The following paragraph is extracted from MIT’s Spacecraft Autopilot Development Memo #11-68, dated July 24, 1968, by William S. Widnall….
Month: September 1968
G Rendezvous
In spite of the feverish activity we have on three swinging missions C, C’, and D, a few of us found a couple of minutes to spend on the G Rendezvous. Some things came out of it that are probably worth reporting:…
D Rendezvous Mission Techniques Meeting – September 9, 1968
On September 9, we had another D Rendezvous Mission Techniques meeting. Basically what we did there was to discuss the new, simplified rendezvous mission plan and its effect on the work we have done so far. Based on this discussion, I am revising the ground rules and working agreements and will send them out within…
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,…
G Rendezvous Mission Techniques
If you can stand it, I would like to announce another change in the G mission lunar rendezvous timeline. In order to provide more tracking which will hopefully improve CSI targeting and to avoid bothersome real time variations of time between CSI and CDH which foul up the plane change scheduling, we propose:…
Results of September 17 Apollo Spacecraft Software Configuration Control Board (ASSCCB) meeting
The first three hours of this marathon meeting were devoted to implementation of the descent program in LUMINARY. The currently approved plan is to implement the one-phase descent scheme proposed by Floyd Bennett and his merry crew. However, MIT has been directed to implement it in such a way that it would be possible to…
D Rendezvous Ground Rules and Working Agreements update
Attached are the ground rules and working agreements updated based on our September 9 Mission Techniques meeting. They reflect the new, simplified D Rendezvous exercise – primarily changes in the football trajectory and the “insertion maneuver” plus a bunch of things we were able to delete. As noted in my last report of this subject,…
Review of the Mission Techniques for Saturn V/Apollo Launch Phase Aborts
This memo is to backup our phone call notifying you of the review of the Saturn V/Apollo Launch Phase Abort Mission Techniques Document to be held Thursday, October 3, 1968, at 1:00 p.m. in Building 4, Room 383. At that meeting we will thoroughly discuss the attached draft of that document, as it applies to…
C’ Communication Loss
A lot of work is going into the subject contingency – with respect to:…
Unusual procedure required for LM Ascent from the moon
Jack Craven surprised us with a little jewel the other day during the Lunar Surface Mission Techniques meeting. He says that in order to enable the APS engine-on and staging commands from the LGC, it is necessary for the crew to depress (now get this) the Abort-Stage button! That is, depressing this button must be…