What was the Apollo docking system used for?
The Apollo docking system was used successfully in thirteen missions in Earth and lunar orbits between 1969 and 1975. The only serious problems were experienced on Apollo 14 and Skylab 2, when the probe systems failed to capture the drogue receptacles during repeated docking attempts. Successful docking was eventually accomplished in both missions.
How does the docking probe work?
The docking probe sticking out from the CM had three latches. As the tip of the probe went into a hole in the conical drogue on the LM, a pneumatic system actuated by nitrogen gas moved the latches from their cocked into the locked position. This in turn activated a probe retract system that drew the two vehicles together.
When did the Apollo spacecraft dock with the Space Station?
The United States followed suit, docking its Apollo spacecraft to the Skylab space station in May 1973. In July 1975, the two nations cooperated in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, docking an Apollo spacecraft with a Soyuz using a specially designed docking module to accommodate the different docking systems and spacecraft atmospheres.
What is the difference between the Gemini and Apollo docking systems?
The Apollo system differed from the Gemini Docking Mechanism in that after locking, the probe and cone mechanism could be manually removed to allow access between the two docked craft.
How the NASA docking system works?
The Orbital Docking System (ODS) on the space shuttle principally contains two rings, referred to as the guide ring and the base ring. Three petals on the guide ring each contain a capture latch responsible for the initial soft capture of the ISS. The soft capture first connects the two vehicles, but not rigidly.
How did the Apollo command module dock with the LEM?
The S-IVB is the part that propels the spacecraft out of low Earth orbit and on its way to the moon. The fairing opens up and the CSM detaches, turns around, and docks to the LM. The front of the CM has a hatch that mates with a hatch on the top of the LM. After docking, the CSM pulls the LM away from the S-IVB.
How did the Apollo Hatch work?
The crew had to be able to open the hatch in 3 seconds and egress within 30 seconds. The Apollo 1 main (inner) hatch used internal air pressure to seal the hatch. A lip along the top and side edges and a series of latches along the bottom edge retained the hatch in the hatchway.
How did the lunar lander dock with the command module?
The command and lunar modules were joined by a docking tunnel. Once they had reached the Moon's orbit, astronauts Neil Armstrong (mission commander) and Buzz Aldrin (lunar module pilot) would crawl through this tunnel into the lunar module ready for its descent to the Moon's surface.
How did Apollo 11 get back to Earth with no fuel?
The TLI placed Apollo on a "free-return trajectory" - often illustrated as a figure of eight shape. This course would have harnessed the power of the Moon's gravity to propel the spacecraft back to Earth without the need for more rocket fuel.
Did the Apollo 13 LEM burn up?
The LM was jettisoned shortly before reaching Earth, the astronauts returning to the Command Module for the reentry. The LM re-entered and burned in the Earth's atmosphere over the southwest Pacific, any surviving pieces impacted in the deep ocean off the coast of New Zealand.
How did they simulate no gravity in Apollo 13?
To recreate weightlessness for Apollo 13's space sequences, veteran director Ron Howard chose not to use special effects and wires to simulate zero gravity. Instead, the film crew modified a KC-135 reduced-gravity Stratotanker, a plane dubbed the "Vomit Comet," to achieve the effect of weightlessness through free fall.
Why did Apollo 1 have 100% oxygen?
Pure oxygen was used in the case of the Apollo I because the alternative of using mixed gases did not allow for a breathable atmosphere. In addition, the fire safety checks assumed that there would be no flammable hazards that could pose any threat to the astronauts.
How did the Apollo missions get oxygen?
The atmosphere in the Apollo spacecraft was 100% oxygen, at a pressure of five pounds per square inch. The oxygen system constantly added fresh oxygen to the cabin to replenish that breathed by the crew. Carbon dioxide exhaled by the astronauts was removed by canisters of lithium hydroxide, like this one.
How cold was the Command Module in Apollo 13?
During the Apollo 13 mission, the LM environmental control system provided a habitable environment for about 83 hours (57:45 to 141:05 GET). Cabin temperature remained low due to low electrical power levels. This caused crew discomfort during much of this period, with cabin temperatures ranging between 49°F and 55 °F.
What happened to the Apollo command modules?
The Apollo Command Module Capsules are on display at various sites throughout the U.S. and the world. The Apollo Lunar Modules were deliberately targeted to impact the Moon to provide artificial moonquake sources for seismic experiments. The list below gives the locations of these displays and impacts.
What happened to the Apollo 11 Command Module?
The Command Module is the only portion of the spacecraft to return to Earth. It was physically transferred to the Smithsonian in 1971 following a NASA-sponsored tour of American cities. The Apollo CM Columbia has been designated a "Milestone of Flight" by the Museum.
How was the Apollo Command Module attached to the service module?
The command module was mated atop the service module, connected by three tension ties extending from the CM's heat shield to six compression pads on the top of the SM. These ties were stainless straps 2.5 inches wide and 4 inches long bolted to the spacecraft on either end.
What did Apollo 13 dock with?
Lunar Module AquariusThey are to separate the Command Service Module from the spent Saturn V booster, turn around and dock with the Lunar Module Aquarius still nestled on top of the S-IVB. The stack, as it stands currently, is 40 metres long (132 feet) and has a mass of some 60,780 kg or 134,000 pounds.
How did Eagle dock with Columbia?
That process uncovered the lunar landing module, Eagle, which had been tucked safely behind Columbia inside the third stage, and Collins had to turn Columbia around and position its nose to dock with the top of Eagle. "This of course was a critical maneuver in the flight plan.
What happened to the LEM from Apollo 11?
After docking with the CSM, piloted by Michael Collins, at 21:34:00 UT, the LM was jettisoned into lunar orbit at 00:01:01 UT on 22 July. The fate of the LM is not known, but it is assumed that it crashed into the lunar surface sometime within the following 1 to 4 months.
How did Houston dock the CM?
He maneuvered the CM to bring its docking mechanism against the docking ring on the lunar module then manually retracted the docking probe. This forced the docking latches to engage and pull the two spacecraft together.
How did the CSM and LM get to the moon?
Once docked, the newly-created tunnel between CSM and LM was pressurized through a valve in the command module side before the hatch could be safely removed to reveal the tunnel. After double checking that the twelve latches are securely locked, the crew recovered and hooked up umbilicals to supply power to the LM release mechanisms that released it from its storage place. With the LM now free of its shroud, the combined CSM and LM were ready for their trip to the Moon. As was the S-IVB, though it’s mission culminated in a crash rather soft landing on the Moon.
How many latches did the docking probe have?
The docking probe sticking out from the CM had three latches. As the tip of the probe went into a hole in the conical drogue on the LM, a pneumatic system actuated by nitrogen gas moved the latches from their cocked into the locked position. This in turn activated a probe retract system that drew the two vehicles together. At the same time, a tunnel ring on the LM activated twelve latches on the CSM probe to form a tight pressure seal between the two spacecraft.
What is the mission mode of Apollo?
The decision to use lunar orbit rendezvous as the mission mode for Apollo meant that two docked spacecraft — the lunar module (LM) and command service module (CSM) — would arrive at the Moon. Once there, they would separate so the LM could land while the CSM waited in orbit. After launching from the lunar surface, the LM’s ascent stage would rendezvous and dock with the waiting CSM, then the astronauts would transfer back into the main spacecraft and head home.
What was Apollo 13's mission?
Each Apollo lunar missions was essentially a series of manoeuvres that had to be executed nearly perfectly for a successful, nominal mission; Apollo 13, of course, is the notable exception. Among those vital manoeuvres was transposition and docking, the crew’s only chance to recover the lunar module and get it ready for ...
Why did the docking probe jam?
Considering the problem raised a few possible causes. One was that a side load on the docking probe was causing the latches to jam, something technicians had seen during earlier qualification and acceptance tests. Another possibility was that some small foreign objects, even something as innocuous as bits of dirt or grime, ended up lodged in the probe in the right way to prevent normal operation. But without an obvious flaw NASA determined that the anomaly wasn’t likely to jeopardize a second docking, so Apollo 14 went ahead with the agency’s third successful lunar landing mission.
What was the biggest particle found on Apollo 14?
But they were tiny — the largest of the twelve particles found was just 0.060 inch long — and none were strong enough to stop the docking probe from latching. They couldn’t explain the anomaly.
What was the first docking system in the Soviet Union?
The first such system, Igla, was successfully tested on October 30, 1967 when the two uncrewed Soyuz test vehicles Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188 docked automatically in orbit. This was the first successful Soviet docking. Proceeding to crewed docking attempts, the Soviet Union first achieved rendezvous of Soyuz 3 with the uncrewed Soyuz 2 craft on October 25, 1968; docking was unsuccessfully attempted. The first crewed Soviet docking was achieved on January 16, 1969, between Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5. This early version of the Soyuz spacecraft had no internal transfer tunnel, but two cosmonauts performed an extravehicular transfer from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4, landing in a different spacecraft than they had launched in.
What is docking adapter?
A docking or berthing adapter is a mechanical or electromechanical device that facilitates the connection of one type of docking or berthing interface to a different interface. While such interfaces may theoretically be docking/docking, docking/berthing, or berthing/berthing, only the first two types have been deployed in space to date. Previously launched and planned to be launched adapters are listed below: 1 ASTP Docking Module: An airlock module that converted U.S. Probe and Drogue to APAS-75. Built by Rockwell International for the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test Project mission. 2 Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA): Converts an active Common Berthing Mechanism to APAS-95. Three PMAs are attached to the ISS, PMA-1 and PMA-2 were launched in 1998 on STS-88, PMA-3 in late 2000 on STS-92. PMA-1 is used to connect the Zarya control module with Unity node 1, Space Shuttles used PMA-2 and PMA-3 for docking. 3 International Docking Adapter (IDA): Converts APAS-95 to the International Docking System Standard. IDA-1 was planned to be launched on SpaceX CRS-7 until its launch failure, and attached to Node-2's forward PMA. IDA-2 was launched on SpaceX CRS-9 and attached to Node-2's forward PMA. IDA-3, the replacement for IDA-1 launched on SpaceX CRS-18 and attached to Node-2's zenith PMA. The adapter is compatible with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS), which is an attempt by the ISS Multilateral Coordination Board to create a docking standard.
What is docking and berthing?
Docking and berthing of spacecraft is the joining of two space vehicles. This connection can be temporary, or partially permanent such as for space station modules. Docking specifically refers to joining of two separate free-flying space vehicles.
What is the probe and drogue system?
The probe-and-drogue system allows visiting spacecraft using the probe docking interface, such as Soyuz, Progress and ESA's ATV spacecraft, to dock to space stations that offer a port with a drogue interface , like the former Salyut and Mir or the current ISS space station. There are a total of four such docking ports available on the Russian Orbital Segment of ISS for visiting spacecraft; These are located on the Zvezda, Rassvet, Pirs and Poisk modules. Furthermore, the probe-and-drogue system was used on the ISS to dock Rassvet semipermanently to Zarya.
How to solve the problem of spacecraft orbital changes?
First, attitude and orbital changes are made to the "chaser" spacecraft until it has zero relative motion with the "target" spacecraft. Second, docking maneuvers commence that are similar to traditional cooperative spacecraft docking. A standardized docking interface on each spacecraft is assumed.
How big is the docking hatch on Mars?
The Martian surface vehicle (and surface habitats) would have a large rectangular docking hatch, approximately 2 by 1 meter (6.6 by 3.3 ft).
How did Apollo work?
This required first a transposition, docking, and extraction maneuver between the Apollo command and service module (CSM) mother spacecraft and the Lunar Module (LM) landing spacecraft , shortly after both craft were sent out of Earth orbit on a path to the Moon. Then after completing the lunar landing mission, two astronauts in the LM had to rendezvous and dock with the CSM in lunar orbit, in order to be able to return to Earth. The spacecraft were designed to permit intra-vehicular crew transfer through a tunnel between the nose of the Command Module and the roof of the Lunar Module. These maneuvers were first demonstrated in low Earth orbit on March 7, 1969, on Apollo 9, then in lunar orbit in May 1969 on Apollo 10, then in six lunar landing missions, as well as on Apollo 13 where the LM was used as a rescue vehicle instead of making a lunar landing.
