Apollo command module power was supplied primarily by fuel cells that used hydrogen and oxygen as feedstock to produce electricity, producing drinking water that astronauts consumed as drinking supplies. NASA developed this technology as batteries would add too much weight, and the group that created these cells, now known as HyAxiom Inc, still produces them […]
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With Grissom, White and Chaffee secured inside, technicians scrambled to open their capsule’s hatch using a ratchet-like device that released latches one after another. Engineers were aware of the fact that the spacecraft’s pure oxygen atmosphere was potentially flammable; however, they contended it would only ignite at 5 pounds per square inch instead of the
Which Apollo Mission Caught Fire? Read More »
CAPE CANAVERAL — Bright winter flowers bloom amid the weeds around an unsettling concrete and steel hulk that marks one of the darkest days in American space history – the Apollo 1 command module was destroyed by fire during a launch rehearsal test on Jan 27, 1967, marking one of America’s darkest moments in space
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On December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell first saw Earth while orbiting the Moon – it was an astounding view! Astronauts documented this event with several photographs; Earthrise became a timeless icon of 20th-century technological endeavor and environmental awareness. Earthrise On a few days after Apollo 8 had
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Apollo 12 set sail on November 14, 1969 – less than four months after Armstrong and Aldrin first set foot on the moon. Commander Pete Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Al Bean had one task in mind for Apollo 12: landing within walking distance of Surveyor III probe in Ocean of Storms. Landing on the
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Six such vehicles carried astronauts from and to the Moon as part of the Apollo program for scientific investigation, collapsing into an adapter on the back of S-IVB third stage rocket. After visual inspection of its landing gear, the LM’s descent engine conducted a 30-second Descent Orbit Insertion burn to reduce speed and gradually approach
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The Saturn V rocket consisted of three sections, which included: (1) The command module (CM), which contained astronaut quarters and flight control systems; (2) the service module, for propulsion and spacecraft support; and (3) Eagle, its lunar module – together these comprised the CSM. On its 27th orbit around the Moon, Columbia docked with the
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All but four astronauts who ever set foot on the Moon have now passed on, yet that was only part of Apollo’s unfortunate legacy. First was a tragic fire on the launch pad that claimed three lives: Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee – an event which fundamentally altered NASA’s moon program. The Fire
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Computer control of spacecraft systems assisted Armstrong during descent. At certain altitudes, an abort was no longer an option and an abort procedure could only be carried out with clearance from NASA. On 20 July, Armstrong detached Eagle from Collins and began its powered descent towards the lunar surface, eventually conducting his inaugural two and
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