Jul 18

50th Anniversary Special – An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #219 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Landing – Part 1

Posted on July 18, 2019 by spac9750

The machine-like performance of flight crew and ground controllers continued. Each participant was in perfect harmony with the other, moving to a cadence dictated by the laws of physics and the clock.

Gene Kranz, with his white vest, working at the Flight Director’s console.

Capcom for the Lunar landing Charlie Duke. Jim Lovell and Fred Haise sitting beside him.

Mike Collins took this picture after the LM undocked from the CM.

Jul 10

Space Rocket History #308 – Apollo 14 – Transposition, Docking & Extraction

Posted on July 10, 2019 by spac9750

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

Docking was a delicate maneuver, since both ships were traveling at nearly five miles per second, but the docking mechanism itself was one of the simplest on the entire spacecraft, and the docking procedure had been perfected on previous Apollo flights, none of which experienced any significant problems with docking.

S-IVB Venting Hydrogen
Docking Probe
Docking Hardware

Jul 03

Space Rocket History #307 – Apollo 14 – The Climb to Orbit & TLI

Posted on July 3, 2019 by spac9750

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS

“The approaching dusk and the damp mistiness left by the now-departed rainstorm only enhanced the spectacular sight and the sound of the launch. Tentacles of flame erupted on either side of the bottom of the Saturn V, which seemed to sit in its own cauldron of fire momentarily before breaking free of its shackles, as four hold-down arms at the base of the launch pad and five access arms along the outside of the booster swung away.” (Smoke Jumper, Moon Pilot by Willie Moseley)