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It's Been 40 Years Since Apollo 11 Landed on the Moon

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It's Been 40 Years Since Apollo 11 Landed on the Moon [report] FOCUS It’s been 40 years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon - a milestone in mankind’s history. But despite technical innovation and scientific breakthrough, the courage and commitment of those involved was probably the key to its success. Scott Snowden explains. Images: courtesy Nasa and the Kennedy Space Center istory has demonstrated that the TO THE MOON ON THE POWER OF A LAPTOP space race was the first endeavour Jack Garman, an Apollo 11 computer Hof man - other than war - to engineer recalls that despite filling a whole challenge our entire scope of scientific and room of the building, the total processing technological capabilities. The crowning power of the computers in Mission Control the big moment in this challenge was when Apollo was minute and had no more power than 11 travelled 260,000 miles in space, landed one of today’s laptops. two astronauts on the moon and returned However, running a space mission on the safely – a momentous event that took place capacity of a single, modern laptop was a 40 years ago on July 24 1969. luxury compared to the computer power on However, the full scope of scientific and the spacecraft itself. That was comparable technological capabilities at that time was to something between a digital watch and not as advanced as many might think. It’s an early mobile phone. leap not until a few facts are revealed that it As Apollo flew to the moon, hundreds becomes clear quite how many seemingly of communications bounced between the impossible problems were overcome with spaceship and Ground Control and failing little more than daring and determination. to comprehend just one message could Centre Space Kennedy , NASA Images: writer; freelance Snowden, Scott Text: 54 55 [report] FOCUS Neil Armstrong in the lunar module The Apollo 11 crew board the astrovan The Saturn V blasts off The Apollo 11 Crew, Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin spell disaster. This placed everyone, from descent, he had his controllers go through fall out of orbit, comparable to a car on a module, the astronauts were aghast. such a white-knuckle scenario. They the most junior team member to the Flight ...Mission Control a ‘Go/No go’ and immediately he lost data very long mountain road with the driver Jack Garman, however, had come across started a clock running to count down how Director himself, under immense stress. again. So he added the words, “Give me riding the brake to adjust the speed and this alarm in a training exercise and had much fuel was left. As the craft reached lunar orbit, the received tracking data your Go/No go based on the last valid keep from going too fast. scribbled down the correct course of action Kranz instructed his controllers, “OK, astronauts prepared for what would be the that indicated it was frame of data that you saw.” To avoid colliding with the moon, the on a scrap of paper. He advised that if the the only call-outs from now on will most dangerous and unpredictable part Lunar Module now switched on its landing alarm was a one-off, the mission could be fuel…” of the mission - the descent to the moon not on the proper Flight Director (Kranz): “OK, all flight radar to determine its precise altitude. continue. But the problem didn’t want to Armstrong knew the fuel supply was itself. But as soon as the spacecraft came controllers, Go/No go for landing.” However, switching on the landing radar go away. The landing radar continued to dwindling; he had to find a safe spot to land around from behind the dark side of the trajectory Retro [Retrofire]: “Go.” started a near-catastrophic chain of events overload the computer. on. Looking out of the window, he saw a moon, Mission Control received tracking Fido [Flight Dynamics]: “Go.” that would turn the landing into a nail- Mission Control, “We’ve got another large crater littered with boulders the size data that indicated it was not on the Guidance [Navigation]: “Go.” biting drama. 1202 alarm.” of small cars, which is where the computer proper trajectory. Control [Control for the LM]:“Go.” With the computer plunging the lunar was taking him. With the fuel rapidly Guidance Controller, Steve Bells, called module’s systems or control its descent. INCO [Integrated Communications]: “Go.” SYSTEM OVERLOAD module into chaos, Armstrong decided to running out, the astronauts were faced with out, “Flight, I’m about halfway to my abort Desperately, they tried another way. They GNC [Guidance, Navigation, Control]:“Go.” An alarm sounded in the lunar module. override it and take manual control of the a serious problem. limit here - we seem to be out on our re-routed a link to the Lunar Module via EECOM [Emergency, Environmental Armstrong called out, “It’s a 1202…” vehicle. But by now, the spacecraft had radial velocity.” Mike Collins in the orbiting command ship. Consumables Management]: “Go.” Mission Control responded, veered a long way off course. JUST KEEP GOING As soon as he said the words “halfway This patched-up improvisation restored Surgeon [medical]: “Go.” “Standby…1202.” Aldrin and Armstrong were now flying Normally, the easiest option is to slow the to my abort limit”, all contact was broken a weak signal between the crew and the CAPCOM [Capsule Communicator]: “We’re over landmarks they didn’t recognise - the rate of descent and simply fly over any with the Lunar Module. Mission Control ground - but it wasn’t to last. go for landing.” No one knew what the alarm meant. Lunar Module was lost. That wasn’t all; potential obstacles, but this would take couldn’t communicate with the astronauts. It was up to one man, Flight Director Overwhelmed by information from the the descent engine’s fuel tank was running more time and burn more fuel, reducing the Gene Kranz, to decide if Mission Control As communications cut in and out, the landing radar, the tiny on-board computer critically low. With the Module still at remaining fuel required for takeoff. IMPROVISING ON THE GO had enough information to make the ‘Go/ Lunar Module began to power its way down had crashed. Instead of giving the crew 500ft, it was rushing into unknown terrain. Without communications or computer No go’ decision and continue the descent to the surface. vital information, it was flashing up a Neither the astronauts nor the mission MISSION CONTROL: “60 seCONDS.” data, Mission Control couldn’t monitor the to the moon. Five minutes prior to powered This descent was more like a controlled major overload warning. On board the lunar controllers had ever expected or rehearsed Any who have seen and heard the NASA 56 57 FOCUS [report NASA- InsPIRED TECHNOLOGIES 10An unbelievable amount of today’s technology that you take for granted has been developed as a result of the space programme. Black & Decker created a rotary hammer drill 1that Apollo astronauts used to extract rock samples from the moon’s surface. The company used that same technology to develop the Dustbuster and lightweight battery-powered medical instruments. The thermal protection system NASA uses Apollo 11 astronauts with Saturn V for re-entry to the earth’s atmosphere is Mission Control at Houston 2 now used by NASCAR to protect drivers from extreme heat generated by the engines. Although NASA did not invent the pizza 3oven, it made it more efficient by creating an air circulation technology that moves hot air around food instead of simply heating the oven cavity. When foods are heated this way directly, they cook four times faster than in conventional ovens. A metal designed for use on the 4International Space Station is used in a Jack Nicklaus range of golf clubs. The metal, Nitinol, was developed by the Memry Corp and keeps a ball on the clubface longer - this gives it more spin, enabling it to cover greater distances. NASA teamed up with Honeywell in the 51970s to invent the first adjustable smoke detector with different sensitivity levels that prevents false alarms. It was used at Skylab, the first U.S. space station. NASA’s moon boot technology is now used 6in athletic shoes. Sports equipment maker AVIA uses the same methods in NASA’s space footage replayed on television assume window and he knew that if he just kept suit design in its shoe manufacturing. with little or no thought, that this is going a little longer he would land the Doctors, nurses and even parents can simply a call from Mission Control Lunar Module safely. 7thank NASA for making oral and rectal indicating how much time is left before Through the windows of the Lunar thermometers obsolete. The ear thermometer the Eagle touches down. This was not Module, Aldrin could see the shadow of - which can take a temperature reading in the case. the spacecraft getting bigger and bigger less than two seconds, is based on infrared Co-pilot Buzz Aldrin had to be and dust began picking up around them. technology NASA used to measure the careful not to disturb Neil Armstrong’s Over the radio he informed mission temperature of stars. concentration, but at the same time he control, “Contact light. OK, engine stop...” NASA developed a translucent was anxious to get the lunar module on Armstrong confirmed they had 8polycrystalline alumina to protect the the ground as soon as they could. indeed finally touched down, “Houston, infrared antennae of heat-seeking trackers. This Their spacecraft continued to skim Tranquility base here, the Eagle was adapted by Unitek and is used for invisible over the dusty, grey lunar surface. has landed.” orthodontic braces.
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