Questions tagged [lunar-module]
The Lunar Module was part of the Apollo program spacecraft package. It rode into orbit beneath the Command Module and required extraction once there. It consisted of a descent stage (which remained on the Moon after landing) and an ascent stage (to take astronauts back into orbit). Use with the [apollo-program] tag any any appropriate mission tags.
63
questions
4
votes
0
answers
126
views
Why did LEM ascent stage swing during flight?
While watching Apollo 17 ascent footage, I've noticed that the camera is swinging quite a bit. It is definitely fixed to a window, so it means that the whole ascent stage is swinging back and forth ...
- 41
8
votes
1
answer
740
views
On the LM, what is the difference between ABORT and ABORT STAGE?
The LM had both ABORT and ABORT STAGE buttons. What was the difference and in which scenario would each be used?
- 81
2
votes
1
answer
339
views
How did the Lunar module reached orbit speed?
How does the lunar module of Apollo 11 reached an orbit speed of 1600 meter/second in order to rejoin the CSM (Command/Service Module)?
Additional question, Where are the Oxygen & Fuel tanks of ...
- 121
7
votes
1
answer
305
views
What is this beige, pill shaped object on the back of the Apollo Lunar Module?
Is it an antenna, or something else?
Image from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Apollo_11_Lunar_Lander_-_5927_NASA.jpg
- 71
4
votes
2
answers
433
views
Icy Hot Astronauts [duplicate]
According to the specifications of the Apollo 13 lunar module where the astronauts were during their emergency return to Earth, the walls were about the thickness of a coke can so how were they able ...
- 59
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
At what point did the Apollo 11's Eagle extend the landing gear?
I am trying to figure out, during Apollo missions, exactly when the lunar-module extended the landing gear. Was it closer to the time the CM and LM connected in the space rendezvous or did they ...
- 61
39
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why did the Lunar Module have such an irregular shape? Didn't it add weight and complexity?
Given the very stringent mass requirements, why was such a complex design choosen? I think an irregular shape weights a lot more than a squared box, not to mention the complexity to build it.
I saw in ...
- 3,023
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What distance did the Apollo CSM go before turning round to pick up the Lunar module?
I have looked for quite a while to find this out, and as yet have not been able to work out the answer.
On the Apollo missions 10 to 17 the CSM had to turn round to pick up the lunar module between ...
- 121
20
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How Did One Stand in The LEM Before Descent? [duplicate]
This is really simple, but i've never seen it discussed. One piloted the Apollo LEM standing up, without many restraints. But before the LEM ignited the descent engine, it was practically in free fall....
- 1,301
9
votes
2
answers
642
views
Could the ascent stage of Apollo 11's Eagle still orbit the Moon?
This video: Is Apollo 11's Lunar Module Still In Orbit Around The Moon 52 Years Later? claims, based on orbital simulations, that there is a chanche that the lunar module of Apollo 11 might be still ...
- 686
17
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Apollo 14-17 - Why didn't they keep the Lunar Module docked as a lifeboat for the way back to Earth?
During Apollo 13, the Lunar Module had to be used as a lifeboat in order to save the astronauts. Then, it was only jettisoned from the Command Module shortly before Earth re-entry (even after the ...
- 289
3
votes
1
answer
453
views
How did "ACA Out of detent" work?
This is a related question about the words said during Apollo 11 as soon as the LM touched the ground.
My question is specific to
ACA out of detent
As soon as the LM touched down on the surface it ...
- 2,901
2
votes
1
answer
109
views
What is the origin of the Lunar Module in the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL?
I recently had a chance to visit the US Space and Rocket Center. While I was there, I saw a lunar module. It is very clear that the ascent portion is a mock-up, but the decent portion looks real, ...
- 121k
15
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Would the Apollo LM be able to land on Mercury?
If we set aside the question how the Apollo LM got into orbit around the celestial body in question, I wonder which celestial bodies other than the Moon the LM could successfully land on. Mercury for ...
- 379
4
votes
0
answers
335
views
How much open source is the Apollo program today?
What percentage of NASA's Apollo program is considered to be open source as of today? I mean if I wanted to replicate a lunar mission from scratch exactly the same way they did it, regardless of the ...
- 1,363
2
votes
1
answer
461
views
Why doesn't NASA just again build the Altair LM or a modified Apollo LM for the Artemis project?
The Altair lunar module was part of the wonderful Constellation program cancelled in 2010; just the Orion spacecraft has been retained which is to deliver a crew into lunar orbit. The new carrier ...
- 274
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Improvements in Saturn V, LM and CSM after Apollo 10
Apollo 10 is considered to be full dress rehearsal for Apollo 11. Did the trial flight of Apollo 10 identify any improvements that were needed in the Saturn V, CSM and LM, to be done before Apollo 11 ...
- 3,758
2
votes
0
answers
55
views
Why did the CM & LM have to be separated at Apollo launch? [duplicate]
I've just read a bit about Apollo 13, and 1 question that kept popping up in my mind when they talked about the docking between the Command module & the Lunar one is that why did they have to be ...
- 139
2
votes
2
answers
274
views
Mass of the Apollo Lunar Module cabin pressure vessel?
What was the mass of the Lunar Module cabin pressure vessel - that is, the metal structure that contained the astronauts, including windows and hatches, not including internal fittings and equipment, ...
- 672
1
vote
1
answer
138
views
How was a safe tilt angle ensured for liftoff of the Apollo LM?
Recently I read that one of the pre-conditions (among many others) of a successful lift off of the LM ascend stage, from the moon surface, was that the LM ascend stage "axis" should be "...
- 3,758
4
votes
3
answers
294
views
Comparison of space shuttle, command module, and lunar module window sizes
The space shuttles had a viewing window much similar in looks like the windshield of a car, or like the cockpit of a plane. However, neither the Apollo command module (CM) nor the lunar module (LM) ...
- 3,758
3
votes
1
answer
192
views
What other options to egress the Apollo Lunar Module were considered, given the height of the LM hatch above the ground?
The egress hatch of the LM is almost 3.5 meters above the Lunar surface. The astronauts descended using a ladder, which is actually quite high above the ground (see also this question). Were any other ...
- 13.6k
7
votes
2
answers
811
views
Were more lunar module LiOH cartridges just a spacewalk away?
The modularized equipment stowage assembly (MESA) was a drawer in the base of the lunar module descent stage which stored equipment and supplies.
The modularized equipment stowage assembly (MESA) ...
- 47.4k
24
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Did Apollo 13 "barbecue roll" under the propulsion of the lunar module?
Apollo spacecraft were often put in a "barbecue roll" (officially called passive thermal control mode), which slowly rotated the spacecraft along its main axis. Without this maneuver, one side of the ...
- 47.4k
4
votes
1
answer
147
views
Was LM1 of Apollo 5 equipped with additional sensors and telemetry for the umanned "fire in the hole" test?
The first unmanned test of the Lunar Module was done in mission Apollo 5 LM 1. The separation of the ascent stage from the descent stage was done during flight. Did they install additional sensors and ...
- 48.4k
6
votes
1
answer
321
views
Had using the LEM's engines for a lunar abort "never been tried like this?"
From the 1995 film Apollo 13,
GRUMMAN REP: I just want you to know the engines never been tried like
this. That's all I'm trying to tell you.
Is it true that Grumman had never considered such a ...
- 47.4k
8
votes
2
answers
576
views
apollo 11 moon landing longitude latitude from PDI to Touchdown
I'm reconstructing the entire apollo 11 mission trajectory.
I'm now at the moon landing. Does someone know specific documents specifying longitudes and latitude at the different interfaces starting ...
- 333
13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Could the Apollo Lunar Module be flown to a landing without the LEM Guidance Computer?
Inspired by answers to Could the lunar module have moved to a different spot? question but not talking about that specific relaunch scenario:
Could the LEM stack (descent configuration) be flown ...
- 174k
30
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Could the lunar module have moved to a different spot?
Suppose Neil Armstrong had landed with plenty of spare fuel, only to decide it really wasn't a good spot after all. Could he have lifted back off and landed again, perhaps a couple of hundred feet ...
- 8,789
7
votes
2
answers
377
views
Did the Apollo LM's cockpit altitude displays account for the pointing angle of the radar altimeter?
The Apollo LM had a radar altimeter which was particularly critical in the final stages of landing. It could be set to two different pitch angles, either aimed backwards by 24º to be used during the ...
- 165k
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Apollo altitude vs rate-of-descent schedule
In the final phase of the Apollo landings, the commander would go into "P66 attitude hold" mode, where the computer maintained a steady rate of descent while allowing the commander to change ...
- 165k
2
votes
1
answer
596
views
Why does the LM footpad "flutter" when undocking from the Command Module?
In footage of the LM undocking from the Command Module, the footpad looks like it was "fluttering":
At first, I thought it was from the RCS thrusters but then I ...
- 5,868
4
votes
2
answers
256
views
Does a full-scale Apollo lunar module mock-up exists that allows visitors to explore the inside?
The Lunar Module was an utterly amazing spacecraft. It's also one for which getting a feel for the inside is extremely difficult from photos$^*$.
Has anyone made a full-scale mock up of the lunar ...
- 1,291
11
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How did LM circuit breakers operate? (famous engine arm CB broken by Aldrin)
From Apollo Lunar Surface Journal:
"112:56:28 Aldrin: Houston, Tranquility. Do you have a way of showing the configuration of the engine arm circuit breaker? Over. (Pause) The reason I'm asking is ...
- 6,272
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What antenna is this in an Apollo 15 LM photo?
The video Apollo 15 landing from PDI to Touchdown (found in Why did the Apollo 15 LM violently shake & raise dust after the contact probes touched the lunar surface?) seems to pan across a still ...
- 149k
3
votes
2
answers
293
views
What was pressure and temperature of LM oxygen tanks?
After analysing comments in related question
How cryogenic oxygen was heated up for CM cabin repressurization?
It appears that LM had oxygen stored as either gas or supercritical fluid but not at ...
- 6,272
9
votes
1
answer
201
views
Apollo Cross Pointer Working
The apollo LM panel had a cross pointer that displays the horizontal velocity to the pilot. This ideally have to be made zero during landing for soft touch down by pilot
My question is, how this ...
- 2,901
2
votes
1
answer
395
views
Why did the Apollo 15 LM violently shake & raise dust after the contact probes touched the lunar surface?
I was watching the Apollo 15 landing and I noticed that after the LM surface sensing probes (contact probe) touched the surface, the view was clear which meant no dust was being raised, but all of a ...
- 5,868
16
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Are there photos of the Apollo LM showing disturbed lunar soil resulting from descent engine exhaust?
Are there any photos of the Apollo LM descent engine bell and the lunar soil beneath it disturbed by the engine exhaust?
- 48.4k
6
votes
1
answer
209
views
Did the LEM ever rise above the orbit of the CSM at any time
We all know that the LEM descended from the CSM to the moon's surface and then rose back again to dock with it. But there are some videos that show the CSM floating in the foreground with the moon's ...
- 69
26
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Why is the Apollo LEM ladder so far from the ground?
In an answer to this question, the following photo was posted:
(source: NASA Apollo 11 Image Library)
This made me recall that the first thing Armstrong did after climbing down the ladder to the ...
- 13.6k
32
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Why were contact sensors put on three of the Lunar Module's four legs? Did they ever bend and stick out sideways?
In the video Brian Eno on Apollo starting at 08:37 there is Apollo-era movie footage of a lunar module taken from the command module as it prepares for descent ...
- 149k
7
votes
3
answers
632
views
How much were the LMs maneuvered to their landing points?
The story of the Apollo 11 landing includes Armstrong having to fly the LM beyond a boulder field at the automatically targeted site. Was this essentially continuing along the same track the LM had ...
- 17.4k
13
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How were the LM astronauts supported during the moon landing and ascent? What were the max G's on them during these phases?
I understand that the LM astronauts descent trajectory had them flying feet first in a standing position during the descent to the lunar surface and again on ascent. But it seems there must have been ...
- 235
14
votes
4
answers
7k
views
How can electronics on board JWST survive the low operating temperature while it's difficult to survive lunar nights?
Compared to the temperatures encountered in lunar nights, the desired operating temperature of the James Webb Space Telescope is very low. Lunar nights are typically -170°C while the operating ...
- 4,449
27
votes
5
answers
6k
views
What were the problems on the Apollo 11 lunar module?
In the movie First Man we see that there were problems with some button, when Buzz said "We should tell them about that." Also there was an alarm, that they then turned off.
- 373
11
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Could the crash sites of the Apollo 11 and 16 LMs be seen by the LRO?
This BBC article mentions that the crash sites of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 16 Lunar Modules are unknown. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has mapped most of the moon’s surface at 100m resolution and ...
- 443
36
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Why is the ladder of the LM always in the dark side of the LM?
When landed on the moon, the ladder seems to be in the shadow for each Apollo mission.
For example, on this photo, the ladder is not in the side exposed to the Sun. (the astronaut go out of the LM in ...
- 3,750
2
votes
1
answer
160
views
What "flight-ready version" of the Lunar Module is in a museum on Long Island, NY?
Ars Technica's Via the BBC, find out how Apollo 11’s Eagle actually landed
says:
I've also learned things about the Lunar Module itself, including that it was made nearby on Long Island, where a ...
- 149k
11
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why could the Lunar Ascent Engine be used only once?
The Lunar Ascent Engine was used during the Apollo missions to ascent from the lunar surface back to the Command and Service Module. There was one risky aspect of that engine: it was not possible to ...
- 3,042