Some of the planned missions of Apollo's 1960s and 1970s manned Moon landing programs were canceled for various reasons, including changes in technical direction, Apollo 1 fires, hardware delays, and budget constraints. After the landing by Apollo 12, Apollo 20, which will be the last manned mission to the Moon, was canceled to allow Skylab to launch as a "dry garage" (gathered on the ground). The next two missions, Apollos 18 and 19, were later canceled after the Apollo 13 incident and further budget cuts. Two Skylab missions were also finally canceled. Two complete Saturn Vs were eventually deprecated and are currently on display in several locations across the United States.
Video Canceled Apollo missions
Plan a mission before the Apollo 1 fire
In September 1962, NASA planned to create four low Earth orbit test flights supervised by a portion of Block I of Command/Service Module (CSM) using the Saturn I Block, designated SA-11 through SA-14, in 1965 and 1966 However, the limited payload capacity of Saturn I compared to the enhanced IB Saturn will greatly limit the carrying system, and thus the test value of this flight. Therefore, NASA canceled this flight in October 1963, and replaced it with two manned IB Saturn missions, designated US-204 and US-205. This will be followed by the first unmanned flight of Lunar Module (LM) at AS-206, then the third manned mission, designated AS-207/208, will use AS-207 to launch a crew in the upgraded CSM Block II, which will meet and anchored with an unmanned LM on the AS-208.
The crew selected on March 21, 1966, for AS-204 consisted of Command Pilot Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Pilot Senior Ed White, and Pilot Roger Chaffee, who named their mission Apollo 1. The AS-205 crew was Wally Schirra, Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham. However, the second flight was then considered unnecessary and was officially canceled on December 22, 1966.
The Schirra crew then became reserves for the Grissom crew, and the LM mission manned the second manned mission, redesigned the US-205/208 and manned by the original Grissom reserve crew: Pilot Commander Jim McDivitt, CSM Pilot David Scott and LM Pilot Rusty Schweickart. They immediately started their training in CM-101's first Block II Command Module, when the Grissom crew was preparing for the February 1967 launch.
Then, on January 27, 1967, the Grissom crew was killed in a fire in their spaceship cabin during tests on the launch pad, disrupting the program for 21 months to identify and correct the root cause of major security issues. This forced the cancellation of plans to fly the Bloc I spacecraft with men, and effectively force the "reboot" of all manned mission plans.
Maps Canceled Apollo missions
Apollo 1 fire development mission
In September 1967, NASA made a list of the remaining mission types required to reach the first manned lunar landing, each designated by the letters A through G, where G would be the first manned landing. The list is then extended through the letter J to include advanced lunar missions.
Two unmanned Saturn V tests were launched ( A mission) flown as Apollo 4 and Apollo 6. The third test was planned but canceled as unnecessary.
Development of the first Lunar Module, LM-1 was flown without a crew (B mission) as Apollo 5. The second unmanned test was planned using LM-2 but canceled as unnecessary. The LM-2 was installed to look like a LM production that would land the humans on the Moon and donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, which is currently being exhibited as the first landing simulator of Apollo 11.
The Schirra crew will fly the first C mission, the first manned CSM (Block II CSM-101, reinstalled with cabin safety improvements) as Apollo 7 in October 1968.
McDivitt's crew and mission were saved as the first manned development LM flight (mission D ); was planned to be Apollo 8 in December 1968, now using a Saturn V launch vehicle rather than two separate Saturn IB launches. The mission E is planned as an orbit Earth orbit test of the operational LM with CSM in a simulated moon mission to an apogee of 4,600 miles (7,400 km), to be ordered by Frank Borman in March 1969.
Of all components of the Apollo system, LM has the most technical problems. It was behind schedule and when LM-3 was delivered to Kennedy Space Center in June 1968, over 101 separate defects were discovered. Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, which is the prime contractor for LM forecasts that the first human-rated LM, which will be used for mission D, will not be ready until at least February 1969, delaying the entire sequence.
George Low, Office Manager of Apollo Space Shuttle Program, proposed a solution in August 1968. Because CSM would be ready three months before the Lunar Module, they could fly the CSM mission only in December 1968. However, instead of just repeating Mission C that would fly CSM in Earth orbit, they could send CSM to the Moon and maybe even get into orbit. The mission is nicknamed "C-Prime" (an imaginary letter between C and D). This new mission will allow NASA to practice procedures for the flight of the month that should wait until Apollo 10, mission F. There is also concern from the Central Intelligence Agency that the Soviet Union is planning its own circumnavigation for December to defeat America once again (see Zond program). The McDivitt crew - accustomed to working with LM-3 and preparing for the flight - are kept in the D mission which is now Apollo 9, while the Borman crew will fly the CSM moon orbit mission to Apollo 8, and the mission E is canceled.
The crew exchange also determines who will be the first person to run on the Moon. Pete Conrad is the reserve commander for McDivitt's crew, and with the crew rotation process, will be in line with Commander Apollo 11 three flights later. Neil Armstrong got this honor for being the commander of Borman's reserves.
Advanced lunar mission
NASA is contracted to have 15 Saturn Vs worthy of production. Apollo 11 reached its first landing with the sixth Saturn V, leaving nine for the next landing. The following landing sites were selected for this mission, which was planned to occur at intervals of about four months until July 1972.
- Apollo 12 (H1) November 1969, Oceanic Storm (Surveyor 3 sites)
- Apollo 13 (H2) April 1970, Fra Mauro plateau
- Apollo 14 (H3) Small crater
- Apollo 15 (H4) Censorinus crater
The last five missions are J-class missions using the Extended Lunar Module , which lasts three days on the Moon and carries the moon rover:
- Apollo 16 (J1) Descartes Plateau
- Apollo 17 (J2) Marius Hills
- Apollo 18 (J3) Copernicus crater
- Apollo 19 (J4) Hadley Rille
- Apollo 20 (J5) Tycho Crater (Surveyor site 7)
As subsequent missions reached three years, a bit of detailed planning was made, and various landing sites were provided for several flights. According to "NASA OMSF, Manned Space Flight Weekly Report" dated July 28, 1969, Apollo 18 will land at SchrÃÆ'Â'ss Valley in February 1972, Apollo 19 in the ruins of Hyginus in July 1972, and Apollo 20 in Copernicus crater in December 1972.
Other landing sites and schedules proposed for the last three missions include Gassendi crater (Apollo 18, July 1973), Copernicus (Apollo 19, December 1973), and Marius Hills or Tycho crater (Apollo 20, July 1974).
Due to a number of ambitious Apollo Application Programs already planned, it was still expected in 1969 that the Saturn V launch vehicle could be contracted further, allowing the mission of the moon to be more ambitious.
In the NASA report "Rationalization of Scientific References for Lunar Apollo Candidate Landing Landing Sites" from 11 March 1970, Apollo 18 is targeted for Copernicus, and Apollo 19 commissioned the Hadley rille (final landing site of Apollo 15). The Apollo 20 mission had been canceled two months earlier, but the report still suggests its target, the Hyginus grass, possibly as an alternative Apollo landing site.
Cancellation
On January 4, 1970, NASA announced the cancellation of Apollo 20 so that its Saturn V could be used to launch the Skylab spacecraft as a "dry garage" (assembled on the ground), rather than building it as a "wet workshop" of the upper stage spent from launch vehicles Saturn IB. Also, budget restrictions have limited Saturn V's production to its original 15. NASA administrator George M. Low announced that three last month's landings were rescheduled for 1973 and 1974, following three planned Skylab missions. Chief Astronaut Deke Slayton transferred Don L. Lind to Apollo Application, stating that "with a cancellation of 20, I can see that I will not have a flight for him".
Another lunar landing disappeared in April 1970 when Apollo 13 crashed in flight, and Fra Mauro's landing site was moved to Apollo 14. Then on September 2, 1970, NASA announced the cancellation of the H4 and J4 missions, due to more budget cuts. Skylab was also pushed out into 1973, and the final landing schedule became:
- Apollo 15 (J1) Hadley-Apennine, July 1971
- Apollo 16 (J2) Descartes Plateau, April 1972
- Apollo 17 (J3) Valley of Taurus-Littrow, December 1972
At the time, 35 of 49 NASA active astronauts were waiting for the mission.
On the closing days of the program, Apollo 17 LMP Harrison Schmitt aggressively lobbied for a manned landing on the far side of the Moon, targeting the far-flung Tsiolkovskiy crater. Schmitt's ambitious proposition includes launching into the moon's orbit of special communications satellites based on existing TIROS satellites to enable contact with astronauts during power-down and moon surface operations. The NASA administrator rejected this plan based on a lack of funding and additional risks.
In August 1971, President Richard Nixon even proposed to cancel all remaining lunar landings (Apollo 16 and 17). Director of Deputy Director of Management and Budget Caspar Weinberger opposed this, persuaded Nixon to keep the rest of the Moon's mission, but recommended that if the cancellation would occur, then "for the reason that Apollo 15 is so successful at collecting the required data that we can now shift, faster than previously thought, to Space Shuttle, Grand Tour, NERVA, etc. "
Crew task
Slayton is Director of Flight Crew Operations and effectively chooses crew for flight. He did not intend to give astronauts two lunar landing orders but, according to historian Michael Cassutt, until the end of summer 1969 - when 10 landings are still scheduled - Slayton plans to grant Pilot Lunar Module Fred Haise, Edgar Mitchell, and James Irwin the opportunity to walk again on the Moon as Commander. During the initial Apollo mission he used the rotation system assigned the crew as backup and then, three later missions, as the main crew; However, by later Apollo flights, the system was used less frequently when astronauts abandoned the program, Slayton wanted to give the novice a chance, and the astronauts did not want to take a reserve position that could no longer lead to crew places.
In the case of Apollo 18, the crew may be the Apollo 15 backup crew:
- Richard F. Gordon Jr. (Commander (CDR))
- Vance D. Brand (Command Module Pilot (CMP))
- Harrison Schmitt (Lunar Module Pilot (LMP))
When Apollo 18 was canceled, Schmitt was transferred to Apollo 17 under pressure from the scientific community, replacing Joe Engle. Schmitt, a geologist, became the only professional scientist and twelfth man who walked on the Moon.
Slayton's intention for Apollo 19 crew is the original Apollo 16 backup crew (before cancellation):
- Fred Haise (CDR)
- William R. Pogue (CMP)
- Gerald P. Carr (LMP)
For Apollo 20 there is more uncertainty. Based on the normal crew rotation, the crew is likely to:
- Stuart Roosa (CDR) (replacing Pete Conrad, already CDR on Apollo 12)
- Paul J. Weitz (CMP)
- Jack R. Lousma (LMP)
Another possibility is:
- Stuart Roosa or Edgar Mitchell (CDR)
- Jack R. Lousma (CMP)
- Don L. Lind (LMP)
Skylab
Skylab Rescue
One of the CSM surpluses, the CSM-119, was modified to carry two additional crew members and keep alert for potential rescue missions if there were problems with Skylab aboard. During Skylab 3, the malfunction of Apollo CSM that anchored to the station caused concern that the crew would not be able to return safely. CSM-119 was driven out to Launch Complex 39B on Saturn IB IB-209 during a mission and prepare for a possible launch. Two astronauts, Brand (commander) and Lind (pilot command module), will fly CSM to take three crew members. The problem is fixed without the need for a rescue flight. The CSM-119 is returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building and remains on standby until the Skylab program ends.
CSM-119 is also held as a backup CSM for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
Skylab 5
Skylab 5 will be a short 20 day mission to conduct scientific experiments and upgrade Skylab to higher orbits. Brand, Lind, and William B. Lenoir (science pilots) are the crew.
Hardware advantages
Two complete Saturn Vs are not used after Apollo, SA-514 and SA-515 programs, as well as the third stage of SA-513. The SA-513 was the launch vehicle originally planned for the Apollo 18 mission, which was used to launch Skylab.
- Saturn V on display at Johnson Space Center consists of the first phase of SA-514, the second stage of SA-515, and the third stage of SA-513. This view includes a command module/production service (CSM-115) that never finishes after the funding is cut.
- The Saturn V on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex consists of a static test stage S-IC-T and the second and third stages of SA-514. The command module associated with the Saturn V KSC screen is a boiler, BP-30. The pile was initially displayed outdoors in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building and stopped for the tour bus. Then restored and moved into the room to the Apollo/Saturn V Center.
- The first phase of the SA-515 is at the INFINITY Science Center in Pearlington, Mississippi. The third stage is converted into a reserve to the Skylab space station. Now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
The latter, the still-empty Saturn IB, SA-209, is on standby for a possible Skylab Rescue mission, on display at Rocket Park from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, topped by Apollo boilers as a substitute for a spacecraft. The second phase of SA-212 is transformed into the main Skylab space station. The other three Saturn IB surpluses (SA-211 through 214) were canceled.
Likewise, canceled CSM and LML flights are not used or used for other missions:
- After the original Apollo 15 H mission was canceled, there are advantages of H CSM and Lunar Module missions. CSM-111 is used for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. LM-9 is on display at Kennedy Space Center (Apollo/Saturn V Center)
- Apollo 18 CSM and LM are used by Apollo 17.
- CSM Apollo 19 (# 115) is displayed on Saturn V located at Johnson Space Center. Its LM (LM-13, originally assigned to Apollo 18) was only partially completed by Grumman, and used as a prop for the HBO miniseries From Earth to the Moon in the Moon exploration scene. Now on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island.
- CSM Apollo 20 is never finished and deleted. LM is also removed before completion, although there are some unconfirmed reports that some parts (other than part of the LM LTA-3 test vehicle) are included in the LM exhibited at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Skylab Rescue CSM-119 is on display at Apollo/Saturn's V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Note
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents from the National Aeronautics and Space Agency.
- Apollo 18 , 19 , 20 , Skylab B and Skylab 5 in the Astronautics Encyclopedia
- The CM-115 is on display at Johnson Space Center. From A Field Guide to American Spacecraft.
External links
- Astronautix
- Missing Missions When Apollo Canceled Vintage Space (YouTube)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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