interstellaryeller
Newbie
Posts: 19
interstellaryeller
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« on: November 14, 2008, 06:54:57 pm » |
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interstellaryeller
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Paul
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« Reply #1 on: November 14, 2008, 07:48:41 pm » |
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I'll second that one! My interest in the whole space/astronomy field was sparked by Apollo 8 - I was a 7 year old schoolboy at that time and remember all of it as if it were yesterday, and now the 40th anniversaries of those events of 1968/69 are coming around, it brings it all back!
As I became more interested in the history of Project Apollo one mission seems to have become forgotten - none of the TV documentaries even mention it - Apollo 4. This launch took place on Nov 9th 1967 and was the first (unmanned) launch of the mighty Saturn V vehicle. Apollo 4 introduced the concept of "all-up testing", that is, it was a mission that achieved many objectives in one go, not just verifying that that the three stages of the vehicle all worked, but then using the final stage to fake a 25,000mph lunar return, re-entry the capsule and land it in a pre-determined place. Although no men were on board, it was just as audacious a mission as Apollo 8 and without that innovation it's unlikely that JFK's deadline would have been met.
And as for Gene Kranz, well we could do with him now - "Let's work the problem and not get confused by guessing!". There would be no credit crunch with clear thinking like that!
Paul.
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brianb
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« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2008, 08:14:29 pm » |
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one mission seems to have become forgotten - none of the TV documentaries even mention it - Apollo 4. This launch took place on Nov 9th 1967 Not without its problems - the sound from the first stage engines was so loud that it almost demolished the studio from which Jules Bergman was broadcasting, several miles away. Another problem which showed up on this launch was the power suddenly drawn by the TV crews tripped out the launch control power supply, this could very easily have been disastrous, but fortunately the Saturn V (on its first flight) behaved perfectly. From then on, NASA insisted that TV crews provide their own power feeds, and the concept of "battle short" was introduced to Launch & Mission Control centres - the circuit breakers were jammed in so that power supply was guaranteed - it was considered less dangerous to have a single circuit melt than potentially lose the lot because a circuit breaker popped out.
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Paul
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« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2008, 08:23:29 pm » |
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Hey Brian, thanks for that additional info - I knew about the noise issue and the rare video I have makes a great play on that - later Saturn Vs were water damped as are the shuttles using the very same launchpads to this day. But the "battle short" concept is new to me - see, you learn something new every day here Paul.
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Paul
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« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2008, 10:52:24 pm » |
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And for those who haven't seen this before, I've bunged it up to YouTube P.
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martinastro
Martin Mc Kenna
Global Moderator
Hero Member
Posts: 5182
Maghera, N. Ireland
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« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2008, 11:46:58 pm » |
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Thanks for posting the video Paul. Good job.
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Roman White
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« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2008, 10:01:15 am » |
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I simply like these photos... it worth to watch the NASA photography archive of Apollo missions
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SkyWatcher 130/900mm EQ3, Bresser 76/700mm, 20x90 bino. and other, Olympus SP-550UZ Eclipse & comet chaser, occultation & meteor observer Poltava Astronomy Portal
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interstellaryeller
Newbie
Posts: 19
interstellaryeller
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« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2008, 02:18:56 am » |
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Thanks for sharing the video Paul It was awesome.
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interstellaryeller
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Roman White
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« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2008, 02:50:57 pm » |
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Wow! I need to spare a bit of time to watch through all that amazing stuff.
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SkyWatcher 130/900mm EQ3, Bresser 76/700mm, 20x90 bino. and other, Olympus SP-550UZ Eclipse & comet chaser, occultation & meteor observer Poltava Astronomy Portal
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interstellaryeller
Newbie
Posts: 19
interstellaryeller
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« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2008, 10:18:57 pm » |
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If you guys are out and about, look for a 3 dvd set called the mighty saturns. It goes into details of the engine and a lot of raw launch footage. great sounding to.
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interstellaryeller
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