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[i]After assessing LLRV flight data and recommendations from Dryden and the Manned Spacecraft Center, NASA Headquarters ordered three Lunar Landing Training Vehicles (LLTVs) from Bell in mid-1966. Bearing new names, the LLTVs were nearly identical to the Dryden vehicles except for a few minor improvements to more closely match the LMs. The new vehicles were designated LLTV B1, B2, and B3 and cost $2.5 million each. Manned Spacecraft Center pilots who had already accumulated experience in the LLRVs at Dryden made initial flights with each vehicle ... At the end of 1966, NASA centralized its lunar landing training program at the Manned Spacecraft Center and LLRV No. 1 was shipped to Texas on Dec. 12. The first free flight of LLRV No. 2 was made at Dryden in January 1967 with (Jack) Kleuver in the cockpit. It flew at Dryden five more times and then joined its sister ship, LLRV No. 1, in Texas where both received modifications in controls and cockpit configuration to match the three newer LLTVs. At that point, Dryden's two LLRVs were redesignated LLTV A1 and A2 ... The most celebrated ejection was by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong. On May 6, 1968, Armstrong was about 30 feet off the ground in LLTV A1 -- the No. 1 vehicle from Dryden -- when helium pressure in the propellant tanks failed and caused the attitude control system to quit. As the vehicle began pitching up and rolling, Armstrong ejected. The trainer fell to the ground and exploded. Seven months later, a Manned Spacecraft Center pilot, Joe Algranti, was flying LLTV B1 when gusty winds threw it out of control and he had to eject just seconds before it hit the ground. The last accident was on Jan. 29, 1971, when LLTV B2 was hit by an electrical system failure that knocked out the attitude control system. Instructor pilot Stu Present ejected while the vehicle crashed to the ground. [/i]
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