AS-201
Encyclopedia
Apollo Command/Service Module
The Command/Service Module was one of two spacecraft, along with the Lunar Module, used for the United States Apollo program which landed astronauts on the Moon. It was built for NASA by North American Aviation...
and the Saturn IB
Saturn IB
The Saturn IB was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use in the Apollo program...
launch vehicle. The spacecraft consisted of the second Block I command module and the first Block I service module. The suborbital flight was a partially successful demonstration of the service propulsion system and the reaction control systems of both modules, and successfully demonstrated the capability of the Command Module's heat shield to survive re-entry from low Earth orbit.
Spacecraft
The Command and Service Module CSM-009 was a Block I version, designed before the Lunar Orbit RendezvousLunar orbit rendezvous
Lunar orbit rendezvous is a key concept for human landing on the Moon and returning to Earth.In a LOR mission a main spacecraft and a smaller lunar module travel together into lunar orbit. The lunar module then independently descends to the lunar surface. After completion of the mission there, a...
method was chosen for the Apollo lunar landing; therefore it lacked capability to dock with the Apollo Lunar Module
Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
. Block I also employed preliminary designs of certain subsystems, and was heavier than the Block II version with lunar mission capability. All previous command and service modules flown (with one exception) were boilerplate versions.
CM-009 was the second production Block I command module to fly, the first being CM-002 flown on a Little Joe 2
Little Joe 2
The Little Joe 2 was a test of the Mercury space capsule. It was the first American animal spaceflight, carrying the Rhesus monkey Sam close to the edge of space. He was sent to test the space equipment and the adverse effects of space on humans.The flight was launched December 4, 1959, at 11:15...
rocket for the final Launch Escape System abort test, designated A-004
A-004
A-004 was the sixth and final test of the Apollo launch escape vehicle and the first flight of a Block I production-type spacecraft.-Objectives:...
. CM-009 varied from the production configuration by the omission of the guidance and navigation system; crew couches, displays, and associated equipment; and by the addition of a control programmer and open-loop emergency detection system.
SM-009 was the first production Block I service module to fly. It varied from the production configuration by replacement of the electrical power-generating fuel cell
Fuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
s with batteries, and omission of the S-band
Unified S-Band
The Unified S-band system was a tracking and communication system developed for the Apollo program by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory . It operated in the S band portion of the microwave spectrum, combining voice communications, television, telemetry, command, tracking and ranging into a...
communication equipment.
The launch also included a Block I Launch Escape System (LES), and the first flight of the Spacecraft-LM Adapter (SLA) which connected the spacecraft to the launch vehicle.
Launch vehicle
The Saturn IB was the uprated version of the Saturn ISaturn I
The Saturn I was the United States' first heavy-lift dedicated space launcher, a rocket designed specifically to launch large payloads into low Earth orbit. Most of the rocket's power came from a clustered lower stage consisting of tanks taken from older rocket designs and strapped together to make...
rocket flown in ten earlier Apollo missions. It featured an upgrade of the first stage engines to increase thrust from 1500000 pound-forces (6,672,332.4 N) of thrust to 1600000 pound-forces (7,117,154.6 N), and replacement of the second stage with the S-IVB. This stage used a new liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen
Liquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form.To exist as a liquid, H2 must be pressurized above and cooled below hydrogen's Critical point. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without boiling off, it needs to be...
-burning J-2 engine
J-2 (rocket engine)
Rocketdyne's J-2 rocket engine was a major component of the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo program to send men to the Moon. Five J-2 engines were used on the S-II second stage, and one J-2 was used on the S-IVB third stage. The S-IVB was also used as the second stage of the smaller Saturn IB...
which would also be used on the S-II
S-II
The S-II was the second stage of the Saturn V rocket. It was built by North American Aviation. Using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen it had five J-2 engines in a cross pattern...
second stage of the Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
lunar launch vehicle. A modified version of the S-IVB, with an in-space restartable J-2, would also be used as the third stage of the Saturn V. It also used a new model of the guidance and control system known as the Instrument Unit
Saturn V Instrument Unit
The Saturn V Instrument Unit is a ring-shaped structure fitted to the top of the Saturn V rocket's third stage and the Saturn IB's second stage . It was immediately below the SLA panels that contained the Lunar Module. The Instrument Unit contains the guidance system for the Saturn V rocket...
, which would also be used on the Saturn V.
Objectives
The objectives of the mission were to:- Demonstrate the Saturn IB launch vehicle propulsion, guidance and electrical systems
- Demonstrate structural compatibility between the launch vehicle and CSM, ensuring the spacecraft's design loads weren't exceeded
- Demonstrate appropriate separation of all vehicle elements
- Demonstrate the CSM's heat shield, service propulsion system (including in-space restart), CM and SM reaction control systems, environmental control of cabin pressure and temperature, partial communications, stability and control, Earth landing system, and electrical power subsystem.
- Evaluate the Emergency Detection System in an open-loopOpen-loop controllerAn open-loop controller, also called a non-feedback controller, is a type of controller that computes its input into a system using only the current state and its model of the system....
configuration - Demonstrate the CM heat shield ablatorAblationAblation is removal of material from the surface of an object by vaporization, chipping, or other erosive processes. This occurs in spaceflight during ascent and atmospheric reentry, glaciology, medicine, and passive fire protection.-Spaceflight:...
at a 200 BTU/ft2/sec heat transfer rate - Demonstrate support facilities for launch, mission control, and recovery
The mission profile called for the Saturn IB to launch the spacecraft on an east-by-southeast heading into a high ballistic trajectory; then the CSM would separate from the SLA. The service module engine would be fired twice, then the command module would re-enter and land in the south Atlantic ocean.
Preparation for flight
The first piece of the rocket to arrive at the Cape was the S-IB stage on August 14, 1965 by the barge Promise. It was built by Chrysler and featured eight H-1 engines built by Rocketdyne. The S-IVB second stage arrived next on September 18. The Instrument Unit that would control the launch vehicle arrived October 22, the Command Module arrived three days later and the Service Module on October 27.The first stage was erected at the pad soon after arriving at Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
. The second stage joined it on October 1. After fixing some problems in the Instrument Unit it was mated to the S-IVB on October 25. The CSM was mated on December 26.
The first problem encountered by NASA came on October 7. The RCA 110A computer which would test the rocket and thus automating the process was ten days behind schedule meaning that it would not be at the Cape before November 1. This meant that by the middle of October little could be done at the pad. When the computer finally did arrive it continued to have problems with the punch cards and also the capacitors that did not operate well under a protective coating. In the end however the testing of the launch vehicle was still on schedule.
Testing was running around the clock during December. Technicians were testing the CSM's fuel systems during the day and the testing was running on the rocket at night.
There was even an instance of a variant of the Y2K bug in the computer. As it ran past midnight, when the time changed from 2400 to 0001 the computer could not handle it and "turned into a pumpkin" according to an interview with Frank Bryan, a Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
Launch Vehicle Operations Engineering staff member.
In the end the testing regimen slowly completed and the plugs-out tests were completed proving that the rocket could function by itself.
Launch attempt
The first launch attempt on 25 February 1966 looked as though it would be the real thing. As always there were several small delays, but when the pressure in one of the fuel tanks in the S-IVB fell below the allowed limits, the onboard computer aborted the launch with 4 seconds left.The problem was easily fixable but it was thought that it could not be done in the launch window. However, some members of the launch team thought that it could and convinced the managers to let them run a simulated launch and 150 seconds of flight to show that the rocket could operate with the lower pressure in the fuel tank. They found it could be and the launch was de-scrubbed.
Flight
Finally, after months of delays and problems, the first flight of the Saturn IB lifted off from Pad 34. The first stage worked perfectly lifting the rocket to 57 km, when the S-IVB took over and lifted the spacecraft to 425 km. The CSM separated and continued upwards to 488 km.The CSM then fired its own rocket to accelerate the spacecraft towards Earth. The first burn lasted for 184 seconds. It then fired ten seconds later for ten seconds. This proved that the engine could restart in space, a crucial part of any manned flight to the Moon.
It entered the atmosphere traveling 8300 m/s. It splashed down
Splashdown (spacecraft landing)
Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...
only 37 minutes after launch, 72 km from the planned touch down point, and was on board the USS Boxer
USS Boxer (CV-21)
USS Boxer was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She was the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for a British ship captured by the Americans during the War of 1812...
two hours later.
Problems
There were three serious problems found on the flight. The Service Module engine only worked properly for 80 seconds, interrupted by the presence of heliumHelium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
gas in the combustion chamber. Helium was used to pressurize the fuel tanks but should not have been in the combustion chamber. This was caused by a break in an oxidizer line that allowed helium to mix with the oxidizer.
The second problem was that the electrical system failed causing the command module to lose control ability during reentry. Lastly, measurements that were meant to be taken during reentry failed due to a short circuit. Both of these problems were found to be due to bad wiring, and were easily fixed.
Capsule location
After the flight the capsule was also used for drop tests at White Sands Missile RangeWhite Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
. It is now on display at the Strategic Air and Space Museum
Strategic Air and Space Museum
The Strategic Air and Space Museum is a museum focusing on United States Air Force military aircraft and nuclear missiles located near Ashland, Nebraska, along Interstate 80 southwest of Omaha, Nebraska. The objective of the museum is to preserve and display historic aircraft, missile, and space...
, Ashland, Nebraska
Ashland, Nebraska
Ashland is a city in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,262 at the 2000 census.- History :Ashland is located at the site of a low-water limestone ledge along the bottom of Salt Creek, an otherwise mud-bottomed stream that was a formidable obstacle for wagon trains on the...
.
External links
- Postlaunch report for mission AS-201 (Apollo spacecraft 009) - May 1966 NASA (PDF format)
- http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=APST201
- Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/cover.html
- Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/cover.html
- Strategic Air & Space Museum: http://www.strategicairandspace.com/home.html