1960’S NASA ANIMATED

[Music] to advance the technology of space flight is one of the great challenges of our times our earth's immediate environment in space the solar system contains the logical initial targets for such a technological advance unmanned space probes such as ranger seven which took these pictures before crashing on the moon's surface lead the way in space exploration but another vital area of development in space technology is that of manned space flight taking the human observer to the scene in journeys to outer space and celestial bodies there is no substitute for man with his ability to evaluate what he finds there an early goal of manned space flight is the scientific exploration of the moon which requires landing men on the moon then bringing them safely back to earth when our nation decided to achieve this goal by means of the apollo program several mission modes were studied the mode selected is called lunar orbit rendezvous in addition to being the best way to accomplish manned lunar missions it offers many opportunities for scientific research and experiments this film is a description of an apollo mission profile using the lunar orbit rendezvous mode of getting man to the moon and back and revealing some of the areas open for participation by scientists throughout the world [Music] [Applause] [Music] rocket thrust is the basic capability we have had to develop for a manned lunar mission this is a captive firing of the first stage of the three-stage apollo saturn v space vehicle here the engines of the second stage are shown during test and this is a captive firing of the third stage engine the complete space vehicle stands 36 stories high and weighs 3 thousand tons the first stage of the launch vehicle is powered by a cluster of five f1 engines which provide a total of seven and a half million pounds of thrust and burn four million four hundred thousand pounds of liquid oxygen and a kerosene blend called rp1 propellant the second stage of saturn v contains five j two engines yielding a total of one million pounds of thrust and burning thirty five thousand pounds of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen the third stage of the launch vehicle uses a single j2 engine with two hundred thousand pounds of thrust burning two hundred thirty thousand pounds of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen the third stage can be ignited cut off and re-ignited above the third stage is the instrument unit containing navigation guidance control and computer subsystems for launch and early flight phases of the mission the launch escape system at the top of the apollo spacecraft is shown during a test it is a safety feature for saving the crew in case of emergency after they enter the command module on the launch pad and during initial phases of the flight the three modules of the apollo spacecraft are the command module the service module and the lunar excursion module called the lamb the command module carries the three apollo crew members on the round-trip journey between earth and lunar orbit it is equipped with sub-systems for environmental control communications guidance and navigation displays and controls and landing on earth the command module has reaction control motors to control the spacecraft's orientation in pitch yaw and roll during re-entry and the heat shield containing special material which vaporizes to dissipate the extreme heat generated by reentry into the atmosphere below the command module and attached to it until just before re-entry into the earth's atmosphere is the service module its main propulsion system provides about twenty one thousand five hundred pounds of thrust used for mid course maneuvers changing course in space slowing down to enter lunar orbit and thrusting from lunar orbit into a return flight path the service module also contains reaction control motors for orientation of the spacecraft in flight and carries the command and service modules main electrical power system of hydrogen oxygen fuel cells which provide pure water as a by-product the service module also contains an experiment bay for self-contained research instruments for use during flight in the space environment at time of launch an adapter encloses the service module's main engine and the lunar excursion module or lam which is positioned over the instrument unit structure above the third stage in addition to facilities for two crew members and functional equipment and supplies the lamb contains a descent engine an ascent engine a landing structure and a cargo bay for equipment and experiments needed on the moon ground facilities and personnel essential to an apollo mission should also be briefly described these include facilities for final preparation and launch of the space vehicle in florida and the mission control center in houston texas assembly and checkout of the space vehicle will be conducted in the vehicle assembly building shown here under construction at launch complex 39 at the kennedy space center florida initial checkout of the first stage and integrated checkout of the completely assembled vehicle will take place in the high bay which is 518 feet wide 442 feet long and 525 feet high there are four checkout cells in the high bay structure a mobile launcher provides physical support and facilities for test and checkout of the space vehicle from assembly at the vehicle assembly building until liftoff at the launch pad its primary elements are the two level launcher base and the 380 foot tower the mobile concept of launch preparations that is assembly and checkout of the space vehicle at a remote area then transfer for final tests at the launch pad depends on the prime mover a crawler transporter which weighs five and a half million pounds at the launch pad area final preparation for launching takes place this includes loading propellants installing explosive devices final checkout and countdown fueling operations are controlled remotely from the launch control center more than three miles away the launch control center is adjacent to the vehicle assembly building connected by an access bridge the overall command post for an apollo mission is the mission control center located at the manned spacecraft center southeast of houston shown here is one of the two mission operation control rooms with complete displays at the control center the center also has computer complexes flight simulation facilities and a communication center to provide the communications and tracking required during a mission a network of remote stations has been established around the world ships and aircraft are also needed to cover certain phases of a mission when the spacecraft is not within the range of land stations remote sites collect information and relay it to the mission control center if communications with the control center should be interrupted remote sites will provide support to the spacecraft crew recovery operations will use aircraft and surface ships to provide dense coverage at pre-selected landing areas and the flexible mobile coverage of areas where landing might occur in case of early flight termination the beginning of manned exploration of the moon will be the culmination of a decade of exhaustive research development manufacturing and testing by as many as three hundred thousand men and women throughout the united states every material every part component subsystem and system will have been precisely designed and engineered meticulously built and assembled and will undergo exhaustive tests to ensure reliability before final preparation and verification tests are made on the eve of the mission itself hundreds of ground crew members directly participate in the mission and must be carefully selected and trained training of flight crews requires years it includes academic classroom courses briefings on every component and system of the spacecraft extensive training on simulators experience in simulated space and lunar surface environments field trips for geologic studies and research preparation in laboratories the flight crew members available for apollo lunar missions will include scientist astronauts selected primarily for their achievements in science part of their preparation is related to the selection of experiments and scientific inquiries to be carried out during a mission an actual manned lunar landing mission can be said to begin when the apollo saturn v space vehicle and its mobile launcher are moved from the vehicle assembly building to the launch pad the three stages of the saturn 5 launch vehicle have been checked out and assembled when fueled they command 8 million seven hundred thousand pounds of thrust following a simulated flight test the flight readiness review board has determined that apollo saturn five is ready for launch and turned control over to the operations organization at t minus 15 days the mission director orders the move to the launch pad t stands for the precise moment of launch it must occur within an interval of time called the launch window which depends upon several factors or constraints for example for the best visibility when the mission reaches the moon the sun must be shining on the landing site at an angle between 15 to 45 degrees above the horizon due to the constantly changing relative positions of earth moon and sun the position of the sun over any one landing site is right for only three days in any month if alternate sites are available within the region of interest this three-day launch window can be increased up to ten days but the launch window is restricted even more rain safety requires that the spacecraft be launched over uninhabited areas and in line of sight of tracking ships so there is only a 26 degree sector through which the spacecraft can be launched since the earth is constantly changing positions beneath the launched spacecraft the inclination of the earth at time of launch determines the earth orbital plane which the spacecraft will enter if launch occurs at the wrong time this orbital plane will be such that injection from it will not lead to the moon the correct earth orbital plane will make possible a timely injection from it into the correct flight path to the moon within the limited time that can be spent in earth orbit due to limited fuel and electrical power capacities of the third stage launch vehicle of course the earth also moves around the sun at sixty seven thousand miles per hour and the moon circles the earth at twenty three hundred miles per hour all these factors reduce the launch window to a maximum of four hours for a daylight launch on any one day solar flares meteoroid showers and weather conditions also affect the time of launch moving the vehicle and the launcher to the launch pad takes four hours over some eighteen thousand feet of crawler way later the crawler transporter also delivers the mobile servicing structure to the pad about two weeks before launch deployment of tracking ships and remote recovery forces begins and all ground support elements of the mission are equipped and manned the mission control center at houston and the launch control center at cape kennedy monitor and coordinate operations under the overall direction of the mission operations director in the office of manned space flight washington the pre-flight phase on the launch pad consists of 15 days of pad and tracking network preparation ending with a 24-hour terminal countdown before launch which will be authorized only when every system proves to be in perfect readiness preparations include the final verification tests such as radio frequency tests pressure and system tests of the giant fuel tanks and final launch vehicle simulated flight test this is one of the final steps one last simulated flight on the ground before the real thing platforms and test equipment are then removed the 24-hour terminal countdown begins after a thorough analysis of the simulated flight test reveals that all systems are go explosive devices are installed operational radio frequencies are tested the mobile servicing structure is removed at t minus 10 hours after the lamb is closed out the flight crew man's the command module the module is then sealed at t minus 30 minutes the launch escape system is armed from this point on the escape tower could be used for an emergency abort when the mission director receives final readiness reports he authorizes the mission to continue at the cape the launch director starts the automatic launch sequencer the ignition sequence requires thirty seconds during which the umbilicals are released the engines are ignited at t minus zero followed by release of the hold down arms after proper engine operation is verified the launch phase begins the vehicle rises vertically for 12 seconds it then begins a pitch over maneuver the first stage engines burn about two and a half minutes consuming all their fuel during launch voice contact is required between the crew and the mission control center in case of deviations from the planned mission an abort could be initiated automatically or by crew or ground officers when velocity has reached more than six thousand one hundred miles per hour apollo saturn five is forty five miles down range at an altitude of thirty four miles and first stage burnout occurs the first stage is jettisoned the second stage ignition follows a few seconds later about 35 seconds later the launch escape system is jettisoned hereafter for safety purposes the command and service modules could be separated from the space vehicle by the service module reaction control system and return to earth or by using the third stage propulsion system the mission could continue to earth orbit with a spacecraft then returning to a pre-selected landing area the second stage engines burn for six minutes 35 seconds thrusting the vehicle to more than fifteen and a half thousand miles per hour downrange 840 miles and almost hundred miles above the earth at shut down the empty second stage is jettisoned the third stage ignites for its first burn which will last two minutes fifty seconds and then cut off this imparts enough velocity to bring the vehicle to the seventeen thousand four hundred fifty four miles per hour required for the nominal one hundred mile high earth parking orbit which the vehicle enters at t plus eleven minutes forty seconds during the boost phase the launch vehicle computer and an inertial reference system in the instrument unit control guidance and sequencing ground personnel and flight crew monitor performance the earth parking orbit is entered at 1400 miles downrange insertion is verified that is it is determined that the vehicle is in a safe orbit capable of more than one orbit around the earth this is done both by the crew by onboard navigation and through radar tracking by the mission control center normally the vehicle will make two orbits before proceeding to the moon during this earth orbit parking period systems and crew biomedical checkouts are made along with preparations to accelerate the spacecraft out of earth orbit into a flight path to the moon flight controllers on the ground supported by system experts analyze orbital flight performance comparing system and guidance information from tracking stations and the space vehicle the ground control center then updates the onboard computer by feeding in corrected guidance data contingency planning provides that the flight to return to pre-selected landing areas or ground control can order a substitute mission profile such as continued earth orbital flight and then a return to earth injection into a flight path to the moon must occur during the lunar transfer window available for a limited time in each orbit around the earth in the normal mission the mission director will make the decision to proceed to the moon during the transfer window in the second orbit to achieve the necessary velocity the third stage is again ignited to burn for about five minutes during the first 98 percent of the final third stage burn the vehicle is not yet moving fast enough for its velocity to carry it to the point where the moon's gravitational pull will overcome that of the earth problems before such a velocity is achieved could result in a changed emission profile which would rely on the earth's gravity to return the vehicle in an elliptical flight path for re-entry to a plan recovery area when the third stage engine again shuts down the vehicle is 163 miles above the earth traveling about twenty four thousand two hundred seventy miles per hour on a flight path to the moon about 15 minutes after shutdown ground control will make the decision whether or not to proceed with the repositioning of spacecraft modules if the decision is go the crew sets controls for coasting and prepares to initiate and control this next phase of the mission called transposition the adapter panels shielding the limb are blown open the command and service modules are separated from the lam by the service module reaction control system jets contingency planning for this critical phase includes use of the service module engine for return to a reentry orbit with the third stage and lamb abandoned normally the third stage stabilizes the lamb making docking possible the third stage with the instrument unit is then jettisoned and the spacecraft continues in its flight from earth to moon will take about three days depending on day of launch and lunar targeting since speed is gradually reduced by the earth's gravity then increased by the pull of the moon the average velocity is three thousand three hundred miles per hour the crew monitors critical functions and systems selects modes adjusts controls navigates conducts scientific experiments reports to the control center and makes mid-course corrections the spacecraft's orientation exposes its sides to the sun it will roll slowly to distribute the heat three mid-course corrections are scheduled to be made using the service module engine the first a few hours after leaving earth orbit adjust the place and time of crossing that point where the moon's gravity exerts a greater effect than the earth's gravity on the spacecraft's flight path a second correction of the flight path may be made upon reaching this point called the lunar sphere of influence a third mid-course correction may be made approximately one hour prior to lunar orbit insertion to ensure that the spacecraft will enter the correct parking orbit around the moon the decision to attempt lunar orbit insertion is made before the line of sight with the spacecraft is lost by its going behind the moon the flight path curves in as the spacecraft approaches the moon insertion into lunar orbit is made by firing the service module engine to reduce velocity a six minute burn reduces speed almost twenty two hundred miles per hour sequencing and guidance control are automatic by the command module's guidance computer orbiting the moon about 80 miles above its surface the three module spacecraft will cruise over the selected landing area before the lamb separates for its descent to the surface the flight crew and mission control center confirm the accuracy of the lunar parking orbit and calculate and verify guidance parameters for the lamb's descent two crew members then transfer to the limb and conduct a complete checkout of lamb systems the third crew man will remain in the command module which with the service module will continue in lunar parking orbit at a nominal velocity of one mile per second the lamb is then separated for it to get down within final landing range of the moon the lamb's descent engine must be fired the retro thrust reduces the lamb's velocity by 70 miles per hour which puts it into a separate descent orbit the descending lamb must coast through 180 degrees of arc to reach the point where its descent orbit comes closest to the moon this means that the descent engine must be initially fired when the mission is behind the moon out of contact with the ground if problems appear the lamb's asset engine can be used to return it to the command and service modules in a normal mission the lamb will coast about one hour until it reaches a point about 10 miles above the moon in free flight it would continue around the moon in an elliptical orbit so the descent engine must again be fired to reduce speed and make landing possible as the lamb falls toward the moon guidance is all inertial and pre-planned by controlling their spacecraft the crew can check the landing area visually for the first time through the main lamb windows about eight to ten miles from the landing site and ten to fifteen thousand feet above the moon surface this on the first mission especially is the moment of discovery the moment of imminent completion and new beginning the thrust of the descent engine can be modulated to permit the limb to hover briefly above the lunar surface if the crew observes an unexpected obstacle or abnormal slope they can change course horizontally by steadying the surface as well as evaluating landing radar signals they select the final touchdown spot the control of the engine's thrust makes possible a gentle touchdown immediately after landing the two men check the overall capabilities and condition of the lamb and report to the mission control center and the orbiting command module after the status reports the men survey the moon's surface and prepare for exploration the length of time they can stay on the moon will have been carefully pre-planned only one man at a time will be outside the limb unless an emergency should occur portable life support systems will allow nominal three-hour stays by either surface explorer exploration gathering samples and other tasks will have been programmed in order of priority during the planning for any mission instruments and experiments will be in place to be left behind for purposes such as studying the long-term effects of one-sixth gravity hard vacuum abrupt and extreme temperature changes meteoroids radiation and the relatively constant airless environment of the moon when it is time to return a pre-launch checkout will be conducted as the lam crew coordinates with the mission control center and the command module initial conditions for ascending from the moon and rendezvousing with the orbiting command and service modules are inserted into the lems guidance system the smaller ascent engine is used for launch leaving the descent engine in the landing structure on the moon the ascent engine burns for about seven minutes imparting a velocity of more than one mile per second this rate of speed can be increased as much as one hundred feet per second by the lambs reaction control thrusters such performance flexibility allows changes in the ascent flight path and provides a small flexibility in lunar liftoff time still using the direct descent mode to the command and service modules orbit if the lam must be launched from the moon's surface at any other time it can be placed in a low parking orbit from which rendezvous can be completed later normally the lamb's ascent orbit is elliptical with its high point ideally coinciding with that of the command and service module's parking orbit in a normal rendezvous the change in the lam's orbit is made when its trajectory reaches the command and service modules orbital path the lam's rendezvous maneuver begins approximately five miles from the command module at this point the lems reaction control thrusters regulate its velocity as necessary to complete the rendezvous alternately the command and service modules could be maneuvered to pick up the lamb either vehicle has the capability of being the active vehicle in docking with the other the lunar explorers transfer from the lamb to the command module after docking and transfer are completed the command and service modules condition and orbit are evaluated and preparations are made to leave the lunar parking orbit and return to earth prior to injection into the return flight path the lam is separated from the command and service modules and will be left orbiting the moon the service module engine is fired while the spacecraft is behind the moon due to return targeting conditions about 15 minutes later the spacecraft is in the clear on its way home communications with earth resume and the flight path is evaluated the first mid-course correction about 25 hours after injection adjusts time of flight for correct re-entry a second mid-course correction may be made in another 25 hours with a third correction scheduled for minor adjustments about two hours before re-entry about twenty minutes before re-entering the service module is jettisoned the previously computed parameters for re-entry are verified the re-entry corridor only four hundred miles wide and 30 miles deep begins when the barely sensible atmosphere is reached by the command module about 80 miles above earth if the entry angle is too steep the vehicle will enter too sharply and deceleration g forces will exceed human tolerance if the angle is too shallow the vehicle will skip out of the atmosphere the proper corridor lies between these extremes overshoot and undershoot will be avoided by rotating the spacecraft to change its lift capability which to a lesser degree is like that of a glider aircraft the spacecraft's ratio of lift to drag is about one-third due to its design and having its equipment located off-center to give it an offset center of gravity overshoot on re-entry is avoided by rolling the spacecraft to reduce its lift letting it fall toward earth more steeply undershoot is avoided by rolling the spacecraft to increase its lift the atmosphere forces it up and makes possible a more gradual descent reentry can begin from 2500 to 1500 miles up range from the touchdown point descent maneuvers can correct for small errors in reentry timing and permit changing the landing site in the event of bad weather onboard guidance must be relied on during reentry due to aerodynamic heating which ionizes the atmosphere thus impairing communications with earth at twenty five thousand feet the parachute housing cover is jettisoned and the drogue chutes are deployed at twelve thousand feet the pilot chutes are deployed eight seconds later the main chutes are fully deployed they slow the descent of the spacecraft to a safe landing speed search and recovery operations in apollo will be similar to those in the mercury and germany programs combining aircraft and surface ships for normal and contingency landing areas from survey and evaluation on the moon surface to analyses of specimens returned to earth and continuing data from experiments left on the moon new facts will be derived about the moon the earth and the solar system the apollo program is enabling man to increase his knowledge of his environment in space it will lead to further advances in the technology of space flight and it may provide by use of the moon itself a unique research laboratory for the physical and life sciences [Music] you