After extensive Mission Techniques Panel review, it has been established that a PGNCS IMU alignment immediately prior to Powered Descent is not required for any reason. It is, in fact, undesirable at this critical time in the mission when lighting conditions couldn’t be worse (local high noon!)…
Category: Apollo 11
Lunar Landing Guidance and Control Modes
Gentlemen:…
What’s descent all about?
As a result of some stirring around within NASA on how the various guidance and control systems are used during descent, George Cherry of MIT took it upon himself to write a complete description of the capabilities that exist and how they may be used. Without doubt, this is the finest, briefest, most readable description…
Attention worthy Descent Program Anomaly
Gene Kranz brought the attached G mission LUMINARY Anomaly Report to my attention. I have no idea how he happened to find it amongst all the more insignificant ones. No one else seemed particularly aware or concerned about it, but I wanted to bring it to your attention….
First meeting of the Descent Phase Mission Techniques Working Group
This memo is to request your participation in the detailed development of the Apollo Mission Techniques for the Descent phase of the lunar landing mission. We are setting up a small working group of the following composition to do this job:…
Cis-lunar state vector updating procedure change
A lot of you won’t care – but I want to make sure that those that need to know, do. It deals with state vector updates from the MCC to the CSM during cis-lunar flight on the G mission….
Mission C DAP initialization procedures
In a memo dated November 28, you recommend that “DAP initialization procedures for Mission G be established where either crew input requirements are eliminated entirely, or restricted at most to one inertia update following the largest SPS burn.” I am writing you this note to let you know that what has been planned is entirely…
Manual Steering for LM Ascent
Over the years various groups have attacked the problem of if and how the crew can manually steer the LM back into orbit from the lunar surface. These studies were started before GAEC was even selected to build the LM and some analysis is still going on to define the optimum pitch attitude profile, which…
Descent monitoring at MCC
We have reached a plateau in our work on Descent Monitoring, perhaps making it worthwhile to send out this memo. First of all, I don’t think there is any question that Descent is the thing that requires most of our attention between now and the G mission, at least in the empire of Mission Techniques….