Since last week I promised to start quoting some delivery dates, here goes. We are currently planning release of the flight programs for rope manufacture as follows:…
Category: Mission types
Ascent with busted guidance and control systems
On June 11 we had a Mission Techniques meeting to discuss manual ascent from the lunar surface. The term manual ascent, though, is somewhat misleading since most of our discussion had to do with how the guidance systems should be operated if certain of its components failed prior to ascent. In summary, I think everyone…
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:…
Important LM computer program change for Apollo 13 descent
There were some things about the terminal descent on the last mission that kind of spooked a lot of people. One of the things suggested as a result of this was to add a capability to the LM guidance and control system which would assist the crew during the last 100 feet or so of…
Small program change needed in the AS-501/502 AGC program
In the course of development of the AS-206 computer program at MIT, a coding error was discovered which was immediately recognized as being common to the AS-204 and AS-501/502 programs. It is a scaling error, if you know what that means, which imposes the operational constraint of not operating one of the integration programs (i.e.,…
New/old platform for AS-501
Cline Frasier told me today that the platform in Spacecraft 107 (that is, AS-501) has been replaced again by the one that was taken out several weeks ago. Apparently, there was an intermittent problem in one of the accelerometers. I believe Cline said they have replaced the Z-gyro. This change should be beneficial in terms…
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….
Some things about Ascent from the moon
On April 3 we had an Ascent Mission Techniques meeting – the first in a long time. This memo is mostly to express some rather general observations….
Third Trajectory Control Data Priority Meeting for Spacecraft 101
At 9:00 a.m. on December 20, 1967, in Room 966, Building 2, there will be a Trajectory Control Data Priority meeting to review the detailed logical flow charts prepared at MSC defining the retrofire and reentry phase of the S/C 101 mission. Appropriate comments shall be incorporated and they will be reissued as configuration controlled…