|
Apollo-7 (23)
The Walt, Wally & Don Show
- Pad 34 (8)
- Saturn-1B AS-205
()
- CSM-101 ()
- 1st Block II CSM
- 1st Manned CSM mission
- 1st 3 man American crew
- 1st Live TV downlink
The primary objectives for the Apollo 7
engineering test flight, were simple: "Demonstrate CSM/crew performance;
demonstrate crew/space vehicle/mission support facilities performance during a
manned CSM mission; demonstrate CSM rendezvous capability."
October 11, 1968, 11:02:45am EST.
October 11 at Cape Kennedy was hot but the heat was tempered by a pleasant
breeze when Apollo 7 lifted off in a two-tongued blaze of orange-colored flame.
The Saturn IB, in its first trial with men aboard, provided a perfect launch and
its first stage dropped off 2 minutes 25 seconds later. The S-IVB second stage
took over, giving astronauts their first ride atop a load of liquid hydrogen,
and at 5 minutes 54 seconds into the mission, Walter Schirra, the commander,
reported, "She is riding like a dream." About five minutes later an
elliptical orbit had been achieved, 140 by 183 miles above the Earth. Launch
Weight: xxx,xxx lbs.
Altitude: 140 x 183 miles
Inclination: xxx degrees
Orbits: 163
Duration: 10 Days, 20 hours, min, seconds
Distance: miles
The CSM's service propulsion system,
which had to fire the CSM into and out of Moon
orbit, worked perfectly during eight burns lasting from half a second to 67.6
seconds. Apollo's flotation bags had their first try-out when the spacecraft, a
"lousy boat," splashed down in the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda, less
than two kilometers from the planned impact point. Landing location was 27deg
32min North and 64deg 04min West. The module turned upside down; when inflated,
the brightly colored bags flipped it aright. The tired, but happy, voyagers were
picked up by helicopter and deposited on the deck of the U.S.S. Essex by 08:20am
EDT. Spacecraft aboard ship at 09:03am.
Once Apollo 7 cleared the pad, a
three-shift mission control team-led by flight directors Glynn Lunney, Eugene
Kranz, and Gerald D. Griffin -- in Houston took over. Schirra, Eisele, and
Cunningham inside the command module had listened to the sound of propellants
rushing into the firing chambers, had noticed the vehicles swaying slightly, and
had felt the vibrations at ignition. Ten and a half minutes after launch, with
little bumpiness and low g loads during acceleration, Apollo 7 reached the first
stage of its journey, an orbital path 227 by 285 kilometers above the earth.
The S-IVB stayed with the CSM for
about one and one-half orbits, then separated. Schirra fired the CSM's small
rockets to pull 50 feet ahead of the S-IVB, then turned the spacecraft around to
simulate docking, as would be necessary to extract an LM for a Moon
landing. Next day, when the CSM and the S-IVB were about 80 miles apart, Schirra
and his mates sought out the lifeless, tumbling 59-foot craft in a rendezvous
simulation and approached within 70 feet.
Walter
Cunningham reported the spacecraft-lunar module adapter panels had not
fully deployed- which naturally reminded Stafford, on the capsule
communicator (CapCom) console, of the "angry alligator" target
vehicle he had encountered on his Gemini IX mission. This mishap would have
been embarrassing on a mission that carried a lunar module. but the panels
would be jettisoned explosively on future flights.
After this problem, service module engine
performance was a joy. This was one area where the crew could not switch to
a redundant or backup system; at crucial times during a lunar voyage, the
engine simply had to work or they would not get back home. On Apollo
7, there were eight nearly perfect firings out of eight attempts. On the
first, the crew had a real surprise. In contrast to the smooth liftoff of
the Saturn, the blast from the service module engine jolted the astronauts,
causing Schirra to yell "Yabadabadoo" like Fred Flintstone in the
contemporary video cartoon. Later, Eisele said, "We didn't quite know
what to expect, but we got more than we expected." He added more
graphically that it was a real boot in the rear that just plastered them
into their seats. But the engine did what it was supposed to do each time it
fired.
The Apollo vehicle and the CSM performed
superbly. Durability was shown for 10.8 days - longer than a journey to the Moon
and back. With few exceptions, the other systems in the spacecraft operated
as they should. Occasionally, one of the three fuel cells supplying
electricity to the craft developed some unwanted high temperatures, but
load-sharing hookups among the cells prevented any power shortage. The crew
complained about noisy fans in the environmental circuits and turned one of
them off. That did not help much, so the men switched off the other. The
cabin stayed comfortable, although the coolant lines sweated and water
collected in little puddles on the deck, which the crew expected after the
Kerwin team's test in the altitude chamber. Schirra's crew vacuumed the
excess water out into space with the urine dump hose.
A momentary shudder went through Mission
Control when both AC buses dropped out of the spacecraft's electrical
system, coincident with automatic cycles of the cryogenic oxygen tank fans
and heaters; but manual resetting of the AC bus breakers restored normal
service.
Three of the five spacecraft windows fogged
because of improperly cured sealant compound (a condition that could not be
fixed until Apollo
9). Visibility from the spacecraft windows ranged from poor to good,
during the mission. Shortly after the launch escape tower jettisoned, two of
the windows had soot deposits and two others had water condensation. Two
days later, however, Cunningham reported that most of the windows were in
fairly good shape, although moisture was collecting between the inner panes
of one window. On the seventh day, Schirra described essentially the same
conditions.
Even with these impediments, the windows were
adequate. Those used for observations during rendezvous and stationkeeping
with the S-IVB remained almost clear. Navigational sighting with a telescope
and a sextant on any of the 37 preselected "Apollo" stars was
difficult if done too soon after a waste-water dump. Sometimes they had to
wait several minutes for the frozen particles to disperse. Eisele reported
that unless he could see at least 40 or 50 stars at a time he found it hard
to decide what part of the sky he was looking toward. On the whole, however,
the windows were satisfactory for general and landmark observations and for
out-the-window photography.
Most components supported the operations and
well-being of the spacecraft and crew as planned, in spite of minor
irritations like smudging windows and puddling water. For example, the waste
management system for collecting solid body wastes was adequate, though
annoying. The defecation bags, containing a germicide to prevent bacteria
and gas formation, were easily sealed and stored in empty food containers in
the equipment bay. But the bags were certainly not convenient and there were
usually unpleasant odors. Each time they were used, it took the crew member
from 45 to 60 minutes, causing him to postpone it as long as possible,
waiting for a time when there was no work to do. The crew had a total of
only 12 defecations over a period of nearly 11 days. Urination was much
easier, as the crew did not have to remove clothing. There was a collection
service for both the pressure suits and the inflight coveralls. Both devices
could be attached to the urine dump hose and emptied into space. They had
half expected the hose valve to freeze up in vacuum, but it never did.
Chargers for the batteries needed for reentry
(after fuel cells departed with the SM) returned 50 to 75 percent less
energy than expected. Most serious was the overheating of fuel cells, which
might have failed when the spacecraft was too far from Earth
to return on batteries, even if fully charged. But each of these anomalies
was satisfactorily checked out before
Apollo
8
flew.
Some of the crew's grumpiness during the
mission could be attributed to physical discomfort. About 15 hours into the
flight, Schirra developed a bad cold, and Cunningham and Eisele soon
followed suit. A cold is uncomfortable enough on the ground; in weightless
space it presents a different problem. Mucus accumulates, filling the nasal
passages, and does not drain from the head. The only relief is to blow hard,
which is painful to the ear drums. So the crewmen of Apollo
7 whirled through space suffering from stopped up ears and noses. They
took aspirin and decongestant tablets and discussed their symptoms with the
doctors.
Several days before the mission ended, they
began to worry about wearing their suit helmets during reentry. which would
prevent them from blowing their noses. The buildup of pressure might burst
their eardrums. Slayton, in mission control, tried to persuade them to wear
the helmets, anyway, but Schirra was adamant. They each took a decongestant
pill about an hour before reentry and made it through the acceleration zone
without any problems with their ears.
Apollo
7 accomplished what it set out to do- qualifying the command and service
module and clearing the way for the proposed lunar-orbit mission to follow.
And its activities were of national interest. A special edition of NASA's
news clipping collection called "Current News" included front page
stories from 32 major newspapers scattered over the length and breadth of
the nation. Although the postmission celebrations may not have rivaled those
for the first orbital flight of an American, John Glenn in 1962, enthusiasm
was high- and this fervor would build to even greater heights each time the
lunar landing goal drew one step closer.
In retrospect it seems inconceivable, but
serious debate ensued in NASA councils on whether television should be
broadcast from Apollo missions, and the decision to carry the little 4 1/2-
pound camera was not made until just before this October flight. Although
these early pictures were crude, I think it was informative for the public
to see astronauts floating weightlessly in their roomy spacecraft, snatching
floating objects, and eating the first hot food consumed in space. Like the
television pictures, the food improved in later missions.
Apollo 7's achievement led to a rapid review of
Apollo
8's options. The Apollo 7 astronauts went through six days of debriefing for the benefit of
Apollo
8, and on October 28 the Manned Space Flight Management Council chaired
by Mueller met at MSC, investigating every phase of the forthcoming mission.
Next day came a lengthy systems review of
Apollo
8's Spacecraft 103. Paine made the go/no-go review of lunar orbit on
November 11 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. By this time nearly all the
skeptics had become converts.
|
Crew
Walter
Schirra, Jr.
Commander
R.
Walter Cunningham
Lunar Module Pilot
Donn
F. Eisele
Command Module Pilot
Backup Crew
Thomas
Stafford Commander
Eugene Cernan
Lunar module pilot
John
Young
Command Module Pilot
Payload
CSM-101
Milestones
03/28/68
- S-1 Stage ondock at KSC
03/28/68
- S-1B
Stage ondock at KSC
04/07/68
- S-IVB
ondock at KSC
04/11/68
- S-IU
ondock at KSC
05/11/68
- Launch
Vehicle at Pad
08/09/68
-
Spacecraft at Pad
09/17/68
- Countdown Demonstration Test
10/11/68
- Launch
/68
- Launch
|
