In a December 15 memo (67-PA-T-121A), I indicated that we were going to perform LOI using two maneuvers. I also stated that pending results of some studies then underway we expected to use the External Delta V guidance mode for these maneuvers rather than Lambert steering. The primary reason for doing this was to make…
Category: Apollo 8
C’ Abort Maneuver Overburn Monitoring
In response to a C’ Mission Techniques action item, Rick Nobles informs me that they have established the burn monitoring procedure to guard against overburn during any non-nominal C’ maneuver. As a standard procedure the crew should manually shut down the SPS as soon as the duration of the burn exceeds the nominal value by…
Let’s move the recovery force a little
Jerry, I’ve done a lot of joking about the spacecraft hitting the aircraft carrier, but the more I think about it the less I feel it is a joke. There are reports that the C Prime command module came down right over the aircraft carrier and drifted on its chutes to land 5,000 yards away….
No real time landing site data processing is planned on C Prime
In a meeting with Flight Software Branch and Flight Control Division personnel, we concluded that we would not process landing site observations obtained in lunar orbit on the C’ in real time in the RTCC unless directed otherwise….
C’ maneuvers – SPS versus RCS crossover
Neil Townsend (EP2) informed me by phone – and will supply written confirmation – that the minimum duration SPS burn for C’ should be no less than 0.5 seconds. We had been assuming something smaller. According to MPAD (Otis Graf, FM7) this makes the crossover point between use of the RCS versus the SPS engine:…
C’ Earth Orbit and TLI Mission Techniques Open Items
It appears we have the Earth Orbit and TLI Mission Techniques for the C’ pretty well under control. The only two significant open items that I know of deal with the optics check and the crew procedures for protecting against an SIVB engine cutoff failure during TLI….
Is MSFN ranging mandatory for C’?
During our C’ Data Select Mission Techniques meeting a question came up which must be understood and answered prior to the flight. It involves the requirement for being able to obtain MSFN range information during the cis-lunar phase of the mission. It has been said unofficially that ranging is essential to do a decent job…
C’ Transearth Midcourse Correction (MCC) and Entry Mission Techniques
On September 13, we conducted a review of the Transearth MCC and Entry Mission Techniques for a lunar mission. Although, originally developed for an F or G type mission, the discussion was almost completely devoted to C’. Participation included all interested MSC organizations (including the C’ flight crew) as well as representatives from North American,…
Some decisions regarding lunar landmark tracking on the F and G missions
We had an Ad Hoc Mission Techniques meeting on January 9 to talk over lunar landmark tracking. In particular, we wanted to discuss what we thought had been learned from the C’ mission and what we want to do on the F and G missions. This memo is to outline all that briefly. The specific…
Cis-lunar spacecraft navigation for C’
We are still thrashing around trying to figure out what to do with regard to cis-lunar spacecraft navigation for the C’ mission. It is not clear whether a couple of things are really necessary or not. If we could get rid of them, it would simplify things. Unfortunately, we aren’t confident it is safe to…