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[i]After I introduced myself, I asked him if it was alright if I threw a technical question at him and he said, "sure" so I took my shot and asked him about Apollo 8's docking probe... and... I stumped him!! He couldn't remember. After we chatted for a few minutes he said, 'Wait a minute, we never had to open the tunnel hatch in the CM so I never got to see if the probe was there or not. We never trained for it because it wasn't any equipment we'd be using." He went on to say it was an alternate escape route in the 'stable one' landing condition on splashdown so they all knew how to get out through the tunnel hatch if necessary, but that was about as far as he could remember. Normally, the docking collar and probe was left attached to the drogue on the upper hatch of the ascent stage of the LM on jettison in lunar orbit but again, without a LM on Apollo 8? So he really didn't know if the technicians left it in place or removed it before flight but he seemed to think it was still there because they just probably didn't get around to removing it. Then again, he couldn't remember jettisoning it either before re-entry to clear the way for the pyros and chutes.[/i]
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