Messages

1

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 003:56:32 TLI dynamics error shows Apollo 13 hurtling back to earth

« on: January 22, 2025, 08:54:39 am »

The DYNAMICS team Ray Reynolds and Bob Torres had a rough mission.

The Apollo 13 Mission Operations Report notes the following incident in the Problems & Resolutions section of FIDO's report:

The SIVB LOX dump and evasive maneuvers were input to the RTCC at (approximately) 3:46:00. At this time, the Selects requested that the 2:59:00 zero ΔV maneuver (used for CSM separation attitude definition) be moved back to TLI cutoff. Dynamics was so instructed, however, TLI was moved instead. This resulted in the ephemeris re-anchoring on the pre-TLI CYI vector. This situation was ultimately corrected by deleting TLI and re-anchoring on CCHU08. (The consequence of this was to "turn on" the RTCC pre-TLI vent model. With this vent on, and unknown, later impact point evaluations with MSFC would not compare. It was not until 24 hrs later that the "vent on" situation was noted as having invalidated impact point comparisons attempted prior to a GET of approximately 6 hrs.)

The re-anchoring of the ephemeris on the pre-TLI vector also had the side effect of impacting multiple displays used by the MOCR personnel, including the CLAD - the command module looking angle display - which was used by the INCO to configure the high-gain antenna and also identify which spacecraft omni provided the best comm. At ~3:56 after the dynamics error, the CLAD was now showing the spacecraft Apollo 13 hurtling back towards the earth, because all the ephemeris knew was that 13 was still in orbit.

COMM Ed Fendell has a field day with this, delighting in embarrassing the FIDO over it. In the FIDO loop, Dave Reed is noticeably annoyed at DYNAMICS. "Mark yourself down for one," he orders them. Whether this is part of a disciplinary action or to buy Dave a beer later is unclear.

Link (COMM&INCO): https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=003:56:32&ch=53
Link (FIDO): https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=003:57:26&ch=20

2

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / -02:01:30 Slayton doesn't want Mattingly to self-quarantine

« on: January 21, 2025, 06:48:28 pm »

Those who might have listened to the pre-launch loops may have heard at some point an isolated "CAPCOM, Stony, come up super-loop, Joe." The subsequent transmission was apparently to notify Kerwin that there is an incoming phone call from Slayton. This timestamp concerns that call.

Deke Slayton, Director of Flight Crew Operations, calls CAPCOM Joe Kerwin on the telephone during the launch countdown sequence. They chat briefly; his main druther is he wants someone to make it crystal-clear to Ken Mattingly that he shouldn't feel afraid (and by extension, no one around him should feel afraid) to have him in the MOCR pre-launch. This is an interesting deviation from the party line that was held during the pre-launch press conference where there seemed to be a unanimous agreement that Mattingly shouldn't fly due to measles exposure. Based on Slayton's language here, it seems that he's not at all convinced that there is any need for him to quarantine himself.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=-02:01:30&ch=15

3

General Discussion / Re: Other Apollo Missions

« on: January 05, 2025, 10:42:53 am »

Sorry for the late reply to this Naraht, but -- this is definitely a worthwhile update. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

4

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 139:13:22 John Aaron proposes unthinkable power-saving solution

« on: December 16, 2024, 10:08:02 pm »

During the re-entry shift, EECOM John Aaron and EECOM Sy Liebergot make their case for never powering up the glycol pump (nominally it was to come up 1 hour prior to re-entry) in order to save power in the CSM. John cites 2TV-1, a test run where Apollo mission-critical equipment was tested under thermo-vacuum conditions to determine when it would actually fail, and makes the supposition that the spacecraft could still make a G&N re-entry safely even without glycol cooling.

Both Arnie Aldrich and Neil Hutchinson in SPAN explode with outrage at the idea. Although John's engineering analysis makes sense, especially since the command module is still freezing cold, it's unthinkable precisely because no CAPCOM would be willing to make the call to the crew to shut off cooling equipment required to preserve the spacecraft's sensitive electronics. They are especially concerned about the G&N and the components which rely on the glycol pump (PIPAs and IRIGs).

Thankfully, this was relatively far down on the list of the "emergency power-down" list and never ended up being needed.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=139:13:22&ch=16

5

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 116:55:33 The possible sim at 2 o'clock has been scrubbed

« on: November 01, 2024, 09:16:36 am »

A re-entry simulation that was due to be conducted at 2pm in the afternoon is officially stricken when AFD calls the SIM SUP, letting him know that Gene Kranz ordered for it to be canceled due to timeline considerations. This later thrills the FIDO on duty (Dave Reed), who was concerned about having to give up real-time tracking data due to the simulation requirements.

It is indeed rescheduled to 6am the following day, the same time that the White Team is going on shift - and a nail-biting eight hours prior to entry interface!

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=116:55:33&ch=6

6

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / -03:59:38 "Watch your six, STONEY." GO for crew departure

« on: November 01, 2024, 08:53:23 am »

STONEY Paul Weitz gives the go for crew departure to Skip Chauvin. Vance Brand then chimes in.

It's worth noting that both Weitz and Brand were Naval aviators, thus the friendly and jovial warning, "watch your six".

Note Apollo 13 preceded Top Gun by about 16 years, and the use of that phrase in the armed forces as a "keep your eyes out/watch your back" type warning has persisted for even longer!

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=-03:59:38&ch=7

7

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / -04:18:35 Vance Brand checks out the command module

« on: November 01, 2024, 08:34:29 am »

Per the PAO transcript, courtesy of the Apollo 13 Flight Journal:

(-04:19:58 GET) This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control; we're continuing in our hold at the T minus 3 hour and 30 minute mark. This is a planned hold at this time scheduled to last for 1 hour. The close-out crew has just recently arrived at the 320-foot level. They went across the swing arm to the White Room area and have now opened the hatch of the Command Module, which has been named Odyssey. The backup pilot, Vance Brand, has entered the spacecraft at this time. The close-out crew consists of 6 men. The pad leader, the backup pilot, a NASA quality control man, two spacecraft technicians, and [...] two suit technicians.

Some interesting things to note about the checkout procedure:

• It appears that as Vance goes through the tests, his callsign changes depending on where in the center couch he is seated. His first spoken lines over the loop identify himself as the "CDR" when he attempts to begin the chlorination procedure, until Skip redirects him. Later, he identifies as "BCMP" when he's inspecting the MC&W lights, given that he's the backup backup pilot (with the backup pilot, Swigert, of course having been placed into the prime crew).
• The STONEY or capsule communicator is nominally Paul Weitz, though at this point, he was apparently running late getting to the launch site. One of the Cape technicians named Joe Battaglia was going to sit in for Weitz until he arrived, but it doesn't appear that this happened. (Little is known about Joe other than that he was an engineer at the Merritt Island facilities.)

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=-04:18:35&ch=7

8

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 029:21:52 GUIDO Fenner wants to look at the telescope

« on: October 25, 2024, 11:34:46 am »

Prior to MCC2, GUIDO Will Fenner asks RETRO Bobby Spencer how to get into the observatory to look at the telescope, presumably to watch the spacecraft or the S-IVB. Aside from walking directions, Bobby gives Will the "magic words" on how to get into the building, since he was apparently denied entry the last time he had attempted.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=029:21:52&ch=21

9

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / Re: Improved Apollo 13 MOCR audio transcripts

« on: October 22, 2024, 10:35:46 am »

Apollo 13. However, it has been a while since I cleared my cookies and cache for Apollo 13 In Real Time. I might try that next.

Edit: Sure enough, that fixed the problem. The transcripts now look wonderful. You might make it a recommendation to previous users of AIRT to clear their cookies and cache to get the updated transcripts.

10

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / Re: 091:46:05 FIDO Boone tries (and fails) to micro-manage Chuck Dieterich

« on: October 21, 2024, 02:13:01 pm »

This could simply be reckless speculation, but as I look back over the tapes, the times of 107 to 113 would have put MCC5 squarely in the Maroon team shift which Bill Boone was scheduled to work. 114 to 116 was the next Black team shift with Dave Reed back on the console. Boone seemed to have a very strong preference for 116 in all of the conversations on the FIDO loop.

I don't think any flight controller would necessarily shy away from doing a midcourse, but this was a novel procedure that had never been tried, and as of 91 hours it had not yet been simulated. With all the public pressure on Houston as a result of Windler and Weichel's alarming press conference, I have to imagine that being the FIDO on console for a manual course correction burn to get back in the corridor carries a metric ton of responsibility.

11

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / Re: Improved Apollo 13 MOCR audio transcripts

« on: October 21, 2024, 01:47:20 pm »

Looks good, thanks Ben. It does seem a bit more accurate. There were some quirks I noticed such as duplicate text or inconsistent words ("P2" and "P-tube" got mixed up a couple times in the transcript of a recent Moment of Interest I posted), but on the whole it seems pretty strong and if nothing else gives a good baseline to work with. It does pretty good at transcribing quiet parts in particular.

For example, parts like the attached image seem to occur a fair amount. (Having listened to these clips, I can say fairly confidently that "the, uh" is not repeated 15 times like the transcript implies here.) 

Edit - 10/22/2024: Per my updated post below, the transcript errors were due to my computer storing an outdated transcript in the browser cache. This was fixed by clearing cookies and cache for Apolloinrealtime.org.

12

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 125:28:47 AFD needs Xerox copies of the entry checklist ASAP

« on: October 21, 2024, 10:52:37 am »

It is often overlooked just how rushed and slapdash the last few hours were prior to reading up the re-entry procedures for Apollo 13. The reason it took so long to read the procedures up to the crew was because someone (possibly Gerry Griffin or Neil Hutchinson) insisted on ensuring that all of the flight controllers could get copies of Mattingly's checklist to review simultaneously with the reading of procedures -- and the Xerox machine nearest to the MOCR was broken.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=125:28:47&ch=6

13

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 125:12:38 FIDO Stoval doesn't want to know his P-tube station number

« on: October 21, 2024, 10:28:52 am »

RETRO Bobby Spencer and RETRO SUPPORT Bob Davis (a backroom SSR person whose technical capability is comparable to John Aaron's) wants to send FIDO Bill Stoval some data to help him answer an inquiry he received from NORAD. There is a problem, however, and it's nothing to do with the data, but rather the ingenious method that NASA built into the MOCR to help mail documents from one room to another - the pneumatic tube (P-tube) system.

Each engineer's console is fitted with a P-tube station, which is assigned a simple one or two-digit number.

Bill Stoval, the FIDO who was on duty for three burns during Apollo 13 -- MCC2 in translunar coast, the PC+2 abort burn in circumlunar space, and MCC5 in transearth coast -- is currently working his most "lax" shift in the MOCR, with both crew and MOCR practically on standby while the entry procedures are being finished up. He is nonplussed when asked to give his station's number.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=125:12:35&ch=19

14

Apollo 13 Moments of Interest / 136:12:29 "We've got the BOOSTER consoles completely occupied."

« on: October 17, 2024, 09:11:50 am »

At roughly 6.5 hours prior to re-entry, Neil Hutchinson in SPAN calls up GNC Buck Willoughby and proudly proclaims that the CSM engineers have completely filled up the SSR rooms, including the consoles that would have presumably have been used by the Booster engineers (or in Neil's parlance, the "Booster dummies") to spectate on re-entry. Earlier in the night, he had warned the CSM backroom folks to get in early to beat them to the punch.

As a humorous note: At around the same time that Milt Windler warned about access being restricted to the MOCR and SSRs due to overcrowding concerns, EECOM Charlie Dumis had cleverly asked his backroom personnel what they planned to be doing during re-entry. Dick Brown (EPS) said that he would be working on the Olivetti punching up numbers - and all of his colleagues thereafter said they would be helping him on the Olivetti. These "jobs" helped to justify them being in the SSR, ensuring they'd be able to view the re-entry.

Link: https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/?t=136:12:29&ch=18

15

General Discussion / Re: Other Apollo Missions

« on: October 03, 2024, 02:37:27 pm »

I would assume until there is an update from NSF that it's on hold indefinitely.