Members Can Post Anonymously On This Site
El público nombra al “maniquí lunar” que volará alrededor de la Luna en la misión Artemis I
-
Similar Topics
-
By NASA
Teams with NASA and Lockheed Martin prepare to conduct testing on NASA’s Orion spacecraft on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in the altitude chamber inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Lockheed Martin/David Wellendorf Teams lifted NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II test flight out of the Final Assembly and System Testing cell and moved it to the altitude chamber to complete further testing on Nov. 6 inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineers returned the spacecraft to the altitude chamber, which simulates deep space vacuum conditions, to complete the remaining test requirements and provide additional data to augment data gained during testing earlier this summer.
The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.
Image credit: Lockheed Martin/David Wellendorf
View the full article
-
By NASA
NASA HLS (Human Landing System) Program strategic communicator and U.S. Navy Reservist Public Affairs Officer Joe Vermette brings a wealth of public service to Artemis communication activities. NASA/Ken Hall Coming from a Navy family, Vermette was inspired to military service by the example of his brother, uncles and father, who admired President John Kennedy’s call to land on the Moon and for citizens to do what they can for our country. Photo courtesy Joe Vermette While some stand on the sidelines and witness history, others are destined to play a part in it. And then there are those who document it, bringing the people, the action, the images, the words, and the personalities to the world. U. S. Navy Reservist Public Affairs Officer and program strategic communicator for NASA’s HLS (Human Landing System) Joe Vermette stands at the nexus of all three.
Spurred to action to serve his country by the events of September 11, 2001; veteran of numerous overseas deployments with the Navy, and responsible for communicating NASA’s return to the Moon through the Artemis campaign, Vermette has played a part in history while he communicates humanity’s greatest endeavors to the world.
Vermette joined NASA in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where he was a regional communications director. Right off the bat, he rose to the challenge of learning about space exploration, Artemis, and communicating the new way the HLS Program would work with commercial providers for Moon landing services, rather than specifying spacecraft to be built.
“I was used to being right in the middle of the action,” Vermette said. “The pandemic challenged me to work in a new way. At the same time, NASA and HLS were working in a new way, having just brought on our first commercial provider, SpaceX,” he said. In May 2023, the HLS Program brought on a second commercial provider, Blue Origin, for human landing services.
After earning a degree in military history with a minor in communications from Florida State University, Vermette worked as a video journalist and spot writer for CNN. But it was the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, that really shaped his career in government service. “Three weeks later, I went down to the recruiting office and began the process of joining the military. I saw an opportunity to help the country in the best capacity I could,” Vermette said.
Since then, his career has been dotted by active deployments, from the Middle East to Europe to stateside; onboard Navy ships, at U.S. Central Command, at U. S. Special Operations Command, and more.
NASA’s HLS Program and Artemis have benefitted from Vermette’s experience and steady hand helping guide strategic communications since 2020. He recently answered the call to active duty again but intends to return to NASA once his military obligations are fulfilled.
“NASA is a different world than the military or disaster response. But I’ve been fortunate enough to see – and communicate about – government success stories in all three arenas, Vermette said. “Seeing NASA put astronauts on the Moon again will be the best ‘mission complete’ I could have.”
With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.
For more on HLS, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/human-landing-system
Corinne Beckinger
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256.544.0034
corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov
View the full article
-
By NASA
3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA employees plant an Artemis Moon Tree at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Oct. 29 to celebrate NASA’s successful Artemis I mission as the agency prepares for a return around the Moon with astronauts on Artemis II. NASA/Danny Nowlin A tree-planting ceremony at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Oct. 29 celebrated NASA’s successful Artemis I mission as the agency prepares for a return around the Moon with astronauts on Artemis II.
“We already have a thriving Moon Tree from the Apollo years onsite,” NASA Stennis Director John Bailey said. “It is exciting to add trees for our new Artemis Generation as it continues the next great era of human space exploration.”
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement Next Gen STEM Project partnered with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service to fly five species of tree seeds aboard the Orion spacecraft during the successful uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022 as part of a national STEM Engagement and conservation education initiative.
The Artemis Moon Tree species included sweetgums, loblolly pines, sycamores, Douglas-firs, and giant sequoias. The seeds from the first Artemis mission have been nurtured by the USDA into seedlings to be a source of inspiration for the Artemis Generation.
The Moon Tree education initiative is rooted in the legacy of Apollo 14 Moon Tree seeds flown in lunar orbit over 50 years ago by the late Stuart Roosa, a NASA astronaut and Mississippi Coast resident.
NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC), located at the site, planted companion trees during the Oct. 29 ceremony. Bailey and NSSC Executive Director Anita Harrell participated in a joint planting ceremony attended by a number of employees from each entity.
The American sweetgum trees are the second and third Moon Trees at the south Mississippi site. In 2004, ASTRO CAMP participants planted a sycamore Moon Tree to honor the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969.
The road to space for both Apollo 14 and Artemis I went through Mississippi. Until 1970, NASA Stennis test fired first, and second stages of the Saturn V rockets used for Apollo.
NASA Stennis now tests all the RS-25 engines powering Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. Prior to Artemis I, NASA Stennis tested the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage and its four RS-25 engines.
The Artemis Moon Trees have found new homes in over 150 communities and counting since last spring, and each of the 10 NASA centers also will plant one.
As the tree grows at NASA Stennis, so, too, does anticipation for the first crewed mission with Artemis II. Four astronauts will venture around the Moon on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration.
The flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities – the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft – for the first time with astronauts.
Explore More NASA Stennis Image Articles View the full article
-
By NASA
8 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
Artemis I Moon Tree seedlings continue to find new homes with schools, museums, libraries, universities, and community organizations across the contiguous United States. An open call to NASA’s Artifacts Module in Fall, 2023 welcomed over 1000 organization submissions, which were reviewed and ranked by a joint USDA Forest Service and NASA panel.
Final recipient selection and seedling assignments for each cycle are informed by rank and region, and subject to a limited inventory of trees germinated from each of the five species of seeds flown aboard Artemis I in 2022. Recipient selection and seedling distribution follows four cycles: Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Fall 2025.
Spring 2024 Artemis I Moon Tree Stewards
Alabama
Fairfield City Schools – Fairfield High Preparatory School Fairfield AL American Sweetgum
Meridianville Middle School Hazel Green AL Loblolly Pine
Pioneer Museum of Alabama Troy AL Loblolly Pine
Troy University Arboretum Troy AL Loblolly Pine
Arkansas
Baxter County Library Mountain Home AR American Sweetgum
Arizona
University of Arizona – Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) Tucson AZ American Sweetgum
California
Forestr.org Castro Valley CA Sequoia
Girl Scout Troop 7574 Dana Point CA Sequoia
Greenfield Union School District Greenfield CA Sequoia
Quest Science Center Livermore CA Sequoia
Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary School Lake Forest CA Sequoia
Colorado
United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy CO American Sweetgum
Connecticut
New Milford High School New Milford CT American Sweetgum
South School – New Canaan School District New Canaan CT Sycamore
Yale University Marsh Botanical Garden New Haven CT American Sweetgum
Washington, DC
United States Capitol
Washington, DC DC American Sweetgum
Florida
Agricultural Biotechnology Academy, West Florida High School of Advanced Technology, Escambia County School District Pensacola FL Loblolly Pine
Cornerstone Learning Community Tallahassee FL American Sweetgum
Dreamers Academy Sarasota FL American Sweetgum
Florida Forest Service Tallahassee FL Loblolly Pine
Florida Polytechnic University Lakeland FL American Sweetgum
Gulfside Community Partnership School Holiday FL Loblolly Pine
H.B. Plant High School Tampa FL American Sweetgum
Hobbs Middle School Milton FL American Sweetgum
Lawton Environmental Study Area (LESA), T.W. Lawton Elementary Oviedo FL American Sweetgum
Montverde Academy Montverde FL American Sweetgum
Museum of Archaeology, Paleontology & Science New Port Richey FL American Sweetgum
Museum of Science and Industry Tampa FL American Sweetgum
North Andrews Gardens Elementary Oakland Park FL American Sweetgum
Orange Park Elementary Orange Park FL American Sweetgum
Pine Crest School Fort Lauderdale FL American Sweetgum
Port Malabar Elementary School Palm Bay FL American Sweetgum
St. Peter Catholic School Deland FL Loblolly Pine
UF/IFAS Extension Clay County 4-H Green Cove Springs FL Loblolly Pine
University of West Florida Pensacola FL Loblolly Pine
West Navarre Intermediate School Navarre FL American Sweetgum
Georgia
Berrien Elementary School Nashville GA Loblolly Pine
East Georgia State College Swainsboro GA Loblolly Pine
Lilburn Elementary School Lilburn GA Loblolly Pine
Park Elementary School Hamilton GA Loblolly Pine
Sagamore Hills Elementary School Atlanta GA Loblolly Pine
United States Air Force Moody Air Force Base GA American Sweetgum
Iowa
Cedar Rapids Community School District, Metro High School Cedar Rapids IA Sycamore
Idaho
American Falls High School American Falls ID Sycamore
Illinois
Eagle Pointe Elementary School Plainfield IL Sycamore
Marion Community Unit #2 School District, Marion Junior High School Marion IL Sycamore
Monmouth College Monmouth IL American Sweetgum
Indiana
Franklin Community High School Franklin IN American Sweetgum
Hayes Arboretum Richmond IN American Sweetgum
Kansas
Tecumseh South Elementary School Tecumseh KS American Sweetgum
Kentucky
Christian County Middle School Hopkinsville KY American Sweetgum
FIND Outdoors Gladie Visitor Center, Red River Gorge Stanton KY American Sweetgum
Graves County High School Mayfield KY American Sweetgum
Martha Layne Collins High School Shelbyville KY American Sweetgum
Louisiana
Shreve Island Elementary, Caddo Parish Schools Shreveport LA American Sweetgum
YMCA of Bogalusa Bogalusa LA Loblolly Pine
Massachusetts
Bernardston Elementary School Bernardston MA American Sweetgum
Michigan
The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park Traverse City MI Sycamore
Minnesota
Forest Lake Area High School Forest Lake MN Sycamore
Missouri
Columbia Public Schools Elementary Gifted Program Columbia MO American Sweetgum
Trailridge Elementary Lee’s Summit MO American Sweetgum
Mississippi
Bayou Academy Cleveland MS American Sweetgum
Clinton Community Nature Center Clinton MS American Sweetgum
North Carolina
Cardinal Gibbons High School Raleigh NC American Sweetgum
FIND Outdoors Cradle of Forestry Pisgah National Forest NC American Sweetgum
Mars Hill University Mars Hill NC American Sweetgum
Montgomery County NC Extension Master Gardener Volunteers; The Gathering Garden Mount Gilead NC Loblolly Pine
North Carolina Executive Mansion – Governor’s Residence
Raleigh NC Loblolly Pine
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics – Morganton Morganton NC American Sweetgum
White Oak High School Jacksonville NC American Sweetgum
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics – Durham Durham NC Sycamore
Nebraska
Hastings College Hastings NE American Sweetgum
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln NE American Sweetgum
New Hampshire
Barnstead Elementary School Center Barnstead NH Sycamore
Nashua Community College Nashua NH Sycamore
New Jersey
Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University Glassboro NJ American Sweetgum
Information Age Learning Center Wall Township NJ American Sweetgum
New Mexico
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum Las Cruces NM Loblolly Pine
New York
Baldwinsville Central School District Baldwinsville NY Sycamore
Bronx Community College Bronx NY Sycamore
Franklin Middle School, Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District Town of Tonawanda NY Sycamore
Pembroke Junior/Senior High School Corfu NY American Sweetgum
Rome City School District Rome NY Sequoia
State University of New York (SUNY) – New Paltz New Paltz NY American Sweetgum
Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium Centerport NY American Sweetgum
Ohio
Claymont High School Uhrichsville OH Sycamore
Coldwater Exempted Village Schools Coldwater OH American Sweetgum
Copley-Fairlawn Middle School, Copley-Fairlawn City Schools Copley OH Sycamore
Liberty-Benton High School Findlay OH Sycamore
Marshall STEMM Academy Toledo OH American Sweetgum
Portsmouth City Schools Portsmouth OH American Sweetgum
Pymatuning Valley High School Andover OH American Sweetgum
Wayne National Forest Nelsonville OH American Sweetgum
Oklahoma
Centennial Middle School Broken Arrow OK Loblolly Pine
Jenks Northwest Elementary School Tulsa OK American Sweetgum
Perkins Public Library: Thomas – Wilhite Memorial Library Perkins OK American Sweetgum
Oregon
Crow Middle School Eugene OR American Sweetgum
Friends of Myrtle Creek Library Myrtle Creek OR American Sweetgum
Lent Elementary School Portland OR American Sweetgum
Tamarack Elementary School Hillsboro OR American Sweetgum
Willamette Elementary School, McMinnville School District McMinnville OR American Sweetgum
Pennsylvania
Allegheny Observatory, University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh PA American Sweetgum
Montour High School McKees Rocks PA American Sweetgum
Penn State University, Penn State Erie – The Behrend College Erie PA American Sweetgum
Penn State University, Penn State Schuylkill University Park PA Sycamore
Perkiomen Valley Middle School East Collegeville PA American Sweetgum
The Reading Public Museum Reading PA Sycamore
Rhode Island
Tiverton Public Library Tiverton RI American Sweetgum
South Carolina
Academy for the Arts, Science, & Technology Myrtle Beach SC Loblolly Pine
Conway Elementary School Conway SC American Sweetgum
Manning Early Childhood Center, Clarendon School District Manning SC American Sweetgum
Spartanburg Community College Horticulture Program Spartanburg SC American Sweetgum
Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America Knoxville TN American Sweetgum
Lipscomb Academy Nashville TN American Sweetgum
Pellissippi State Community College Knoxville TN Loblolly Pine
Sumner Academy Gallatin TN American Sweetgum
Texas
Atlanta Public Library Atlanta TX American Sweetgum
Beaumont Children’s Museum & Beaumont Botanical Gardens Beaumont TX Loblolly Pine
Bonham Pre-Kindergarten School San Marcos TX Loblolly Pine
Charles W. Young Junior High School Arlington TX Loblolly Pine
Clear Creek Intermediate, Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) League City TX American Sweetgum
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden – Children’s Adventure Garden Dallas TX American Sweetgum
DeKalb Independent School District De Kalb TX Loblolly Pine
Doss Consolidated Common School District (CCSD) Doss TX American Sweetgum
Fort Worth Botanic Garden Fort Worth TX Loblolly Pine
Galveston County 4H Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Program (Houston Botanic Gardens) Houston TX American Sweetgum
Goliad Independent School District Goliad TX Loblolly Pine
Greens Prairie Elementary School College Station TX American Sweetgum
Groves Elementary School Humble TX Loblolly Pine
Kay Granger Elementary School Fort Worth TX Loblolly Pine
Leadership Big Bend, Nopalitos Park Alpine TX American Sweetgum
Science Hall Elementary School Kyle TX American Sweetgum
Scobee Education Center at San Antonio College San Antonio TX Loblolly Pine
Space Center Intermediate, Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) Houston TX Loblolly Pine
Texas A&M Forest Service Conroe TX American Sweetgum
Texas A&M University, Physics & Astronomy Department College Station TX American Sweetgum
University of Texas at Arlington Arlington TX American Sweetgum
Uplift Summit International Preparatory Middle School Arlington TX Loblolly Pine
Westside Elementary School Cedar Park TX Loblolly Pine
Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy Austin TX Loblolly Pine
Utah
Southern Utah University STEM Center Cedar City UT American Sweetgum
Virginia
Essex County Museum Tappahannock VA American Sweetgum
Virginia Living Museum Newport News VA Loblolly Pine
Virginia Zoo Norfolk VA Loblolly Pine
Washington
Innovation Lab High School Bothell WA Sycamore
Orchard Prairie School District Spokane WA Sycamore
Richland School District Richland WA Sycamore
Upper Columbia Resource Conservation & Development Council Spokane Valley WA Sycamore
Yakima Area Arboretum Yakima WA Sycamore
Wisconsin
Dunn County Historical Society Menomonie WI Sycamore
Fall 2024 Artemis I Moon Tree Stewards
Distribution is underway through November 2024. This list will be updated once distribution is complete. Previously notified recipients who have not received a seedling may be deferred to a later cycle based on current ready-to-ship seedling inventory.
Spring 2025 Artemis I Moon Tree Stewards
Selection is in progress.
Fall 2025 Artemis I Moon Tree Stewards
Selection is in progress.
Explore Moon Trees Website View the full article
-
By NASA
President John F. Kennedy’s national commitment to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth before the end of the decade posed multiple challenges, among them how to train astronauts to land on the Moon, a place with no atmosphere and one-sixth the gravity on Earth. The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) and its successor the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV) provided the training tool to simulate the final 200 feet of the descent to the lunar surface. The ungainly aircraft made its first flight on Oct. 30, 1964, at NASA’s Flight Research Center (FRC), now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California. The Apollo astronauts who completed landings on the Moon attributed their successes largely to training in these vehicles.
The first Lunar Landing Research Vehicle silhouetted against the rising sun on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert.
In December 1961, NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., received an unsolicited proposal from Bell Aerosystems in Buffalo, New York, for a design of a flying simulator to train astronauts on landing a spacecraft on the Moon. Bell’s approach, using their design merged with concepts developed at NASA’s FRC, won approval and the space agency funded the design and construction of two Lunar Landing Research Vehicles (LLRV). At the time of the proposal, NASA had not yet chosen the method for getting to and landing on the Moon, but once NASA decided on Lunar Orbit Rendezvous in July 1962, the Lunar Module’s (LM) flying characteristics matched Bell’s proposed design closely enough that the LLRV served as an excellent trainer.
Two views of the first Lunar Landing Research Vehicle shortly after its arrival and prior to assembly at the Flight Research Center, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in California.
Bell Aerosystems delivered the LLRV-1 to FRC on April 8, 1964, where it made history as the first pure fly-by-wire aircraft to fly in Earth’s atmosphere. Its design relied exclusively on an interface with three analog computers to convert the pilot’s movements to signals transmitted by wire and to execute his commands. The open-framed LLRV used a downward pointing turbofan engine to counteract five-sixths of the vehicle’s weight to simulate lunar gravity, two rockets provided thrust for the descent and horizontal translation, and 16 LM-like thrusters provided three-axis attitude control. The astronauts could thus simulate maneuvering and landing on the lunar surface while still on Earth. The LLRV pilot could use an aircraft-style ejection seat to escape from the vehicle in case of loss of control.
Left: The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle-1 (LLRV-1) during an engine test at NASA’s Flight Research Center (FRC), now NASA’s Armstrong Fight Research Center, in California’s Mojave Desert. Right: NASA chief test pilot Joseph “Joe” A. Walker, left, demonstrates the features of LLRV-1 to President Lyndon B. Johnson during his visit to FRC.
Engineers conducted numerous tests to prepare the LLRV for its first flight. During one of the engine tests, the thrust generated was higher than anticipated, lifting crew chief Raymond White and the LLRV about a foot off the ground before White could shut off the engines. On June 19, during an official visit to FRC, President Lyndon B. Johnson inspected the LLRV featured on a static display. The Secret Service would not allow the President to sit in the LLRV’s cockpit out of an overabundance of caution since the pyrotechnics were installed, but not yet armed, in the ejection seat. Following a Preflight Readiness Review held Aug. 13 and 14, managers cleared the LLRV for its first flight.
Left: NASA chief test pilot Joseph “Joe” A. Walker during the first flight of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV). Right: Walker shortly after the first LLRV flight.
In the early morning of Oct. 30, 1964, FRC chief pilot Joseph “Joe” A. Walker arrived at Edwards Air Force Base’s (AFB) South Base to attempt the first flight of the LLRV. Walker, a winner of both the Collier Trophy and the Harmon International Trophy, had flown nearly all experimental aircraft at Edwards including 25 flights in the X-15 rocket plane. On two of his X-15 flights, Walker earned astronaut wings by flying higher than 62 miles, the unofficial boundary between the Earth’s atmosphere and space. After strapping into the LLRV’s ejection seat, Walker ran through the preflight checklist before advancing the throttle to begin the first flight. The vehicle rose 10 feet in the air, Walker performed a few small maneuvers and then made a soft landing after having flown for 56 seconds. He lifted off again, performed some more maneuvers, and landed again after another 56 seconds. On his third flight, the vehicle’s electronics shifted into backup mode and he landed the craft after only 29 seconds. Walker seemed satisfied with how the LLRV handled on its first flights.
Left: Lunar Landing Research Vehicle-2 (LLRV-2) during one of its six flights at the Flight Research Center, now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in California in January 1967. Right: NASA astronaut Neil A. Armstrong with LLRV-1 at Ellington Air Force Base in March 1967.
Walker took LLRV-1 aloft again on Nov. 16 and eventually completed 35 test flights with the vehicle. Test pilots Donald “Don” L. Mallick, who completed the first simulated lunar landing profile flight during the LLRV’s 35th flight on Sept. 8, 1965, and Emil E. “Jack” Kluever, who made his first flight on Dec. 13, 1965, joined Walker to test the unique aircraft. Joseph S. “Joe” Algranti and Harold E. “Bud” Ream, pilots at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), now NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, travelled to FRC to begin training flights with the LLRV in August 1966. Workers at FRC assembled the second vehicle, LLRV-2, during the latter half of 1966. In December 1966, after 198 flights workers transferred LLRV-1 to Ellington AFB near MSC for the convenience of astronaut training, and LLRV-2 followed in January 1967 after completing six test flights at FRC. The second LLRV made no further flights, partly because the three Lunar Landing Training Vehicles (LLTVs), more advanced models that better simulated the LM’s flying characteristics, began to arrive at Ellington in October 1967. Neil A. Armstrong completed the first astronaut flights aboard LLRV-1 on Mar. 23, 1967, and flew 21 flights before ejecting from the vehicle on May 6, 1968, seconds before it crashed. He later completed his lunar landing certification flights using LLTV-2 in June 1969, one month before peforming the actual feat on the Moon.
Left: Apollo 11 Commander Neil A. Armstrong prepares to fly a lunar landing profile in Lunar Landing Training Vehicle-2 (LLTV-2) in June 1969. Middle: Apollo 12 Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad prepares to fly LLTV-2 in July 1969. Right: Apollo 14 Commander Alan B. Shepard flies LLTV-3 in December 1970.
All Apollo Moon landing mission commanders and their backups completed their lunar landing certifications using the LLTV, and all the commanders attributed their successful landings to having trained in the LLTV. Apollo 8 astronaut William A. Anders, who along with Armstrong completed some of the early LLRV test flights, called the training vehicle “a much unsung hero of the Apollo program.” During the flight readiness review in January 1970 to clear LLTV-3 for astronaut flights, Apollo 11 Commander Armstrong and Apollo 12 Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad, who had by then each completed manual landings on the Moon, spoke positively of the LLTV’s role in their training. Armstrong’s overall impression of the LLTV: “All the pilots … thought it was an extremely important part of their preparation for the lunar landing attempt,” adding “It was a contrary machine, and a risky machine, but a very useful one.” Conrad emphasized that were he “to go back to the Moon again on another flight, I personally would want to fly the LLTV again as close to flight time as possible.” During the Apollo 12 technical debriefs, Conrad stated the “the LLTV is an excellent training vehicle for the final phases. I think it’s almost essential. I feel it really gave me the confidence that I needed.” During the postflight debriefs, Apollo 14 Commander Alan B. Shepard stated that he “did feel that the LLTV contributed to my overall ability to fly the LM during the landing.”
Left: Apollo 15 Commander David R. Scott flies Lunar Landing Training Vehicle-3 (LLTV-3) in June 1971. Middle: Apollo 16 Commander John W. Young prepares to fly LLTV-3 in March 1972. Right: Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A. Cernan prepares for a flight aboard LLTV-3 in October 1972.
David R. Scott, Apollo 15 commander, stated in the final mission report that “the combination of visual simulations and LLTV flying provided excellent training for the actual lunar landing. Comfort and confidence existed throughout this phase.” In the Apollo 15 postflight debrief, Scott stated that he “felt very comfortable flying the vehicle (LM) manually, because of the training in the LLTV, and there was no question in my mind that I could put it down where I wanted to. I guess I can’t say enough about that training. I think the LLTV is an excellent simulation of the vehicle.” Apollo 16 Commander John W. Young offered perhaps the greatest praise for the vehicle just moments after landing on the lunar surface: “Just like flying the LLTV. Piece of cake.” Young reiterated during the postflight debriefs that “from 200 feet on down, I never looked in the cockpit. It was just like flying the LLTV.” Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A. Cernan stated in the postflight debrief that “the most significant part of the final phases from 500 feet down, … was that it was extremely comfortable flying the bird. I contribute (sic) that primarily to the LLTV flying operations.”
Left: Workers move Lunar Landing Research Vehicle-2 from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center for display at the Air Force Test Flight Museum at Edwards Air Force Base. Right: Lunar Landing Training Vehicle-3 on display outside the Teague Auditorium at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
In addition to playing a critical role in the Moon landing program, these early research and test vehicles aided in the development of digital fly-by-wire technology for future aircraft. LLRV-2 is on display at the Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB (on loan from AFRC). Visitors can view LLTV-3 suspended from the ceiling in the lobby of the Teague Auditorium at JSC.
The monograph Unconventional, Contrary, and Ugly: The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle provides an excellent and detailed history of the LLRV.
Explore More
11 min read 35 Years Ago: STS-34 Sends Galileo on its Way to Jupiter
Article 1 week ago 12 min read Five Years Ago: First All Woman Spacewalk
Article 2 weeks ago 6 min read Cassini Mission: 5 Things to Know About NASA Lewis’ Last Launch
Article 2 weeks ago View the full article
-
-
Check out these Videos
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.