a_v_bw_o_n (original 1966 press photo, 'companion' to 64-Space Simulator-29)
“A three-man flight test crew in ready position wait for hatch to close on space chamber 3/29 for a stay of up to 14 days in special lunar Apollo checkout facility at North American Aviation’s Space & Information Systems Division. The crew, selected from volunteer North American Apollo pilot research group, will test equipment that will permit future NASA Apollo astronauts to travel comfortable through hostile space environment on way to moon.”
L - R, I think the crew is: Richard Erman, John Moyles and Norman Abell
Background/context:
Online "Apollo Spacecraft News Reference" extract, page 240:
Altitude Chamber and Airlock - Called the bell jar, this chamber was used for a 14-day simulated mission with three space-suited engineers in a CM. The chamber contains an environmental control system with an airlock. The chamber can be evacuated to 10 -4 torr (a hard vacuum), simulating conditions from launch to a 200,000-foot pressure altitude. The airlock contains instruments for the life support system. Ground support equipment was used to supply electrical power, potable water, and oxygen furnished in space flight by the fuel cell powerplants and cryogenic storage system.
At:
www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/CSM_News_Reference_H_Missions.pdf
Additionally, an extract from "Drew Ex Machina website/Andrew LePage":
"Before a crew could fly Apollo into space for the first time during the upcoming Apollo 1 mission, more tests were required to verify the flightworthiness of Apollo. One means of doing so involved vacuum chamber tests employing flight-ready hardware. On April 13, 1966 three North American engineers – Richard Erman, John Moyles and Norman Abell – completed a simulated two-week mission with a Block I CM inside of a five-meter vacuum chamber at North American’s facility in Downey, California nicknamed “the bell jar”. While this proved that the CM could support a crew, a more thorough thermal-vacuum test of the complete CSM was required before the Apollo 1 mission could fly in February 1967."
At:
www.drewexmachina.com/2016/10/26/the-apollo-flights-to-no...
Additional photos & excellent info:
www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/002012.html
Credit: collectSPACE website
Finally, from the April 14, 1966 edition of the Oklahoma State University newspaper, “The Daily O’Collegian”:
“Astronauts Get Glimpse
Three astronauts get a glimpse into the future today.
Air Force Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, Air Force Lt. Col. Edward H. White II and Navy Lt. Roger B. Chaffee are to be briefed on how it feels to work and sleep for days on end in a 6x9-foot capsule – by three men who have already lived through the ordeal.
Grissom, White and Chaffee, assigned to fly the first Apollo spacecraft into earth orbit late this year, were on hand Tuesday when research engineers Richard Erman, John Moyles and Norman Abell ended a 14-day simulated trip to the moon.
The three engineers were bearded but healthy and happy that they had proved the life-support system designed for Apollo craft should keep astronauts safe and comfortable.
“It’s a good system,” said Abell, 37. “I think we could have stayed in there another two weeks if necessary – but none of us wanted to.”
Their mockup Apollo capsule was suspended in a space-like vacuum in an altitude chamber at the Space Systems Division of North American Aviation.
They spent parts of four days in cumbersome Apollo space suits – their only protection when air was sucked out of the capsule to simulate hits by marble-sized micrometeorites.”
At:
dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/api/collection/ocolly1965/...
Credit: Oklahoma State University Collections website
a_v_bw_o_n (original 1966 press photo, 'companion' to 64-Space Simulator-29)
“A three-man flight test crew in ready position wait for hatch to close on space chamber 3/29 for a stay of up to 14 days in special lunar Apollo checkout facility at North American Aviation’s Space & Information Systems Division. The crew, selected from volunteer North American Apollo pilot research group, will test equipment that will permit future NASA Apollo astronauts to travel comfortable through hostile space environment on way to moon.”
L - R, I think the crew is: Richard Erman, John Moyles and Norman Abell
Background/context:
Online "Apollo Spacecraft News Reference" extract, page 240:
Altitude Chamber and Airlock - Called the bell jar, this chamber was used for a 14-day simulated mission with three space-suited engineers in a CM. The chamber contains an environmental control system with an airlock. The chamber can be evacuated to 10 -4 torr (a hard vacuum), simulating conditions from launch to a 200,000-foot pressure altitude. The airlock contains instruments for the life support system. Ground support equipment was used to supply electrical power, potable water, and oxygen furnished in space flight by the fuel cell powerplants and cryogenic storage system.
At:
www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/CSM_News_Reference_H_Missions.pdf
Additionally, an extract from "Drew Ex Machina website/Andrew LePage":
"Before a crew could fly Apollo into space for the first time during the upcoming Apollo 1 mission, more tests were required to verify the flightworthiness of Apollo. One means of doing so involved vacuum chamber tests employing flight-ready hardware. On April 13, 1966 three North American engineers – Richard Erman, John Moyles and Norman Abell – completed a simulated two-week mission with a Block I CM inside of a five-meter vacuum chamber at North American’s facility in Downey, California nicknamed “the bell jar”. While this proved that the CM could support a crew, a more thorough thermal-vacuum test of the complete CSM was required before the Apollo 1 mission could fly in February 1967."
At:
www.drewexmachina.com/2016/10/26/the-apollo-flights-to-no...
Additional photos & excellent info:
www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/002012.html
Credit: collectSPACE website
Finally, from the April 14, 1966 edition of the Oklahoma State University newspaper, “The Daily O’Collegian”:
“Astronauts Get Glimpse
Three astronauts get a glimpse into the future today.
Air Force Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, Air Force Lt. Col. Edward H. White II and Navy Lt. Roger B. Chaffee are to be briefed on how it feels to work and sleep for days on end in a 6x9-foot capsule – by three men who have already lived through the ordeal.
Grissom, White and Chaffee, assigned to fly the first Apollo spacecraft into earth orbit late this year, were on hand Tuesday when research engineers Richard Erman, John Moyles and Norman Abell ended a 14-day simulated trip to the moon.
The three engineers were bearded but healthy and happy that they had proved the life-support system designed for Apollo craft should keep astronauts safe and comfortable.
“It’s a good system,” said Abell, 37. “I think we could have stayed in there another two weeks if necessary – but none of us wanted to.”
Their mockup Apollo capsule was suspended in a space-like vacuum in an altitude chamber at the Space Systems Division of North American Aviation.
They spent parts of four days in cumbersome Apollo space suits – their only protection when air was sucked out of the capsule to simulate hits by marble-sized micrometeorites.”
At:
dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/api/collection/ocolly1965/...
Credit: Oklahoma State University Collections website