What is the Apollo moon landing plan?

In the history of mankind's unremitting exploration of the universe, the "Apollo" moon landing program implemented by the United States in the 1960s and 1970s was undoubtedly a magnificent stroke. This moon landing activity started on May 25th, 196 1 officially announced by American President Kennedy, and lasted until the end of February 1972, when the Apollo program ended, with a total investment of 25 billion US dollars and seven moon landings.

Except for Apollo 13, the other six flights were successfully carried out on the moon. * * * There are 12 astronauts on the moon. They stayed on the moon for 302 hours and 20 minutes, exercised on the moon for 80 hours and 32 minutes, and the astronauts traveled more than 90 kilometers on the moon. 1July 1969 16, the Apollo 1 1 spacecraft landed on the moon for the first time. Armstrong, commander of the spacecraft, stepped down from the escalator of the lunar module and set foot on the surface of the moon. Although this is only a small step, it represents a big step forward for mankind in the field of space exploration!

In fact, the manned moon landing program of the former Soviet Union was not later than that of the United States, but its launch vehicle was unreliable and suffered several disastrous failures. After the United States took the lead in landing on the moon, the outcome was decided. The former Soviet Union finally gave up landing on the moon and developed space station technology instead.

A rocket carrying the Apollo spacecraft

Space activities are always carried out first. Before the moon landing plan was conceived, from 65438 to 0957, under the leadership of the famous rocket expert Wernher wernher von braun, the United States began to develop large rockets. Apollo has developed three launch vehicles: Saturn 1, Saturn 1 B and Saturn 5. Saturn 1 is a first-class rocket, which is only used for experiments to provide experience for the development of giant rockets. This kind of rocket * * * made 10, divided into 2 groups. The first group of 4 pieces, the first stage of instrument testing, with counterweight on it; The second group, 6 pieces, tested level 1 and level 2. It has carried out 10 flight tests, all of which were successful. Among them, the prototype of Apollo spacecraft was tested for the sixth and seventh times, and the last three times were used to launch artificial earth satellites.

The first stage S-1 of Saturn/KLOC-0 rocket consists of eight cylindrical tank sections, with a length of 24.4 meters. Eight H- 1 engines are used, with a thrust of 833.5kN.. Propellants are liquid oxygen and kerosene, and eight stabilizing tails are installed outside the tail section. The second stage S-4 uses six RL- 10 liquid oxygen liquid hydrogen engines, each with a thrust of 66.7 kN. Above the second stage is the transition section, which is equipped with guidance and control system. The rocket has a total length of 38.5 meters (excluding payload), a diameter of 6.55 meters, a takeoff mass of about 508 tons and a takeoff thrust of 6,668 kn.

Saturn 1 B is also a two-stage rocket. The first stage S- 1B is the same as Saturn 1 rocket first stage, but the manufacturing method is improved, the mass is obviously reduced, the performance of H- 1 engine is also improved, and the total thrust is increased to 7297 kn. The second-stage Saturn V rocket S-4B standing in Kennedy Space Center was replaced by a J-2 liquid oxygen liquid hydrogen engine with high thrust, with thrust of 1000 kn and working time of about 450 seconds. Above the second floor

It is an instrument cabin with a height of 1m and a diameter of 6.55m, and is equipped with autonomous navigation system, control system and various instruments. The rocket has a total length of 44 meters, a diameter of 6.55 meters and a takeoff mass of about 587 tons. The low-orbit carrying capacity of the rocket reaches 18 tons. Saturn1B rocket has been used in the experiments of some subsystems of Apollo spacecraft, such as reheat test of command module, propulsion system test of lunar module, manned flight test of command module and service module, etc.

It is Saturn V that undertakes the glorious and arduous mission of sending Apollo spacecraft to the moon. The total length is 1 10.6 meters, which is about 40 stories high and has a take-off mass of 2930 tons. This is by far the heaviest object flying off the earth. This kind of rocket is still invincible today. It can send a payload weighing 65,438+0.27 tons to low-earth orbit, or send a spacecraft weighing 48.8 tons to escape from orbit to the moon. Saturn V is a three-stage liquid rocket, which consists of S- 1C first stage, S-2 second stage, S-4B third stage, instrument cabin and payload. The first stage is 42 meters long and has a diameter of 10 meter, which increases from the bottom of the tail section to 13 meter. The tail section is equipped with four stable tails with a wingspan of about 18m. Five F- 1 engines are used, and the propellants are liquid oxygen and kerosene, with a total thrust of 33,350 kn. The second stage is 25m long and10m in diameter. It uses liquid oxygen liquid hydrogen propellant, * * * uses five J -2 engines, and the total vacuum thrust reaches 5 109 kn. The third stage adopts the second stage of Saturn1B rocket, and the instrument cabin is the same as Saturn1B.

Saturn V rocket retired after its mission to the moon, and now its model lies quietly in the museum, enjoying the honor of being the first in the world.

The crystallization of wisdom-"Apollo" spacecraft The manned moon landing project in the United States is called "Apollo" project. In Greek mythology, "Apollo" is the name of the sun god. He is the embodiment of wisdom and the elder brother of the moon goddess. It is natural for his brother to visit his sister. It is the best wish of Americans to let the spacecraft have the wisdom of the sun god. Since then, the performance of Apollo spacecraft has also proved that it is the crystallization of human wisdom.

Apollo spacecraft is tall, with a total height of 25 meters, a diameter of 10 meters and a weight of about 45 tons. It consists of three parts: command module, service module and lunar module, which can carry up to three astronauts.

The command module is the cockpit where astronauts live and work during the flight, and it is also the control center of the whole spacecraft. The engine room is a cone with a height of 3.2 meters and a weight of about 6 tons. The shell structure of the command module is divided into three layers: the inner layer is aluminum alloy honeycomb sandwich structure, the middle layer is stainless steel honeycomb sandwich heat insulation layer, and the outer layer is epoxy-phenolic resin ablation heat protection layer. The cabin is filled with pure oxygen with a pressure of 34.3 kPa, and the temperature is kept at 2 1℃ ~ 24℃. The whole command module is divided into three parts: front module, occupant module and rear module. Landing components, recovery equipment and attitude control engine are placed in the front cabin. The crew cabin is a sealed cabin, which contains necessities and life-saving equipment for astronauts' life 14 days. There are 10 attitude control engines, various instruments and fuel tanks in the rear cabin, as well as attitude control, guidance and navigation systems, airborne computers and radio subsystems.

The front end of the service module is docked with the command module, and the rear end has the main engine nozzle of the propulsion system. The cabin is cylindrical, 6.7 meters high, 4 meters in diameter and weighs about 25 tons. The service cabin adopts light metal honeycomb structure and is divided into six compartments around it, which respectively accommodate the main engine, propellant tank and pressurization, attitude control, electrical and other systems. The thrust of the main engine reaches 95.6 kN, which is controlled by computer and used for orbit change and maneuver. The attitude control system consists of 16 rocket engine, which is used for attitude control, separation of spacecraft from the third stage rocket, docking of lunar module with command module and separation of command module from service module.

The lunar module consists of a descending stage and an ascending stage. When taking off from the ground, it weighs 14.7 tons, is 4.3 meters wide and has a maximum height of about 7 meters. The descent phase consists of landing engine, four landing legs and four instrument cabins. The thrust of landing engine can be adjusted in the range of 4.67 ~ 46.7 kN, and the engine swing range is 6 degrees. There is a chassis at the end of the landing leg, which is equipped with a touch sensor. The descending stage is also equipped with landing rendezvous radar and four sets of silver-zinc batteries with a capacity of 400 ampere-hours. Upgrade to the main body of the lunar module. After the astronauts finished their lunar activities, they went up to upgrade and returned to orbit around the moon to meet the command module. The upper upgrade consists of astronaut cockpit, return engine, propellant tank, instrument cabin and control system. The cockpit can accommodate two astronauts and is equipped with navigation, control, communication, life support and power supply. There is a hatch in front of the cockpit, and the small platform at the door is connected with a small ladder for landing on the moon. The thrust of the return engine is 15.6 kN (not adjustable), and it can be started repeatedly for 35 times. The attitude control system includes 16 small thrust engine. The instrument cabin is equipped with two sets of silver-zinc batteries with a capacity of 296 ampere-hours, which are spare for each other.

Flying to the moon includes four steps: ① the first and second stage rockets send spacecraft into the middle orbit around the earth; (2) Launch the third stage rocket, enter the moon-running orbit, and the third stage flight ends. The command module and service module are separated from the third-stage rocket, rotated by180, docked with the lunar module still connected with the third stage, and then separated from the third stage; (3) the engine of the service module is started, and the spacecraft enters the orbit around the moon; (4) The lunar module was separated and transferred to the descending orbit, and finally landed on the surface of the moon.

The first step when returning is to upgrade and separate the lunar module and take off; Step 2, upgrade the lunar module and dock with the command module flying around the moon; Step 3, the astronauts on the moon return to the command module and enter the orbit of returning to the earth after upgrading and separating from the lunar module; Step 4, the command module is separated from the service module and re-enters the atmosphere.

/kloc-0 landed on the moon at the end of 1966. After three consecutive unmanned spacecraft launches, the United States decided to conduct the first manned test flight of Apollo spacecraft on February 26th, 1967. The launch code is AS-204, namely "Apollo 1".

Gleason, White and Chafei will take Apollo 1 flight. Among them, commander Gleason flew into space twice in the "Mercury" and "Gemini" programs, and White took off in the "Gemini 4" spacecraft and made the first spacewalk in the United States. Chafei has never been to space before, and this time he is eager to show his skills. In the stage of ground preparation and testing, "Apollo 1" always has problems, and this first step to the moon is full of difficulties and obstacles.

1967 1 Friday, October 27th, afternoon 1, Apollo1entered the command module for routine ground test. After entering the spacecraft, Gleason smelled a "sour taste" when connecting the spacesuit with the oxygen supply system in the cabin. Therefore, the astronauts stopped their work and took air samples. The experiment continued. Then, the main alarm issued a warning of abnormal oxygen flow. Technicians in the spacecraft's environmental control system believe that the movement of people in the cabin triggered the alarm. Soon, Gleason lost contact with ground control. After the communication was restored, Gleason said, "What if we can't get in touch now and get to the moon?"

The experiment is still going on. Suddenly, Chafei in the engine room seemed to casually say, "There is a fire, I smell a fire." Two seconds later, White said more definitely, "The cabin is on fire!" However, because Apollo 1 adopted a new mechanical door, it was impossible to open the door quickly in the cabin, and three astronauts lost the opportunity to escape. By the time the technicians arrived, the fire had swept through the cockpit, and the fire and smoke swallowed everything in the cabin.

America lost three of its best astronauts. After-the-fact investigation showed that the fire started from a pile of wires on the left side of the cockpit or a small spark nearby. Because the spacecraft has completed the pressurization test and the cabin is filled with pure oxygen, the appearance of sparks is tantamount to putting three astronauts in the center of a bomb.

The fire delayed the first manned flight test of Apollo spacecraft for a year and a half, but the manned space industry did not stop moving forward. As Gleason once said, "If we sacrifice, I hope people can accept it. We are engaged in a dangerous job, and we hope that no matter what happens, it will not affect the implementation of the moon landing plan. Conquering space is worth risking our lives. " During this period, the United States redesigned the Apollo spacecraft, giving more consideration to the safety of astronauts, including making the hatch open automatically within 2 ~ 3 seconds, and improving the fire prevention and life support system to varying degrees. NASA also decided to launch more unmanned spacecraft and conduct more extensive and detailed tests on the spacecraft system. 1967165438+1October 9, Apollo 4 was launched, its main purpose was to test the rocket and the command module engine. Apollo 5 was launched on 1968122 October to test the descent and ascent propulsion system of the lunar module. On April 4 of the same year, Apollo 6 spacecraft conducted a comprehensive test of all the functions of the whole aircraft.

196865438+1October1Apollo 7 was launched by Saturn 1 B carrier rocket. This is the first manned flight in the Apollo program. The three astronauts are commander Walter Sheila, command module pilot Don Eisele and lunar module pilot Walter Cunningham. Sheila has carried out two space missions in the Mercury and Gemini programs, and the other two were the first time to go into space.

Compared with "Apollo 1", the command module and service module of "Apollo 7" have been greatly modified, adopting new structure and test methods and installing new test equipment. The main tasks of this trip are to verify the functions of the above-mentioned systems in Earth orbit, check the spacecraft's data system, practice rendezvous and docking, and test the auxiliary propulsion system during various flight mode transitions.

When the spacecraft is separated from the second stage of the rocket according to the predetermined procedure and pulled away for a certain distance, the astronauts will turn the spacecraft around by manual operation, so that the astronauts can see the separated second stage of the rocket through the window of the command module. Apollo 7 spacecraft did not have a lunar module, but installed a device exactly like the interface of the future lunar module on the top of the second stage rocket, which astronauts used to test the various performances of the interface. Astronauts also successfully conducted two rendezvous and docking experiments, the first time the distance and direction were provided by docking radar.

According to the plan, "Apollo 7" also needs the first live space TV broadcast on the third day of flight. On this day, the astronauts first carefully checked the equipment to be used for TV broadcast, and after confirming that everything was correct, they informed the ground personnel to start the live broadcast. Sheila held up some cards for the camera, which read "Welcome to Apollo" and "Say hello to everyone". They also demonstrated living activities, spacecraft handling, eating and floating in weightlessness in front of the camera. Speaking of this live broadcast, there is another episode. On the second day after the launch of the spacecraft, the ground personnel proposed to advance the live broadcast to today, but the astronauts disagreed. For this reason, the two sides had a fierce quarrel. Sheila later explained that they didn't agree to the live broadcast in advance because they wanted to carefully check the equipment used. He said: "I still remember the fire caused by the line failure. In addition, I need time to fully conceive the first live TV broadcast, and I can't perfunctory things. "

During the flight, the three astronauts made a timetable and took turns to be on duty so that everyone could get a full rest. Unfortunately, after taking off 15 hours, Sheila caught a bad cold and infected two other people. Because there is no gravity, people with colds should constantly blow their noses hard, making their eardrums ache. Due to physical discomfort, all three people became irritable and even brought this emotion to the ground controllers. In space flight, sincere cooperation between heaven and earth is very important, and mutual suspicion is very unfavorable to flight. A few days before the end of the flight, astronauts began to worry that wearing helmets when re-entering the atmosphere would prevent them from blowing their noses. Sheila even wants to go back without wearing a spacesuit. Fortunately, astronauts have undergone strict selection and training, and they can try their best to control their emotions. Finally, under the persuasion of the ground personnel, they re-entered the atmosphere armed to the teeth.

After flying around the earth for 260 hours, 10 year122 October, Apollo 7 spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, only 2000 meters away from the scheduled landing site. The success of Apollo 7 saved the Apollo program from the shadow of the fire, confirmed the reliability of the spacecraft, and paved the way for subsequent flights. Its flight can be called a journey to rebuild confidence.

Apollo 8 was the first manned spaceship to fly around the moon. The three astronauts who carried out this mission were commander Frank Baumann, command module pilot James Lovel and lunar module pilot William Andres.

1before Christmas in 968, at 7: 051February 2, Saturn 5 rocket started to ignite in the biting cold wind, which was the first launch of this giant rocket. After about 1 1 minute, the third stage of the rocket and the spacecraft entered earth orbit. 10, 17, apollo 8 entered the orbit of transition to the moon, bringing human space flight into a new era.

3: 29 pm on the 23rd is a historic moment. At this time, the spacecraft is 326,400 kilometers away from the earth and 62,600 kilometers away from the moon. Previously, due to the influence of the earth's gravity, the speed of the spacecraft has been reduced. From this moment on, the spacecraft entered the gravitational field of the moon and began to accelerate slowly under the attraction of the moon. On the evening of 23rd, the astronauts ignited the engine and the spacecraft entered the lunar orbit. After that, the spacecraft flew to the back of the moon and broke all contact with the ground. When the spacecraft reaches the near-moon point in its orbit around the moon, Lovel starts the engine to accelerate the spacecraft. At this time, the perigee of the spacecraft is 84 kilometers, on the back of the moon; Apogee is 230 kilometers, on the near-earth side.

After flying around the moon 10, the astronauts will ignite the engine at the near moon point on the back of the moon to accelerate the spacecraft in order to overcome the gravity of the moon and return home. Because the contact between the spacecraft and the ground has been interrupted, the atmosphere of the ground control center at this time is tense, as if it were frozen. If the ignition fails or the engine works too short, the astronauts will be in trouble. If they can't be remedied in time, they may stay in lunar orbit forever. This is the first time that man has flown around the moon. Will something happen? People's hearts are almost in their throats. Waiting, time seems to pass slowly. Suddenly, the ground control center received the telemetry signal of the spacecraft. A few minutes later, love's excited voice came. This is the best Christmas present, and cheers immediately resounded through the ground control center. Receiving the signal means that the ignition was successful and the astronauts successfully embarked on their way home.

On February 27th, 65438, apollo 8 entered the earth's atmosphere. Subsequently, the service cabin was thrown away. Love adjusted the direction of the spacecraft with a manual device, and the spacecraft finally splashed safely in the Pacific Ocean. The success of apollo 8's manned flight around the moon shows that the United States has taken a solid step towards the goal of landing on the moon.

Apollo 9 was the first Apollo spacecraft launched in the configuration of landing on the moon. The three astronauts on the spacecraft are commander james mcdivitt, command module pilot David Scott and lunar module pilot Russell Wei Godert. The launch of the spacecraft was originally scheduled for February 28th, 1969/kloc-0, but due to the Apollo 7, the launch was delayed for several days because all three astronauts caught a cold.

In the early morning of March 3rd 1 1, Saturn 5 rocket took off and the flight was very smooth. After taking off 1 1 min 13 seconds, ignite the third stage of S-4B and put the spacecraft into orbit190km above the ground. Three astronauts began a veritable life in space. They try their best to do all kinds of actions necessary to control the spacecraft slowly, especially pay great attention to avoid sudden head rotation, so as not to aggravate the sense of dizziness when they first came to the microgravity environment.

Two hours and 43 minutes after takeoff, Scott separated the rocket from the command module. After the two were separated by a certain distance, he steered the spacecraft to 180 degrees, successfully docked with the lunar module still at the top of the rocket, and pulled it out of the rocket, driving the complete Apollo spacecraft out of the rocket for the first time in space. The next day, the astronauts began to prepare for the upcoming experiment.

On the third morning, McDivitt and Shi Wei Godert pressurized the spacesuit and prepared to enter the lunar module. At that moment, Shi Wegerdt suddenly vomited. After handling this fault, the two men successively entered the lunar module from the command module, and then closed the door leading to the command module. An important part of landing on the moon is the deployment of the landing device. When Wegerdt pressed the button, the landing support of the lunar module spread gracefully. Then, they conducted a series of experiments on the control system of the lunar module. In the lunar module, the two men also tried a TV camera used on the surface of the moon, which played irregularly to the ground for a short time. Nine hours later, the two returned to the command module.

The Seven Steps of Man's Landing on the Moon 1959, the "Moon 1" launched by the former Soviet Union flew close to and around the moon, and began man's exploration of the moon. 1961may, the United States put forward the Apollo lunar exploration plan. 1On July 20th, 969, the Apollo module landed on the surface of the moon and started the activities of landing on the moon in human history.

The first step of American astronauts' seven steps to land on the moon is to separate the "cargo ship" from the "astronaut adventure car". Launched by rockets into earth orbit respectively.

In the second step, the "astronaut probe car" will dock with the "off-ground propeller" on the lunar lander and the "cargo spacecraft" in the earth orbit.

The third step is to ignite the "leave the earth propeller" and send the "astronaut adventure car" and "cargo spacecraft" to the moon.

In the fourth step, after the spacecraft reaches the lunar orbit, four astronauts will land on the lunar surface together in the "lunar rover", while the "astronaut probe vehicle" remains in the lunar orbit.

In the fifth step, the astronauts used the 23 tons of earth materials brought by the "cargo ship" to build a "moon base" on the surface of the moon. Four astronauts will stay on the moon for 1 week, and then fly off the surface of the moon by the elevator of the lunar rover.

In the sixth step, the astronauts re-entered the "astronaut adventure car" in lunar orbit and flew back to Earth.

In the seventh step, the return capsule will land by parachute at one of three locations in the western United States.

The little-known "Apollo" accident "Apollo 13" landed on the moon, which was a dangerous self-rescue flight.

After "Apollo 1 1" and "Apollo 12" successfully landed on the moon, "Apollo 13" was ordered to land on the moon again, but this flight to the moon failed because of a major event.

13 April 1970 at 9 pm, Apollo 13 carried three astronauts, Lowell, Schveger and Hayes, and flew to a place 300,000 kilometers away from the earth. At this moment, a liquid oxygen tank of the spacecraft exploded, which caused a series of dangers: the fuel was about to run out, the battery pack could not supply power normally, and the spacecraft could not fly in normal orbit.

At the critical moment, the astronauts calmly responded to the ground instructions, climbed from the command module to the lunar module, and used the lunar module engine to push the spacecraft back to orbit. In this orbit, the gravity of the earth can pull the spacecraft back and let it fly to the earth.

17 in April, "Apollo 13" approached the earth, and Lowell started four attitude control rockets in the lunar module to correct the orbit. Swiig manipulated the command module, separated the service module, and then they all returned to the command module. In the afternoon 12: 07, the command module "Apollo 13" landed safely in the Pacific Ocean. Table of "Apollo" technical test stage and lunar landing test stage

Date probe name+description of launch vehicle mission type1February 26th, 966 "Apollo-201"21July 6th, 966 "Apollo-203" 31August 25th, 966 "Apollo-202" 4302. On October 9th, "Apollo 4" 6196865438+1October 25th, three people sacrificed successfully and failed 8196810/01" Three people successfully circled the earth once. Continued table Date probe name Description of launch vehicle mission type 919681February 265438+March 3, 9 Apollo 9 1 1 May 8, 969 Apollo12/. 5438+02 "1 41970 April1day" Apollo13 "151971year/year. +05 "171972 April 16" Apollo181972 February 7 "Apollo17" Saturn manned lunar module. 1 man successfully landed on the moon, 1 man successfully landed on the moon, 3 astronauts successfully landed on the moon, 1 man successfully landed on the moon, 1 man successfully landed on the moon.

Learning point

The first man to land on the moon

Armstrong used to be an astronaut, test pilot and naval pilot of NASA. He is famous for carrying out the first manned spaceship "Apollo 1 1" and becoming the first man to set foot on the moon. Neil armstrong's first space mission was the commander of Gemini 8, and the execution time was 1966. In this mission, he and David Scott completed the first docking of the spacecraft. Armstrong's second and last space mission was1the famous Apollo 1 1 in July 1969. Armstrong stepped out of the "Eagle" lunar module and stepped on the surface of the moon with his left foot, leaving that famous footprint and becoming the first person to land on the moon in human history. In this "great leap of mankind", Armstrong and buzz aldrin walked on the surface of the moon for two and a half hours (Michael john collins flew around the moon in the command module).