A Couple Questions About Apollo 12

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njhockey26

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Hi all, this is my first post but I’ve enjoyed reading the articles on this site for a couple years now. I’ve recently become extremely interested in NASA’s early days (if only I could have been alive for them!), and had a couple questions about Apollo 12:

Why was the mission launched during a storm? Was this standard procedure, and were any other missions of that era launched in such conditions? I ask because it seems like common sense that a spacecraft shouldn’t be launched in rain, let alone when the exhaust plume could trigger lightning. Of course, hindsight’s 20/20.

As a follow-up, as I understand it the fuel cells on the spacecraft went offline because of the two lightning strikes, but the Saturn itself was unharmed. If the IU on the Saturn V had been affected in any way, what could this have done to the mission, and, in addition, was there an analog to the “SCE to Aux” switch that the crew could have used to save the booster?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
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Maulrus

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I'm also very interested in the Apollo program (though I was born decades after its conclusion.) As I recall, when the decision to launch was made, there were no thunderstorms in the area and the rainy conditions still fell within the specified rules for the launch. They were also under some extra pressure to launch then because the crew had trained to land near the Surveyor 3 probe and the launch window would not be open for a month afterward if they scrubbed the launch.

As for your second question, I haven't gotten around to learning the detailed facts of the spacecraft systems, but I've spent a LOT of time in the Project Apollo - NASSP simulated CSM cockpit, and I don't recall there being many switches dealing with the Saturn itself. If you want to go check for yourself in the historical documentation, the switches would likely be on Panel 1 or 2 (where most of the LV switches are) or Panel 3 (where the SCE switch is).
 
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Woggles

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Welcome njhockey

Maulrus is correct about the mission rules. If you like to read about all early Early ManFlight, from the 4 second lift off to Apollo 17 please read Gene Kranz's Book Failure is Not an Option. He was a flight director at MCC and give a lot of details about each manflight during that era!! I enjoy it very much. Apollo 12 was allow to go because it was with in the mission rules to do so.

Yes the fuel cell were affected and the interesting thing is that the crew had very little time to reset them before it became possible to do so.

Paul
 
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Woggles

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Woggles":zesahvx4 said:
Yes the fuel cell were affected and the interesting thing is that the crew had very little time to reset them before it became possible to do so.

Paul

impossible to do so*
 
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Maulrus

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I would also recommend looking at astronautix.com. It has INCREDIBLY detailed summaries of the Mercury, Gemini and most of the Apollo missions.
 
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bdewoody

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I was in college at the time in Orlando and went over to watch the launch. It was kinda scarey watching as the lightening hit the spacecraft.

I was outside watching Challenger too and I still have a hard time watching a shuttle launch.

I saw a bunch of unmanned rockets blow up in the early 1960's. Makes one appreciate the level of success we are enjoying now and the extreme danger involved in any rocket launch.
 
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shuttle_guy

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Yes, the launch was within the weather limits at the time of the launch, however the limits were changed after Apollo 12 !

If the Saturn V IU had stopped functioning the Apollo spacecraft auto abort would have triggered.
 
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