Page 10 - Apollo Moonships

8 On bOard apOllO mOOnships
THE TOOLS FOR THE JOB
In May of 1961, the former President of the U.S., John F. Kennedy, surprised the nation by announcing his intention to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade. At that time, neither the United States nor any other country had the technological capability to perform a task of this magnitude, but American scientists, researchers, and engineers were convinced that it could be done. To accomplish this national goal, however, new concepts, tools, techniques, and procedures would be required, many of them virtually created from scratch.
SUPPORT PROGRAMS
The decision to go to the moon involved many resources and efforts, not only to build the rockets and spacecraft that would carry out the mission but also to gain experience in manned space flights and to know the characteristics
of the moon’s surface (chemical composition, geology, geography, etc.). In order to acquire the necessary space flight skills, NASA developed Project Gemini, which consisted of 2 unmanned and 10 manned flights to the Earth’s orbit occurring between 1965 and 1966. Thanks to this project, the American astronauts learned how to work in space and perform orbital maneuvers (locate, rendezvous, and dock with another spacecraft, for example). In addition to these preparations, NASA sent several probes to orbit, study, and photograph the moon. One of the most successful lunar scout projects was the Surveyor Program, which landed five probes on the moon and transmitted many data, television signals, and high-resolution images of the lunar surface. The Surveyor 6 probe even took off from the lunar surface, flew for a short time at an altitude of 12 feet, and landed again successfully.
AMERICA’S FIRST SPACEWALK
Astronaut Edward H. White floats outside the Gemini 4 spacecraft on June 3, 1965, becoming the first American to walk in space. NASA planned this extravehicular activity (EVA) to
test the spacesuits and check the human body performance in the void of space as part of
the preparations for an eventual trip to the moon. Astronaut White remained outside the spacecraft for 23 minutes, attached to the Gemini capsule by a 25-foot umbilical line and tether cord. In his left hand, he held an emergency oxygen supply pack.
THE MOON ROCKET
To propel a spacecraft to the moon, NASA needed a much more powerful rocket than any in the U.S. inventory. This rocket should be able to carry a payload of at least 45 tons beyond
the orbit of the Earth, something that has never been attempted. The task of developing the rocket fell to German engineer Werhern Von Braun (1912–1977), director of Marshall Space Flight Center, who created several prototypes culminating in the formidable Saturn V. The combined power of the three phases of this liquid-fuel rocket generated almost 9 million pounds of thrust, 7.5 million of it from the enormous five F-1 engines of the first stage. To build this heavy-lift rocket, it was necessary to develop new materials and systems to withstand the extremely high temperatures and forces that Saturn V produced during flight.