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Apollo 11: Spacecraft Commentary

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Apollo 11: Spacecraft Commentary Apollo 11 Spacecraft Commentary NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER HOUSTON, TEXAS 20050217 APOLLO 11 - SPACECRAFT COMMENTARY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION Apollo 11 Spacecraft Commentary July 16 – 24, 1969 MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER HOUSTON, TEXAS July 16th, 1969 Y A 1D 7-16-69 APOLLO 11 - MISSION COMMENTARY CDT 7:02 - GET T-90 - 1/1 PAO This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control T minus 1 hour 30 minutes 55 seconds and counting. All elements are GO with the countdown at this time, the countdown aimed at landing 2 astronauts on the Moon. At this time the spacecraft Test Conductor Skip Chauvin going through some checks with astronaut Mike Collins aboard the spacecraft. We're winding up this important emergency detection system test that Neil Armstrong has been participating in. Meanwhile, at the 320 foot level the closeout crew now placing the boost protective cover over the hatch now that we have completed the cabin purge and have the proper cabin environment inside the cabin. We have also performed leak checks to assure ourselves that the cabin atmosphere is valid. This boost protective cover is used during the early phases of a powered flight and it is jettisoned with the escape tower shortly after second stage ignition. Here in the firing room the launch vehicle test team's still keeping a close eye on the status of the propellants aboard the Saturn V launch vehicle. We're back to 100 percent supply with the liquid hydrogen fuel in the third stage. This problem with the leaking valve is no problem at this time. We've actually bypassed the valve that we are maintaining our hydrogen supply aboard the vehicle. All aspects GO, the weather is very satisfactory this morning, a thin cloud cover about 15,000 feet, temperature at launch time exected to be about 85 degrees. At T minus I hour, 29 minutes, 30 seconds and counting, this is Kennedy Launch Control. »» END OF TAPE «« CDT 7:11 - GET T-l:20 - 2/1 PAO This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control T minus 1 hour, 20 minutes, 55 seconds and counting. All is still GO with the countdown for Apollo 11 at this time. At this point in the countdown Spacecraft Commander Neil Armstrong once again appears to be the busiest worker in the spacecraft as he is performing a series of alignment checks associated with the guidance system in the spacecraft. He is working these checks with the spacecraft test conductor as the test conductor reads out the various procedures and Armstrong responds to them. The astronauts aboard the spacecraft also were informed by the spacecraft conductor a short while ago that the launch vehicle is GO at this time. The hydrogen problem that we did encounter earlier has been solved. That is real good news said Armstrong and then he went back to work shortly thereafter. We are now coming up on the 1 hour, 20 minute mark in the countdown. This is Kennedy Launch Control. »» END OF TAPE «« CDT 7:21 - GET T-1:11:55 - 3/1 PAO This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control. T minus one hour, 11 minutes, 55 seconds and counting. The countdown for Apollo 11 still going very satisfactorily at this time. In most cases we're a matter of 5 or 10 minutes ahead of the countdown procedures. The crew in the white room at the 10 and 20 foot level who have been aiding the astronauts up to this time are just in the process of finishing up their work. They've been advised by the spacecraft test conductor that they'll probably be able to move out in about 3 minutes or so. Once this is accomplished, once the close-out crew does depart, we'll be ready to move that swing-arm back - swing-arm 9. It will be moved 12 degrees away from the spacecraft hatch which is about 5 feet away from the hatch. Once this is accomplished, we will arm the pyrotechnic systems in the spacecraft so in the event of a possible catastrophic condition below them, the launch vehicle, while still on the pad, the astronauts could fire that escape rocket and separate from the rocket in difficulty. The close-out crew are about to depart at this time. That swing- arm remains about 12 degrees away from the spacecraft hatch as mentioned - 5 feet or so until the 5-minute mark in the count when it's fully retracted to it's fall-back position. The obvious reason here is in the event we do have to get the astronauts out in a hurry, the swing- arm is in a stand-by position and could be moved rapidly back to the hatch - to the hatch level so the astronauts could depart in the event of an emergency. We're coming up on T minus 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 20 seconds. This is Kennedy Launch Control. »» END OF TAPE «« 7 APOLLO 11 - MISSION COMMENTARY 7-16-69 CDT 7:25 - GET T-1:07:25 - 4/1 PAO This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control at 1 hours 7 minutes 25 seconds and counting, countdown still proceeding satisfactorily. For those people who would like to synchronize their watches in relation to the count, we'll synchronize on 26 minutes past the hour, which is now about 65 seconds away. We'll count down the last 5 seconds to 26 minutes past the hour. We're now 1 minute away from 26 minutes past the hour. In the meantime, we do have information from the Civil Defense Agency in the area. The estimate is more than a million persons are in the immediate area in Brevard County to watch the launch. Now 40 seconds away from 26 minutes past the hour. Civil Defense Agency reports further that there is extensive heavy traffic, a number of traffic jams, particularly in the area of Titusville and the U.S. 1 and Route 50. Countdown still progressing satisfactorily. 15 seconds away from 26 minutes. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Mark. 8:26 am Eastern Daylight Time. We're now 1 hour 5 minutes 55 seconds and counting as it was announced at that point. This is Kennedy Launch Control. »» END OF TAPE «« CDT 7:31 - GET T-61 min - 5/1 PAO This is Apollo-Saturn launch control. T-61 minutes and counting - T-61 minutes on the Apollo 11 countdown, and all elements are GO at this time. Astronaut Neil Armstrong has just completed a series of checks on that big service propulsion system engine that sits below him in the stack. We want to assure ourselves before liftoff that that engine can respond to commands from inside the spacecraft. As Neil Armstrong moved his rotational hand controller we assured ourselves that the engine did respond by swiveling or gimballing. This is - course is important for maneuvers in space. The countdown is still proceeding very satisfactorily other than two minor problems essentially picked up the count at 11 pm eastern daylight time last night, all has gone well. As we approach the one hour mark now, in the count of series of radio frequency and telemetry checks will be in progress with the launch vehicle. We'll also check out the tracking beacons in the instrument unit that travels as a guidance system for the Saturn 5 during the powered phase of flight. Now 59 minutes, 48 seconds and counting, this is Kennedy launch control. »» END OF TAPE «« CDT 7:36 - GET T-56 - 6/1 PAO This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We have just passed the 56-minute mark in our countdown. We are still proceeding in an excellent manner at this time. All elements reporting in that all systems continuing to look good at this point. We are still aiming toward our planned liftoff at the start of the lunar window 9:32 AM eastern daylight. A short while ago, in fact the spacecraft test conductor - we are doing quite well, in fact some 15 minutes ahead on some aspects of the preparation spacecraftwise. Armstrong replied that was fine so long as we don't launch 15 minutes early. I guess they are referring to the start of the window. The countdown is still going well, T minus 55 minutes, 10 seconds in counting, this is Kennedy Launch Control. »» END OF TAPE «« CDT 7:41 - GET T-50:51 - 7/1 PAO This is Apollo/Saturn Launch Control. We have passed the 51 minute mark in our countdown. We're now T minus 50 minutes 51 seconds and counting. Apollo 11 countdown is still GO at this time, all elements reporting ready at this point in the countdown. The spacecraft - correction - the Test Supervisor Bill Schick has advised all hands here in the control center and spacecraft checkout people that in about 30 seconds that big swing arm that has been attached to the spacecraft up to now will be moved back to a parked position some 5 feet away from the spacecraft. We alert the astronauts because there is a little jolt when this arm is moved away. It will remain in that position some 5 feet away from the spacecraft until the 5 minute mark in the count when it's completely pulled away to its retracted position. It's coming up now in 5 seconds, the swing arm will come back. Mark. The swing arm now coming back from the spacecraft. Countdown proceeding satisfactortly, we've completed our telemetry checks with the launch vehicle and at this point with the swing arm back we arm the pyrotechnics so that escape tower atop the astronauts, atop their 8 7-16-69 APOLLO 11 - MISSION COMMENTARY spacecraft, could be used if a catastrophic condition was going to occur under them with the launch vehicle from this point on down in the countdown.
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