THE CASE OF APOLLO MISSIONS Presented to you by Group: MNH

Apollo 17 launch

The Political ScenarioNovember 1960, John F. Kennedy elected as president.“Of all the major problems facing Kennedy when he came into office,he probably knew and understoodleast about space” -Hugh Sidey

On May 8,1961“Do we have a chance of beating the Soviets by putting a laboratory in space,or by a trip around the moon,or by a rocket to go to the moon and backwith a man?Is there any other space program whichpromises dramatic results in which we could win?” -John F.Kennedy to Lyndon B.Johnson in a MEMO On May 25, 1961

So why the Moon?

“A rocket about ten as powerful as the Soviet....rocket is required” and “We have an excellent chance of beating the Soviets to the first of a crew on the moon” Wernher von Braun to Lyndon Johnson on 29 April 1961

Memorandum from President Kennedy to Vice President Johnson requesting an evaluation of the space program on 20 April 1961

Source http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/fz9Rxczs_UmFjbYk_Siy0Q.aspx

Mercury & Gemini 1st Human and 2nd Spaceflight program of the USA.

Objectives: Fly a man in space before the Soviet Union. Place a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth. Investigate man's performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space.

Objectives:To demonstrate endurance of humans and equipment to spaceflight for at least eight days to a maximum of two weeks. To effect rendezvous and docking with another vehicle and to manoeuvre the combined spacecraft using the propulsion system of the target vehicle. To demonstrate Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) or space-"walks“.

Spacecraft and launch vehicle comparison of Apollo, Gemini and Mercury.

Importance of Project Mercury Today the Mercury program is

commemorated as the first manned American space program.

Scientifically a successful precursors of later programs Apollo.

The technological development is another plus point which is later used in Gemini and Apollo mission.

It demonstrated that man can efficiently perform useful tasks in space even after long exposure of weightlessness.

Mercury produced a store of medical data from which have been drawn medical trends and general physiological information.

Astronaut Ed White

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Ed White

Importance of Project GeminiGemini I and II, the two unmanned missions, which tested the spacecraft's systems and compatibility with the Titan II launch vehicle.

Gemini IV saw the first American extravehicular activity (EVA), also known as a spacewalk. Edward White took a 22-minute space stroll during the mission.

Gemini V was the first Gemini flight that used fuel cells as a power source. Earlier spacecraft relied on battery power.

Gemini X had two successful docking attempts with two different unmanned vessels, proving that vehicles could dock together in space.

Technological advancements in Apollo mission Saturn V Rocket Saturn V made a total of 13 appearances though out Apollo mission and Skylab Space Station.

The Saturn V rocket’s first stage carried 770,000 liters of kerosene fuel and 1.2 million liters of liquid oxygen.

The second stage carried 984,000 liters of liquid hydrogen fuel and 303,000 liters of liquid oxygen.

The third stage carried 252,750 liters of liquid hydrogen fuel and 73,280 liters of liquid oxygen.

Comparison

Lunar Module (Lunar Excursion Module)

It had a height of 5.5 meters and a weight of 14,696 kg.

Buzz Aldrin monitored speed and altitude during descent.

Neil Armstrong flew the LM manually at the final stage of landing.

Apollo 17 lunar module "Challenger" liftoff from Taurus-Littrow landing site

US Lunar Module compared to Soviet LK lunar lander

Spacesuits

Each Apollo suit was custom-tailored for its astronaut crew of three people.

Following the 1967 Apollo fire, NASA needed to find new ways to protect astronauts and their vessels. The Monsanto Company developed a chemically treated fabric called Durette that did not burn.

Lunar gloves and boots were included to walk around the moon's surface and pick up rocks. To help the astronauts "feel" things as they pick up, the glove digits included silicone rubber.

Mission methodsThree principal contending lunar landing techniques were suggested for the Apollo program: direct ascent, above left; earth-orbit rendezvous, above center; and lunar-orbit rendezvous.

The following four modeswere proposed

1. Lunar Orbit Rendezvous Mode.

2. Earth Orbit Rendezvous Mode.

3. C-5 Direct Mode with minimum size command module and high energy return

4. Nova or C-8 mode

Lunar Orbit Rendezvous Mode

Aerodynamics of Apollo Lunar Landing Module

The Lunar Module was designed for operation outside of the earth's atmosphere. It operated in the near vacuum of space present on the moon. Aerodynamics were not a big concern..

So did they land?

The Space Race comes to an end! On the Soviet side, aside from the very successful series of the Moon landers, which generally should be counted as a part of the Moon Race, there were a number of the unmanned probes as well. A curious peculiarity of the Soviet unmanned program is that while it was quite successful with the inner Solar System, for some reason, it invariably failed when Mars was concerned. The aforementioned Mars probe that lost contact with the Earth shortly after landing was only the tip of the iceberg; it was followed by several other failed probes.

The USSR continued briefly trying to perfect their N1 rocket, finally cancelling it in 1976, after two more launch failures in 1971 and 1972.

(1955–1972)

The Apollo shut down!Budget issuesTighter budgets, imposed by Congress and the Nixon administration, were a major factor.

Shift in prioritiesOptimistic dreams of reaching Mars had long since perished.NASA focused on the Space Shuttle.The physical infrastructure which supportedlunar missions vanished.

Public interestPublic interest in seeing men on the moon had declined after Apollo 11, and the mechanical travails that threatened the lives of the crew of Apollo 13 in April 1970 heightened concerns about the risks of lunar missions.

Political Issues (Apollo–Soyuz Test Project)The remaining program of human flights got redirected toward the less expensive Apollo-Soyuz joint flight with the USSR.

Skylab Programme NASA started looked forward to its post-Apollo goals. Namely to the Skylab program.

Giant success in science?In addition to their sample collection activities, the Apollo 11 crew performed several experiments on the lunar surface. The results of some of these experiments were either radioed to Earth by the crew or returned to Earth for laboratory analysis.Other experiments were deployed by the crew and then monitored from Earth by radio telemetry after the crew departed. This groupof experiments was termed the Early Apollo Scientific ExperimentPackage.

Keeping aside those experiments, there was only 1 scientist in 6 missions!Kennedy wanted to use these missions as a part of the Space Race. The scientific and space exploration Aspects were neglected quite a lot!

Only the the last three Apollo missions Delivered substantial scientific returns, and onecan only speculate on what the cancelled missionswould have found.

Thank you“If you, free as you are very of every weight had stayed below, then that would be as strange as living flame on earth remaining stillAnd then she turned her gaze up toward the heavens” -Dante Alighieri