Flight Day 12:
Activities for the day are as follows:
- G&N Power Up
- Systems data column 12
- Deorbit preparations
- Eight SPS Burn (Deorbit)
- LEO Entry
- Post splashdown & crew egress
Crew continued awake from the last activity of FD11 at 249:50:00 to the end of FD11 at 252:58:11.
G&N Power Up:
Systems that were powered down at 241:00:00 GET were powered back on at 254:40:00 GET. Computer was also taken out of standby. P51 IMU orientation was performed, and during that procedure, crew noted a strange behaviour of the optics, as if they moved in the wrong way ("backwards"):
Systems data column 12:
Twelfth column of systems data was recorded and is as follows:
GET 256:30:00
SPS Tank Temp: +72ºF
SPS He PRESS +1200 PSIA
SPS N2A PRESS +2250 PSIA
SPS N2B PRESS +2300 PSIA
SPS QTY 7.2 %
SM PKG Temp: A: 115ºF B: 135ºF C: 115ºF D: 115ºF
SM He PRESS: A: 2800 PSIA B: 2850 PSIA C: 2770 PSIA D: 2790 PSIA
SM He Temp: (A: 220ºF B: 250ºF C: 220ºF D: 240ºF) ??????
SM QTY: A: 107 lbs B: 115 lbs C: 105 lbs D: 107 lbs
EPS H2 QTY: 26%
EPS O2 QTY: 34%
FC Amps: 1: 20.5 2: 20.5 3: 22
MNA Volts: 28.5
MNB Volts: 28
BAT A Volts: 35.5
BAT B Volts: 37
Primary Radiator Inlet Temp: 85ºF
Primery Radiator Outlet Temp: 25ºF
Primery Evaporator Outlet Temp: 47ºF
Glycol Pump Press: 35
Suit Temperature: 62ºF
Cabin Temperature: 78ºF
Suit pressure: 5.2 PSIA
Cabin Pressure: 5 PSIA
CO2 Part Pressure: 2 mmHG
Deorbit preparations:
Deorbit preparations were started at 257:05:00 GET, before scheduled, as of the orbit after SPS-5 burn. We believed that deorbit would occur at the planned revolution but before the planned GET of 261:08:00 GET.
This is the list of procedures done:
- ECS Checks
- EPS Monitoring checks
- SPS Monitoring check
- SM RCS Monitoring check
- C/W Systems check
- CMC Self Check & DSKY lamps check
- P52 IMU realign Option 3 (REFSMMAT)
- GDC Alignment to IMU
- EMS tests
- Figure out what to do after splashdown and egress
- CM RCS Preheat
- CM RCS Check
Eight SPS Burn:
Eight and last burn (deorbit) was performed at 258:52:16 GET, with the crew hoping that they did everything good. Crew was little concerned about the residuals after the burn, as some jets were already disabled. Burn was performed with 15 seconds 4 jet ullage, and A+B thrust switches on, TVC G&N, SPS On/Off G&N. Burn time was around 12 seconds. Data is as follows:
Mnvr Purpose : 164-1A RETROFIRE
TIG: 258:52:16.88
N81 DVX: -01832
DVY: +00000
DVZ: +02657
N42 DVT: +03228
EMS DVC: +241.1
N44 HA: -
HP: -
SPS QTY: 7.2
After Burn:
N85 DVX:
DVX: -00015
DVY: +00010
DVZ: -00021
EMS DVC: -18.8
N44 HA: +02781
HP: -00036
SPS QTY: 5.4
LEO Entry:
After deorbit burn, crew executed CM/SM Separation and entry procedures. CM/SM Sep occured at 258:58:53 GET. After that, spacecraft was prepared for entry but crew had a lot of difficulty finding the horizon. A close call occurred when the crew realized that the CM attitude was nose-first (259:13:00 GET). Corrected quickly. What happened was that the spacecraft was oriented to the Attitudes on the PAD´s, but didn´t saw the horizon, so started to move the pitch axis. The crew later understood that the attitude shown on the pad is the attitude where the horizon appears at an altitude of 400000 ft (EI) and not before, and this happens on LEO. So, if the crew were to keep the PAD attitude, the horizon would appear at 400000 ft. (Could also contribute that the PAD´s came late as we were ahead of schedule?)
Entry interface was reached at aproximately GET 259:17:00. Spacecraft control to CMC at 259:17:34 GET. Max G (3.9) at 259:19:50 GET.
Crew set the Pre Burn RTOGO on the EMS. (Maybe because PAD´s came late).
Another close call occured when the crew had difficulty with switch covers (ELS Logic to ON and ELS to Auto) for allowing drogue deployment. (Also, the crew forgot ?
?
?
?
?
?
?
). Drogues deployed at 259:24:47 GET and at 14000 ft. (I am not dead right?)
Main chutes deployed nominally. V69 was executed as requested by MCC-H after main chutes deployed.
Splashdown ocurred at GET 259:30:11.5 GET.
Post splashdown & crew egress:
Post splashdown procedures were performed, during those crew could not see the bloat bags inflating inside the CM´s VC (intended?). Hatch opened at 259:56:06 GET and crew egress occured at 259:56:51 GET.
Final comments:
I would like to take another chance to thank everyone who helped me achieve this, and who followed me during the stream. This is NOT an easy "adventure", it requires a lot of time, "logistics", and insanely crazy love and pure passion for Simulation and Apollo stuff.
My goal is to try to make an Apollo mission in this way every six months, but to be able to do that, and to be able to just perform one apollo mission in this way, logistics and real-life matters planning is required. I learned on this flight that I can bother people around me, and that is completely understandable. I don´t live alone yet (that is another topic, but many people on my country is in my situation unfornutalely) so I took some luxuries (and probably very selfish for my part), like having the lunch/dinner ready when the flightplan allowed (many times at weird times), also supplies from the supermarket being taken care of for me (I failed to plan some things and bought less of what I needed for the mission).
So I will try the next one (Apollo 8) when I have the chance to live alone or be on my own, even just for a week.. I feel that I disturbed my parents with this one, and I don´t want that. I had in my mind before the mission (and even before the Apollo 8 attempt on may 2021) to have a studio or appartment for a simulation room (cockpit for simracing, VR on a full room, and other things like a dedicated cockpit for flight simulation), and now it could materialize for the next mission. I have the luck to have a bucket of money saved.
So with all this, I want to show that this stunt is possible, but that it is really hard to perform.
Again, thanks for everything and remember: NASSP4Life!
, i guess the jump from A8 to A11 was and it is too large for me to master, (too many things to read, understand, tries and little time) so to reduce the frustration some CSM only missions will be good for alternating with LM sessions / tests ... take care.
), thank you so much. I have a question about a procedure that you start at GET 1 day 10 hrs 4 min, you discuss that procedure with Thymo. Unfortunately, the video on youtube doesn't report the chat you had during the stream. I didn't understand which procedure it was and where I can find it in the doc. I hope you can help me because it seemed a really cool procedure 
