ta ry
flyb y mission.
The boo ste r i s comprised of th re e OLS-IVB st ag es docked i n
tandem. While i n o rb i t t he f i r s t s t age s t e rn
w i l l
be docked t o th e support ing
o r b i t a l dock (SORD).
c ryogenic u t i l i t y space s t age (CUSS) i s used f or
rendezvous of each OLV sta ge wi th th e SORD buildu p. This i s removed by the
assembly crew, using t he tug, a f te r each stag e docks (and pr io r t o ground
launch of t he next stage t o rendezvous).
The supporting o rb i t a l dock (SORD) s used t o build-up the o rb i t a l l aunch
vehic l e .
t
provides support ing funct ions (helium supply, au x i l iw y power,
e t c . ) t o th e s tages while i n o rb i t and conta ins the checkout i nte rfa ce com-
puters and R l i n ks t o t he space s t a t i on . t may be considered the orbital.
equivale nt of pad equipment a t th e ground launch f a c i l i ty .
I n addi t ion t o t he e lements descr ibed i n preceding paragraphs,
a t l eas t one
othe r major element i s o rb i t ed pr io r t o t he mission i t s e l f . Th is i s t he pro-
pul s ion s t age or s t ages required pr io r t o s t a r t o f t he OLV build-up t o ad jus t
t he nodal regre ss ion ra t e o f t he space s t a t i on so t ha t t he space s t a t i o n or b i t
node w i l l d r i f t i n t o t he proper o r i en t a t i on a t t he nominal o rb i t l aunch t ime .
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s we 1
s
ORBIT LAUNCH VEHICLE AND SUPPORT ELEMENTS
O LS - IV B
1
- 0LS - IV B 2
SORD CONCEPT
SUPPORTING
O R B ITA L
DOCK)
N P I CAL
MORL CONCEPT)
ASSEMBLED OLV-
AS LAUNCHED
PROP. MOD.
M I S S I O N
MODULE
MO RL)
ORB ITAL TUG
FIGURE
7
Supporting Orbital Dock (SORD)
PROP. MOD.
RETRolABoRT
APOLLO C I M 6 M A N )
CUSS
The ba si c fl mc tion s of t he Supporting Or bi ta l Dock (SORD)are grouped i n t o s i x
c a te g or ie s i l l u s t r a t e d i n f i g u r e 8; docking, at t i tu de control , Om-TVB system
support , checkout and monitor st at us , ac ce le ra ti on of th e OLV, and launch
countdown and positioning.
The use of th e SORD re la xe s t he OLV require ment s
and provides inc reased o r b i t a l support and s ta y time f o r t he OLV.
Without
t h e SORD, most, o r a l l , of th es e f'unctions would have t o be performed by each
OLS-IVB and t h e OLV.
The SORD and O V are not connected d i re c t ly t o the manned s t a t i on , bu t are
s laved t o
it
some dis ta nce in- t ra in i n th e same or bi t . OLO crew access i s v i a
t h e o r b i t t u gs .
The
SORD presen ts a spa ce sui t environment and does no t have
l i f e support system or module a s pre sen tly conceived.
Emergency space s u i t
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support packs and
a
means a t donning such packs might be provided, bu t
norm ally th e SORD op er ate s i n an automati c unmanned mode o r by remote c on t ro l
from th e manned s ta t io n . The SORD cont ains OLV pneumatic supply, e l e c t r i c a l
power supply, a st a b i l i t y and contro l system, rea ct io n contr ol
and
t r a n s l a t i o n
propulsion possibly derived from th e S-NB
APS
modules), command, control,
and da ta inte rfaces wi th the O V systems, communication and co nt ro l li n k s with
the sta t ion , pa rt of th e system fo r computerized o rb i t a l evaluat ion SCORE) or
OLV st ag es checkout, a
female docking cone and OLV o r b i t a l um bil ica l in ter fa ce ,
l im ited environment cont rol fo r cer ta in SORD systems, and rendezvous, docking,
and s ta ti on keeping systems.
t a l so has
a
docking face for the orbi t tug.
Orbit Tug
Two or more o r b i t tu gs
w i l l
be req uir ed t o tr an sp or t men and equipment from
t h e o r b i t s t a t i o n t o t h e
SORD OLV
assembly. They w i l l be u sed t o remove all
t h e expended equipment from th e OLV spe nt CUSS st ag es , expended au x il ia r y
pro pul sion system u n it s, e tc .) and t o a id i n s er vi ci ng th e SORD and th e OLV.
Adaptation of the L M ascent stag e would appear t o be
a l i k e l y candida te fo r
th i s func t ion .
Orbital Crew Requirements
In addi t ion t o th e major hardware elements, thr ee crews ar e as socia ted with
th e oper ation s. This i s over and above th e mission crew i t s e l f . These crews
ar e the o r b i t a l st at io n crew, assembly crew, and the checkout and launch crew.
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Station Crew
The station crew normally operates and maintains the station itsel-f, indepen-
dent of the
orbi t l aunch opera t ions .
They w i l l normally be ro ta ted in to th e
st at i on q ui t e some time before t he mission and th ei r to ur
of d ut y may extend
pas t the a ctu al launch operat ion. This crew maintains th e st at io n and th e
equipment not d ir ec t l y associated with th e launch operat ions.
They also
ope ra te t h e
communication li n k s t o th e ground. Previous time -lin e analyses
indi ca te four t o s i x men ar e needed fo r th e s t a t io n crew.
Assembly Crew
The assembly crew w i l l checkout , t es t , ver i fy ,
and pre pa re th e SORD t o re ce iv e
OLS-IVBfs. This crew operates the o rb i t tugs and as s is ts i n inspect ion and
assembly of t h e OLS-TVB s t o t h e SORD (o r t o each o th er ), moves equipment
around, removes th e CUSS st ag es , e t c . The assembly crew i s launch ed t o th e
s t a t i o n seve ra l months pr i o r t o s t a r t o f
O V
assembly in order t o prepare t he
SORD. Time-l ine analy sis of the assembly ope ratio ns in di ca te si x men ar e
needed.
The assembly crew i s comprised of two three-man work teams.
Checkout and Launch Crew
This crew prepares th e o r b i t a l checkout
system in th e SORD and space s ta ti on ,
performs the o r b i t a l checkout of t he docked OLS-IVB s, and, tog ethe r with t he
mission crew, th e o r b i t a l checkout of the mission spacecraft .
Members of
th e checkout crew can a l so double a s a l te r na tes fo r th e miss ion crew af te r
th e mission crew i s or bi t ed t o th e s tat io n. Teamed with the mission crew,
th ey perform th e f i n a l countdown and launch of th e OLV.
The checkout crew,
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l i k e th e assembly crew, i s di vi si bl e in to two work teams.
The checkout crew
i s orbi ted t o the s t a t io n approximately one month pr io r t o
s t a r t of th e OLV
assembly. Time-line an aly se s of checkout
and launch operat ions indi cate s i x
t o nine men are needed f or t he checkout and launch crew; i n th e l a t t e r case,
th re e men ar e supplie d i n a dua l r o l e from the assembly crew.
ORBITAL L UNCH OPERATIONS TASKS
Orbi t a l l aunch opera tions di scussed i n t h i s s ec t ion a re app l icab le t o any
mission. Figure 9 pres ents
a
sample network of the sequence of operations
f o r a s in g le OLS-TVB from time of e a r t h launch
t
0
o acceptance of the
s tage fo r the OLV buildup and authorization
t
= 27 hours) t o proceed with
ea rt h launch of the next OLV sta ge. Det ail s of each of the se opera tion s may
be found i n Douglas re po rt SM-47371 Applic ations of Satu rn Systems t o
O r b i t a l Launch Operat ions, September 1965.
Docking
Af te r t he CUSS performs th e rendezvous o r b i t cop lan er adjustm ent (up t o 20.42')
fo llowing th e f i r s t apogee,
th e OLS-IVB i s i n
a
f a s t p u r su i t o r b i t w i th t h e
SORD. When a 1 . 5 ~phase l a g occurs, t h e CUSS in j e c t s t h e OLS-IVB i n t o
a
slow
catch up orb i t , and radax from orb i t a l launch f a c i l i t y s t a t io n locks on th e
OLS-IVB and assumes command of rendezvous . While an accu r at e t r a ck i s b eing
computed, a pr el im in ay checkout inte rrog atio n i s telemetered t o th e OLS-IVB
t o de te rm in e i t s s a f e ty s t a tu s .
This i s th e f i r s t mode of t he Systems of
Computerized Orbital kraluation
SCORE)
It i s des ignated a s t he pre-docking
safe check.
Measurements ar e made usin g open loop tran smi ssi on of t h e PCM/
DDAS tr a i n t o determine the veh ic le i s i n
a
sa fe cond i t ion t o be b rought in to
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th e dock. The RF command l i n k to th e Instrument Unit i s u t i l i z e d t o disarm
and sa fe va ri ou s pi ec e of ordnance on board. The SORD computer eva lu a te s
t h e s t a t i c s t a ge c o nd it io n v i a t h e
PCM DDAS
t o determine whether t he sta ge
i s i n a dangerous condit ion, i .e . , burning or leaking hypergolic
hl
e t c .
I f t he OLS-IVB i s accepted a s saf e t h e rendezvous and docking mode con-
tinues. However,
i
th e veh icl e i s deemed unsafe,
i t
w i l l be je t t i soned out
of th e catch up or bi t and th e ground
w i l l
be not i f ie d th a t the back up
OLS-ISiB w i l l be required.
Having been acce pted a s safe -to-d ock, th e OLS-IVB i s brought i n t o th e SORD
ste rn f i r s t and i s docked
by
remote sensor
TV
and docking radar on the SORD)
l i n k from th e manned st at io n. The fi n a l docking opera tion includes t he mating
of dock ing cones on th e OLS-IVB wi th co nic a l ape rt ur es on the SORD.
These
docking cones contain a low pressure control helium line,
au xi li ar y power
lin es , and closed loop coaxial l in ks t o the 600 kc VCO ou tp ut of t h e OLS-IVB
and U DDAS1s and t he inp ut t o t he U command receiver . Then t h e SCORE pro-
gram begins the
second phase of checkout, t he Post-Docking S af et y check.
This check i s completed v i a closed l oop coax ial c able and
w i l l
be used t o
determine t h a t t h e ~ ~ ~ ~ / ~ e h i c l eombination can be safely approached.
Safety Check
A preli mina ry v is ua l checkout of th e veh ic le i s accomplished with t he SORD TV
cameras which can be swiveled t o cover any sectio n of th e surface of th e
OLS-TVB o r t he SORD.
The SORD w i l l contain
a TV
t ran sm itte r which w i l l present
t h e mult ipl exe d in pu ts from fi v e SORD
V
cameras t o t h e OLF.
Three of these
cameras w i l l be permanently emplaced on extended arms on the forward periphery
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of the SORD.
They w i l l be programmable from th e OLE throu gh a 360' l a t e r a l
plane and a 180' angle of depression i n conjunction with extendable focus
t r a n s i t i o n o p t i cs
ZOOM
le ns ) t o al low complete vi su al monitoring from th e
st a t i on of every poin t on the OLV/SORD combination. This w i l l al so permit
v is u a l monitoring when t h e o r b i t a l assembly and launch crewmen ar e working
around th e vehi cl es out sid e th e space s ta ti on . Two more V cameras designated
docking cameras w i l l be located a t the docking p lane , i n jux taposi t ion t o
the docking cones.
They w i l l be i n quick disco nnect mounts and supp lie d by
ten sio n loaded, r et ra ct in g and extending cable s.
After each element of the
OLV i s brought in to t he dock, the docking cameras
w i l l
be manually removed
from t h e i r pre sen t mounting, and extended t o th e equiv alent po si tio ns on
th e newly docked sta ge t o prepare f o r rendezvous with t he next incoming
element.
When th e c lo s ed lo op s a f e t y check i s com plete, t h e S O ~ ~ / ~ e h i c l eombination
w i l l be visually inspected by the assembly crew looking for obvious mechanical
def ects , i . e . , to rn panels, e tc . The assembly crew
w i l l
remove and store such
items as t he rendezvous kick stage CUSS) and any hardware not required after
th i s po in t ( e g ., excess
PS
modules) using the tug . They w i l l remove the
docking cameras from t h e i r pos iti on s and advance them t o corresponding posi-
ti on s a t th e docking plane from which the k ick s tag e was removed. The loadi ng
torque on the re tr ac ti ng camera cables w i l l be a balance between that force
which can be ea s i ly manipulated
by
th e men in a zero gl' con diti on and th e
tens ion require d t o immobil ize whip ef fe ct s i n the cable. Snap clamps w i l l
be prov ided on th e OLV
surface t o pin the cables a t each stag e when the cameras
a r e fu l l y extended.
The camera
w i l l
loc k i nt o a do ve ta il mount which provides
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accu rate alignment fo r judging pre cis e docking maneuvers. Aft er th e sa fe ty
check i s complete th e SORD w i l l assume co nt ro l of an autom atic maintenance
cy cl e of t he OLS-IVB st ag e .
O rb it a l Checkout
NOTE
For o rb it a l checkout purposes, each OLS-IVB/~nstrument Unit i s con-
s idered a s an in t eg r a l un i t .
The SORD i s used as
a
nucleus fo r or bi t al checkout. Afte r docking and stag e
support conn ecti ons a re completed, a comp letely automa tic programmed checkout
of the stage w i l l be accomplished a s a Stage OK F unc tion al ~ e s t .
This
checkout
w i l l
follow th e philosophy of and be si mil ar t o the or bi ta l Checkout
of S-IVB as de scr ibe d i n th e Douglas Report SM-46696, 27 May 1964, except
tha t con tac t wi th ea r th s t a t ions w i l l not be required.
The equivalent of the
ground s ta t ion l i nk w i l l be i n th e SORD and s ta ti on . The automatic t e s t w i l l
be c on tr ol le d and can be ove rridd en by inp ut s from th e OLF
st at io n which
w i l l
command th e SORD computer a s a sl av e t o i t s computer complex.
A l l
disp lay
and record functions w i l l be a pa rt of the gen eral purpose computer cap ab il it y
of the OLJ? manned s t a t io n .
The stage OK F unc tio na l ~ e s t i l l be divided in to four major cat egorie s;
Propu lsi on System, Engine Gimbal System, E l e c t r i c a l System, and Guidance
System.
The prime objec t ive of the funct ional te s t i s t o assure confidence
i n the opera t ional read iness of t he s tage subsystems t o perform the or b i ta l
s t a r t .
Checkout o f t he OLV modules can be accomplished
a t
vary ing l e ve l s ;
st ag e, systems, subsystems, and component and modules. Any att em pt t o de fi ne
a checkout program must co nsider t he value of t he d at a obtained versus t he
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penalties of weight, power requirement, and loss of reliability assocfated
with exceeding life cycles. The major checkout modes are:
1
Fully automatic computer program and comparative analysis
-
usually with manual monitor and override)
2 Semi-automatic basically computer programmed but with manual
operations involved in connect
and disconnect, switching, etc
.
3.
Manual manual control, switching connect and disconnect,
comparison, etc
Because of the shorter time involved schedule), lower manpower requirements,
costs, hazards, etc., a fully automatic programmed checkout of the stages
and OLV is selected. The depth of the checkout will vary with the system,
being on the component level for some and system level for others. Most
checkout will be of a monitor and sample nature with only a few functional
tests called. Some manual testing may be required in fault isolation. Figure
10
presents
a schematic of the System for Computerized Orbital Evaluation
checkout system) and of interfaces with the OLV systems.
Checkouts will be performed as each stage of the OLVrs is delivered to the
OLF, when all three OLS-IVBrs re assembled prior to spacecraft s/c) mating,
of the completed OLV after final assembly, and again just prior to initiation
of the launch countdown. Partial or complete
checkouts may be performed after
repairs or when monitoring systems
indicate problems.
Fault Detection and
sol t ion
When stage checkout data evaluation indicates malfunctions, isolation of the
defective system and/or component is aided by the special purpose computers
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onboard the SORD. They a re
commanded by the t e s t c on tro l op erato r i n th e
s ta t ion t o per fo rm s pec i f i c t e s t ope ra t ions .
A
fault isolat ion computer
program may operate down t o the system le ve l, but beyond t h i s poin t i s
gener ally becomes impr actic al t o perform th e operat ion auto matically due t o
in cr ea sin g complexity and weight f o r subsystem bypass components on th e st ag e.
A t the subsystem and component level,
fa ul t is ol at io n must be performed by a
manual te s t s e t a t appropriate te s t point s usua lly the same as provided fo r
ground tes ts ) .
This w i l l not be possible
i n a l l cases, obviously, and some
balance must be
achieved beyond th e degree of f a u l t i so la ti on and th e acce ss
t o any give n component. Unless a component can somehow be co rr ec te d, re pa ir ed ,
o r re pl ac ed i n o r b i t t h e r e i s l i t t l e po i nt i n p ro vi di ng f a u l t d e t ec t i on f o r
i t Thus, a combination of fa ul t dete ction and iso la tio n techniques a re
envisioned, ta il or ed t o each spe ci fic si tu at io n and component, ranging from
a W l y automatic computer monitored system as i n saf ety s tat us) , manually
di re ct ed te st in g by the SORD computers through bui lt -i n detection. and is ol a-
t i on networks, t o manual te s t in g on the spot with a portable VTVM) t e s t s e t
and probe . Figur e
9
OLS IVB
or bi ta l operations sequence, ind ica tes th a t up
t o e leven hours are avai lab le t o i so l a te and cor rec t fa u l ts on each s tage
before the next earth launch must be delayed.
Launch delays would allow about
a f i f t y hour ex tension t o th i s time pe r s t age .
Repair
The degree of rep ai r i n or b i t i s unders tandably l imi ted i n quant i ty and qu al i ty .
Repa ir ca n tak e t h e form of removal and replacement of f a u l t y components, minor
component re pa ir which borde rs on a fa br ic at io n tech nique ), and removal and
replacement of an en t ir e modular system or complete s tag e.
The la s t technique,
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obviously, requ i res the ava i la bi l i t y of
a
back-up stage.
Except f or provisio ns
f o r a back-up OLS-IVB, th e re p a ir techniques have not been determin ed.
The
removal and replacement ca pa bi li ty i s li mi te d by what man can do wearing
a
spacesui t i n f r ee space or i n the or bi t tug (perhaps ass i s te d by mechanical
slave arms) and by the logist ics for replacement parts .
I n t h e l o g i s t i c s ,
some minor replacement components can be ordered by t he OLV crew a f t e r each
stage
C O
and included i n the next stage launch.
Larger (and hea vie r)
replacement components (and systems) can be inclu ded i n th e l o g i s t i c module
orb i ted with th e spacecraft ( l a s t OLV module).
Further considerat ion of the
time allowance, expected technique s, equipment and f a c i l i t y requirem ents,
et c . , i s required t o define the rep air cap abi l i ty which might be employed fo r
orb i t a l ope ra t i ons .
Maintenance
Maintenance and Support i s an important o r b it a l operat iona l requirement i n
view of t he le ng th of t ime th e modules of th e OLV ar e i n or b it and th e requir e-
ment f or a high degree of confidence in system read iness d uring th e sh ort
duration launch window.
t
w i l l be confined t o the fol lowing or bi t ing vehicles
and equipment: th e suppo rt or b i t a l dock (SORD),OLS-IVB s, t h e assembled OLV,
tug, spacecraf t, and the launch f a c i l i ty s ta t io n. The orb i t in g launch fa c i l i ty
( O W ) s t a t i on w i l l be t he command and con tr ol c en te r f o r t he performance and
cont rol of
a l l
o r b it al operations and maintenance fun ction s.
t w i l l
house
operation and maintenance personnel (from the previously noted
OLO
crews) and
the remote control equipment.
Operation and maintenance procedures
w i l l
be
re st ri ct ed t o funct io nal ve rif ic at i on fo r SORD readiness, vehi cular docking
(assembly), fun cti on al ve ri fi ca ti on of OLS-IVB s, minor cor re ct iv e maintenance,
vent ing,
abbrev iated OLV checkout and a l l up te s t , and abbre viate d countdown
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and launch. A large share of procedures will be performed remotely from the
OLF station, but extravehicular activity (EVA) will be required in readying
the SORD, performing manual and checkout operations, and corrective mainte-
nance.
Support of the OLV by the SORD will include electrical power supply, pneumatic
supply, communication links, command links, and status and safety monitoring.
In addition, the SORD provides several support functions, such as attitude
control, propellant settling, checkout interface, station keeping, etc.
Various functions such as venting, valve dither, and hydraulic cycling will be
accomplished on
a
predetermined schedule which can be varied as DDAS inputs
indicate a requirement to change, i.e., an unpredicted elevation or depression
in tank pressure would modify the interval and period of the venting cycle.
The maintenance program will be divided into the following major operations.
Tank Ventinn
Controlled tank venting of fie1 (L ) and oxidizer (Lo2) tanks must be per-
formed. (venting of the LO2 tank is not anticipated).
Period and duration of
this operation will be per a predetermined program in the SORD computer that
is continually updated by tank pressure and temperature data. An audible and
visual alarm system will announce prior to each venting cycle in order that
local manned operations can be suspended and the crewmen retrieved before a
vent is performed. Settling acceleration, attitude control,
and
positioning
is provided by the SORD propulsion systems.
The SORD/OLV assembly is temporarily
unslaved from the OLF station and propelled at 0 0005 gff or two minutes
during which the propellant is settled and the tanks vented down to prescribed
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pressures.
The SORD then nu ll s t he accrued veloci ty and resl ave s t o t he
s t a t i o n .
While more exo ti c ven tin g schemes can be env ision ed, t h i s most
conse rvati ve approach was employed t o ensure c omp ati bil ity with th e opera-
tional sequence.
Flight Valve Dither Cycle
The valve di th er cycl e w l l e n t a i l u t i l i z i n g a periodic burst of pneumatic
co nt ro l He t o each valve i n th e OLV opera tiona l program.
This would unseat
the valve and then allow i t t o re sea t immediately.
The rep eat ed cracking
of a l l f l i gh t required valves would, for a l l pra ct ic al purposes , e l iminate
the pos s ib i l i ty of a catas t rophic f rozen valve during the f in a l launch plan.
The pneumatic c on tr ol helium gas i s supp lied by t he SORD through th e S-IVB
helium vent valve.
Figure prese nts a schematic of th e ex te rn al supply pneumatic helium co nt rol
supply system.
t
i s des irable t o have only a s ingle contro l helium on the
SORD and t o simpli fy i t s use as much as possible . The co nt rol helium on the
sta ge i s supplied from a 3000 p s i sphere through a blocking re gu la to r where
i t i s reduced t o 490 ps i fo r use .
The downstream side of th e reg ul at or i s
re turned t o the regulator a s a b locking pressure se t a t
535 p s i i n p a r a l l e l
with an overboard c ont rol helium vent and e le ct r i ca ll y operated vent valve.
By running a continuous helium li n e through each sta ge from st e rn docking
cone t o th e forward docking ape rat ure connected t o t he helium vent dwnp of
the s tage, a sing le SORD con tro l helium pressu re of 550 p s i could be ut il i z ed
t o block the helium supply by overpressurizing the r egula tor and t o supply
con tro l helium
at
550 p si fo r operating stage valves. Since th e s tage
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SORD-PNEUMATIC SYSTEM HEL IUM CONTROL
SORD
I
I
f
J-21
P L E N W
8
OVERPRESS
VENT SHUTOFF
REG
5
PSI
rO
r0
I
o-0-0-0-0-0-0-
I
C
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Hydraulic Cycling
The vis co s i t y of the hydraul ic f lu id w i l l be mainta ined by ut i l i z ing e lec-
t r i c a l l y energized heater blank ets around elements of the hyd raul ic system.
However, pe rio dic c ycling of t he hyd raulic
system i s requi red t o p ro t ec t
against freezing of the engine gimbal actuators and hardening of non-metallic
po rt io ns of the hydraul ic s ea l system. El ec tr ic al power
28
volt and 6 v o l t )
i s su pplied by the SORD through the forward and a f t ba tt er y bus on each stag e.
Operational Power Replenishment
This i s an i n t e r n a l problem of t h e SORD; however,
t
i s a f unc ti on of t h e
power d r ai n c re at ed by th e OLV and must be pa r t of a programmed maintenance
cycle t o al low updated power dep let ion information co nt in ual l y fed t o th e
SORD computer t o main tai n adequate energy l e v e l s i n th e SORD power source .
The SORD w i l l have a rep len isha ble power source capable of opera ting i t s
e n t ir e computer and checkout complex, th e docking and monitoring t e le v is io n
systems, th e SORD/OI;Foice, data, and co nt ro l communication li nk s, and
supplying a l l required power fo r th re e OLS-IVBfs and the spa cecr aft w hile
these a re i n dock.
The el ec tr ic al power required by each stage and the spacecr aft fo r perio dic
maintenance operat ions such as vent ing, e tc . , must be con t inu al ly ava i la ble
and power f o r s tag e checkout must be av ai la bl e on command. This i s i n add iti on
t o power requirements of the SORD i t s e l f . There ar e se ve ra l po ss ibl e s olu tio ns
t o t h i s problem based on a study progression of ba t t er y design.
The magnitude
of t he power req uir ed ru le s out t he use of so la r c e l l s as we now conceive them.
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A
va r ie ty of pulsa t ing force generators w i l l be ava i l ab l e i n t he nea r fu ture
such as atomic SNAP rea cto rs or S te rl in g heat engines dri vin g gen erator s.
The output of these un i t s when fi l t er ed and store d by a highly ef fi ci en t
secondary b a tt e r y system could conceivably supply
a l l
power required by the
SORD OLV
combination.
Each type o f energy rep len ish ing source has unique
sp ec if ic disadvan tages. SrJAP re act or s, although small i n s iz e and maintenance
f ree , w i l l requ ire exot ic shielding t o prevent ra dioac t ive contaminat ion of
th e SORD.
S te rl in g hea t engines on th e oth er hand oper ate on a sharp tempera-
tu re d i f fe re nt ia l and therefore requi re th a t the SORD be solar o r iented and
slave d so th a t t he d ark or shade s id e remains away from th e sun and th e
absorpt ion plane i s a lways i n the sun s rays .
By the time actual implementa-
t i o n o f
an
energy source
system i s required, research w i l l have progressed
s u f f i c i e n t l y t o a l lo w
a
choice based on present desig n ver sus requiremen ts.
Considering projec ted s ta te -of- th e-ar t fo r the la te 19601s ,
t
i s v is u al iz ed
th at t h i s power source w i l l be upgraded secondary b a tt er ie s i n conjunction with
a charging mechanism containin g atomic SNAP re ac to rs or S te rl in g heat engines
which can u t i l i z e th e temperature di f fe r en ti a l between th e exposed and shaded
side of
a
sol ar o r iented SORD (t hi s may not be feas ible i f
SORD OLV
must
r o ta te fo r thermal balance of th e APS hypergolics) Small repla ceable fu e l
c e l l b a t te r i es w i l l be ca r r i ed a s
emergency power fo r th e SORD only, wh il e
th e pr in ci pa l power system
s
being repair ed or maintained.
Orbi tal Umbil icals
A
problem e x i s t s i n p ~ o v i d i n g minimum number of hardwire connections between
stages nd t h e SORD,
t o allow closed lo op checkout and ex ter na l power
input
without mating umb ilicals, and to allow complete interchang e of stag es without
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a l t e r in g t e s t' p rog ram.
Figure 1 2 pres ents a proposed sol uti on whereby th e
stag es ar e coupled t o each oth er and t o t he SORD with docking cones placed
a t the fo re and a f t ma ting su r faces and u t i l i ze a pri nc ip al of staggered-
stackingfr t o continue wir ing through stages. The follow ing hardwire fun ct io n
would be required:
8
- 600 kc
VCO/DDAS
l i n e s - 2 for each
S TVB/IU
combination and 2
f o r spacecraft ( ~ ~ 6 2c oa x ia l l i n e
4
-
I U Command Receiver Inputs
-
o r each S-IVB/IU and fo r
spacecraf t ( ~ ~ 2 1 4Coaxial l i ne
22 - External Power Lines
-
6 each S-IVB and
4
fo r spacec ra f t
- 600 ps i Control Line - Continuous through each vehicle.
With the staggered-stacking pri nc ip al a l l l i n es appear i n
a l l
s tages bu t
the y ar e clocked one po si ti on between th e male docking cone (a ft ') and t he
female docking cone (forward) with th e number i n e being used in te rn al i n
th e sta ge i n each sequence.
t
should be immediately obvious that
all
of th e S-IVB/IU st ag es a re wired
ide nt i ca l ly and tha t the order of s tack ing makes no d i f ference t o the fa c t
that Transmitter Number w i l l always be connected t o the f i r s t stage and
Transmitter Number 2 w i l l always be connected t o the second sta ge i n th e
stack , e tc .
t
i s a l s o l o g i c a l l y ap pa re nt t h a t t h i s w i l l remain t rue for
any number of interco nnec ting wire s th a t are off- se t or clocked by one
pos it i on i n each group.
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DOCKING S IVB/SORD
SORD
I I
I SIVB IU
I
SIVB IU
I I
I
SIVB IU
FIGUR
2
This w i l l allow in terc han ge of OLS-IVB sta ge s i n case one sta ge i s deemed
unac ceptab le fo r launch ( e g., i f OLS-IVB 2 unacceptable, OLS-IVB 3 w i l l
rep l ace t i n th e OLV con fig ura tion ord er becoming the second sta ge and th e
backup, OLS-IVB 4, w i l l replace 3 a s t he t h i r d s t a ge) .
M i no r r e p r og r m i ng
of t h e command computer and st age sequencer s may be req ui re d, th es e pro vi si on s
can be incorporated i n th e stage with neg l igib le penal ty. The ba sic opera-
t io n a l concept depends on t h i s in ter ch an ge ab ili ty and a sin gle OLS-IVB backup
st ag e read y on th e pad a t Complex 39 f i v e days a f t e r OLS-IVB
3
i s l aunched.
Analysis of systems
and
opera tions i ndi ca te s th i s approach i s the most
p ra ct ic al and imposes minor, acceptable pe na l t i es on th e OLV performance.
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Data Evaluation
The. processin g of th e in put d at a i s accomplished by the use of three programs
within the computers.
These programs a re t h e Data Compression and Queuing
Program t h e Op er at io na l Program and th e Communication and Contr ol Program.
The da ta received from the telemetry r ecei ver or hardwire
connect ion i s
assumed t o be a 7 k i l o b i t r e s t o re d p ul s e t r a i n .
This p ul se t r a i n i s
f e d i n t o
th e te lemetry in ter face uni t where synchroniza tion i s es tab l i shed and the
words of each frame ar e id en ti fi ed . When a data word i s assembled i n the
i n t e r f ac e u n i t t i s t ran sfer r ed t o th e ass igned computer a long wi th the
channel id en ti fi c at io n number and word addres s. The
Data
Compression Program
w l l t e s t th e new value of the word against the l a s t value and th e predete r-
mined l imits.
f
t he da ta i s wi th in the de fined l imi t s the da ta r ep laces
th e l a s t da ta rece ived and the program i s te rminated .
I f t h e d a t a r e ce i ve d
i s ou t of l im i ts the value and i t s address are placed in to an ac t iv e queue.
The second program Op era tio nal Programs i s
a s et of d at a se ns it iv e programs
which are c a l led fo r through th e address of t he d ata be ing received v i a the
input queue from the Data Compression program.
The op er at io na l programs w l l
process the da ta t o perform t he monitoring and alarm funct ion a s we l l a s fo r
checkout of a veh icl e and da ta 6isp lay .
The information which i s inp ut t o
th e o per ati ona l programs can
be
controlled by varying the l m t fo r the des i r ed
word i n th e Data Compression program.
By se t t i ng the l im i t s t o zero the word
w l l enter the queue every time t i s r ec ei ve d.
The Communications Control program w l l r eceive a l l r eques t s fo r ac t ion from the
t e s t c o n t r o l o pe r at o r.
This may be a request t o perform s pe ci f ic t e s t opera-
t i on s or re ques ts f or information t o be monitored on the
RT
disp lay tube.
This
program w l l al so c on tr ol reque sts fo r information from the ex te rn al bulk memory.
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The computer
w i l l
operate on the programs on a pri or i t y ba si s with the d ata
compression program, co nt ro l program, and op er at io n program having descen ding
p ri o r i t i e s . When none of th e other programs are ac tiv e th e se lf - t es t program
w i l l
run.
Under typ i ca l opera t ion wi th a l l e ight
inpu t channels operating, th e da ta com-
pre ssi on program should req uir e 20 of th e computer time. Since a l l u n i t s o f
the sys tem are t o be in terconnected , i f any one uni t f a i l s the system
w i l l
s t i l l operate with th e lo ss of speed. Since one of th e computers can be used
t o check out the o ther whi le s t i l l per forming the monitor opera t ion, fa u l t
is ol a ti o n should be very f a s t and th e down time minimized.
prime q uest ion which must be asked i f one of th e da ta ev al uat ion programs
in di ca te tro ubl e i s : Are th e evaluat ion programs working properly? Often
t h e r e
w i l l
be suf f ic ien t support ing information t o in d ica te t h a t the program
i s g iv ing th e cor rec t answers, e .g. , ind ica t io n of a con t ro l system fa i l u r e
might be accompanied by e r r a t i c maneuvers du ring docking or pro pe ll an t
s e t t l i n g . However, an off-no min al performance such as low
sp
might not be
immediately obvious excep t throug h th e computer programs. I n ca ses where
t he re i s
a
po ss ib il i t y th at the programs ar e not working, a self-check w i l l
be necessary t h i s i s p ar t of the reason for dual computers on th e SORD).
Thi s check can be accomplished qu it e simply by having a p fe -c ut t a p e t o p l ay
through the programs. I f t h i s operatio n reve als th at th e program i s working
properly , the re s t i l l ex i s t s the pos s i b i l i ty t ha t an in st rumenta t ion malfunc-
t i on o r t e l emetry p r in t ou t s cou ld r evea l a drop out. However, an inst rum enta -
t i on malfunction, pa rt ic ul ar ly one where t he measuring device i s working but
i s out of cal ibr ati on, could not be caught vis ua lly . This should be resolved
by redundant d at a sources and by da ta cr oss checks in the s t at io n computer.
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Command and Control
Command and control of orbital operations is of primary importance in a
complex and potentially hazardous operation. The limitation of data links,
the resources available to the command and control facility, and the shortness
and directness of communication links should be considered in selecting the
command and control facility. The resources required in communications, data
reduction and analysis, program control, etc., must be considered. A ground
based facility, the OLF, or the Mission spacecraft can be considered for the
command and control center during an orbital operation.
For the system and
concepts considered in this analysis, command and control for orbital closure,
docking, assembly, checkout, maintenance, countdown and launch are centered
in the OL space station. During macro-rendezvous, the chaser stage is con-
trolled by the ground based system.
Although orbital countdown and launch is
controlled from the
OLF
station, it is probable that, during the coasting ellipse
between second and third stage, command and control would be switched to the
ground based system probably the MSC facility supported by the near earth
and deep space tracking and communications networks).
Countdown and Launch
Countdown and launch techniques, like checkout, may proceed on an automatic,
semi-automatic, or manual mode. Because of the severe time constraints of
the launch window less than five minutes in an orbit), the hazards, and the
rapid sequence of events required as launch is approached,
the countdown will
be
automatically programmed but will include hold events for crew assessment
and decision points.
Figure 13 presents the orbit
countdown and launch
operations sequence for an
OLV
comprised of a manned interplanetary spacecraft
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O
D
W
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and th re e OLS-IVB st ag es. Event times are noted in hours. From procee ding
assembly and checkout operations, countdown i s in it ia te d a t t 408.6 hours,
ign i t ion occurs
at
t 410.21, and f i n a l t h i rd ) s t age i n j ec t i o n i s a t t
418.88.
Except fo r th e miss ion crew in th e
C/M,
no men w i l l be i n t h e v i c i n i t y
of the
SORD/OLV. A few minutes pr io r t o i gn it io n, th e SORD w i l l be re t roed
away from th e OLV ev en t 664 .
The OLV w i l l be able t o hold independently
for two orbital launch windows before t must be redocked t o th e SORD fo r
replenishment e .g . , pres suriz at ion gases) . After seve ral or bi ts , the count-
down and laun ch atte mp t can be re pe ate d.
I n order t o broaden t he launch
window
3
days es t imated from nodal regress ion l im i ta t io ns ) , four days of
ope rat ion al schedule hold ca pa bi l i t y i s provided between OLV read ines s and
s t a r t of countdown fo r th e f i r s t launch opportunity t o accommodate any schedule
s l ippage.
Crew Accommodations
Crew accommodations
are required for the orbi t assembly and launch crews.
Analysis of ope ratio ns f or th e example mission in di ca te a six-man assembly
crew and a nine-man checkout and launch crew a r e req ui re d.
By
combining
some cap ab i l i t ie s , th i s was res t r ic te d t o twelve men to t a l by having three
assembly crewmen a ss is t i n th e checkout. In general , th e crews a re divide d
in t o th ree man teams and ro ta t e i n sh i f t s . Th is a llows o r b i t a l opera t ions
t o proceed on a 24-hour b as is. A t l e a s t one crewman serv es a s the support
and communications l i n k at th e s ta t io n while th e other two are engaged in
ex t raveh icu la r opera t ions . For the ex t raveh icu la r funct ions , an o r b i t a l tug ,
based perhaps on an adaptat ion of th e
LEM
ascent
s t age , i s used fo r major
t r an s p o r ta t i o n , l i f e s up po rt a t t h e
SORD/OLV,
and removal of heavy items
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(spent APS modules, t h e CUSS,
e t c .
Permanent housing f o r th e OLO crews
i s provided i n th e OLF st at io n . This must a ls o accommodate the st at io n crew
(who run and maintain the st at io n) and, fo r s eve ral days a t le as t , th e mission
crew. Thus, crew accommodations in d ic a te an 18-man (2 4 temp orary) permanent
capac i ty s t a t i on .
Crew Transfer
The OLV crews ar e tr a ns f e r r e d between the s ta ti