Children of Apollo: From the Earth, to the Heavens

[Its_Just_Luci]

Chapter 12: And then, there were two.​

(Ukrainian Folk Song, Мiсяць на небi)

As the spring of 1970 waned, a new era of the soviet space program was just beginning. The Soviets had successfully landed their Lunokhod 1 rover in the Sea of Rains that February, and with that, marked their landing site for LK-1. N1-9L lifted off, delivering a small, unmanned craft in pursuit of the small radio beacon on the lunar surface. The rocket performed perfectly, and before long the Block G was on its way to the lunar sphere of influence.

…

Mission Controller 1: We have Contact-

Mission Controller 2: Landing motors firing!
…

Mission Controller 3: Ura!-

Engineers cheered out with delight as the Lunniy Korabl cut her engines, and was pressed into the lunar regolith; The landing had gone brilliantly. Some clapped, others teared up in joy, and many took but a moment to gather their thoughts. Attention was, however, immediately shifted into getting the lander ready to power down, and enter its month-long hibernation state. After nearly 36 hours of verification, final checkouts and post landing procedures, Lunniy Korabl-01, ангел-хранитель, or Guardian Angel was down on the surface and put to rest.

However successful these events had been with context, the events that had unfolded before them terrified American intelligence agencies. To them, they saw the Soviet moon rocket send a craft to lunar orbit, perform a powered descent and then fall silent just hours after presumably reaching the surface. To many at the NRO, this seemed to be a sign that the Soviets had lost a man on the moon. The Americans were simply left wondering what would come of the stricken cosmonauts, and of the soviet space program as a whole. This is why the launch of N1-10L a mere 28 days later came as such a shock.

Following the launch of Apollo 13, all focus shifted to the preparation and rollout of AS-509, Apollo 14. Following yet another successful mission, the rocket was rolled out to the pad. As their May launch window crept closer and closer, the crew became seemingly more and more focused on the mission ahead of them. Mere hours before their scheduled liftoff, and with days of simulation training under their belts, Commander Buzz Aldrin, LMP Michael Collins, and CMP Don Eisele suited up.

Meanwhile in the Soviet Union, N1-10L began fueling up. Her 30 engines eventually roaring to life as the rocket cleared the launch pad. The rocket continued upwards, the core 6 NK-33 engines shutting down as programmed. Eventually all 24 remaining engines puttered out, and the Block B and V continued onwards delivering the L3 lunar stack to orbit.

As the 3 men began their shuttle to the launch pad, the news came in to the office of James Webb: They’ve launched.

Webb: Are we sure? When are they planning on heading to the moon

Agent: We’re sure, and it could be any time now. We really don’t have any idea what their intentions are, but we assumed if their last mission had failed, they’d surely put off a further attempt.

Webb: Well… We’ll have to wait and see. Apollo 14 is going to keep going on schedule, however.

Agent: We think you should continue unaffected, we just also thought you should know, sir.

Webb: Well I appreciate it, thank you. I assume the president knows?

Agent: He does, but we haven’t heard from the Kremlin yet.

Webb: I see… well let me know if anything changes. Until then though I need to get back to my people.

Agent: Of course.

As Apollo 14 reached orbit, further news of the N1’s intentions finally reached the White House. President Humphrey received a call from the Kremlin promising they would not interfere with Apollo 14’s descent, and informing them they were on their way to the lunar surface as well. Humphrey expressed appreciation that they kept him informed, and told Brezhnev to wish the Soviet scientists good luck from his country. Little did the leaders know, this would be far from their last call, and would in time mark the beginning of further space endeavors.

Nevertheless, the two missions had launched mere hours apart, and by sheer coincidence, a true race to the moon had begun. The L3 lunar complex was placed into orbit, and the soviets began final preparations for their next launch. Apollo 14 was cleared for TLI, and Columbia began her trip to the lunar sphere of influence.

The Soviets, however, were still largely uncertain about the safety of the N1F as a crewed launch vehicle, and thus opted to launch crew on the now-proven Soyuz launcher. Pavel Popovich, Alexi Leonov, and Andriyan Nikolayev lifted off in pursuit of their orbiting lunar complex; Soyuz 9 rose into the air, drifting off into the blue skies over Baikainor. Engineers watched as the 4 boosters onboard the Soyuz separated, forming the iconic Korolev Cross.

(Soyuz 9 Booster Separation)​

Mission Controller 1: We have booster separation, all is looking good on our end!

Mission Controller 2: RD-108 performing normally, go Soyuz-9!

The rocket continued her path to orbit, with the upper stage eventually separating, and delivering the crew of 3 to Earth orbit. Their rendezvous would be fast paced, and the Soyuz would have to make a healthy correction burn to slow down at their closest approach on account of this. Nevertheless, the crews prepared for their rendezvous, and when the time came, performed their burn spectacularly.

Popovich: Ura! We have matched velocities with the L3!

Popovich and Leonov began suiting up. Their next task would be to EVA out of the orbital module of their Soyuz 7K-OK, and into the orbital module of their lunar-bound Soyuz LOK. This maneuver was difficult, but the two experienced pilots made quick work of it. Nikolayev held the craft steady as the two men leaped between the slowly drifting spacecraft; Once the two men had tethered themselves to the LOK, the chords connecting them to their launch vehicle were severed, and the men were on their own. Nikolayev waved his goodbye, and the spacecraft began separation maneuvers

Nikolayev: Godspeed Comrades! Bring me home a souvenir from your journey!

Leonev: Will do Andryian! Will do!

As soyuz 9 drifted away slowly, Nikplayev confirmed with engineers that the LOK was looking absolutely stunning- and was in great condition as best I can tell. With this affirmation, the mission controllers began final checks on the lunar bound stack. Tank pressures seemed nominal, and the two men were given the go-ahead.

Mission Controller: L3-3, Go for NK-19 ignition!

The engine roared to life on final time, and before long, the two men felt weightlessness return once more. As the engine flamed out, the LOK, Block D and the LK-02 “маленькая птица” or “Little Bird” separated from the now depleted Block G. Two of the Soviet Unions’ best and brightest were now on their way to the moon, quickly pursuing Apollo 14.

As day 3 of the mission came and went, the Block D performed a lunar orbit capture maneuver, delivering the two cosmonauts into a low-lunar orbit. It was only here where the Soviets announced to the public, both domestically and abroad, that Soviet cosmonauts had arrived in lunar orbit.

The Soyuz-LOK spacecraft separated from the stack beneath it, and the fairings encompassing the LK were jettisoned. The Soyuz began docking procedures with the LK, and just as engineers had hoped, the simple docking mechanism worked without issue. The LOK Extended her docking probe, aiming for the vast honeycomb structure in front of her. Contact was made, and the two spacecraft fastened together securely. The next major hurdle of the LK had been cleared.

(LK Lander Docking Plate)
​

The two craft began tracking Lunokhod 1’s radio beacon. Over the course of multiple orbits, the location of the landing site was refined, and before long mission controllers felt confident that LK-02 was ready for descent. Leonev suited up, and the Soyuz’s hatch opened. The second EVA of the mission had just begun.

While the American Apollo-LM architecture possessed a pressurized tunnel through which astronauts could board the lunar lander and return to the command module, the Soviet design philosophy differed greatly. The LK had been designed for simplicity, not elegance. As such, the docking mechanism was simply a metal grid, allowing any number of the holes to be contacted by the Soyuz’s docking probe, and docking to occur. This mechanism, while primitive on the surface, proved greatly reliable. However, this left the LK lacking a way to allow a cosmonaut to egress into the spacecraft.

The Soviets, however, had enough experience with Extra-Vehicular Activity to deem this a suitable alternative. As such, the LK’s pilot was required to EVA from the Soyuz, to the LK. This was done with the assistance of handrails, and a backup tether. Once the cosmonaut in question had successfully entered the LK, the tether was detached and stowed in the lander, and the hatch was sealed. The two spacecraft would now be safe to undock, and landing procedures good to proceed.

Leonev: I’ll see you on the other side, Corade!

Popovich: Bring back some good samples, okay?

Leonev: You bet.

…

Leonev: RKA, I have undocked from the LOK.

RKA: Roger.

After a short orbital coast period, the LK and Block D had separated nominally from the Soyuz. The descent vehicle was now ready to begin her final mission.

RKA: маленькая птица, go for Block D Ignition.

Block D roared to life, slowing the lander rapidly as Leonev’s landing site approached. The lander reached an altitude of 4,000m (2.5 miles, or ~13,000 ft.) and the Block D was jettisoned. The lander lit her main engine, beginning the final phase of descent.

Leonev: 4000 meters, I’ve cleared the descent stage.

RKA: Roger that Alexei, all engines running nominally on the LK?

Leonev: Sure are, Moscow.

(LK’s RD-858 running at full throttle, and Block D on a collision course with the Lunar Surface.)​

Leonev: Okay passing 1km, throttling down.

…

Leonev: I can see Lunokhod, we’re looking good.

…

Leonev: Kicking up some dust here-

RKA: We’ve lost image on the Lunokhod-

Leonev: Contact-

A loud roar could be heard over Leonev’s microphone

Leonev: NESTING ENGINES FIRING!
…

…

Leonev: Moscow, I’m down- I’ve landed.

Thunderous applause was heard throughout the control room, and across the world the news broke: Soviet Cosmonaut on the moon. Leonev had brought the lander down in good condition, and with enough fuel for a return to the LOK. The American press reported on the events live, as the Soviet’s first landing largely overshadowed Apollo 14’s mission. Apollo 14, the final H class mission would begin her descent just hours later, and NASA put out a public statement that evening:

We would like to publicly congratulate the Soviet Union on their tremendous accomplishment. We believe it to be the most difficult of modern challenges, both technically and politically, to pull off a landing of this manner. We eagerly await further landings of this type, and anticipate future coordination with the Soviets to avoid potential landing-site overlap in the future.

- Office of the NASA Administrator,
James Webb.​

And with that, the Soviets had joined the exclusive club. A tiny list of nations who had reached another world. But their mission was far from over, and as Leonev opened the hatch, he knew this more than anyone.

Leonev: I land here today, with good intention and for the glory of the Soviet people, for the glory of all workers around the world, for all mankind.

​

Leonev continued his EVA, gathering surface samples and deploying simple scientific equipment over the next hour. All the while, less than 700 miles away, the Americans touched down their lander successfully near the Fra Mauro crater. This marked the end for Apollo’s H-class missions, and proceeded more intricate missions to come. The LK Remained on the moon for another 6 hours, eventually separating from its landing legs, and beginning an ascent to orbit. This concluded not only the first time the Soviets landed a man on the moon, but the first time multiple nations had done so concurrently. By sheer coincidence, the mission marked a precedent that would stand for years to come.

The LK rendezvoused with the Soyuz awaiting it in lunar orbit; Once the two craft had securely docked, Leonev began the intricate task that was transferring himself and the surface samples into the command module. The lone cosmonaut finally closed the hatch on the Soyuz, and the LK was discarded in orbit. Before long, the two men were on their way home, returning safely from their legendary journey just days later.

Apollo 14 was marked by success as well, with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins breaking the lunar EVA endurance record set by Apollo 13 earlier that year. The two men returned to their command module much the same as LOK-02 before them, splashing down on may 23, 1970.

 

[Kloka]

And who were the 13 crew? 😃

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

And who were the 13 crew? 😃

Richard Gordon, Wally Cunningham and Frank Borman. Mission went off without a hitch, due in part to the late redesign of the spacecraft

 

[defconh3ck]

We would like to publicly congratulate the Soviet Union on their tremendous accomplishment. We believe it to be the most difficult of modern challenges, both technically and politically, to pull off a landing of this manner. We eagerly await further landings of this type, and anticipate future coordination with the Soviets to avoid potential landing-site overlap in the future.

you can absolutely feel the tension here, great stuff as always Luci! Looking forward to the next chapter!

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

Chapter 13: By Leaps and Bounds, Part I: Setting the Stage.​

“The NRO guys are like puppy dogs, delighted to show you what they can do—as long as you don’t tell”​

- Author Unknown, 1979.​

(Don McLean, American Pie)

As Apollo matured, so did her components; The LM in particular saw a series of upgrades, turning it from a lander capable of staying mere hours on the lunar surface to one capable of days, then weeks, then months on the surface. These upgrades would vary, and ultimately split the LM into three major variants. The first of these variants was the original, G or H-Class Lunar Module, that which had been used on Apollo’s 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. With Apollo 15, however, the LM would see fuel and engine performance increases, allowing further payload to be brought to and from the surface.

Foremost of these payloads was the LRV, a small battery powered rover for the astronauts to traverse the surface with; This, alongside extra consumables and upgraded suits would allow the astronauts to stay on the surface for up to three days. However, these upgrades would be but a stepping stone towards NASA’s ultimate goal: The L-Class missions. These missions were still a ways away, and while NASA didn’t presently need to uprate the Saturn V’s capabilities, the need to do so soon had been identified. This ultimately led to the Uprated Saturn Launchers Program, an initiative to upgrade multiple components of the Saturn V, and Saturn IB launchers.

The J-2 would be the first engine to see these changes. A program of cost-savings, reliability increases and capability expansions led to a vastly simplified and much more efficient engine, the J-2S. The J-2S, or J-2 Simplified, was to run on the tap-off cycle rather than the original J-2’s gas generator. This, it was hoped, would dramatically reduce part count, and streamline engine production. By 1970, the engine had received thousands of seconds of run time, and was expected to fly by 1972.

The H-1 engine was also expected to reap the rewards of costs-savings and upratings. An engine development program had begun with the aim of extending the engines runtime, as well as thrust and chamber pressure. At the start of the program, 250,000 pound-force was identified to be the nominal thrust level, with the goal of up to 240 seconds of run time being proven. This was to be an extensive upgrade from the 205,000 pounds of thrust achieved on Apollo 4, but the engine development would coincide with NASA’s final uprating of the program.

With a thrust increase of 15% over that of the current engine, the addition of throttling and ISP increases, the F-1A was to be a behemoth of an engine. The engine was to see extensive manufacturing simplifications, and reliability increases. The aim with the F-1A was largely at post-Apollo vehicle designs, where a 15-45% thrust increase at launch could be accounted for properly. In the meantime, engine development would march on slowly, with first test-fires being expected in 1975 or 1976.

These engine upgrades were but part of a larger whole. The S-IB and S-IVB were to see extensive upgrades over the coming years, extending propellant capabilities, increasing engine count and even allowing for longer-duration use. NASA hoped these upgrades, alongside the cost savings and capability enhancements they would bring, would allow both the Saturn V and Saturn IB to take a much more active role in the late-Apollo program.

Apollo was rapidly maturing, and as a result so were her missions, The J-Class missions were set to be the first with a dedicated scientist-pilot on board and as a result, the missions were anticipated to yield much more dramatic results. These pilots would, however, have to wait for the latter half of the J-Class flights, as Apollo’s 15 and 16 were primarily focused on testing and analyzing the performance of the J-Class upgrades. And it was with these goals that Apollo 15 was rolled out to the pad, awaiting her final call for launch.

Prior to liftoff, political discussions began to take flight. Heads of NASA and the Soviet Space Program met alongside their diplomats to begin discussion of further cooperation and risk aversion. In the autumn of ‘70, it was agreed that NASA and the Soviet Space Agency would communicate their intended launch dates, landing sites and additional information; This was in an attempt to avoid Stepping on each other's feet as Jacob Beam, the US Diplomat to the Kremlin would put it. However, before long these discussions began evolving. The discussion was rapidly shifting away from the risk aversion the two nations originally intended, and towards joint operations in space. With the Soviets planning future lunar missions, as well as continued operations in Earth Orbit, NASA saw an opportunity to prove to the nation that they were more than a weapon of the cold war, but that they could be a tool of peace.

It was with this mindset that The Agreement Concerning Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, Often known as the Apollo-Soyuz Treaty was drafted; The treaty, covering three distinct missions, would start with a multinational docking in orbit of the Earth, Apollo Soyuz Test Project-I (ASTP-1). This flight would see a jointly developed docking adapter be placed into orbit alongside the Apollo in 1974, with a Soyuz joining the crew shortly after for a multi-day docked flight before parting ways. The next mission, ASTP-II, was to be a joint lunar-operation conducted in 1976 or 1977, in which multiple crafts from the two nations would descend upon a commonly decided upon site, chosen by 1974. The third and final mission outlined in the treaty consisted of a multi-month mission to Skylab or her successor, aimed at demonstrating the potential for cooperative stationkeeping exercises in the nations’ future. It was under this emblem of peace, that Humphrey addressed the senate on the 12th of September, 1970, mere hours before the scheduled liftoff of Apollo 15.

(Humphrey addresses a Congressional Hearing, emphasizing the importance of cooperating with the Soviets in manned and unmanned spaceflight)​

President Humphrey addressed the houses of congress, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in this new ear of manned space exploration; He also expressed his intentions to set a budget floor for the space agency, stating his belief that until the Shuttle and Space Transportation System had been developed, the agency needed to maintain at minimum a funding level at 1.5% of the national budget, and no less than 1% thereafter. This decision was bold, and to many seemed uncalled for; However, with the presidency controlled by the Democrats, and both houses of congress under their control, the motion seemed doable.

It was on the back of these promises, and the continued development of uprated Saturn vehicles, the voyager and surveyor probes, and all the gifts Apollo had wrought the nation that Apollo 15 lifted off from LC-39B. With final negotiations still underway, and with an all-too-familiar roar, Apollo 15 lifted off for the heavens. All 5 main engines screamed to life, delivering the over 7 million pounds of thrust necessary to throw the monolithic rocket off the launch pad. Eugene Cernan, Kennith Mattingly, and Stuart Roosa were now on their way, and reporting nominal performance from the first and second stages. As the rocket finally made orbit, all systems were performing nominally, and the three men were given the go ahead: Odyssey, go for TLI.

Cernan: Roger, Go for TLI.

(Liftoff of Apollo 15, September 9th, 1970.)​

After a short and by all accounts uneventful coast, Apollo 15 arrived at the lunar sphere of influence. Delivering the crew of Odyssey and the promise of a true scientific endeavor to the moon. The crew peered out their window in awe, awaiting loss of signal and preparing for the maneuver ahead of them.

Cernan: Here she is!

Roosa: We can see the lunar surface real well out the window, flight.

Capcom: We’re thrilled to hear it you three, make sure you’re ready for LOI

Cernan: Roger. Don, Harrison, one of you grab a shot out that window, it looks beautiful!

(A crescent Earth in the Lunar Shadow, Apollo 15, 1970.)​

Cernan: Alright Houston, we’ll see you lovely folks on the other side!

Capcom: Roger that Odyssey.

Odyssey lit her main engine, and began the now-mundane process of lunar orbit insertion. The spacecraft slowed her velocity by nearly 2,600 feet per second (~800m/s) , capturing securely into lunar orbit. The spacecraft reappeared on tracking and data relays minutes later, showing that the maneuver had gone properly as it had over half a dozen times prior.

Cernan: This is Odyssey, how do you copy?

Capcom: 10/10 15. We hear you perfectly!

Cernan: Beautiful.

Before long, Gene Cernan and Stuart Roosa donned their A9L suits and boarded Endeavour. The spacecraft undocked, and as many had before them, they began their descent. Today’s destination was the eastern Mare Serenitatis: the Sea of Serenity. As the crew descended towards the surface they noticed subtle landmarks along the way, notifying them that they were well within their landing corridor.

Roosa: 50 up, down at 3, holding her steady Gene.

Cernan: Roger- Ok Houston we’re lookin’ good

Capcom: Read you loud and clear 15. Keep her steady!

Cernan: You bet-

Roosa: 30, down at 2.

Cernan 2 feet per second

…

Roosa: Down at 1… 0.5… contact!

Cernan: Engine cut-

Roosa: Disengage-

Cernan: Houston, serenity here. Endeavour is down!

Capcom: Roger you down Endeavour. Welcome to the moon!

Roosa: This sure is something-

…

…

Roosa: It's just incredible. I’m at a loss for words.

After initial stay/no-stay polls came back green, the men began preparations for EVA. Their helmets were fastened, and they began their descent. Once both men had descended the ladder to the lunar plains below them, their next task began. Unpack the LRV. The LRV, or Lunar Roving Vehicle, was a compact electric rover that could be used to extend the astronauts effective traversable distance from 2 miles to well over 15. Needless to say, the LRV was in part, the backbone of the J-Class missions, and as such its unfolding was a mission critical endeavor.

(LRV Deployment)​

Cernan: Okay flight, the rover is coming along well

Capcom: Roger you loud and clear, LRV deployment is going good.

Before long, and with little added effort, the men managed to free the LRV from the Lunar Modules bay. As the rover unfolded, her wheels flipped into an active position, and the rover was slowly but surely descending towards the surface. The seats flipped open, and the astronauts had secured their ride for the evening. Humanities most distant of joyrides was about to begin.

Roosa: Convertible is ready babe!

Cernan: She sure is, Tell Boeing they did a good job on this one!

Capcom: Roger, will do Gene-

The two men boarded the rover, and her wheels began to turn. Before long the two men were gliding across the surface at a blisteringly fast 8mph (13km/h).

Roosa: Yippee!

Cernan: Let’s see what this bad boy can do!

For the next few hours, the men roved around the lunar surface, gathering numerous distant samples before ultimately returning to the lunar module. Their surface samples marked the broadest and most varied collection of regolith brought back by a single mission to date, and their documentation of the lunar surface proved fruitful. The two men went to sleep that night knowing full well that they had done groundbreaking science, and were having the time of their lives doing it.

On the second day of the mission, Roosa and Cernan sought out to deploy a series of scientific payloads. These ranged from measurement and data collection equipment to small explosive devices designed to deliver data on the Moon’s interior makeup. Day two of the mission proved fruitful, and the mission was wrapped up with an additional day of travel across the lunar surface. The two men set out on their journey yet again to rove across the lunar surface in search of surface samples.

…

Cernan: Picking up some speed here, outta slow down-

Roosa: ugh-

Cernan: One of the wheels caught something flight, looks like our fender is a bit busted.

Capcom: Roger that Gene, let’s go ahead and see if we can get it buffed out.

The damage had been somewhat severe, with the fender extension falling off entirely as they scraped against a rock. An attempt was made to fix the fender with duct tape, however due to the severe abrasion of the lunar regolith this proved an unobtainable solution. Ultimately it was suggested by Stuart Roosa- Why don’t we use the map? And before long, the men had taped the map in place of their fender extension; While the fix had been messy, and looked somewhat uninspiring, the tape held, and the men continued their drive. Roosa and Cernan eventually disembarked their rover, slowly striding towards a boulder in the distance.

Cernan: Bit of a hard time jumping around in these things

…

Roosa: Bet I can beat ya there!

Cernan: You’re on, old man!

After a short footrace across the regolith dusted plains, the astronauts continued their journey across the surface ahead of them, eventually returning to the LM a few hours later. Before long, their 3 day stint on the lunar surface was over, and the time had come to begin their ascent back to Odyssey. The Computer was set, and the launch commenced-

Cernan: We’re up and away, Houston.

Roosa: So long, friend- take care of 16 for us!

(Cernan Salutes shortly before liftoff)​

Apollo’s 16, 17 and 18 would largely repeat the success of 15 before them; The missions flying to a number of sites determined by the agency in the months leading up to their arrival. While the Surveyor, Ranger, and Lunar Orbiter programs had provided NASA with ample data in the lead-up to Apollo, the time seemed evident for a more extensive study of the lunar topography. It was with this goal that an old favor, offered to NASA in the decade prior was finally dusted off and redeemed: Project Upward.

Project Upward was a mission proposed in the early 1960’s long before Apollo had first taken flight. The mission was to see the delivery of a KH-7 reconnaissance satellite alongside the Apollo to lunar orbit. This, the NRO had promised, would allow NASA to achieve the highest degree of fidelity when documenting the lunar surface. This mission however was turned down in 1966, when NASA deemed they had received enough imagery for the time being from the first two lunar orbiters.

The agency had, however, changed its mind about this decision and in 1970 a request to use a newer KH-8 was sent to the NRO. While the USAF, CIA and NRO were primarily focused on Soviet Activities, the mission was seen as a potential demonstration of cutting-edge imagery technology. With nearly no hesitation, the request was approved, and NASA was sent a delivery by the NRO that winter. This was, of course, under one main condition: The images were not to be made public under any circumstance.

After agreeing to this, NASA moved forward developing the A19SP or the Apollo-19 Scientific Package. The instrument unit would be based around that worked on by the NRO in their 1962 proposal, with a few exceptions. Namely, the module would include a small number of scientific instruments alongside the primary imaging system. These instruments would vary in use case, ranging from spectrometry lenses for the primary optics, to altimeters and accelerometers. These instruments used in tandem with the platform in a near-polar inclination would allow the spacecraft to map the gravitational field, surface features and even chemical makeup of the lunar surface. This would give NASA the plethora of data and factors necessary to move forward with longer term exploration of the lunar surface.

(Early design of the A19SP)​

As Apollos 16, 17 and 18 landed on the moon successfully, Apollo 19’s survey approached ever closer. The mission, dubbed I-Prime, was truly one of a kind, and would prove something of a logistical challenge. The 28 day mission would well-exceed Apollo’s previous staying capabilities, and as such the spacecraft would need extra supplies to be included, and only a skeleton crew would be flown. The crew of two would lessen the load on the Apollo spacecraft just enough that the nearly month-long freeflight proved feasible. By the close of 1971 the plan had been sealed, and in January, the two-man crew were scheduled for liftoff.

(Apollo 19 rolls out to the Launchpad)​

The rocket raised off the pad, as it had for countless flights before. However today’s mission had a unique combination of changes allowing the rocket to greatly overperform. In tandem with a lighter payload, the second and third stages of AS-514 were utilizing the newly flight certified J-2S engine. The engine had racked up tens of thousands of seconds of run-time on test stands and by 1970, NASA had certified AS-514 to be modified to utilize the engine. This would ultimately raise the gargantuan rocket's TLI-capabilities from 45 tons, to just over 50.

The crew had made it to orbit, and TLI shortly followed. After the S-IVB had depleted its usefulness, and the stage had been safed, the petals of the adapter opened up, and the Apollo separated from the spent stage beneath it. Resolution, you are go for docking-

McDivitt: Roger that, Houston.

…

…

Irwin: Okay flight, we’re docking with the package.

Capcom: Roger that James, glad to hear-

McDivitt: But I didn’t say anything-

Irwin: (Laughing) Shut it.

McDivitt: Extraction and separation complete. We’re on our way!

The two men arrived at the moon just under 3 days later; They inserted themselves into lunar orbit successfully, and began their month-long endeavor. The camera was started, and would run almost uninterrupted for the next 670 or so hours. During this time, the astronauts would perform numerous EVA’s to gather science, maintain the platform and perform inspections on the spacecraft’s health.

Apollo would hold up, proving not only that the spacecraft was fit for the task, but that it was ready for the tasks ahead of it. NASA’s upcoming project, Skylab, alongside the variety of longer duration missions the agency had planned would require Apollo to stay the 4 weeks in orbit at least, with some missions set to require many times this duration. Nevertheless, NASA proved as optimistic as they did correct. The spacecraft easily outperformed its initial designed lifespan and allowed the collection of a momentous amount of scientific data. The astronauts performed numerous manual collections alongside the near-automated main optics payload.

The astronauts would gather spectrometry scans of many regions around the moon; Particular emphasis was given to those sites not visited by previous missions, namely the highlands, poles and the far side of the moon. While NASA was not considering landings on the far side of the moon, the former two seemed promising. Landings in both the highest and lowest parts of the lunar surface proved an intriguing proposition. This proposition only became more so once data collection showed something quite… extraordinary.

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

Chapter 14: Playing in the Snow.​

(Dimitri Dourakine - Toi Toi Toi)

Scientist 1: Are we sure it’s ice?

Scientist 2: I mean look at it, what else could that be? The peaks line up perfectly-

In the months following Apollo 19’s survey of the lunar surface, an astounding discovery was announced, and shared with scientists across the globe. While optical imagery could not be provided, data collected by the spectrometer could be. This data was distributed to labs across the world for verification, and the soviet space agency decided to alter course because of it.

Luna 20 had been scheduled to lift off that May. The spacecraft, alongside two identical probes, had been designed to perform a core drilling and sample return. This mission architecture, however, had been abandoned with the successful touchdown of LK-02. Instead of sample returns, the probes had begun modification in the closing months of 1970 to perform in-depth surface analysis of core samples. Armed with this task, and a newfound sense of purpose, engineers set out to land the probe in a site far more interesting than they could have ever asked for: Shackleton Crater.

(L1F-M Rocket Diagram)​

The probe lifted off that May atop the L1F-M rocket. The L1 had since been upgraded to the spec of the N1F that had delivered men to the moon in the years prior, and had received one major upgrade; Block V and G had been replaced by a single unified Block-M stage powered by the RD-57, the USSR’s first flight-ready hydrolox engine. The engine also proved to be the first staged combustion hydrogen engine anywhere on earth, providing the Soviets with a level of efficiency that was presently unmatched. These upgrades would ultimately raise the L1s payload dramatically, allowing the heavy-lift rocket to send even greater payloads to the moon and beyond.

RKA controller 1: We have contact!

RKA Controller 2: Наш маленький снеговик приземлился!!

Luna-20 had successfully touched down on the Shackleton crater wall. Within hours, the probe would begin drilling into the lunar surface and gathering a soil sample to begin analyzing. The drill penetrated the surface, and with some difficulty received a small sample to process. The small sample of soil was loaded into a small heater for spectrometry to be performed. Once the heater had been turned on, a gas was observed separating from the dirt, analysis would show that other than a small quantity of frozen CO2 this was almost entirely water.

(Luna 20)​

Within months of NASA’s announcement, the soviet scientists had proven verbatim that water was present in large quantities on the lunar surface. The news rocked the scientific world to its core. Once thought of as a desolate rock with nothing more interesting than geology to offer humanity; The moon was proving perhaps a viable location for a long term human presence, in Earth’s own backyard. This mission would ultimately reshape plans for Apollo, and the RLK program.

RLK (развиваться Лунный корабль) was the USSR’s true response to Apollo; The lander was not only capable of landing on the lunar surface, but staying there for months at a time. These capabilities would prove the merit of the N1’s, Block V-III, and the Soviet space program as a whole by pushing them to their limits. This lander however, was to be a fully clean-slate design, and as such was not expected to enter service until 1975 or 1976. Until then, Soviet authorities approved an additional 5 landings, 1 in 1972, 2 in 1973, and one a year until 1975.

 

[ByteMe]

dramatically reduce part count

Good to see rocket scientists have the same motivation as KSP rocket 'scientists'.

Luna-20 had successfully touched down on the Shackleton crater wall.

Well, the Race for the Base has begun I guess!
The episode where ice is discovered on the Moon is still my absolute favourite episode of For All Mankind, hands down. The use of Apollo tech for rappelling Shackleton is just so well done.

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

Good to see rocket scientists have the same motivation as KSP rocket 'scientists'.

Well, the Race for the Base has begun I guess!
The episode where ice is discovered on the Moon is still my absolute favourite episode of For All Mankind, hands down. The use of Apollo tech for rappelling Shackleton is just so well done.

Same here lol... don't expect a race though, but I won't give too much away haha

 

[defconh3ck]

Some of your best work yet Luci! I'm so so incredibly lucky to be able to see this all play out! Bravo as always!!

 

[RanulfC]

Chapter 13: By Leaps and Bounds, Part I: Setting the Stage.​

“The NRO guys are like puppy dogs, delighted to show you what they can do—as long as you don’t tell”​

- Author Unknown, 1979.​

>snip<After a short footrace across the regolith dusted plains, the astronauts continued their journey across the surface ahead of them, eventually returning to the LM a few hours later. Before long, their 3 day stunt on the lunar surface was over, and the time had come to begin their ascent back to Odyssey. The Computer was set, and the launch commenced-<snip>

Just a 'slight' nit-pick but did you mean "stint" not "stunt" there?

The astronauts would gather spectrometry scans of many regions around the moon; Particular emphasis was given to those sites not visited by previous missions, namely the highlands, poles and the far side of the moon. While NASA was not considering landings on the far side of the moon, the former two seemed promising. Landings in both the highest and lowest parts of the lunar surface proved an intriguing proposition. This proposition only became more so once data collection showed something quite… extraordinary.

Chapter 14: Playing in the Snow.​

(Dimitri Dourakine - Toi Toi Toi)

Scientist 1: Are we sure it’s ice?

Scientist 2: I mean look at it, what else could that be? The peaks line up perfectly-

In the months following Apollo 19’s survey of the lunar surface, an astounding discovery was announced, and shared with scientists across the globe. While optical imagery could not be provided, data collected by the spectrometer could be. This data was distributed to labs across the world for verification, and the soviet space agency decided to alter course because of it.

Well, well MUCH earlier vindicaiton that the Apollo Lunar samples were NOT cross-contaminated which is going to lead several interesting places...

Luna 20 had been scheduled to lift off that May. The spacecraft, alongside two identical probes, had been designed to perform a core drilling and sample return. This mission architecture, however, had been abandoned with the successful touchdown of LK-02. Instead of sample returns, the probes had begun modification in the closing months of 1970 to perform in-depth surface analysis of core samples. Armed with this task, and a newfound sense of purpose, engineers set out to land the probe in a site far more interesting than they could have ever asked for: Shackleton Crater.

(L1F-M Rocket Diagram)​

The probe lifted off that May atop the L1F-M rocket. The L1 had since been upgraded to the spec of the N1F that had delivered men to the moon in the years prior, and had received one major upgrade; Block V and G had been replaced by a single unified Block-M stage powered by the RD-57, the USSR’s first flight-ready hydrolox engine. The engine also proved to be the first staged combustion hydrogen engine anywhere on earth, providing the Soviets with a level of efficiency that was presently unmatched. These upgrades would ultimately raise the L1s payload dramatically, allowing the heavy-lift rocket to send even greater payloads to the moon and beyond.

RKA controller 1: We have contact!

RKA Controller 2: Наш маленький снеговик приземлился!!

Luna-20 had successfully touched down on the Shackleton crater wall. Within hours, the probe would begin drilling into the lunar surface and gathering a soil sample to begin analyzing. The drill penetrated the surface, and with some difficulty received a small sample to process. The small sample of soil was loaded into a small heater for spectrometry to be performed. Once the heater had been turned on, a gas was observed separating from the dirt, analysis would show that other than a small quantity of frozen CO2 this was almost entirely water.

(Luna 20)​

Within months of NASA’s announcement, the soviet scientists had proven verbatim that water was present in large quantities on the lunar surface. The news rocked the scientific world to its core. Once thought of as a desolate rock with nothing more interesting than geology to offer humanity; The moon was proving perhaps a viable location for a long term human presence, in Earth’s own backyard. This mission would ultimately reshape plans for Apollo, and the RLK program.

Which just changed the whole narrative of O'Neil's "Space Colonization" studies and subsequent movement

Randy

 

[TaintedLion]

Very nice chapter! Did you have crews and landing sites for 16, 17, and 18 in mind?

 

[Kloka]

Very nice chapter! Did you have crews and landing sites for 16, 17, and 18 in mind?

You took the question right out of my mouth.

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

Just a 'slight' nit-pick but did you mean "stint" not "stunt" there?




Well, well MUCH earlier vindicaiton that the Apollo Lunar samples were NOT cross-contaminated which is going to lead several interesting places...


Which just changed the whole narrative of O'Neil's "Space Colonization" studies and subsequent movement

Randy

yep, only time autocorrect doesn't have my ass is when I misspell one word as another, thanks for catching it haha

Very nice chapter! Did you have crews and landing sites for 16, 17, and 18 in mind?

No, not necessarilly. I think I eneded up using 18's proposed site for a later flight iirc (This chapter is a few months old actually) but basically w missions I skip in the narrative I typically don't... Schmitt fought hard to get a far side landing for 17 though, which has interested me since I read it, perhaps we'll see something of the sorts. As far as crew, I'll attach a snip of the spreadsheet:

 

[Kloka]

I think Gravelins’s resignation is before your POD,but cool to see him get a mission.

 

[TaintedLion]

I think Gravelins’s resignation is before your POD,but cool to see him get a mission.

Plus either way I'm not sure Graveline would be a good fit for a lunar mission considering he was a physician.

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

Plus either way I'm not sure Graveline would be a good fit for a lunar mission considering he was a physician.

my thinking was that they'd do a study on how lunar gravity influenced bone loss, or something like that

 

[TaintedLion]

my thinking was that they'd do a study on how lunar gravity influenced bone loss, or something like that

Would a three day stay be enough for that? Plus since the later Apollo missions were really geology focused, the only appropriate scientist-astronauts for a lunar mission would be Harrison Schmitt and Anthony England.

 

[Kloka]

Would a three day stay be enough for that? Plus since the later Apollo missions were really geology focused, the only appropriate scientist-astronauts for a lunar mission would be Harrison Schmitt and Anthony England.

England deserved to fly more than the once.

 

[BigRIJoe]

While your entry is very interesting your choice of flight crews is pretty wonky For example you have Walter Cunningham flying back-to-back manned missions (Apollo 5 and 7)

 

[Its_Just_Luci]

While your entry is very interesting your choice of flight crews is pretty wonky For example you have Walter Cunningham flying back-to-back manned missions (Apollo 5 and 7)

Walter Cunningham flies 7, 13 and 21. Apollo 5 is an uncrewed mission