Page 14 - Apollo Moonships

12 On bOard apOllO mOOnships
PREPARATORY MISSIONS
The year following the Kennedy commitment to put a man on the moon was a period of crucial decisions. After long debates
in which governmental, private, and academic institutions took part, the master plan that would make possible the lunar trip was finally defined: not only the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous Mode (see page 4) was selected as the best way to perform the mission,
but also the roles and tasks to develop and build the lunar rocket (Saturn V) and the Apollo moonships. In addition, NASA instituted two projects aimed at reuniting the knowledge and skills required for the lunar adventure: the exploration of the moon by space probes—the Ranger, Lunar Orbiter, and Surveyor Programs—and a series of manned and unmanned space flights—the Gemini Program—designed to develop the essential flight techniques required during the lunar missions.
RANGER 7 SPACE PROBE
Omnidirectional antenna
Sun shield
Directional high gain antenna
Solar panel
RCA TV subsystem
Power plant
PROBES TO SCOUT THE MOON
Battery
Attitude controls
Between 1961 and 1965, the Ranger program sent nine space probes to the moon with relative success; six failed, but the
rest took thousands of close-up photos and TV images of the lunar surface. Between 1966 and 1967, the United States sent
to the moon another five probes as part of the Lunar Orbiter reconnaissance program. These probes map 99% of the lunar surface, exploring possible moon landing areas. The last lunar flights of robotic exploration prior to the Apollo missions were carried out by the Surveyor Program between June 1966 and January 1968, with the successful landing of five probes designed to evaluate the lunar soil mechanics, find how deep it was, and test if soft-lunar descents were possible.
THE GEMINI PROGRAM
Developed between 1964 and 1966, the Gemini Program consisted of 12 space missions, including two unmanned flight tests, which completed about 2,000 man-hours into the Earth’s orbit. The program was designed to pave the way for the lunar adventure and to investigate many of the critical situations that the astronauts probably would face during the trip to the moon: test new guidance and navigation systems, try out rendezvous and docking maneuvers, prove spacesuits, perform extravehicular activities, improve the controlled method to reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, and test the spaceships and their crews during long-distance flights. The success of the Gemini Program gave NASA great confidence to perform the complex space operations needed to carry out future lunar missions, reducing the risk of eventual mishaps.