MIT currently has plans for supplying a number of different modes for using their basic orbit determination program. (MIT calls this process “navigation,” so I will, too.) These modes differ in that there is a variety of types of observational data used during different mission phases….
Year: 1966
LEM radar angle bias correction
As you know, the rendezvous orbit navigation process involves updating the spacecraft state vector based on the spacecraft radar data. However, the radar apparently has unacceptably large angular bias errors for some reason. Instead of fixing the damn radar, someone decided to include in the LEM spacecraft computer program the capability of computing these radar…
Rendezvous terminal phase guidance program in the Apollo spacecraft computer
On July 7, 1966, a team of MSC and MIT “experts in rendezvous” (including Paul Kramer, Ed Lineberry, John Dablen, and Norm Sears) met at MIT to discuss and review the preliminary Guidance System Operation Plan (GSOP)which MIT has unofficially distributed, covering the terminal phase and External ΔV programs for the AS-207/208 mission. This meeting…
AS-204 computer program status
During the week of July 4, 1966, the prime and backup crews for the AS204 mission attended briefings at MIT, which, among other things, led to their request that four changes be made in the spacecraft computer program for that mission. This request triggered off a considerable amount of activity which I would like to…
Automatic rendezvous braking maneuver
As you know, MIT is currently designing the command module and lunar module computer programs without provision for automatic braking maneuvers. There has been some thought to reversing this direction. However, Don Cheatham, Aaron Cohen, and I agreed today to proceed as we are for the AS-207/208 programs–that is, do not provide automatic braking maneuvers…
Notes regarding the AS-207/208 Guidance Systems Operation Plan (GSOP) meeting with MIT
During the week of August 15, we held a review of the AS-207/208 Guidance Systems Operation Plan (GSOP) at MIT. Some things interested me which I will pass on to you here. I will also include some of the more significant decisions–that is, direction to MIT–that were made at that time….
Status of the lunar module “quick return” guidance capability
This note is in response to your query regarding the “quick return” capability being provided in the lunar module (LM) for aborts during the lunar descent phase. As you recall, I reported deletion of a program in the LM computer for generating coefficients to be used in an abort polynomial to retarget the LM powered…
Alternative rendezvous technique – mission planning status
Since our meeting in your office on the stable orbit rendezvous, Ed Lineberry and I have met on a number of occasions with other interested people in an attempt to lay out a schedule of work needed to arrive at the decision as to how to go on 278 and subsequent missions. This note is…
Spacecraft computer program status for AS-501
This memorandum is to give my impression of what went on during the meeting MIT on September 12, 1966, regarding the AS-501/502 spacecraft guidance computer program. Primarily I would like to describe the status of this program as we see it now….
There are differences in the descent guidance programs on AS-503 and AS-504
It is currently intended to include some sort of tests of the LM descent propulsion and guidance on the AS-503 mission. However, it is not possible to use the same guidance equations on AS-503 as will be used on the AS-504 lunar descent. This is due to obvious differences of an earth orbital mission compared…