application of saturn systems to orbit launch operations

8/10/2019 Application of Saturn Systems to Orbit Launch Operations

1/71

D O U G L A S P AP E R N O .

343

SATURN HISTORY DOCUMENT

University of Alabama Research Institute

History of Science Technology Group

Date Doc. No.

.. a

P P L IC T I O N O F S T U R N S Y S TE M S

T O O R B I T L U N C H O P E R T I ON S

P R E P A R E D B Y :

T. P.

SAPP

O P E R A T IO N S E N G I N E E R S A T U R N E X T E N S IO N S

A D V A N C E S A T U R N A N D L A R G E L A U N C H S YS TE M S

T O BE P R E S E N T E D T O :

A I A A / A A S S T E P P I N G S T O N E S T O M A R S M E E T I N G

B A L T I MO R E M A R Y L A N D

M A R C H 28 30. 1966

DOUGL S

M S S LE

;

S P A C E SYSTEMS D V S U V

SPACE SY STE MS CENTER HUNT INGTO N BEACH CALIFORNIA


2/71

PPLIC TION OF SATURlV SYSTEMS TO ORBIT LAUNCH OPERATIONS

T

P

Sapp

DOUGLAS MISSILE ND SPACE SYSTEMS DIVISION

ABSTRACT

The payload ve lo ci ty spectrum fo r ex is ti ng and fu tu re missions a re compared

with Saturn

V

c a pa b i l i t i e s .

Maximum system uprating s considered and the

inc rease

i n the mission spectrum coverage by use of o r b i ta l assembly and launch

with Satu rn systems i s presen ted. The system and ope ratio ns requirements f o r

an or bi t launch veh icle are assessed and thre e o r b i t al oper at ions support modes

ar e compared t o the se requirements. The permanent f a c i l i t y mode

s

se l ec t ed

and th e necessary support e lements and t h e ir fu nct ions described. Detai led

or bi t op era t ions procedures a r e descr ibed fo r an orb i t l aunch vehic le der ived

from th e S-IVB and task -tim e networks of the procedures a r e pre sen ted . The

req uire d changes t o th e basi c S-IVB ar e del in eate d and the Saturn V c a p a b i l i t i e s

f o r th e assembly orb i t presented. An example OLO mi ss ion s examined t o det er-

mine th e t o t a l or b i t a l operat io ns and support procedures and requirements.

The

ground operat ions and support procedures and fa c i l i t i e s requirements are

as ses sed and compared t o th e pr es en tl y planned ground launch complex.

t

i s

concluded t h a t th e S-TVB i s adaptable a s a pioneer o rb it launch ve hic le and

tha t Sa turn po pol lo systems coupled wi th the p2esen t ly envisioned o rb i t labo-

r at o ry systems can form th e bas ic components of an ea r ly o r b i ta l launch system

fo r plane tary reconnaissance missions i n the next decade.


3/71

CREDIT

This paper presents a portion of the results from a Douglas

funded study of

Pl an et ar y Reconnaissance SM-46912) conducted by th e Advance Sa tur n and Large

Launch Systems Directorate under the direction of M

W

Root.


4/71

APPLICATION OF SATURN SYSTEMS

TO ORBIT LAUNCH OPERATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The ob jec t ive of t h i s pape r i s t o explore t he

fe as ib i l i t y and problems of

conduct ing o rb i t al launch operat ions with t he Saturn system and t o determine

th e requirements fo r o r b i t al launch operat ions and the corresponding adapta-

t i o n s of t h e Saturn ~ / ~ ~ o l l oystems.

The Saturn V w i l l launch the United

S ta te s i n to manned space expl orat io n.

I t s development and f ac i l i t i e s repre sen t

no t only a la rg e monetary investment bu t an expenditure of an important po rti on

of the na t ion a l t echnologica l cap abi l i ty as wel l . By the

end of t h i s decade

t he na t i on w i l l have i n ve st ed o ver 1 7 b i l l i o n d o l l a r s i n th e ~ a t u r n / ~ p o l l oys-

tems inclu ding approximately

9

b i l l i o n d o l l a r s i n t h e S a tu rn

V

l aunch vehic le

and the suppor t i ng fac i l i t i e s .

An a dd i t i ona l

2

t o b i l l i o n do l l a r s may be

inves ted in th e development of Ear th o rb i t a l l ab ora tor i es .

The scope of these

programs demands th e fu l l e s t ex pl oi tat ion of th e ir systems and op era t ion al

ca pa bi l i t i e s t o per form fu tur e mi ss ions i n o rde r t o amort ize t hese i nvestments

over the next decade.

Although the Saturn V sys tem i s bas ica l ly des igned f or lunar explora tory mis-

si ons numerous s tu d ie s by NASA Douglas and o th er aerospa ce companies have

eva lua t ed t he f ea s i b i l i t y o f us ing th i s boos t e r fo r mi ss ions f r beyond the

manned lunar landing.

I f t he se appl i ca t i ons a re accep ted in to l o g i c a l fu ture

programs th e co st of development may be amortized over a per iod of t e n t o

f i f t e e n y e ar s and permi t explora t ion of the en t i re sola r sys tem.


5/71

Ex is ti ng systems and tho se cu rr en tl y under development are , however, li m it ed

i n payload cap ab il i t y and velo cit y required f or many of t he more a t t ra ct iv e

futur e missions. Burnout ve lo ci t i es on th e order of fourteen ki lometers per

second (46,000 f e e t

p2r

second) and payloads of 70 metric tons (154,000 pounds)

ar e re qu ir ed t o accomplish even the minimum manned pl an et ar y mission s, i. e. ,

low energy ~ a r s / ~ e n u slyb ys . These requirements exceed th e Satu rn V launch

vehicle direct ascent performance even with signif icant uprat ing.

Even the

nuclear t h i rd s tage d i r ec t ascent performance i s marginal or inadequate fo r

th es e minimum manned i nt e rp la n et a ry miss ions .

However, th e o rb it a l launch concept , u t i l i zi ng Saturn V and the technologies

and operat i onal procedures th at

w i l l

be developed for the manned lunaz landing

program, form th e b a s i s of

a

system which

w i l l

allow the Saturn

V

t o adequate ly

meet t he f uture missions req uiremen ts.

This i s not t o say th at new development

s

not requi red , ra th er

t

de fin es t he are as i n which fu rt he r and new develop-

ment i s necessary to f u l ly exploi t the systems and fa c i l i t i e s being const ructed .

Saturn

V

Mission Capability

The mission spectrum po te n ti a l of th e Saturn V with a combination of booster

upra t ing and o rb i ta l assembly and launch operat ions i s shorn i n f ig ure 1

Up-

r a t i n g t h e S at ur n V shows

a

considerable increase i n mission capa bi l i ty but not

enough f o r manned pl an et ar y recon naissan ce.

Orbital launch operat ions using

two or th re e S-IVB s allo w

a

s ign i f i can t suppor t capab i l i t y fo r

a

manned lunar

bas e and performance of li m it e d Mars and Venus manned fl yb ys w it h

a

standard

Saturn V Or bi ta l launch of uprated Saturn V 3 provides ample c apa bi l i ty i n

two new c las se s of manned missions pl us considerable inc reas e i n c ap ab il i ty fo r

unmanned c apt ure and land ing probes t o Ju p i t e r and Mercury.

Further growth


6/71

FIGUR


7/71

(f ou r or b i t a l launch S-IVB s and use of advanced Satur n V w i l l have the

ca pa bi li ty of manned captu re missions t o Mars

and Venus, and manned ex pl or a-

t i on of t he a s t e ro ids .

Orbit Launch vs Direct Ascent Comparison

The Saturn V capab i l i ty achieved by upra t ing and o rb i t a l opera t ions has s ign i -

ficant advantages over the development of new vehicles with similar payload

capabi l i t y .

For example, a new ve hi cl e (based on cur re nt techno logy) capable

of launching 70 metr ic tons di re c t l y t o the Mars f lyby t ra jec to ry f rom Ear th

would have t o be two or t hr ee times a s la rg e a s Saturn V. To send 180 me tr ic

ton s t o Mars, a sin gl e vehicle would have t o be approximately 6 t imes as la rge

as Saturn V. While more advanced app roaches such as high p re ss ur e plug n ozzl e

engines, more ex ot ic pr op el lan ts , et c. , would reduce th e growth fa ct or s, com-

pletely new stages and engine development programs would be required.

The

or bi ta l l aunch/upra ted Sa turn

V

requires only evolut ionary extensions of exist -

in g programs, and development of ea r th or b i t a l assembly techniqu es.

An

o r b i t a l

launch ve hi cl e assembled from two or th re e modified S-IVB s tages would have a

payload cap abi l i ty of

9

t o 180 metric tons, which i s s uf fi cie nt fo r manned

~ a r s / ~ e n u slyby missions. By t rading payload for higher veloci ty, 3 metric

tons can be del ivered a t 19 ki lometers per second. This i s suff ic ie nt fo r

extens ive explora tion of the solar sys tem ( inc luding sa te l l i t es and the outer

planets) with unmanned probes.


8/71

New Development and F a c i l i t i e s Requirements

The o rb i t a l l am ch concept w i l l req uir e new development i n some are as t o f u l l y

ex pl oi t th e systems and f a c i l i t i e s now being constructed . For example,

rendezvous and docking must be perfected within the operational constraints

imposed by meeting Eart h, or bi t, and pl an eta ry launch window schedules . O rb it al

assembly and checkout tech niqu es must be developed and tes te d .

New su pport

equipment w i l l

be r equ ir e d i n o r b i t .

Both modified and ad di ti on al support

equipment and faci l i t ies w i l l be required a t the Kennedy Space Center and

poss ibly i n t he world t rack ing network.

The S-TVB st ag e must be modified t o

extend i t s or b it st ay time and provide a rendezvous, docking, assembly and

checkout capabi l i ty.

The or bi ta l labora tory

w i l l

have t o be adapted fo r i t s

dual r ol e of o rb i t al launch f ac i l i t y an d manned planetar y mission module.

Or bi ta l opera t ions developed fo r t he Sa turn po pol lo systems not only would

provide t he nat io n with an ear ly cap abi l i ty t o perform manned plane tary recon-

naissance but t w i l l al so provide t he valuable oper at ion al experience and

te ch no lo gi ca l base fo r th e development of more advanced systems i n th e 19 80 s

for manned planetary landing programs.

Analys i s indica te s th a t the or bi ta l launch concept i s a feas ible and logica l

extension of ex ist in g and pianned programs, and tha t o rb i t al op erat ions ar e an

essential ingredient for any manned planetary program.

ORBITAL L UNCH OPERATIONS REQmbIENTS

The bas ic requirements f or o rb i t al launch operat ions may be grouped i n to fi v e

broad ca tegor ies as noted i n f igure 2. The components must be launched i n t o


9/71

ORBIT LAUNCH OPERATIONS

(OLO) REQUIREMENTS

PERSONNEL

CREWS ACCOMMODATIONS AND SAFETY

CREW TRANSFER

BUILD UP

LOGISTICS

RENDEZVOUS

DOCKING

ASSEMBLY

FABRICATION

PROPELLANT TRANSFER

MAINTAIN

PROP ELLANT CONTROL

ENVIRONMENT CONTROL

ATTITUDE CONTROL

MAINTENANCE AND

SUPPORTING SUPPLIES

PREPARATIONS

COMMAND AND CONTROL

CHECKOUT

FAULT DETECTION

REPAIR AND REPLACE

COMMUNICATIONS

DATA EVALUATION

LAUNCH

COUNTDOWN AND LAUNCH

LAUNC H WINDOWS

EMERGENCIES AND ABORT

TRACKING AND NAVIGATION

FIGURE

2

o r b i t t o b ui ld -u p t h e o r b i t l a un ch v e h i c l e . These components must be main-

ta ined i n o r b i t un t i l the ope ra t ions a r e comple ted and the o rb i t pe r s onne l

assem bly crews, checkout crews, and t h e missi on crew) must be accommodated.

When th e build-up i s completed, pr ep ar at io n must be underway t o perform the

launch within the mission window constraints .

Most of th ese t as k requirements

ar e appl icab le t o orb i t launch of any vehic l e . The pa r t ic u l ar manner i n which

the o rb i t a l ope ra t ions t a s ks a r e pe r fo rmed

w l l

depend i n pa r t on the ba s ic

ope rat ion al mode se le ct ed .


10/71

O r b i t a l Launch Modes

Figure 3 shows the t hre e bas ic modes considered fo r the o r b i t a l launch veh icle

opera t ions .

Figure s a gene ral evaluat ion of these modes.

The independent

o rb i t a l l aunch vehic le concept imposes unacceptable pena l t ies t o the or bi ta l

launch vehic le s ta ges . t i s marginal i n crew accommodations and ex cessiv e i n

workload per man. Pre par atio n f o r launch such as checkout re pa ir et c. ar e

margina l or severe ly l imi ted.

Rendezvous and assembly of t h e o r b i t a l launch

vehic le and ac tua l launch from or bi t appears feas ib le but l imi ted .

Although

addition of temporary orbital support equipment may permit launch requirements

t o be met crew accommodations and workloads

w l l

have a l im ite d margin t o de al

with con t ingencies or with very s op his t ica ted or b i t a l launch systems and opera-

t i o n s .

The major f a c to r ag ain st th e temporary OSE mode may be i t s l im it ed

resou rces fo r achieving and meet ing an o rb i t a l launch schedule.

T his i s q u i te

c r i t i c a l f or such or b i t a l l aunch missions as manned plane tary reconnaissance .

The permanent o r b i t a l launch f a c i l i t y concept rep res ent s maximum o r b i t a l sup-

por t and resources . t provides added personnel for orbi t operat ions and a

cons idera ble in cre ase i n the command and con tro l funct ion s contingency response

re pa i r cap abi l i ty and resources in depth t o ensure meet ing the op era t ion a l

schedule.

In se le c t in g the permanent or bi ta l launch fa c i l i t y mode fo r the

o r b i t a l launch concept ra th er than th e temporary o r b i t a l support equipment

mode two f a c t o r s were paramount.

The f i r s t was th e added resources i n depth

which w l l l e ad t o g rea t e r p r obab i l i t y o f mi ss ion success .

The second i s th e

assumption th a t a manned Ear th or bi t s ta t io n s imi la r t o the o rb i t a l l aunch

f a c i l i t y

w l l

be developed and deployed se ver al years bef ore o r b i t a l launch

operat ions are conducted.

The permanent o rb i t a l launch f a c i l i t y approach

simply adds another o per at io nal ro le t o a system prev iously developed.

The


11/71

OLO MODES

h SPACECRAFT

pr

INDEPENDENT OLV

OSE

TEMPORARY OLO SUPPORT

EQUIPMENT (OSE)

SPACECRAFT

SE

PERMANENT

FIGUR

OLO MODES EVALUATION

FIGUR

OLO

REQUIREMENTS

B U I L D U P

M A I N T A I N

PERSONNEL

PROVISIONS

PREPARATIONS

L A U N C H

INDEPENDENT

OLV

ADEQUATE BUT

L I M I T E D

INADEQUATE

UNLESS SUPPORT

SYSTEMS ADDED T O OLV

(DECREASED OL V PAYL OAD

INCREASED COMP L EXITY )

MARGINAL

T O I N A DE Q U A T E

M A R G I N A L

AND SEVERELY

L I M I T E D

ADEQUATE

BUT

L l M l T E D

TEMPORARY

OSE

ADEQUATE

ADEQUATE

L I M I T E D

L I M I T E D

ADEQUATE

PERMANENT

OLF

ADEQUATE

ADEQUATE

ADEQUATE

ADEQUATE

ADEQUATE


12/71

pe cu lia r o r b i ta l support equipment hardware must be developed i n ei th e r of

th e two adequate modes. O r b it a l support equipment development and support

w i l l

be e as ie r i n th e presence of a manned st a ti on which can la t e r be converted

t o s er v e a s o r b i t a l la un ch f a c i l i t y d ur in g o r b i t o pe r at io n s.

The

assumption

of pr io r manned s ta t i on development i s lo g i ca l in th a t

it

i s eas i e r t o accom-

p l i s h t h a n t h e o r b i t l a un ch o pe ra ti on i t s e l f .

In add i ti on t o p roviding

1) x p e r i e x e i n o r b i t a l o p er at io ns ,

( 2 )

infor matio n on man s s ur vi va l capa-

b i l i t y i n o r b i t and l ong du ra t ion space m i ss ions, t he o r b i t a l s t a t i o n ha rdware

may s erve a s a proto type f o r manned in te rp la ne ta ry mission modules.

Orbital Launch Vehicle Svstem Reauirements

I n

order t o id en t i f y t he OLV

stage requirements,

a s pec i f i c S a tu rn

V

sta ge was

s e l e c t e d f o r a n a l y si s .

The S-IVB/~aturn

V

Stage because of i t s s ix hour or b i t

s t ay capab i l i t y , r e s t a r t capab i l i t y , and m is sion p ro f i l e fo r t he Apollo OR

Program, i s most s imil ar t o

an

OLV and was s el ec te d as a prototy-pe s ta ge f o r

the requi rements analys i s .

n

a na ly si s of t h e S-TVB f o r th e Or bit Launch Vehicle

(OLV)boos ter s tage ind i -

ca t es t h a t ne i t he r f a b r i ca t i on o r p rope ll an t t r ans f e r ope ra ti ons a re r equ i red .

The standard Saturn

V

boos ter can del i ver

a

modified OLS-IVB t o th e assembly

or b i t wi th s uff ic i en t p ropel la n t on board t o perform usefu l o rb i t l aunch mis -

s ions us ing o rb i t a l assembly only .

Moderate uprating of the Saturn

V

( 2 5 0 ~

J - 2 ~ )can de li ve r t he OLS-TVB docked and un fir ed wit h 95 of pr op el la nt loa d

( a

rendezvous kick stage, CUSS, i s requ ire d f or t he Gemini st y le rendezvous

gro ss maneuvers i n any ca se) .


13/71

Figure 5 is a list of increased or new system requirements which must be pro-

vided to adapt or convert an earth launch stage to an orbit launch stage.

Incorporation of all these requirements aboard the O V

stage would represent

an unacceptable burden on the

O V

performance and undue complexity in the

stage systems. For these reasons, the concept of separate packages of orbit

support equipment to meet or supplement these requirements is advocated.

The

particular requirements which can be off-loaded onto the Orbit Support Equip-

ment

(OSE)

a-re noted on figure 5.

Because of the multiple functions of some

of the systems, they are categorized by design disciplines (propulsion, struc

tures, mechanical, electrical/electronic) rather than functions (rendezvous,

docking, environment control, checkout, etc noted under OLO requirements.

Many of these system requirements are due to the time required for orbital

build-up of the O V and the desire to provide sufficient orbit hold time to

mitigate launch window constraints on the operations schedule.

A

minimum orbit

stay design time of 2 days was indicated and a desired time of 3 days selected

for system criteria. Performance and control requirements for rendezvous and

docking along with a desire to maintain the main stage propulsion system in a

buttoned-up condition until orbit launch improving orbit stay time,

OLV

performance, safety, and checkout capabilities) led to separate propulsion sys-

tems tailored to these functions.

A rendezvous kick stage, designated as the

cryogenic utility space stage (CUSS), can perform the major velocity injections

(plane change,

slow catch up injection, and near circularization) of a quasi-

Gemini rendezvous technique.

Added APS (~uxiliary ropulsion system) modules

provide rendezvous attitude control, final circularization, and docking pro-

pulsion. Propellant control systems are needed to settle the main stage

propellants for venting (thermal control, etc., are designed to allow at least


14/71

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15/71

a 24-hour span between vent op erat ion s to minimize int erf ere nc e wit h o rb it

ope ratio ns) and fo r launch. Abort motors are required t o re t r o the OLV

st ag es away from the manned s pa ce cra ft fo r a launch ab or t.

The deb ris problem has not been s uf fi ci en tl y analyzed,

bu t poss ib ly the abor t

motors can double as propuls ion un i t s t o in j ec t the spent OLV stages i n t o safe

junkp il e o rb i t s o r des t ruc t ive r e - en t ry .

S tep th ru s t t o we ight r a t io o f 0 .7 o r g rea te r i s des i r ed to minimize g r av i ty

losses a t o rb i t l aunch ( f i r s t s t age th rus t t o weigh t should exceed 0 .25) .

Restar t i s desi red t o increase the or bi ta l launch window even wi th a mul t i s tage

OLV ( a

4

second burn a t apogee of the in termediate escape e l l ip t i c a l o rb i t

allows about 6 t o

8

p lane change p r io r t o f in a l i n j ec t ion near pe r igee ) .

High energy pro pe lla nts are des ira ble fo r OLV stag es t o minimize OLV growth

fac to r . Th i s w i l l not only decrease the co st of the OLV stage, but th e cos t

o f e a r th t o o rb i t t r anspo r t a t ion (pounds r equ i r ed i n o rb i t ) a s we l l.

The

s t ruc tu re r equi rement s l i s t e d i n f igu re

5

are l a rg e ly se l f explana tory

an exception might be the umbilical tunnel.

The dynamics and s t r u c t u r e problems

of removing long umb ilica l li n e s (from th e OSE t o each OLV st ag e) with ei th e r

f l e x i b l e o r r i g i d arms i n d i c a t e s t h e d e s i r a b i l i t y of a b u i l t - i n u m b i li c a l

tun ne l on each sta ge with automatic connections from stag e t o stag e. Use of

t h e

standard ground umbil ic al pl at e f or stage in ter fac e does not appear adaptable

t o a dual purpose (ground and or b it ) int erf ac e.

Proper minimization and

sel ec t io n of umbil ica l l in es , and th e use of staggered stacking connections

minimized the penalty thus incu rred. This added burden t o th e or b i ta l launch

veh ic l e (OLV) was considered acceptable i n order t o minimize t he con tro l

dynamics and deb ris problem a t launch, and s imp lify the o r b i t a l assembly operatio


16/71

Pneumatic supply must be increased t o perform perio dic valve dithe r t o ensure

valv es do not become frozen during the se ver al weeks in or bi t .

This can be

accomplished by pneumatic supply l i n e s from the OSE t o t h e sta ge pneumatic ve nt

valve downstream of the regulator.

Thermal con tro l requirements of t he stag e

systems, subsystems, and components can b e s t be met by a combination of cool ant

mounting pl at es (cold pl at es ) and el ec tr ic al heat ing elements (blank ets) . These

w i l l re qu ir e space ra di at or s on th e stage. Power requirements f o r heating and

pumping cool ant can be supplie d by OSE. Heat rejection from the coolant should

employ a secondary closed loop space ra di at or r at he r th an the pre sent secondary

open loop water sublimation .

rJwnerous con tro l and sensor el ec tro ni cs a re needed t o perform the o r b it a l

operat ions.

A

major e le c tr ic a l requirement i s the long durat io n power supply

and possible load increases.

This requirement would present an unacceptable

weight penalty

i f

incorpor ated on the OLV stag e.

Power supply f o r t he OLV

stage while docked i n o rb i t can be supplied by the

OSE.

Sta ge power systems

must be modified t o meet t he increased requirements d uring o r b i t a l rendezvous

and poss ibly dur ing or bi ta l l aunch.

Orb i tal umbil ical in ter fa ce must be

inc orp ora ted i n th e power, command, and da t a systems. A checkout interface

between t h e sta ge system and th e checkout system (can be provided by OSE

must be incorporated.

These system requirements present

a br ie f desc ript io n of t he necessary added

weight and complexity of a sta ge t o achieve a tru e o rb it assembly nd launch

capabi l i t y .

f

pro pel lan t tr an sf er were employed, sev era l ad di tio na l systems

and modifications would be required.

t appears f ea sib le t o meet each of the se

requirem ents by modifying and adding systems t o

a

sui tab le e xi st in g ground


17/71

launch stage (e .g., the

S-IVB)

By developing separate orbit support equip-

ment the requirements can be met within acceptable performance penalties to

the orbit launch vehicle.

Orbital Launch S-IVJ3 Description

The orbit launch version of the S-IVB stage is illustrated in figure

6

in the

configuration as launched on the Saturn V Earth Launch Vehicle (ELV).

The

modified S -NB, the CUSS stage, and nose cone comprise the payload to be

injected to rendezvous orbit by a modified Saturn V.

The

5-2

ngine is replaced by the

~ ~ o K / J - ~ T

ngine to increase performance

and ensure adequate first stage thrust-to-weight ratio in multiple tandem

assembled Om-IVB s for the orbital launch vehicle.

The propulsion system

and thrust structure must be modified to accommodate the modified engine.

The OLS-IVB can perform orbit launch missions with the ~OOK/J-2ngine but at

mazginal performance for a manned planetary reconnaissance mission.

Three

tandem OLS-IVB/~~OK/J-~Ttages can boost an 86 metric tons 190,000 ounds)

spacecraft into the heliocentric trajectory.

The

LH ?

tank was lengthened

4.75

feet to increase LH2 volume and allow the

vent cycle (with the added external installation and heat blocks) to be

increased from

10

hours to 24 hours.

This decreased the

settling and venting

operations required during orbit build-up and preparation.

A separate (third) bulkhead was required to isolate the LO2 tank from the LH2

tank to reduce heat transfer and

i2 I

boiloff.

The LO2 tank pressure was

2

increased to meet

J-2T

engine requirements.


18/71

ELV S IVB STAGE LAUNCH

S - I V B W I N . M O D .

S E P A ~ A T ~ O N E P ARATIO N L ~ ~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ R E

PLANE PLANE

S E P ARATIO N

PLANE

FIGURE

Docking s tr uc tu re s a re added with a male frust rum on the st er n and a female

fru stru m on t he bow.

E x t er na l i n s t a l l a t i o n i s a dded t o t he Ll tank walls and

addi t i o na l s t ru c tu ra l hea t b locks i ncorpora t ed t o reduce the rma l i nput t o t he

LH

tank.

A meteoroid sh i e ld i s added t o l m t meteoroid penet ra t io n t o a 99 pr oba b i l i t y

of no more than one penetration

of

t he s h i e l d i t s e l f dur ing a 3 day s t ay i n

E a r th o r b i t .

Eight a ux i l i a r y propuls ion modules a re added t o each s tage t o provide a t t i tu de

co nt ro l during rendezvous docking and launch and t o provide t r an sl at io n al

acc e ler a t io n dur ing f i n a l c i rc ula r iza t ion docking and or bi t l aunch ul lage .

A l l but t he four a f t modules on the or b i t a l launch veh ic l e f i r s t and th i rd

s tages a re removed i n the o rb i t assembly opera t ions pr io r t o o rb i t a l l aunch.


19/71

The Instrument Unit IU) is retained with each S-IVB stage throughout the

orbital operations and launch.

It is an integral part of the S-IVB command

and control, environmental control, and orbital checkout systems. During

orbit launch, guidance and control commands are generated by the uppermost

instrument unit with the other systems (first and second stages)

slaved to it.

This approach imposes a penalty of the S-IVB inert weight which might be

eliminated if more extensive stage modifications were acceptable. However,

it was deemed easier to provide slightly higher propulsion performance capa-

bility to compensate for retaining the instrument unit system intact at

orbit launch.

The rendezvous kick stage

(CUSS) consists of an LO ~/ LH ~ropellant and pres-

surization system, two RL-10 engines, and interfaces with the S-IVB stage

instrument unit and power supply (including emergency batteries).

It is

mounted on the bow of the S-IVB (the stage is docked stern first) and removed

by the assembly crew using the orbit tug after the stage is docked.

The

system descriptions presented in this paper are primarily intended to

indicate the scope of the impact orbital launch operations imposed on the

S-IVB stage. Further details on these systems modifications to the S-IVB

stage are presented in Douglas Engineering Paper Number

3645,

Application

of ~aturn/s-IVB/~polloystems to Planetary Exploration,

by

M. W.

Root pre-

sented to the Post-Apollo Space Exploration Symposium, AAS, May 4-6 1965.

For clarity, the S-IVB modified to the orbital assembly and launch configuratio

is hereafter referred to as the OLS-IVB.


20/71

PETMMENT OXBITAL

L UNCH

FACILITY SUPPORT ET;EMENTS

Or bit al launch elements, based on th e permanent o rb i t a l launch f a c i l i t y

concept, a re i l l u s t ra t ed i n f i gure 7. The supporting elements include the

o r b i t a l s ta ti o n , th e SORD, CUSS and th e or b it tug. The o rb it s t a ti o n pro-

vi de s housing and work ar ea s f o r the s ta ti o n crew, assembly, checkout, and

launch crew, and fo r a sho rt t ime, the mission crew. The o rb i t al s ta t i on i s

th e command and con tr ol cente r f o r th e o rb it operatio ns.

represen ta t ive o rb i t a l l aunch vehic le i s shown fo r a manned in te rpl ane ta ry

flyb y mission.

The boo ste r i s comprised of th re e OLS-IVB st ag es docked i n

tandem. While i n o rb i t t he f i r s t s t age s t e rn

w i l l

be docked t o th e support ing

o r b i t a l dock (SORD).

c ryogenic u t i l i t y space s t age (CUSS) i s used f or

rendezvous of each OLV sta ge wi th th e SORD buildu p. This i s removed by the

assembly crew, using t he tug, a f te r each stag e docks (and pr io r t o ground

launch of t he next stage t o rendezvous).

The supporting o rb i t a l dock (SORD) s used t o build-up the o rb i t a l l aunch

vehic l e .

t

provides support ing funct ions (helium supply, au x i l iw y power,

e t c . ) t o th e s tages while i n o rb i t and conta ins the checkout i nte rfa ce com-

puters and R l i n ks t o t he space s t a t i on . t may be considered the orbital.

equivale nt of pad equipment a t th e ground launch f a c i l i ty .

I n addi t ion t o t he e lements descr ibed i n preceding paragraphs,

a t l eas t one

othe r major element i s o rb i t ed pr io r t o t he mission i t s e l f . Th is i s t he pro-

pul s ion s t age or s t ages required pr io r t o s t a r t o f t he OLV build-up t o ad jus t

t he nodal regre ss ion ra t e o f t he space s t a t i on so t ha t t he space s t a t i o n or b i t

node w i l l d r i f t i n t o t he proper o r i en t a t i on a t t he nominal o rb i t l aunch t ime .


21/71

s we 1

s

ORBIT LAUNCH VEHICLE AND SUPPORT ELEMENTS

O LS - IV B

1

- 0LS - IV B 2

SORD CONCEPT

SUPPORTING

O R B ITA L

DOCK)

N P I CAL

MORL CONCEPT)

ASSEMBLED OLV-

AS LAUNCHED

PROP. MOD.

M I S S I O N

MODULE

MO RL)

ORB ITAL TUG

FIGURE

7

Supporting Orbital Dock (SORD)

PROP. MOD.

RETRolABoRT

APOLLO C I M 6 M A N )

CUSS

The ba si c fl mc tion s of t he Supporting Or bi ta l Dock (SORD)are grouped i n t o s i x

c a te g or ie s i l l u s t r a t e d i n f i g u r e 8; docking, at t i tu de control , Om-TVB system

support , checkout and monitor st at us , ac ce le ra ti on of th e OLV, and launch

countdown and positioning.

The use of th e SORD re la xe s t he OLV require ment s

and provides inc reased o r b i t a l support and s ta y time f o r t he OLV.

Without

t h e SORD, most, o r a l l , of th es e f'unctions would have t o be performed by each

OLS-IVB and t h e OLV.

The SORD and O V are not connected d i re c t ly t o the manned s t a t i on , bu t are

s laved t o

it

some dis ta nce in- t ra in i n th e same or bi t . OLO crew access i s v i a

t h e o r b i t t u gs .

The

SORD presen ts a spa ce sui t environment and does no t have

l i f e support system or module a s pre sen tly conceived.

Emergency space s u i t


22/71

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23/71

support packs and

a

means a t donning such packs might be provided, bu t

norm ally th e SORD op er ate s i n an automati c unmanned mode o r by remote c on t ro l

from th e manned s ta t io n . The SORD cont ains OLV pneumatic supply, e l e c t r i c a l

power supply, a st a b i l i t y and contro l system, rea ct io n contr ol

and

t r a n s l a t i o n

propulsion possibly derived from th e S-NB

APS

modules), command, control,

and da ta inte rfaces wi th the O V systems, communication and co nt ro l li n k s with

the sta t ion , pa rt of th e system fo r computerized o rb i t a l evaluat ion SCORE) or

OLV st ag es checkout, a

female docking cone and OLV o r b i t a l um bil ica l in ter fa ce ,

l im ited environment cont rol fo r cer ta in SORD systems, and rendezvous, docking,

and s ta ti on keeping systems.

t a l so has

a

docking face for the orbi t tug.

Orbit Tug

Two or more o r b i t tu gs

w i l l

be req uir ed t o tr an sp or t men and equipment from

t h e o r b i t s t a t i o n t o t h e

SORD OLV

assembly. They w i l l be u sed t o remove all

t h e expended equipment from th e OLV spe nt CUSS st ag es , expended au x il ia r y

pro pul sion system u n it s, e tc .) and t o a id i n s er vi ci ng th e SORD and th e OLV.

Adaptation of the L M ascent stag e would appear t o be

a l i k e l y candida te fo r

th i s func t ion .

Orbital Crew Requirements

In addi t ion t o th e major hardware elements, thr ee crews ar e as socia ted with

th e oper ation s. This i s over and above th e mission crew i t s e l f . These crews

ar e the o r b i t a l st at io n crew, assembly crew, and the checkout and launch crew.


24/71

Station Crew

The station crew normally operates and maintains the station itsel-f, indepen-

dent of the

orbi t l aunch opera t ions .

They w i l l normally be ro ta ted in to th e

st at i on q ui t e some time before t he mission and th ei r to ur

of d ut y may extend

pas t the a ctu al launch operat ion. This crew maintains th e st at io n and th e

equipment not d ir ec t l y associated with th e launch operat ions.

They also

ope ra te t h e

communication li n k s t o th e ground. Previous time -lin e analyses

indi ca te four t o s i x men ar e needed fo r th e s t a t io n crew.

Assembly Crew

The assembly crew w i l l checkout , t es t , ver i fy ,

and pre pa re th e SORD t o re ce iv e

OLS-IVBfs. This crew operates the o rb i t tugs and as s is ts i n inspect ion and

assembly of t h e OLS-TVB s t o t h e SORD (o r t o each o th er ), moves equipment

around, removes th e CUSS st ag es , e t c . The assembly crew i s launch ed t o th e

s t a t i o n seve ra l months pr i o r t o s t a r t o f

O V

assembly in order t o prepare t he

SORD. Time-l ine analy sis of the assembly ope ratio ns in di ca te si x men ar e

needed.

The assembly crew i s comprised of two three-man work teams.

Checkout and Launch Crew

This crew prepares th e o r b i t a l checkout

system in th e SORD and space s ta ti on ,

performs the o r b i t a l checkout of t he docked OLS-IVB s, and, tog ethe r with t he

mission crew, th e o r b i t a l checkout of the mission spacecraft .

Members of

th e checkout crew can a l so double a s a l te r na tes fo r th e miss ion crew af te r

th e mission crew i s or bi t ed t o th e s tat io n. Teamed with the mission crew,

th ey perform th e f i n a l countdown and launch of th e OLV.

The checkout crew,


25/71

l i k e th e assembly crew, i s di vi si bl e in to two work teams.

The checkout crew

i s orbi ted t o the s t a t io n approximately one month pr io r t o

s t a r t of th e OLV

assembly. Time-line an aly se s of checkout

and launch operat ions indi cate s i x

t o nine men are needed f or t he checkout and launch crew; i n th e l a t t e r case,

th re e men ar e supplie d i n a dua l r o l e from the assembly crew.

ORBITAL L UNCH OPERATIONS TASKS

Orbi t a l l aunch opera tions di scussed i n t h i s s ec t ion a re app l icab le t o any

mission. Figure 9 pres ents

a

sample network of the sequence of operations

f o r a s in g le OLS-TVB from time of e a r t h launch

t

0

o acceptance of the

s tage fo r the OLV buildup and authorization

t

= 27 hours) t o proceed with

ea rt h launch of the next OLV sta ge. Det ail s of each of the se opera tion s may

be found i n Douglas re po rt SM-47371 Applic ations of Satu rn Systems t o

O r b i t a l Launch Operat ions, September 1965.

Docking

Af te r t he CUSS performs th e rendezvous o r b i t cop lan er adjustm ent (up t o 20.42')

fo llowing th e f i r s t apogee,

th e OLS-IVB i s i n

a

f a s t p u r su i t o r b i t w i th t h e

SORD. When a 1 . 5 ~phase l a g occurs, t h e CUSS in j e c t s t h e OLS-IVB i n t o

a

slow

catch up orb i t , and radax from orb i t a l launch f a c i l i t y s t a t io n locks on th e

OLS-IVB and assumes command of rendezvous . While an accu r at e t r a ck i s b eing

computed, a pr el im in ay checkout inte rrog atio n i s telemetered t o th e OLS-IVB

t o de te rm in e i t s s a f e ty s t a tu s .

This i s th e f i r s t mode of t he Systems of

Computerized Orbital kraluation

SCORE)

It i s des ignated a s t he pre-docking

safe check.

Measurements ar e made usin g open loop tran smi ssi on of t h e PCM/

DDAS tr a i n t o determine the veh ic le i s i n

a

sa fe cond i t ion t o be b rought in to


26/71

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27/71

th e dock. The RF command l i n k to th e Instrument Unit i s u t i l i z e d t o disarm

and sa fe va ri ou s pi ec e of ordnance on board. The SORD computer eva lu a te s

t h e s t a t i c s t a ge c o nd it io n v i a t h e

PCM DDAS

t o determine whether t he sta ge

i s i n a dangerous condit ion, i .e . , burning or leaking hypergolic

hl

e t c .

I f t he OLS-IVB i s accepted a s saf e t h e rendezvous and docking mode con-

tinues. However,

i

th e veh icl e i s deemed unsafe,

i t

w i l l be je t t i soned out

of th e catch up or bi t and th e ground

w i l l

be not i f ie d th a t the back up

OLS-ISiB w i l l be required.

Having been acce pted a s safe -to-d ock, th e OLS-IVB i s brought i n t o th e SORD

ste rn f i r s t and i s docked

by

remote sensor

TV

and docking radar on the SORD)

l i n k from th e manned st at io n. The fi n a l docking opera tion includes t he mating

of dock ing cones on th e OLS-IVB wi th co nic a l ape rt ur es on the SORD.

These

docking cones contain a low pressure control helium line,

au xi li ar y power

lin es , and closed loop coaxial l in ks t o the 600 kc VCO ou tp ut of t h e OLS-IVB

and U DDAS1s and t he inp ut t o t he U command receiver . Then t h e SCORE pro-

gram begins the

second phase of checkout, t he Post-Docking S af et y check.

This check i s completed v i a closed l oop coax ial c able and

w i l l

be used t o

determine t h a t t h e ~ ~ ~ ~ / ~ e h i c l eombination can be safely approached.

Safety Check

A preli mina ry v is ua l checkout of th e veh ic le i s accomplished with t he SORD TV

cameras which can be swiveled t o cover any sectio n of th e surface of th e

OLS-TVB o r t he SORD.

The SORD w i l l contain

a TV

t ran sm itte r which w i l l present

t h e mult ipl exe d in pu ts from fi v e SORD

V

cameras t o t h e OLF.

Three of these

cameras w i l l be permanently emplaced on extended arms on the forward periphery


28/71

of the SORD.

They w i l l be programmable from th e OLE throu gh a 360' l a t e r a l

plane and a 180' angle of depression i n conjunction with extendable focus

t r a n s i t i o n o p t i cs

ZOOM

le ns ) t o al low complete vi su al monitoring from th e

st a t i on of every poin t on the OLV/SORD combination. This w i l l al so permit

v is u a l monitoring when t h e o r b i t a l assembly and launch crewmen ar e working

around th e vehi cl es out sid e th e space s ta ti on . Two more V cameras designated

docking cameras w i l l be located a t the docking p lane , i n jux taposi t ion t o

the docking cones.

They w i l l be i n quick disco nnect mounts and supp lie d by

ten sio n loaded, r et ra ct in g and extending cable s.

After each element of the

OLV i s brought in to t he dock, the docking cameras

w i l l

be manually removed

from t h e i r pre sen t mounting, and extended t o th e equiv alent po si tio ns on

th e newly docked sta ge t o prepare f o r rendezvous with t he next incoming

element.

When th e c lo s ed lo op s a f e t y check i s com plete, t h e S O ~ ~ / ~ e h i c l eombination

w i l l be visually inspected by the assembly crew looking for obvious mechanical

def ects , i . e . , to rn panels, e tc . The assembly crew

w i l l

remove and store such

items as t he rendezvous kick stage CUSS) and any hardware not required after

th i s po in t ( e g ., excess

PS

modules) using the tug . They w i l l remove the

docking cameras from t h e i r pos iti on s and advance them t o corresponding posi-

ti on s a t th e docking plane from which the k ick s tag e was removed. The loadi ng

torque on the re tr ac ti ng camera cables w i l l be a balance between that force

which can be ea s i ly manipulated

by

th e men in a zero gl' con diti on and th e

tens ion require d t o immobil ize whip ef fe ct s i n the cable. Snap clamps w i l l

be prov ided on th e OLV

surface t o pin the cables a t each stag e when the cameras

a r e fu l l y extended.

The camera

w i l l

loc k i nt o a do ve ta il mount which provides


29/71

accu rate alignment fo r judging pre cis e docking maneuvers. Aft er th e sa fe ty

check i s complete th e SORD w i l l assume co nt ro l of an autom atic maintenance

cy cl e of t he OLS-IVB st ag e .

O rb it a l Checkout

NOTE

For o rb it a l checkout purposes, each OLS-IVB/~nstrument Unit i s con-

s idered a s an in t eg r a l un i t .

The SORD i s used as

a

nucleus fo r or bi t al checkout. Afte r docking and stag e

support conn ecti ons a re completed, a comp letely automa tic programmed checkout

of the stage w i l l be accomplished a s a Stage OK F unc tion al ~ e s t .

This

checkout

w i l l

follow th e philosophy of and be si mil ar t o the or bi ta l Checkout

of S-IVB as de scr ibe d i n th e Douglas Report SM-46696, 27 May 1964, except

tha t con tac t wi th ea r th s t a t ions w i l l not be required.

The equivalent of the

ground s ta t ion l i nk w i l l be i n th e SORD and s ta ti on . The automatic t e s t w i l l

be c on tr ol le d and can be ove rridd en by inp ut s from th e OLF

st at io n which

w i l l

command th e SORD computer a s a sl av e t o i t s computer complex.

A l l

disp lay

and record functions w i l l be a pa rt of the gen eral purpose computer cap ab il it y

of the OLJ? manned s t a t io n .

The stage OK F unc tio na l ~ e s t i l l be divided in to four major cat egorie s;

Propu lsi on System, Engine Gimbal System, E l e c t r i c a l System, and Guidance

System.

The prime objec t ive of the funct ional te s t i s t o assure confidence

i n the opera t ional read iness of t he s tage subsystems t o perform the or b i ta l

s t a r t .

Checkout o f t he OLV modules can be accomplished

a t

vary ing l e ve l s ;

st ag e, systems, subsystems, and component and modules. Any att em pt t o de fi ne

a checkout program must co nsider t he value of t he d at a obtained versus t he


30/71

penalties of weight, power requirement, and loss of reliability assocfated

with exceeding life cycles. The major checkout modes are:

1

Fully automatic computer program and comparative analysis

-

usually with manual monitor and override)

2 Semi-automatic basically computer programmed but with manual

operations involved in connect

and disconnect, switching, etc

.

3.

Manual manual control, switching connect and disconnect,

comparison, etc

Because of the shorter time involved schedule), lower manpower requirements,

costs, hazards, etc., a fully automatic programmed checkout of the stages

and OLV is selected. The depth of the checkout will vary with the system,

being on the component level for some and system level for others. Most

checkout will be of a monitor and sample nature with only a few functional

tests called. Some manual testing may be required in fault isolation. Figure

10

presents

a schematic of the System for Computerized Orbital Evaluation

checkout system) and of interfaces with the OLV systems.

Checkouts will be performed as each stage of the OLVrs is delivered to the

OLF, when all three OLS-IVBrs re assembled prior to spacecraft s/c) mating,

of the completed OLV after final assembly, and again just prior to initiation

of the launch countdown. Partial or complete

checkouts may be performed after

repairs or when monitoring systems

indicate problems.

Fault Detection and

sol t ion

When stage checkout data evaluation indicates malfunctions, isolation of the

defective system and/or component is aided by the special purpose computers


31/71


32/71

onboard the SORD. They a re

commanded by the t e s t c on tro l op erato r i n th e

s ta t ion t o per fo rm s pec i f i c t e s t ope ra t ions .

A

fault isolat ion computer

program may operate down t o the system le ve l, but beyond t h i s poin t i s

gener ally becomes impr actic al t o perform th e operat ion auto matically due t o

in cr ea sin g complexity and weight f o r subsystem bypass components on th e st ag e.

A t the subsystem and component level,

fa ul t is ol at io n must be performed by a

manual te s t s e t a t appropriate te s t point s usua lly the same as provided fo r

ground tes ts ) .

This w i l l not be possible

i n a l l cases, obviously, and some

balance must be

achieved beyond th e degree of f a u l t i so la ti on and th e acce ss

t o any give n component. Unless a component can somehow be co rr ec te d, re pa ir ed ,

o r re pl ac ed i n o r b i t t h e r e i s l i t t l e po i nt i n p ro vi di ng f a u l t d e t ec t i on f o r

i t Thus, a combination of fa ul t dete ction and iso la tio n techniques a re

envisioned, ta il or ed t o each spe ci fic si tu at io n and component, ranging from

a W l y automatic computer monitored system as i n saf ety s tat us) , manually

di re ct ed te st in g by the SORD computers through bui lt -i n detection. and is ol a-

t i on networks, t o manual te s t in g on the spot with a portable VTVM) t e s t s e t

and probe . Figur e

9

OLS IVB

or bi ta l operations sequence, ind ica tes th a t up

t o e leven hours are avai lab le t o i so l a te and cor rec t fa u l ts on each s tage

before the next earth launch must be delayed.

Launch delays would allow about

a f i f t y hour ex tension t o th i s time pe r s t age .

Repair

The degree of rep ai r i n or b i t i s unders tandably l imi ted i n quant i ty and qu al i ty .

Repa ir ca n tak e t h e form of removal and replacement of f a u l t y components, minor

component re pa ir which borde rs on a fa br ic at io n tech nique ), and removal and

replacement of an en t ir e modular system or complete s tag e.

The la s t technique,


33/71

obviously, requ i res the ava i la bi l i t y of

a

back-up stage.

Except f or provisio ns

f o r a back-up OLS-IVB, th e re p a ir techniques have not been determin ed.

The

removal and replacement ca pa bi li ty i s li mi te d by what man can do wearing

a

spacesui t i n f r ee space or i n the or bi t tug (perhaps ass i s te d by mechanical

slave arms) and by the logist ics for replacement parts .

I n t h e l o g i s t i c s ,

some minor replacement components can be ordered by t he OLV crew a f t e r each

stage

C O

and included i n the next stage launch.

Larger (and hea vie r)

replacement components (and systems) can be inclu ded i n th e l o g i s t i c module

orb i ted with th e spacecraft ( l a s t OLV module).

Further considerat ion of the

time allowance, expected technique s, equipment and f a c i l i t y requirem ents,

et c . , i s required t o define the rep air cap abi l i ty which might be employed fo r

orb i t a l ope ra t i ons .

Maintenance

Maintenance and Support i s an important o r b it a l operat iona l requirement i n

view of t he le ng th of t ime th e modules of th e OLV ar e i n or b it and th e requir e-

ment f or a high degree of confidence in system read iness d uring th e sh ort

duration launch window.

t

w i l l be confined t o the fol lowing or bi t ing vehicles

and equipment: th e suppo rt or b i t a l dock (SORD),OLS-IVB s, t h e assembled OLV,

tug, spacecraf t, and the launch f a c i l i ty s ta t io n. The orb i t in g launch fa c i l i ty

( O W ) s t a t i on w i l l be t he command and con tr ol c en te r f o r t he performance and

cont rol of

a l l

o r b it al operations and maintenance fun ction s.

t w i l l

house

operation and maintenance personnel (from the previously noted

OLO

crews) and

the remote control equipment.

Operation and maintenance procedures

w i l l

be

re st ri ct ed t o funct io nal ve rif ic at i on fo r SORD readiness, vehi cular docking

(assembly), fun cti on al ve ri fi ca ti on of OLS-IVB s, minor cor re ct iv e maintenance,

vent ing,

abbrev iated OLV checkout and a l l up te s t , and abbre viate d countdown


34/71

and launch. A large share of procedures will be performed remotely from the

OLF station, but extravehicular activity (EVA) will be required in readying

the SORD, performing manual and checkout operations, and corrective mainte-

nance.

Support of the OLV by the SORD will include electrical power supply, pneumatic

supply, communication links, command links, and status and safety monitoring.

In addition, the SORD provides several support functions, such as attitude

control, propellant settling, checkout interface, station keeping, etc.

Various functions such as venting, valve dither, and hydraulic cycling will be

accomplished on

a

predetermined schedule which can be varied as DDAS inputs

indicate a requirement to change, i.e., an unpredicted elevation or depression

in tank pressure would modify the interval and period of the venting cycle.

The maintenance program will be divided into the following major operations.

Tank Ventinn

Controlled tank venting of fie1 (L ) and oxidizer (Lo2) tanks must be per-

formed. (venting of the LO2 tank is not anticipated).

Period and duration of

this operation will be per a predetermined program in the SORD computer that

is continually updated by tank pressure and temperature data. An audible and

visual alarm system will announce prior to each venting cycle in order that

local manned operations can be suspended and the crewmen retrieved before a

vent is performed. Settling acceleration, attitude control,

and

positioning

is provided by the SORD propulsion systems.

The SORD/OLV assembly is temporarily

unslaved from the OLF station and propelled at 0 0005 gff or two minutes

during which the propellant is settled and the tanks vented down to prescribed


35/71

pressures.

The SORD then nu ll s t he accrued veloci ty and resl ave s t o t he

s t a t i o n .

While more exo ti c ven tin g schemes can be env ision ed, t h i s most

conse rvati ve approach was employed t o ensure c omp ati bil ity with th e opera-

tional sequence.

Flight Valve Dither Cycle

The valve di th er cycl e w l l e n t a i l u t i l i z i n g a periodic burst of pneumatic

co nt ro l He t o each valve i n th e OLV opera tiona l program.

This would unseat

the valve and then allow i t t o re sea t immediately.

The rep eat ed cracking

of a l l f l i gh t required valves would, for a l l pra ct ic al purposes , e l iminate

the pos s ib i l i ty of a catas t rophic f rozen valve during the f in a l launch plan.

The pneumatic c on tr ol helium gas i s supp lied by t he SORD through th e S-IVB

helium vent valve.

Figure prese nts a schematic of th e ex te rn al supply pneumatic helium co nt rol

supply system.

t

i s des irable t o have only a s ingle contro l helium on the

SORD and t o simpli fy i t s use as much as possible . The co nt rol helium on the

sta ge i s supplied from a 3000 p s i sphere through a blocking re gu la to r where

i t i s reduced t o 490 ps i fo r use .

The downstream side of th e reg ul at or i s

re turned t o the regulator a s a b locking pressure se t a t

535 p s i i n p a r a l l e l

with an overboard c ont rol helium vent and e le ct r i ca ll y operated vent valve.

By running a continuous helium li n e through each sta ge from st e rn docking

cone t o th e forward docking ape rat ure connected t o t he helium vent dwnp of

the s tage, a sing le SORD con tro l helium pressu re of 550 p s i could be ut il i z ed

t o block the helium supply by overpressurizing the r egula tor and t o supply

con tro l helium

at

550 p si fo r operating stage valves. Since th e s tage


36/71

SORD-PNEUMATIC SYSTEM HEL IUM CONTROL

SORD

I

I

f

J-21

P L E N W

8

OVERPRESS

VENT SHUTOFF

REG

5

PSI

rO

r0

I

o-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I

C


37/71

Hydraulic Cycling

The vis co s i t y of the hydraul ic f lu id w i l l be mainta ined by ut i l i z ing e lec-

t r i c a l l y energized heater blank ets around elements of the hyd raul ic system.

However, pe rio dic c ycling of t he hyd raulic

system i s requi red t o p ro t ec t

against freezing of the engine gimbal actuators and hardening of non-metallic

po rt io ns of the hydraul ic s ea l system. El ec tr ic al power

28

volt and 6 v o l t )

i s su pplied by the SORD through the forward and a f t ba tt er y bus on each stag e.

Operational Power Replenishment

This i s an i n t e r n a l problem of t h e SORD; however,

t

i s a f unc ti on of t h e

power d r ai n c re at ed by th e OLV and must be pa r t of a programmed maintenance

cycle t o al low updated power dep let ion information co nt in ual l y fed t o th e

SORD computer t o main tai n adequate energy l e v e l s i n th e SORD power source .

The SORD w i l l have a rep len isha ble power source capable of opera ting i t s

e n t ir e computer and checkout complex, th e docking and monitoring t e le v is io n

systems, th e SORD/OI;Foice, data, and co nt ro l communication li nk s, and

supplying a l l required power fo r th re e OLS-IVBfs and the spa cecr aft w hile

these a re i n dock.

The el ec tr ic al power required by each stage and the spacecr aft fo r perio dic

maintenance operat ions such as vent ing, e tc . , must be con t inu al ly ava i la ble

and power f o r s tag e checkout must be av ai la bl e on command. This i s i n add iti on

t o power requirements of the SORD i t s e l f . There ar e se ve ra l po ss ibl e s olu tio ns

t o t h i s problem based on a study progression of ba t t er y design.

The magnitude

of t he power req uir ed ru le s out t he use of so la r c e l l s as we now conceive them.


38/71

A

va r ie ty of pulsa t ing force generators w i l l be ava i l ab l e i n t he nea r fu ture

such as atomic SNAP rea cto rs or S te rl in g heat engines dri vin g gen erator s.

The output of these un i t s when fi l t er ed and store d by a highly ef fi ci en t

secondary b a tt e r y system could conceivably supply

a l l

power required by the

SORD OLV

combination.

Each type o f energy rep len ish ing source has unique

sp ec if ic disadvan tages. SrJAP re act or s, although small i n s iz e and maintenance

f ree , w i l l requ ire exot ic shielding t o prevent ra dioac t ive contaminat ion of

th e SORD.

S te rl in g hea t engines on th e oth er hand oper ate on a sharp tempera-

tu re d i f fe re nt ia l and therefore requi re th a t the SORD be solar o r iented and

slave d so th a t t he d ark or shade s id e remains away from th e sun and th e

absorpt ion plane i s a lways i n the sun s rays .

By the time actual implementa-

t i o n o f

an

energy source

system i s required, research w i l l have progressed

s u f f i c i e n t l y t o a l lo w

a

choice based on present desig n ver sus requiremen ts.

Considering projec ted s ta te -of- th e-ar t fo r the la te 19601s ,

t

i s v is u al iz ed

th at t h i s power source w i l l be upgraded secondary b a tt er ie s i n conjunction with

a charging mechanism containin g atomic SNAP re ac to rs or S te rl in g heat engines

which can u t i l i z e th e temperature di f fe r en ti a l between th e exposed and shaded

side of

a

sol ar o r iented SORD (t hi s may not be feas ible i f

SORD OLV

must

r o ta te fo r thermal balance of th e APS hypergolics) Small repla ceable fu e l

c e l l b a t te r i es w i l l be ca r r i ed a s

emergency power fo r th e SORD only, wh il e

th e pr in ci pa l power system

s

being repair ed or maintained.

Orbi tal Umbil icals

A

problem e x i s t s i n p ~ o v i d i n g minimum number of hardwire connections between

stages nd t h e SORD,

t o allow closed lo op checkout and ex ter na l power

input

without mating umb ilicals, and to allow complete interchang e of stag es without


39/71

a l t e r in g t e s t' p rog ram.

Figure 1 2 pres ents a proposed sol uti on whereby th e

stag es ar e coupled t o each oth er and t o t he SORD with docking cones placed

a t the fo re and a f t ma ting su r faces and u t i l i ze a pri nc ip al of staggered-

stackingfr t o continue wir ing through stages. The follow ing hardwire fun ct io n

would be required:

8

- 600 kc

VCO/DDAS

l i n e s - 2 for each

S TVB/IU

combination and 2

f o r spacecraft ( ~ ~ 6 2c oa x ia l l i n e

4

-

I U Command Receiver Inputs

-

o r each S-IVB/IU and fo r

spacecraf t ( ~ ~ 2 1 4Coaxial l i ne

22 - External Power Lines

-

6 each S-IVB and

4

fo r spacec ra f t

- 600 ps i Control Line - Continuous through each vehicle.

With the staggered-stacking pri nc ip al a l l l i n es appear i n

a l l

s tages bu t

the y ar e clocked one po si ti on between th e male docking cone (a ft ') and t he

female docking cone (forward) with th e number i n e being used in te rn al i n

th e sta ge i n each sequence.

t

should be immediately obvious that

all

of th e S-IVB/IU st ag es a re wired

ide nt i ca l ly and tha t the order of s tack ing makes no d i f ference t o the fa c t

that Transmitter Number w i l l always be connected t o the f i r s t stage and

Transmitter Number 2 w i l l always be connected t o the second sta ge i n th e

stack , e tc .

t

i s a l s o l o g i c a l l y ap pa re nt t h a t t h i s w i l l remain t rue for

any number of interco nnec ting wire s th a t are off- se t or clocked by one

pos it i on i n each group.


40/71

DOCKING S IVB/SORD

SORD

I I

I SIVB IU

I

SIVB IU

I I

I

SIVB IU

FIGUR

2

This w i l l allow in terc han ge of OLS-IVB sta ge s i n case one sta ge i s deemed

unac ceptab le fo r launch ( e g., i f OLS-IVB 2 unacceptable, OLS-IVB 3 w i l l

rep l ace t i n th e OLV con fig ura tion ord er becoming the second sta ge and th e

backup, OLS-IVB 4, w i l l replace 3 a s t he t h i r d s t a ge) .

M i no r r e p r og r m i ng

of t h e command computer and st age sequencer s may be req ui re d, th es e pro vi si on s

can be incorporated i n th e stage with neg l igib le penal ty. The ba sic opera-

t io n a l concept depends on t h i s in ter ch an ge ab ili ty and a sin gle OLS-IVB backup

st ag e read y on th e pad a t Complex 39 f i v e days a f t e r OLS-IVB

3

i s l aunched.

Analysis of systems

and

opera tions i ndi ca te s th i s approach i s the most

p ra ct ic al and imposes minor, acceptable pe na l t i es on th e OLV performance.


41/71

Data Evaluation

The. processin g of th e in put d at a i s accomplished by the use of three programs

within the computers.

These programs a re t h e Data Compression and Queuing

Program t h e Op er at io na l Program and th e Communication and Contr ol Program.

The da ta received from the telemetry r ecei ver or hardwire

connect ion i s

assumed t o be a 7 k i l o b i t r e s t o re d p ul s e t r a i n .

This p ul se t r a i n i s

f e d i n t o

th e te lemetry in ter face uni t where synchroniza tion i s es tab l i shed and the

words of each frame ar e id en ti fi ed . When a data word i s assembled i n the

i n t e r f ac e u n i t t i s t ran sfer r ed t o th e ass igned computer a long wi th the

channel id en ti fi c at io n number and word addres s. The

Data

Compression Program

w l l t e s t th e new value of the word against the l a s t value and th e predete r-

mined l imits.

f

t he da ta i s wi th in the de fined l imi t s the da ta r ep laces

th e l a s t da ta rece ived and the program i s te rminated .

I f t h e d a t a r e ce i ve d

i s ou t of l im i ts the value and i t s address are placed in to an ac t iv e queue.

The second program Op era tio nal Programs i s

a s et of d at a se ns it iv e programs

which are c a l led fo r through th e address of t he d ata be ing received v i a the

input queue from the Data Compression program.

The op er at io na l programs w l l

process the da ta t o perform t he monitoring and alarm funct ion a s we l l a s fo r

checkout of a veh icl e and da ta 6isp lay .

The information which i s inp ut t o

th e o per ati ona l programs can

be

controlled by varying the l m t fo r the des i r ed

word i n th e Data Compression program.

By se t t i ng the l im i t s t o zero the word

w l l enter the queue every time t i s r ec ei ve d.

The Communications Control program w l l r eceive a l l r eques t s fo r ac t ion from the

t e s t c o n t r o l o pe r at o r.

This may be a request t o perform s pe ci f ic t e s t opera-

t i on s or re ques ts f or information t o be monitored on the

RT

disp lay tube.

This

program w l l al so c on tr ol reque sts fo r information from the ex te rn al bulk memory.


42/71

The computer

w i l l

operate on the programs on a pri or i t y ba si s with the d ata

compression program, co nt ro l program, and op er at io n program having descen ding

p ri o r i t i e s . When none of th e other programs are ac tiv e th e se lf - t es t program

w i l l

run.

Under typ i ca l opera t ion wi th a l l e ight

inpu t channels operating, th e da ta com-

pre ssi on program should req uir e 20 of th e computer time. Since a l l u n i t s o f

the sys tem are t o be in terconnected , i f any one uni t f a i l s the system

w i l l

s t i l l operate with th e lo ss of speed. Since one of th e computers can be used

t o check out the o ther whi le s t i l l per forming the monitor opera t ion, fa u l t

is ol a ti o n should be very f a s t and th e down time minimized.

prime q uest ion which must be asked i f one of th e da ta ev al uat ion programs

in di ca te tro ubl e i s : Are th e evaluat ion programs working properly? Often

t h e r e

w i l l

be suf f ic ien t support ing information t o in d ica te t h a t the program

i s g iv ing th e cor rec t answers, e .g. , ind ica t io n of a con t ro l system fa i l u r e

might be accompanied by e r r a t i c maneuvers du ring docking or pro pe ll an t

s e t t l i n g . However, an off-no min al performance such as low

sp

might not be

immediately obvious excep t throug h th e computer programs. I n ca ses where

t he re i s

a

po ss ib il i t y th at the programs ar e not working, a self-check w i l l

be necessary t h i s i s p ar t of the reason for dual computers on th e SORD).

Thi s check can be accomplished qu it e simply by having a p fe -c ut t a p e t o p l ay

through the programs. I f t h i s operatio n reve als th at th e program i s working

properly , the re s t i l l ex i s t s the pos s i b i l i ty t ha t an in st rumenta t ion malfunc-

t i on o r t e l emetry p r in t ou t s cou ld r evea l a drop out. However, an inst rum enta -

t i on malfunction, pa rt ic ul ar ly one where t he measuring device i s working but

i s out of cal ibr ati on, could not be caught vis ua lly . This should be resolved

by redundant d at a sources and by da ta cr oss checks in the s t at io n computer.


43/71

Command and Control

Command and control of orbital operations is of primary importance in a

complex and potentially hazardous operation. The limitation of data links,

the resources available to the command and control facility, and the shortness

and directness of communication links should be considered in selecting the

command and control facility. The resources required in communications, data

reduction and analysis, program control, etc., must be considered. A ground

based facility, the OLF, or the Mission spacecraft can be considered for the

command and control center during an orbital operation.

For the system and

concepts considered in this analysis, command and control for orbital closure,

docking, assembly, checkout, maintenance, countdown and launch are centered

in the OL space station. During macro-rendezvous, the chaser stage is con-

trolled by the ground based system.

Although orbital countdown and launch is

controlled from the

OLF

station, it is probable that, during the coasting ellipse

between second and third stage, command and control would be switched to the

ground based system probably the MSC facility supported by the near earth

and deep space tracking and communications networks).

Countdown and Launch

Countdown and launch techniques, like checkout, may proceed on an automatic,

semi-automatic, or manual mode. Because of the severe time constraints of

the launch window less than five minutes in an orbit), the hazards, and the

rapid sequence of events required as launch is approached,

the countdown will

be

automatically programmed but will include hold events for crew assessment

and decision points.

Figure 13 presents the orbit

countdown and launch

operations sequence for an

OLV

comprised of a manned interplanetary spacecraft


44/71

O

D

W

N

A

A

S

Q

O

E

R

S

T

O

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

C

D

T

E

S

T

S

8

C

6

6

6

6

6

7

6

6

8

6

6

7

0

6

6

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45/71

and th re e OLS-IVB st ag es. Event times are noted in hours. From procee ding

assembly and checkout operations, countdown i s in it ia te d a t t 408.6 hours,

ign i t ion occurs

at

t 410.21, and f i n a l t h i rd ) s t age i n j ec t i o n i s a t t

418.88.

Except fo r th e miss ion crew in th e

C/M,

no men w i l l be i n t h e v i c i n i t y

of the

SORD/OLV. A few minutes pr io r t o i gn it io n, th e SORD w i l l be re t roed

away from th e OLV ev en t 664 .

The OLV w i l l be able t o hold independently

for two orbital launch windows before t must be redocked t o th e SORD fo r

replenishment e .g . , pres suriz at ion gases) . After seve ral or bi ts , the count-

down and laun ch atte mp t can be re pe ate d.

I n order t o broaden t he launch

window

3

days es t imated from nodal regress ion l im i ta t io ns ) , four days of

ope rat ion al schedule hold ca pa bi l i t y i s provided between OLV read ines s and

s t a r t of countdown fo r th e f i r s t launch opportunity t o accommodate any schedule

s l ippage.

Crew Accommodations

Crew accommodations

are required for the orbi t assembly and launch crews.

Analysis of ope ratio ns f or th e example mission in di ca te a six-man assembly

crew and a nine-man checkout and launch crew a r e req ui re d.

By

combining

some cap ab i l i t ie s , th i s was res t r ic te d t o twelve men to t a l by having three

assembly crewmen a ss is t i n th e checkout. In general , th e crews a re divide d

in t o th ree man teams and ro ta t e i n sh i f t s . Th is a llows o r b i t a l opera t ions

t o proceed on a 24-hour b as is. A t l e a s t one crewman serv es a s the support

and communications l i n k at th e s ta t io n while th e other two are engaged in

ex t raveh icu la r opera t ions . For the ex t raveh icu la r funct ions , an o r b i t a l tug ,

based perhaps on an adaptat ion of th e

LEM

ascent

s t age , i s used fo r major

t r an s p o r ta t i o n , l i f e s up po rt a t t h e

SORD/OLV,

and removal of heavy items


46/71

(spent APS modules, t h e CUSS,

e t c .

Permanent housing f o r th e OLO crews

i s provided i n th e OLF st at io n . This must a ls o accommodate the st at io n crew

(who run and maintain the st at io n) and, fo r s eve ral days a t le as t , th e mission

crew. Thus, crew accommodations in d ic a te an 18-man (2 4 temp orary) permanent

capac i ty s t a t i on .

Crew Transfer

The OLV crews ar e tr a ns f e r r e d between the s ta ti

application of saturn systems to orbit launch operations

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