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Fernbank Science Center
Before you is the Command Module of the Apollo 6. If you look under the capsule you will see a series of holes. These holes were drilled to investigate how the heat shield held up after this capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.
The Apollo 6 mission provided a second rehearsal for launching the massive Saturn V rocket. Scientists and engineers were testing the "staging" of a giant rocket to be sure each section would work properly. An important mission objective was to check out all systems before sending astronauts into space. The vehicle carried a full payload, including a mock-up lunar module, and was to test the capsule's heat shield to see if it could withstand re-entry speeds.
Initially, the launch seemed to be fine. But approximately two minutes into the flight, the first stage's five F-1 engines developed serious thrust fluctuations that caused the rocket to bounce like a pogo stick for 30 seconds. These oscillations were so intense that an airborne chase plane's cameras recorded pieces of the adapter stage (housing the lunar module) falling off of the vehicle. Such low-frequency vibrations (known as "pogo effect") exceeded the engineering/safety design criteria of the Apollo 6 Command Module. Had astronauts been onboard the spacecraft, the mission would have been aborted by jettisoning the capsule away from the failing rocket.
Although the oscillations stopped once the first stage was discarded, the vehicles second stage performance was also less than perfect. Two of the stage's five J-2 engines failed, causing the remaining three engines to burn for a longer period of time than planned. As a result, the second stage ran out of fuel before reaching the desired 100 mile circular orbit.
To compensate the Saturn's third stage burned longer and placed the spacecraft into an unplanned 110 by 230 mile elliptical orbit. NASA engineers left Apollo 6 in this "parking orbit for two revolutions around the Earth to assess the situation and perform various system checks. When flight controllers attempted to fire the third stage again, to simulate the flight to the Moon, the J-2 engine failed to restart.
The issues with the Saturn V's three stages altered the mission, and it was decided that after separation from the third stage, the Service Module's engine would burn for seven minutes, pushing the Apollo 6 capsule to an altitude of almost 14,000 miles. At such an altitude, enough re-entry speed could then be acquired to simulate an Apollo spacecraft returning from the Moon. The capsule's heat shield withstood the fireball created by a 22,000 mile per hour plunge into the Earth's atmosphere. Apollo 6 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, completing its 10 hour perilous space odyssey, and was recovered by the crew of the U.S.S. Okinawa.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
The Apollo Command Module from the Skylab 3 mission (which was the second crewed flight to the Skylab space station) located at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
In stark contrast to the Apollo Command Module, the Lilienthal glider was a pioneer of human flight by being the first hang gliders. The builder, Otto Lilenthal, helped inspire the Wright brothers by his writings and designs.
In an emergency during launch, the rockets in the escape tower would pull the manned capsule away fom the rest of the rocket.
This one set of yaw control motors for the CM. These were used only after the Service Module was jettisoned.
In an emergency during launch, the rockets in the escape tower would pull the manned capsule away fom the rest of the rocket.
Edited Apollo 13 image of the damaged service module and the Moon (along with part of another spacecraft, most likely the Command Module).
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
Fernbank Science Center
Before you is the Command Module of the Apollo 6. If you look under the capsule you will see a series of holes. These holes were drilled to investigate how the heat shield held up after this capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.
The Apollo 6 mission provided a second rehearsal for launching the massive Saturn V rocket. Scientists and engineers were testing the "staging" of a giant rocket to be sure each section would work properly. An important mission objective was to check out all systems before sending astronauts into space. The vehicle carried a full payload, including a mock-up lunar module, and was to test the capsule's heat shield to see if it could withstand re-entry speeds.
Initially, the launch seemed to be fine. But approximately two minutes into the flight, the first stage's five F-1 engines developed serious thrust fluctuations that caused the rocket to bounce like a pogo stick for 30 seconds. These oscillations were so intense that an airborne chase plane's cameras recorded pieces of the adapter stage (housing the lunar module) falling off of the vehicle. Such low-frequency vibrations (known as "pogo effect") exceeded the engineering/safety design criteria of the Apollo 6 Command Module. Had astronauts been onboard the spacecraft, the mission would have been aborted by jettisoning the capsule away from the failing rocket.
Although the oscillations stopped once the first stage was discarded, the vehicles second stage performance was also less than perfect. Two of the stage's five J-2 engines failed, causing the remaining three engines to burn for a longer period of time than planned. As a result, the second stage ran out of fuel before reaching the desired 100 mile circular orbit.
To compensate the Saturn's third stage burned longer and placed the spacecraft into an unplanned 110 by 230 mile elliptical orbit. NASA engineers left Apollo 6 in this "parking orbit for two revolutions around the Earth to assess the situation and perform various system checks. When flight controllers attempted to fire the third stage again, to simulate the flight to the Moon, the J-2 engine failed to restart.
The issues with the Saturn V's three stages altered the mission, and it was decided that after separation from the third stage, the Service Module's engine would burn for seven minutes, pushing the Apollo 6 capsule to an altitude of almost 14,000 miles. At such an altitude, enough re-entry speed could then be acquired to simulate an Apollo spacecraft returning from the Moon. The capsule's heat shield withstood the fireball created by a 22,000 mile per hour plunge into the Earth's atmosphere. Apollo 6 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, completing its 10 hour perilous space odyssey, and was recovered by the crew of the U.S.S. Okinawa.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
Alan Bean flew to the surface of the moon on the Apollo 12 mission, his next mission was as commander of Skylab 3. He now concentrates his time on painting images of the moon as experienced by his colleagues and himself.
Buzz Aldrin first flew aboard Gemini 12 and conducted the Gemini programs most successful series of spacewalks, his next assignment was as lunar Module pilot aboard Apollo 11, which achieved historys first manned lunar landing where he and Neil Armstrong set up experimants and collected many samples for return to Earth.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
Edited Apollo 13 image of the damaged Command Module (damage not easily seen in this image) and the Moon.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.
Here's one pair of roll control rocket motors. All the CM Reaction Control System thrusters used a hydrazine blend for fuel and nitrogen tetroxide for oxydizer. The combination is hypergolic, meaning they ignite spontaneously on contact.
In an emergency during launch, the rockets in the escape tower would pull the manned capsule away fom the rest of the rocket.
In an emergency during launch, the rockets in the escape tower would pull the manned capsule away fom the rest of the rocket.
Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum
Apollo Command Module Boilerplate
A boilerplate is a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.
This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967.
On Ioan from the National Air and Space Museum.