# Was Apollo 7 flooded with approx. 400 pounds of water after splashdown?

I found this in the APOLLO EXPERIENCE REPORT COMMAND MODULE UPRIGHTING SYSTEM on page 23:

I tried to find other reports of that Apollo 7 leak, but I could find none.

Does anybody know another source?

400 pounds of water, that are 180 kg. The pressurized CM cabin volume was 10.4 $$m^3$$, the CM mass was about 5560 kg. So the capsule was far from sinking.

## 1 Answer

Apollo 7 Mission Report corroborates 72.5% of the claim on page 11-13:

Approximately 290 pounds of water was found in the docking tunnel. Postflight tests show that the upper hatch vent valve leakage rate with the hatch in the stable I position was between 0.5 and 3.0 gal/min. The leakage rate with the hatch rotated 100 degrees from the stable I posi­tion was 120 cc/min. It should be noted that all of the structure and seals were in satisfactory condition to prevent any leakage other than through the makeshift ball check valve which was installed in the top hatch. The normal valve which controls pressure in the tunnel had been rendered inoperative. No other spacecraft has this peculiarity. This anomaly is closed.

• Note that this isn't a contradiction. 290 pounds actually found still leaves room for approximately 400 pounds estimated to have been in there at some point, with about 110 pounds seeping out again while up-righting. – Polygnome Jul 31 '20 at 10:12
• @Polygnome Seeping out again the salt water through the upper hatch vent valve my be difficult. As long as the valve is under the ocean surface, water will flow into the capsule. When the valve is above the ocean surface, water within the capsule will flow away from the valve into the lower parts of the capsule. – Uwe Jul 31 '20 at 14:52
• 290 pounds is approximately 400 pounds. – Russell Borogove Jul 31 '20 at 16:27
• 1 gal is 3.78 litre, but what is 120 cc/min? – Uwe Jul 31 '20 at 19:28
• @Uwe cc is the standard abbreviation encountered in the US, at least -- especially in medical jargon. I've never seen ccm. mL is probably a better choice anyway. – Russell Borogove Jul 31 '20 at 20:59