mikeh - 24/9/2007 7:56 AMOutside of the post on the President's prepared statement and the recommendations on how to handle it there were no plans for the astronauts. If the ascent stage didn't lift off or make it to approximately 50,000 ft the game was over and Mike Collins would have had a lonely trip home.
mikeh - 24/9/2007 1:56 PM Outside of the post on the President's prepared statement and the recommendations on how to handle it there were no plans for the astronauts. If the ascent stage didn't lift off or make it to approximately 50,000 ft the game was over and Mike Collins would have had a lonely trip home.
A scenario which caused Mike Collins a great deal of stress. He claimed in his book that the sight of the returning Eagle was the best sight of his life.
SpaceNutz SA - 24/9/2007 1:45 PMOn that note (tolerance to risk then and now) if this scenario had have taken place would the program have been aborted or would they have kept at it? My guess is they would have cancelled all future moon flights?
triddirt - 24/9/2007 1:53 PMQuoteSpaceNutz SA - 24/9/2007 1:45 PMOn that note (tolerance to risk then and now) if this scenario had have taken place would the program have been aborted or would they have kept at it? My guess is they would have cancelled all future moon flights?Interesting in that I've been reading both Chris Kraft's and Gene Krantz's books this month.My guess is that they would NOT have continued.. Based on my reading at this point they had pretty good information that Russia was out of the race. The costs we're already high and the pressure of Vietnam was taking over the whole country.Should we have lost two more (total of 5 with Apollo 1) it think it would have been to high a cost in both lives and reward..
Hoonte - 24/9/2007 5:23 AMWas there some kind of plan or format ready if a LM wasn't able to lift-off from the lunar surace? or did they just had to sit there until they run out of power/oxygen?
The mantra around the cape was "three strikes & we're out". Those guys were in it for real. They were totally commited to doing the mission, even if it cost them their lives.
halkey - 24/9/2007 4:19 PMQuoteThe mantra around the cape was "three strikes & we're out". Those guys were in it for real. They were totally commited to doing the mission, even if it cost them their lives.I'd hate to be the guy flying the third mission after the previous two left a permanent human presence on the moon. I think a lot of people underestimate how brave the first Apollo astronauts had to be when they landed on the moon using technology that had never been used there before.
Analyst - 24/9/2007 9:48 AMThe way it was back then: Sometimes no backup. Fix the CM after Apollo 1 and fly 20 months later. Fix the SM oxygen tank after Apollo 13 and fly again less than a year later. No LON and all this stuff we have today in our risk adverse world.Analyst
Dana - 24/9/2007 8:18 PMQuoteAnalyst - 24/9/2007 9:48 AMThe way it was back then: Sometimes no backup. Fix the CM after Apollo 1 and fly 20 months later. Fix the SM oxygen tank after Apollo 13 and fly again less than a year later. No LON and all this stuff we have today in our risk adverse world.AnalystNo LON for Apollo, but they did have a sort of LON mission planned and ready with a modified CSM and a Saturn IB for Skylab.
Hoonte - 24/9/2007 6:08 AMWere there any guidelines for an event like this. I mean if no lift-off was possible was is just to sit and wait until it's all over?
MKremer - 24/9/2007 10:23 PMVenting to vacuum will cause unconsciousness, but it can't be that pleasant just before.Better to just turn off the fans, most electrical systems and remove the LiOH canisters once the O2 flow gets low, and just gradually 'fall asleep forever', IMO.