Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “experience report”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6

Apollo experience report: Systems and flight procedures development

This report describes the process of crew procedures development used in the Apollo Program. The two major categories, Systems Procedures and Flight Procedures, are defined, as are the forms of documentation required. A description is provided of the operation of the procedures change control process, which includes the roles of man-in-the-loop simulations and the Crew Procedures Change Board. Brief discussions of significant aspects of the attitude control, computer, electrical power, environmental control, and propulsion subsystems procedures development are presented. Flight procedures are subdivided by mission phase: launch and translunar injection, rendezvous, lunar descent and ascent, and entry. Procedures used for each mission phase are summarized.

Kramer, P. C.↗

Apollo experience report: Postflight testing of command modules

Various phases of the postflight testing of the command modules used in the Apollo Program are presented. The specific tasks to be accomplished by the task force recovery teams, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, (formerly the Manned Spacecraft Center) and the cognizant contractors/subcontractors are outlined. The means and methods used in postflight testing and how such activities evolved during the Apollo Program and were tailored to meet specific test requirements are described. Action taken to resolve or minimize problems or anomalies discovered during the flight, the postflight test phase, or mission evaluation is discussed.

Hamilton, D. T.↗

Apollo experience report: Television system

The progress of the Apollo television systems from the early definition of requirements through the development and inflight use of color television hardware is presented. Television systems that have been used during the Apollo Program are discussed, beginning with a description of the specifications for each system. The document describes the technical approach taken for the development of each system and discusses the prototype and engineering hardware built to test the system itself and to perform the testing to verify compatibility with the spacecraft systems. Problems that occurred during the design and development phase are described. Finally, the flight hardware, operational characteristics, and performance during several Apollo missions are described, and specific recommendations for the remaining Apollo flights and future space missions are made.

Coan, P. P.↗

Apollo experience report: Earth landing system

A brief discussion of the development of the Apollo earth landing system and a functional description of the system are presented in this report. The more significant problems that were encountered during the program, the solutions, and, in general, the knowledge that was gained are discussed in detail. Two appendixes presenting a detailed description of the various system components and a summary of the development and the qualification test programs are included.

West, R. B.↗

Apollo experience report: Thermal protection subsystem

The Apollo command module was the first manned spacecraft to be designed to enter the atmosphere of the earth at lunar-return velocity, and the design of the thermal protection subsystem for the resulting entry environment presented a major technological challenge. Brief descriptions of the Apollo command module thermal design requirements and thermal protection configuration, and some highlights of the ground and flight testing used for design verification of the system are presented. Some of the significant events that occurred and decisions that were made during the program concerning the thermal protection subsystem are discussed.

Pavlosky, J. E.↗

Apollo experience report: Command and service module communications subsystem

The development of spacecraft communications hardware from design to operation is described. Programs, requirements, specifications, and design approaches for a variety of functions (such as voice, telemetry, television, and antennas) are reviewed. Equipment environmental problems such as vibration, extreme temperature variation, and zero gravity are discussed. A review of the development of managerial techniques used in refining the roles of prime and subcontractors is included. The hardware test program is described in detail as it progressed from breadboard design to manned flight system evaluations. Finally, a series of actions is recommended to managers of similar projects to facilitate administration.

Lattier, E. E., Jr.↗

Apollo experience report: Development flight instrumentation

Development flight instrumentation was delivered for 25 Apollo vehicles as Government-furnished equipment. The problems and philosophies of an activity that was concerned with supplying telemetry equipment to a space-flight test program are discussed. Equipment delivery dates, system-design details, and flight-performance information for each mission also are included.

Farmer, N. B.↗

Apollo experience report: Command and service module electrical power distribution on subsystem

A review of the design philosophy and development of the Apollo command and service modules electrical power distribution subsystem, a brief history of the evolution of the total system, and some of the more significant components within the system are discussed. The electrical power distribution primarily consisted of individual control units, interconnecting units, and associated protective devices. Because each unit within the system operated more or less independently of other units, the discussion of the subsystem proceeds generally in descending order of complexity; the discussion begins with the total system, progresses to the individual units of the system, and concludes with the components within the units.

Munford, R. E.↗

Apollo experience report the command and service module milestone review process

The sequence of the command and service module milestone review process is given, and the Customer Acceptance Readiness Review and Flight Readiness Review plans are presented. Contents of the System Summary Acceptance Documents for the two formal spacecraft reviews are detailed, and supplemental data required for presentation to the review boards are listed. Typical forms, correspondence, supporting documentation, and minutes of a board meeting are included.

Brendle, H. L.↗

Apollo experience report: Data management for postflight engineering evaluation

The Apollo management of data for postflight engineering evaluation is described. The sources of Apollo telemetry data, the control of data processing by a single data team, the data techniques used to assist in evaluation of the large quantity of data, and the operation of the data team before the mission and during the evaluation phase are described. The techniques used to ensure the output of valid data and to determine areas in which data were of questionable quality are also included.

Foster, G. B., Jr.↗

Apollo experience report: Flight-control data needs, terminal display devices, and ground system configuration requirements

The development of flight-control facilities for the Apollo program is reviewed from the viewpoint of the user organization. These facilities are treated in three categories: data systems, ground-based display and control systems, and configuration management. The effects of certain Apollo program factors on the selection, sizing, and configuration management of these systems are discussed. Recommendations are made regarding improvement of the systems and the reduction of system sensitivity to the program factors.

Hoover, R. A.↗

Apollo experience report: Test and checkout

The problem areas encountered during the development of the acceptance testing and preflight checkout requirements and procedures for Apollo spacecraft are discussed. Recommendations are given for cases in which methods used in the Apollo program are considered to apply to future space flight programs.

Mechelay, J. E.↗

Apollo experience report: Food systems

Development, delivery, and use of food systems in support of the Apollo 7 to 14 missions are discussed. Changes in design criteria for this unique program as mission requirements varied are traced from the baseline system that was established before the completion of the Gemini Program. Problems and progress in subsystem management, material selection, food packaging, development of new food items, menu design, and food-consumption methods under zero-gravity conditions are described. The effectiveness of various approaches in meeting food system objectives of providing flight crews with safe, nutritious, easy to prepare, and highly acceptable foods is considered. Nutritional quality and adequacy in maintaining crew health are discussed in relation to the establishment of nutritional criteria for future missions. Technological advances that have resulted from the design of separate food systems for the command module, the lunar module, The Mobile Quarantine Facility, and the Lunar Receiving Laboratory are presented for application to future manned spacecraft and to unique populations in earthbound situations.

Smith, M. C., Jr.↗

Apollo experience report: Spacecraft structure subsystem

The flightworthiness of the Apollo spacecraft structure was verified primarily through a rigorous, vehicle level, ground test program and flight tests. The failures and anomalies encountered during this testing were the major factors considered in determining necessary modifications to the basic design of the spacecraft structure. In this report, these failures, their causes, and their resolutions are discussed. A description of the spacecraft structure and discussions of the ground and flight test programs are presented.

Smith, P. D.↗

Apollo experience report: The role of flight mission rules in mission preparation and conduct

The development of flight mission rules from the mission development phase through the detailed mission-planning phase and through the testing and training phase is analyzed. The procedure for review of the rules and the coordination requirements for mission-rule development are presented. The application of the rules to real-time decision making is outlined, and consideration is given to the benefit of training ground controllers and flightcrews in the methods of determining the best response to a nonnominal in-flight situation for which no action has been preplanned. The Flight Mission Rules document is discussed in terms of the purpose and objective thereof and in terms of the definition, the development, and the use of mission rules.

Keyser, L. W.↗