On May 20 and 21 we reviewed Descent, Lunar Surface, and Ascent Mission Techniques with the H crew (Pete Conrad and co.). This get together had two major objectives – to tell the H crew how we think these things should be done and conversely, for the first time to get a flight crew reaction…
Category: Apollo 12
CSM Rescue Mission Techniques are complete and clean
On June 9 we had our final Mission Techniques meeting on CSM Rescue. I am pleased to report that this stuff appears to be in very good shape. After much hard work by many people, the CSM rescue rendezvous plans shake down to only two basic profiles. Each of these has minor modifications to account…
Some significant LUMINARY program changes you should know about
I really blew it at the June 5 Apollo Spacecraft Software Configuration Control Board meeting. Although dozens of rather minor changes were approved, the one I was most concerned about wasn’t even discussed and I completely forgot it. This memo is to inform you that we are now desperately trying to include a capability in…
Post Insertion CSM P52 is optional
Dick Gordon and Pete Conrad called the other day to ask how important we feel the CSM platform alignment is just after LM insertion into orbit. As I recall, this alignment is a carry-over from the time we planned to do the CSM plane change just prior to lift-off rather than just after landing as…
How to land next to a Surveyor – a short novel for do-it-yourselfers
As you know a decision has been made for the H mission to land next to Surveyor III. Considerable amount of work has already been spent in figuring out how to perform a so-called point landing, but a number of computer program and procedure changes are required which cannot be implemented prior to this mission….
A lengthy status report on lunar point landing including some remarks about CSM DOI
It is clear that lunar point landing capability is absolutely necessary if we are to support the exploration program the scientists want. That is, mission success intrinsically depends upon it. (The current definition of “point landing” is for the LM to touchdown on the lunar surface within 1 kilometer of a point referenced to specific…
Notice of a catch-all Apollo 12 Mission Techniques meeting
We have scheduled a Mission Techniques meeting on Monday, September 15, 1969, to go over the Apollo 12 flight for the “last” time. Although most of the discussion will probably deal with the landing and rendezvous phases, we would like to clean up all open items regardless of mission phase….
We don’t have to change LUMINARY much for point landing but there’s gold in them hills!
On September 12 we had a spacecraft computer program requirements meeting for Apollo 13. We called it because there were a lot of proposals floating around which had been advertised as “needed for point landing.” On the other hand, these programs must be released for rope manufacture on about November 15 and so there obviously…
Apollo 12 Mission Techniques
On September 15 and 16 we had the second (and last) Mission Techniques meeting for Apollo 12. It was advertised to be a “catchall” and it was. It all went smoothly enough considering how many people were there – the place was stuffed (even the projection room!) – and the exhaustion and emotion these things…
What can be done about the AOT?
One of the largest error sources affecting precision landing on the moon is the LM platform alignment accuracy at PDI. The AOT is adequate to fly an Apollo 11 type mission but it is simply not designed to support precise landings; AOT alignments, as currently carried out, leave something to be desired. The result is…