\ NAT IONAL AERONAUT ICS AND SPAC E ADMIN ISTRATION Technical Report 32-1177 Surveyor Ill Mission Report Part I. Mission Description and Performance JET PROPULSION LAB ORATOR Y CALIFORNIA INS TITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PASAD E NA, CALIFORNIA September 1, 1967 NAT IONAL AERONA UT ICS AND SPAC E AD MINISTRAT ION Technical Report 32-1177 Surveyor Ill Mission Report Part I. Mission Description and Performance Approved for publication by: H. H. Haglund Surveyor Project Manager JET PROPULSION LAB ORA TOR Y CAL I FORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLO GY PASAD E NA, CAL I FORNI A September 1, 1967 TECHNICAL REPORT 32-1 177 Copyright © 7 196 Jet Propulsion laboratory California Institute of Technology Prepared Under Contract No. NAS 7-100 National Aeronautics Space Administration & Preface This three-part document constitutes the Surveyor III Mission Report. It describes the third in a series of unmanned missions designed to soft-land on the moon and return data from the lunar surface. Part I of this report consists of a technical description and an evaluation of engineering results of the systems utilized in the Surveyor III mission. Analysis of the data received from the Surveyor III mission is continuing, and it is expected that additional results will be obtained together with some improvement in accuracy. Part I was compiled using the contributions of many individuals in the major systems which support the Project. Some of the information for this report was obtained from other published documents; a list of these documents is con­ tained in a bibliography. Part II of this report presents the scientific data derived from the mission and the results of scientific analyses which have been conducted. Part III consists of selected pictures from Surveyor III and appropriate explanatory material. JPL TECHNICAL REPORT 32-1 177 iii Contents I. Introduction and Summary A. Surveyor Project Objectives 1 B. Project Description . 2 C. Mission Objectives • 3 D. Mission Summary • 3 II. Space Vehicle Preparations and Launch Operations . 7 A. Spacecraft Assembly and Testing . 7 B. Launch Vehicle Combined Systems Testing 8 C. Initial Spacecraft Operations at AFETR 8 D. Spacecraft Retest at El Segundo 9 Final Launch Operations at AFETR. 9 E. F. Launch Phase Real-Time Mission Analysis. 16 Ill. Launch Ve hi cle System 19 A. Atlas Stage 19 B. Centaur Stage . 20 Launch Vehicle/Spacecraft Interface 22 c. D. Vehicle Flight Sequence of Events . 23 E. Performance 26 IV. Surveyor Spacecraft 31 A. Spacecraft System . 31 B. Structures and Mechanisms 52 c. Thermal Control 61 D. Electrical Power 63 E. Propulsion . 67 F. Flight Control 76 G. Radar • 82 H. T elecomm unications 93 I. Television • 101 J. Soil Mechanics/ Surface Sampler 107 Tracking and Data System 113 v. A. Air Force Eastern Test Range 113 B. Goddard Space Flight Center 120 c. Deep Space Network 123 JPI. TECHNICAl. REPORT 32-1177 v Contents (contd) VI. Mission Operations System 135 A. Functions and Organization 135 B. Mission-Dependent Equipment. 138 Mission Operations Chronology 142 C. VII. Flight Path and Events 149 A. Prelaunch . 149 B. Launch Phase 149 Cruise Phase 150 c. D. Midcourse Maneuver Phase 154 E. Terminal Phase 161 F. Landing Site 161 Appendix A. Surveyor Ill Flight Events 163 Appendix B. Surveyor Ill Spacecraft Configuration 171 Appendix C. Surveyor Ill Spacecraft Data Content of Telemetry Modes 175 Appendix D. Surveyor Ill Spacecraft Temperature Histories 179 Glossary 189 Bibliography 191 Tables 11-1. Major operations at Cape Kennedy . 12 11-2. Surveyor Ill countdown time summary 14 111-1. Atlas propellant residuals 27 111-2. Centaur usable propellant residuals 27 111-3. Spacecraft angular separation rates 28 IV-1. Surveyor Ill spacecraft telemetry mode summary 36 IV-2. Surveyor Ill instrumentation. 38 IV-3. Notable differences between Surveyors II and Ill 42 IV-4. Surveyor spacecraft subsystem reliability estimates 42 IV-5. Surveyor Ill maximum measured peak-to-peak acceleration compared with data from Surveyors I and II 44 IV-6. Predicted and actual times corresponding to terminal descent events . 47 IV-7. Predicted and actual values of terminal descent parameters 47 IV-8. Peak axial loads during landing sequence . 57 IV-9. Thermal compartment component installation 59 IV-10. Pyrotechnic devices . 61 vi JPL TECHNICAL REPORT 32-l l77 Contents (contd) Tables (contd) IV-1 1. Summary of power subsystem performance 65 IV-12. Vernier propellant consumption . 75 IV-13. Flight control modes. 78 IV-14. Star angles and intensities: indicated and predicted 80 IV-15. Attitude errors during terminal descent . 81 IV-16. Nitrogen gas consumption 83 IV-17. Typical signal processing parameter values. 99 IV-18 . SM/SS motion increments 109 V-1. AFETR configuration. 115 V-2. MSFN configuration . 121 V-3. DSN tracking data requirements 124 V-4. Characteristics for S-band tracking systems . 125 V-5. Operational readiness tests . 125 V-6. Commands transmitted by DSIF stations 128 V-7. TV pictures received by DSIF stations 128 Vl-1. CDC mission-dependent equipment support of Surveyor Ill at DSIF stations 139 VI-2. Surveyor Ill command and TV activity 140 VI I-1. Surveyor Ill premidcourse orbit determinations . 155 VII-2. Midcourse maneuver alternatives 159 VII-3. Premidcourse and postmidcourse injection and terminal conditions 160 A-1. Mission flight events 163 A-2. Lunar operations sequences • 169 Figures 1-1. Earth-moon trajectory and major events 4 II-f. Surveyor Ill vernier engine vibration retest • 10 11-2. Surveyor Ill spacecraft prepared for encapsulation . 11 11-3. Surveyor Ill spacecraft undergoing alignment checks in ESF 13 At /as/Centaur AC-12 launching Surveyor Ill 15 11-4. 11-5. Final Surveyor Ill launch window design for April 1967 16 111-1 . At /as I Centavr I Surveyor space vehicle configuration 20 111-2. Surveyor I Centaur interface configuration 22 111-3. Launch phase nominal events 24 IV-1. Surveyor Ill spacecraft in cruise mode 32 JPL TECHNICAL REPORT 32-llll vii Contents (contd) Figures (contd) IV-2. Simplified spacecraft functional block diagram . 33 IV-3. Spacecraft coordinates relative to celestial references 34 IV-4. Terminal descent nominal events 39 IV-5. RADVS beam orientation 40 IV-6. Range--velocity diagram 40 IV-7. Surveyor spacecraft reliability estimates 41 IV-8. Launch-phase accelerometer location 43 IV-9. Surveyor transit phase telemetry data rate/ mode profile 45 Ill IV-1 0. Surveyor terminal descent and landing events chart. 48 Ill IV-11. Surveyor ///landing sequence . 49 IV-12. Surveyor landed attitude. 50 Ill IV-13. Surveyor second touchdown footpad imprints 51 Ill IV-14. Footpad 2 impression from third touchdown event 52 IV-15. Surveyor posttouchdown shadow patterns . 53 Ill IV-16. Landing leg assembly 55 IV-17. Loads on spacecraft shock absorbers during landing sequence . 56 IV-18. Antenna/ solar panel configuration. 58 IV-19. Thermal switch 60 IV-20. Thermal design 62 IV-21. Simplified electrical power functional block diagram 64 IV-22. Solar panel output current during transit 66 IV-23. Solar panel output voltage during transit 66 IV-24. Optimum charge regulator output current during transit 67 IV-25. Battery energy remaining during transit 67 IV-26. Total battery discharge current during transit 68 IV-27. Auxiliary battery voltage during transit. 68 IV-28. Unregulated bus voltage during transit. 69 Unregulated output current during transit 69 IV-29. IV-30. Boost regulator differential current during transit 70 IV-31. Total regulated output current during transit 70 IV-32. Vernier propulsion system installation . 71 IV-33. Vernier propulsion system schematic showing locations of pressure and temperature sensors . 72 IV-34. Vernrer engine thrust chamber assembly 73 IV-35. Range of temperature during transit 74 IV-36. Vernier system temperature ranges during lunar day 75 IV-37. Main retrorocket motor . 76 viii JPI. TECHNICAl. REPORT 32-1177 Contents (contd) Figures (contd) IV-38. Simplified flight control functional diagram. 77 IV-39. Gas-jet attitude control system 78 IV-40. Descent profile, below 1000 ft 81 IV-41. Descent profile, above 1000 ft 82 IV-42. Altitude marking radar functional diagram. 83 IV-43. Altitude marking radar AGC 84 IV-44. Simplified RADVS functional block diagram. 85 IV-45. Reflectivity of RADVS Velocity Beam 1 during descent 86 IV-46. Reflectivity of RADVS Velocity Beam 2 during descent . 87 IV-47. Reflectivity of RADVS Velocity Beam 3 during descent . 88 IV-48. Reflectivity of RADVS Velocity Beam 4 during descent 89 IV-49. X-component ot velocity during descent. 90 IV-50. ¥-component ot velocity during descent. 90 IV-51. Z-component of velocity during descent. 91 IV-52. Z-component of velocity during final descent 92 IV-53. Range vs time during final descent . 92 IV-54. Radio subsystem block diagram. 94 IV-55. Receiver A/ Omniantenna A total received power during transit 96 IV-56. Receiver B/ Omniantenna B total received power during transit 96 IV-57. DSI F received power during transit . 97 IV-58. Simplified signal processing functional block diagram 98 IV-59. Survey TV camera . 102 IV-60. Simplified survey TV camera functional block diagram. 103 IV-61. Relative tristimulus values of the color filter elements 104 IV-62. TV photometric/ colorimetric reference chart 104 IV-63. Surveyor camera 600-line transfer characteristic for Ill center of frame with Transmitter A . 105 IV-64. Surveyor camera 600-line transfer characteristic at Ill f/4 for all filter wheel positions. 106 IV-65. Surveyor camera 200-line light transfer characteristic for Ill center of frame with Transmitter A . 106 IV-66. Surveyor camera 600-line shading near saturation . 107 Ill IV-67. Camera frequency response characteristic (center of frame, Transmitter A) . 107 IV-68. SM/ SS deployment envelope 108 IV-69.