Apollo 1 (SA 201)

Launch data:

Mission details:

• Assembly of the first Saturn-1B began at Pad-34 on 25 Oct 1965, and the planned launch date was 22nd then 23rd February 1966. Both were cancelled due to unfavourable weather. The purpose of this flight was to test the launcher with its first flight of the S-IVB second stage, first in-flight burns of the SPS engine on the Apollo Service Module (SM), test the Command Module (CM) heat shield, try out the Apollo environmental systems together with the stabilisation, power systems and communications, and also the RCS (reaction control systems).
• On 26 Feb 1966, the 68,27m tall rocket began its ignition sequence, built up to full thrust of 725,7 tf (1,6 million pounds) and was held down for 3 seconds before release. The rocket climbed vertically for 10 seconds before the roll manoeuvre which lasted 5 seconds to control the bearing toward Ascention Island, then it began to slowly curve out across the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket passed through "Max-Q" at 78 seconds when at 1000 mph, and continued until the four fixed H-1 engines shut down at 141,4 seconds. The four outer gimbaled engines shut down at 146,9 seconds when at 37 miles altitude and 39 miles downrange, while travelling at 6923 kph. Then the first stage retro solid motors were fired to move the stage away from the second stage. The two cameras in the first stage were recovered after ocean splasdown.
• Immediately the S-IVB ullage solid motors began firing, then the J-2 engine ignited at 149,3 seconds, and fired for 7 minutes 33,4 seconds (ten seconds longer than planned due to lower thrust than predicted by about 2%). Shut down came at 602,7 seconds GET when velocity was 15000 mph at an angle of 45° and at a height of 52 miles and 990 miles downrange.
• Meanwhile the LES was jettisoned at about 169 seconds (about 20 seconds after S-IVB start). The CSM separeted from the LM-adaptor atached to the S-IVB at 14 minutes and rotated itself into a nosedown attitude as it passed the 100 mile altitude point. Maximum height was reached while 2750 miles downrange, apogee being 306 miles. Two minutes after passing apogee the SM RCS fired for 30 seconds to act as allage before the SPS engine began firing. The SPS burn was nose-down and lasted 20 seconds. The RCS provided ullage again then the second burn was made which lasted 200 seconds. These burns had the effect of increasing velocity by 3260 mph. A third SPS burn only lasted 10 seconds and at low thrust due to low oxidant tank pressure, but still added 60 mph to velocity. After this the SM was jettisoned and the CM used its RCS system to orientate the craft for re-entry.
• At the beginning of re-entry the CM was travelling 500 mph less than the flight plan intended, but was still between 17500 and 18000 mph. re-entry began at 25 minutes 30 seconds at a height of 122 km; maximum heating was at 27 minutes 12 seconds when the heat shield reached a temperature of 2200°C, while peak deceleration was at 27 minutes 20 seconds at 14,3g. The drogue and main chutes opened when velocity slowed and the CM splashed down at 37 minutes 20 seconds just 38 miles from the recovery ship USS ′Boxer′. Recovery of the capsule began 48 minutes later.
• During the flight the Malfunction Detection System (MDS) was used in an open loop mode, while the flight was controled from the Manned Spaceflight Center at Houston, Texas. Telemetry channels were: 545 for the S-1B first stage, 470 for the S-IVB second stage, 300 from the Instrument Unit (IU), and 607 from the Apollo spacecraft modules.