Apollo in perspective : spaceflight then and now / Jonathan Allday.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Allday, Jonathan, author.

Contributor:

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Project Apollo (U.S.).

Space flight--History.

Space flight.

History.

Physical Description:

x, 232 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, [2020]

Contents:

1 Apollo in outline p. 1

1.1 The politics of Apollo p. 1

1.2 The mission p. 2

1.3 The Moon p. 7

1.3.1 Apollo's contribution to lunar science p. 10

1.3.2 The origin of the Moon p. 12

1.3.3 Moon facts p. 13

1.4 The immediate future p. 13

2 The best driver in physics p. 15

2.1 The first voyage to the Moon p. 15

2.2 On spacecraft and shopping trolleys p. 15

2.3 The power of imagination p. 15

2.4 Falling p. 18

2.5 Forces during liftoff: The astronauts p. 20

2.6 Forces during liftoff: The spacecraft p. 23

2.7 Momentum p. 25

2.8 The physics of rocket motors p. 27

3 Rocketry p. 31

3.1 Faltering starts p. 31

3.2 Thrust p. 32

3.3 Propellant p. 32

3.4 Applying Newton's laws to spacecraft p. 34

3.4.1 No gravitational force p. 36

3.4.2 The effect of gravitational pull: Launch p. 37

3.5 Real rocket engines p. 38

3.5.1 Propellant delivery p. 38

3.5.2 Nozzle design p. 40

3.5.3 Controlling thrust (throttling) p. 44

3.6 Staging p. 44

3.7 Future developments in rocketry p. 48

3.7.1 Nuclear thermal engines p. 49

3.7.2 Solar thermal engines p. 50

3.7.3 Ion drive (electrical propulsion) p. 51

Intermission 1 The Saturn V Booster Rocket p. 55

11.1 A typical Saturn V launch p. 58

11.1.1 Stage details from the press kit issued prior to Apollo 11 launch p. 60

11.1.2 Payload capacity (total mass of components above instrument unit) p. 61

11.1.3 Saturn V contractors p. 61

4 Orbits and trajectories p. 63

4.1 Hollywood gets it right p. 63

4.2 Falling again p. 63

4.3 Orbits p. 65

4.4 Centripetal forces p. 67

4.5 Gravity and orbits p. 69

4.6 Other orbits p. 71

4.7 Simulating gravity p. 71

4.8 Changing orbits p. 73

4.8.1 Hohmann transfers p. 77

4.9 Flying to the Moon p. 78

4.10 Missions to Mars p. 79

4.10.1 Martian transfer orbits p. 80

Opposition-type transfers p. 81

Conjunction-type transfers p. 81

ΔV versus mission duration p. 81

4.10.2 Mars launch windows p. 83

Intermission 2 From Mercury to Gemini p. 85

5 The Apollo command and service modules p. 91

5.1 Mission modes p. 91

5.1.1 The wild side p. 92

5.2 The command module (CM) p. 94

5.2.1 Command module construction and heat shields p. 96

5.2.2 The forward compartment p. 98

5.2.3 The aft compartment p. 98

5.2.4 The crew compartment p. 98

5.2.5 Manoeuvring p. 102

5.2.6 Docking p. 102

5.2.7 Re-entry and splashdown p. 104

5.3 The service module (SM) p. 106

5.3.1 Design and construction p. 106

5.3.2 The SPS p. 107

5.3.3 Fuel cells (Electrical Power System or EPS) p. 107

5.3.4 Communications p. 108

Intermission 3 Inertial Guidance and Computers p. 111

13.1 The need for a guidance system p. 111

13.2 Guidance and control systems p. 112

13.3 The Apollo computer p. 113

13.3.1 The principle of core memory p. 115

13.4.1 Software engineering 'on the hoof' p. 116

6 The lunar module p. 117

6.1 Designing the first spacecraft p. 117

6.2 The ascent stage p. 117

6.2.1 The environmental control system p. 122

6.3 The descent stage p. 124

6.3.1 Powered descent p. 125

6.3.2 The flying bedstead p. 126

6.4 Spacesuits p. 127

6.4.1 Backpacks p. 130

6.5 The lunar rover p. 131

6.6 The ascent to orbit p. 133

Intermission 4 The Three 'INGS' p. 135

14.1 Eating p. 135

14.2 Sleeping p. 135

14.3 Excreting p. 136

7 The missions p. 137

7.1 The great tragedy: Apollo 1 p. 137

7.2 Testing phase: Apollos 4-6 p. 139

7.2.1 Apollo 4 launch (November 4, 1967) p. 139

7.2.2 Apollo 5 launch (January 22, 1968) p. 139

7.2.3 Apollo 6 launch (April 4, 1968) p. 140

7.3 The forgotten mission: Apollo 7 (October 11-22, 1968) p. 141

7.4 The most daring mission: Apollo 8 (December 21-27, 1968) p. 141

7.5 The LM flies: Apollo 9 (March 3-13, 1969) p. 143

7.6 The LM's first journey to the Moon: Apollo 10 (May 18-26, 1969) p. 144

7.7 The landing: Apollo 11 (July 16-24, 1969) p. 146

7.8 Precision landing and all-weather testing: Apollo 12 (November 14-24, 1969) p. 148

7.9 The almost tragedy: Apollo 13 (April 11-17, 1970) p. 152

7.10 Apollo 14 (January 31-February 9, 1971) p. 155

7.11 Apollo 15 (July 26-August 7, 1971) p. 157

7.12 Apollo 16 (April 16-27, 1972) p. 159

7.13 Apollo 17 (April 16-27, 1972) p. 159

7.14 Apollo-Soyuz (Apollo: July 15-24, 1975; Soyuz: July 15-24, 1975) p. 162

8 The space shuttle p. 165

8.1 Rocket planes p. 165

8.2 The STS components p. 166

8.2.1 The orbiter p. 167

8.2.1.1 The remote manipulator arm p. 170

8.2.1.2 Thermal protection p. 171

8.2.2 The external tank p. 172

8.2.3 The solid rocket boosters (SRBs) p. 172

8.3 Computer systems p. 173

8.4 Assembling the space shuttle p. 173

8.5 Installing the payloads p. 176

8.6 Launching a shuttle p. 176

8.7 Challenger p. 179

8.7.1 Physical causes of the disaster p. 180

8.7.2 Investigation conclusions p. 183

8.8 Columbia p. 183

8.8.1 The mission p. 184

8.8.2 Launch p. 184

8.8.3 Foam strike p. 184

8.8.4 Debris loss p. 185

8.8.5 Re-entry p. 186

8.8.6 The investigation board p. 187

8.8.7 Foam loss during launch p. 188

8.9 Space transportation system (STS) evaluation p. 189

Intermission 5 The International Space Station (ISS) p. 193

9 From the Moon to Mars p. 197

9.1 Fifty years of NASA (1969-2019) p. 197

9.1.1 The post-Apollo years p. 197

9.1.2 Space shuttles and SEI p. 199

9.1.3 Faster-better-cheaper p. 200

9.1.4 The vision p. 201

9.1.5 Moon to Mars p. 202

9.2 Orion p. 203

9.2.1 The service module p. 203

9.2.2 The crew module p. 203

9.2.3 The launch escape system p. 206

9.3 The space launch system p. 206

9.3.1 Criticisms of SLS and changing NASA opinions p. 207

9.4 Lunar orbital platform - Gateway p. 209

9.4.1 Halo orbits p. 210

9.4.2 Criticism of lunar gateway p. 211

9.5 On to Mars p. 211

9.5.1 Mars Direct proposal p. 211

9.5.1.1 The Mars Direct profile p. 212

9.5.2 NASA's reaction p. 213

9.5.3 SpaceX p. 215.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

9780367263355

0367263351

9780367263331

0367263335

OCLC:

1102471910

Publisher Number:

99981826775