Update/correct mission parameters per NASA evaluation report (first ext. link)
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Yeah yeah naming screw up because of the Apollo 1 fire crew getting the 1 title and making all the prior names mucked up since there flight that never happened would have been 4
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{{Short description|Uncrewed flight of the Saturn IB rocket, July 5, 1966}} |
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{{Unreferenced|date=August 2010}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=August 2010}} |
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|+<font size="+1">'''AS-203'''</font> |
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{{Infobox spaceflight |
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| name = AS-203 |
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!colspan="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|Mission Insignia |
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| image = Image:AS-203 launch.jpg |
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| image_caption = Launch of AS-203 |
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|colspan="2" align="center"|[[Image:Apollo program insignia.png|200px|Saturn Apollo insignia]] |
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<!-- NO insignia for this mission; Apollo program insignia does not apply --> |
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!colspan="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|Mission statistics |
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| mission_type = Launch vehicle development |
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| operator = [[NASA]] |
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|'''Mission name:'''||Apollo-Saturn 203 |
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| COSPAR_ID = 1966-059A |
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| SATCAT = 2289 |
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|'''Call sign:'''||AS-203 |
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| mission_duration = ~6 hours |
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| orbits_completed = 4 |
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|'''Launch:'''||July 5, 1966<br>14:53:13 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]<br>[[Cape Canaveral]]<br>[[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37|Complex 37B]] |
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| distance_travelled = {{convert|87400|nmi|km|disp=flip|sp=us}} |
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|- |
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|'''Destroyed:'''||July 5, 1966<br>~20:53:00 UTC |
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| spacecraft = None |
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|- |
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| launch_mass = <!--{{convert|58700|lb|kg|disp=flip}} This is incorrect and needs verification; also the term "launch mass" is misleading and irrelevant since the payload was the upper stage plus unspent fuel--> |
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|'''Duration:'''||~6 hours |
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| launch_date = {{start-date|July 5, 1966, 14:53:13|timezone=yes}} UTC |
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|'''Number of<br>orbits:'''||4 |
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| launch_rocket = [[Saturn IB]] SA-203 |
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|- |
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| launch_site = [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]] [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 37|LC-37B]] |
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|'''Apogee:'''||{{convert|100|nmi|km}} |
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| destroyed = {{end-date|July 5, 1966}} |
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|- |
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|'''Perigee:'''||{{convert|100|nmi|km}} |
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| orbit_epoch = July 5, 1966<ref name=satcat>{{cite web|last=McDowell|first=Jonathan|title=SATCAT|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|publisher=Jonathan's Space Pages|access-date=March 23, 2014}}</ref> |
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|- |
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|'''Period:'''||88.5 min |
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| orbit_reference = [[geocentric orbit|Geocentric]] |
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| orbit_regime = [[Low Earth orbit]] |
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|'''Inclination'''||31.94 deg |
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| orbit_periapsis = {{convert|184|km|nmi|sp=us}} |
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| orbit_apoapsis = {{convert|214|km|nmi|sp=us}} |
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| orbit_inclination = 31.9 degrees |
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|- |
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| orbit_period = 88.47 minutes |
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|'''Orbital mass:'''||{{convert|58,700|lb|kg}} |
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| apsis = gee |
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!colspan="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FFDEAD"|AS-203 |
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| previous_mission = [[AS-201]] |
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| next_mission = [[AS-202]] |
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|} |
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| programme = [[Apollo program]] |
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'''AS-203''' (or '''SA-203''', sometimes informally called '''Apollo 2''') was an unmanned flight of the [[Saturn IB]] rocket on July 5, 1966. It was designed as a test of the [[S-IVB]] second stage that would later be used by [[Apollo]] astronauts to boost them from Earth orbit to a trajectory towards the moon. |
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}} |
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'''AS-203''' (also known as '''SA-203''' or ‘’’Apollo 3’’’) was an uncrewed flight of the [[Saturn IB]] rocket on July 5, 1966. It carried no [[command and service module]], as its purpose was to verify the design of the [[S-IVB]] rocket stage restart capability that would later be used in the [[Apollo program]] to boost astronauts from Earth orbit to a trajectory towards the Moon. It achieved its objectives, but the stage was inadvertently destroyed after four orbits. |
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==Objectives== |
==Objectives== |
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The purpose of the AS-203 flight was to investigate the effects of weightlessness on the [[liquid hydrogen]] fuel in the [[S-IVB]] second-stage tank. The lunar missions would use a modified version of the S-IVB as the third stage of the [[Saturn V]] launch vehicle. This called for the stage to fire briefly to put the spacecraft into a parking Earth orbit, before restarting the engine for flight to the Moon. In order to design this capability, engineers needed to verify that the anti-slosh measures designed to control the hydrogen's location in the tank were adequate, and that the fuel lines and engines could be kept at the proper temperatures to allow engine restart. |
The purpose of the AS-203 flight was to investigate the effects of weightlessness on the [[liquid hydrogen]] fuel in the [[S-IVB]]-200 second-stage tank. The lunar missions would use a modified version of the S-IVB-200, the S-IVB-500, as the third stage of the [[Saturn V]] launch vehicle. This called for the stage to fire briefly to put the spacecraft into a parking Earth orbit, before restarting the engine for flight to the Moon. In order to design this capability, engineers needed to verify that the anti-slosh measures designed to control the hydrogen's location in the tank were adequate, and that the fuel lines and engines could be kept at the proper temperatures to allow engine restart.<ref name=NASAreport>{{Citation |
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| title = Evaluation of AS-203 Low Gravity Orbital Experiment |
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| date = 13 January 1967 |
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| publisher = NASA |
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| url = https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680012073_1968012073.pdf |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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In order to keep residual |
In order to keep residual propellants in the tanks on orbit, there would be no [[command and service module]] payload as there was on [[AS-201]] and [[AS-202]]. This was replaced by an aerodynamic [[nose cone]]. Also, the full load of [[liquid oxygen]] [[oxidizer]] was shorted slightly so that the amount of hydrogen remaining would approximate that of the Saturn V parking orbit.<ref name=NASAreport/> The tank was equipped with 88 sensors and two TV cameras to record the fuel's behavior. |
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This was also the first launch of a Saturn IB from [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 37|Pad 37B]]. |
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==Preparation== |
==Preparation== |
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In the spring of 1966, the decision was made to launch AS-203 before [[AS-202]], as the CSM that was to be flown on AS-202 was delayed. The S-IVB stage arrived at |
In the spring of 1966, the decision was made to launch AS-203 before [[AS-202]], as the CSM that was to be flown on AS-202 was delayed. The S-IVB stage arrived at [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]] on 6 April 1966; the S-IB first stage arrived six days later, and the Instrument Unit came two days after that. |
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On April 19, technicians began to erect the booster at Pad 37B. Once again, the testing |
On April 19, technicians began to erect the booster at Pad 37B. Once again, the testing regimen ran into problems that had plagued AS-201, including cracked solder joints in the printed-circuit boards, requiring over 8,000{{clarify|reason=Probably not 8000 circuit boards, maybe 8000 solder joints? If so, then "replaced" isn't the correct word. "Reworked"?|date=May 2024}} to be replaced. |
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In June 1966, three Saturn rockets could be seen set up on various pads across the Cape: at Pad 39A was a full-size mock-up of the Saturn V; AS-202 was at Pad 34; and AS-203 was at 37B. |
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==Flight== |
==Flight== |
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The rocket launched on the first attempt on July 5. The [[S-IVB]] and [[Saturn V instrument unit|Instrument Unit]] (IU) were inserted into a {{convert|100|nmi|km mi|adj=on}} circular orbit. |
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[[Image:AS-203 launch.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Launch of AS-203]] |
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The S-IVB design test objectives were carried out on the first two orbits, and the hydrogen was found to behave mostly as predicted, with sufficient control over its location and of engine temperatures required for restart. The next two orbits were used for extra experiments to obtain information for use in future cryogenic stage designs. These included a free-coast experiment to observe and control the negative acceleration of the fuel caused by the small amount of aerodynamic drag on the vehicle; a rapid fuel tank depressurization test; and a closed fuel tank pressurization test. |
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The rocket launched on the first attempt on July 5. The [[S-IVB]] and IU were inserted into a 188 km circular orbit. |
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The closed fuel tank experiment involved pressurizing the hydrogen tank by closing its vents, while depressurizing the oxygen tank by allowing it to continue venting. It was expected that the pressure difference between the two tanks (measured as high as {{convert|39.4|psi|kPa}} would collapse the common bulkhead separating them, as happened in a ground test. The rupture occurred during the two-minute loss of signal between the [[Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|Manned Spacecraft Center]] and the [[Trinidad]] [[Missile Test Project#Tracking stations|tracking station]]. The Trinidad radar image indicated the vehicle was in multiple pieces, and telemetry was never re-acquired. NASA concluded that a spark or impact must have ignited the propellants, causing an explosion. |
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The hydrogen was observed for four orbits and was found to behaved as predicted. The tank was then pressurized to see how much stress it could stand. The test exceeded the structural capabilities of the stage and it fragmented. |
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Despite the destruction of the stage, the mission was classified as a success, having achieved all of its primary objectives and validating the design concept of the restartable S-IVB-500 version. In September [[Douglas Aircraft Company]], which built the S-IVB, declared that the design was ready for use on the Saturn V to send men to the Moon. |
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==References== |
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Despite the destruction of the stage, the mission was classified as a success, having achieved all of its objectives and validating the design of the restartable version. In September [[Douglas Aircraft Company]], who built the S-IVB, declared that the stage was operational and ready for use on the Saturn V to send men to the Moon. |
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{{Include-NASA}} |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commons category|AS-203}} |
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*[http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19680012073_1968012073.pdf Evaluation of AS-203 Low Gravity Orbital Experiment - Jan 1967 - NASA (PDF format)] |
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{{Portal|Spaceflight}} |
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*http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1966-059A |
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIwhRSoeZSE AS-203 Launch Video] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729130413/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIwhRSoeZSE |date=2016-07-29 }} |
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*[http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/cover.html Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations ] |
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*[https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-059A NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive] |
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*[http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/cover.html Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft ] |
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*[http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/cover.html Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318012712/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/cover.html |date=March 18, 2011 }} |
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*[http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/cover.html Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020095653/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4205/cover.html |date=October 20, 2015 }} |
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{{Apollo program| before=[[AS-201]]| after=[[AS-202]]}} |
{{Apollo program| before=[[AS-201]]| after=[[AS-202]]}} |
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{{Orbital launches in 1966}} |
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{{Use American English|date=January 2014}} |
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[[Category:Apollo program]] |
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[[Category:1966 in space exploration]] |
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[[Category:Apollo program]] |
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[[ar:أي.اس-203]] |
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[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1966]] |
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[[ca:AS-203]] |
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[[Category:Test spaceflights]] |
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[[cs:AS-203]] |
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[[Category:Spacecraft launched by Saturn rockets]] |
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[[da:AS-203]] |
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[[ |
[[Category:Saturn IB]] |
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[[es:Apolo 2]] |
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[[fr:AS-203]] |
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[[ko:AS-203]] |
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[[hu:AS–203 (Apollo–2)]] |
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[[ja:アポロAS-203]] |
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[[pl:Apollo 2]] |
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[[pt:AS-203]] |
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[[sk:AS-203]] |
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[[sl:AS-203]] |
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[[fi:AS-203]] |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "AS-203" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Mission type | Launch vehicle development |
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Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1966-059A |
SATCAT no. | 2289 |
Mission duration | ~6 hours |
Distance travelled | 161,900 kilometers (87,400 nmi) |
Orbits completed | 4 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | None |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | July 5, 1966, 14:53:13 (1966-07-05UTC14:53:13Z) UTC |
Rocket | Saturn IB SA-203 |
Launch site | Cape Kennedy LC-37B |
End of mission | |
Destroyed | July 5, 1966 (1966-07-06) |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 184 kilometers (99 nmi) |
Apogee altitude | 214 kilometers (116 nmi) |
Inclination | 31.9 degrees |
Period | 88.47 minutes |
Epoch | July 5, 1966[1] |
← AS-201
AS-202 →
|
AS-203 (also known as SA-203 or ‘’’Apollo 3’’’) was an uncrewed flight of the Saturn IB rocket on July 5, 1966. It carried no command and service module, as its purpose was to verify the design of the S-IVB rocket stage restart capability that would later be used in the Apollo program to boost astronauts from Earth orbit to a trajectory towards the Moon. It achieved its objectives, but the stage was inadvertently destroyed after four orbits.
The purpose of the AS-203 flight was to investigate the effects of weightlessness on the liquid hydrogen fuel in the S-IVB-200 second-stage tank. The lunar missions would use a modified version of the S-IVB-200, the S-IVB-500, as the third stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle. This called for the stage to fire briefly to put the spacecraft into a parking Earth orbit, before restarting the engine for flight to the Moon. In order to design this capability, engineers needed to verify that the anti-slosh measures designed to control the hydrogen's location in the tank were adequate, and that the fuel lines and engines could be kept at the proper temperatures to allow engine restart.[2]
In order to keep residual propellants in the tanks on orbit, there would be no command and service module payload as there was on AS-201 and AS-202. This was replaced by an aerodynamic nose cone. Also, the full load of liquid oxygen oxidizer was shorted slightly so that the amount of hydrogen remaining would approximate that of the Saturn V parking orbit.[2] The tank was equipped with 88 sensors and two TV cameras to record the fuel's behavior.
This was also the first launch of a Saturn IB from Pad 37B.
In the spring of 1966, the decision was made to launch AS-203 before AS-202, as the CSM that was to be flown on AS-202 was delayed. The S-IVB stage arrived at Cape Kennedy on 6 April 1966; the S-IB first stage arrived six days later, and the Instrument Unit came two days after that.
On April 19, technicians began to erect the booster at Pad 37B. Once again, the testing regimen ran into problems that had plagued AS-201, including cracked solder joints in the printed-circuit boards, requiring over 8,000[clarification needed] to be replaced.
The rocket launched on the first attempt on July 5. The S-IVB and Instrument Unit (IU) were inserted into a 100-nautical-mile (190 km; 120 mi) circular orbit.
The S-IVB design test objectives were carried out on the first two orbits, and the hydrogen was found to behave mostly as predicted, with sufficient control over its location and of engine temperatures required for restart. The next two orbits were used for extra experiments to obtain information for use in future cryogenic stage designs. These included a free-coast experiment to observe and control the negative acceleration of the fuel caused by the small amount of aerodynamic drag on the vehicle; a rapid fuel tank depressurization test; and a closed fuel tank pressurization test.
The closed fuel tank experiment involved pressurizing the hydrogen tank by closing its vents, while depressurizing the oxygen tank by allowing it to continue venting. It was expected that the pressure difference between the two tanks (measured as high as 39.4 pounds per square inch (272 kPa) would collapse the common bulkhead separating them, as happened in a ground test. The rupture occurred during the two-minute loss of signal between the Manned Spacecraft Center and the Trinidad tracking station. The Trinidad radar image indicated the vehicle was in multiple pieces, and telemetry was never re-acquired. NASA concluded that a spark or impact must have ignited the propellants, causing an explosion.
Despite the destruction of the stage, the mission was classified as a success, having achieved all of its primary objectives and validating the design concept of the restartable S-IVB-500 version. In September Douglas Aircraft Company, which built the S-IVB, declared that the design was ready for use on the Saturn V to send men to the Moon.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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