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T O P I C R E V I E WLunar RoverMany years ago on a flight to Florida, I was seated next to an engineer who worked for NASA/KSC. When we talked about both heading to KSC for an event, a lengthy conversation ensued.With me that day was a set of four blueprints. The engineer was obviously knowledgeable, and had worked for NASA for many years. So I asked him what the blueprints represented.The engineer/gentleman stated these were blueprints of LM-5's joystick electrical circuits, which converted joystick commands to the appropriate firing of each the 16 thrusters on Eagle. Essentially a translation circuit.Should the engineer be correct, these blueprints are of considerable historical significance, particularly since Neil Armstrong essentially flew Eagle on the moon to a safe landing site using the joystick.I'm hopeful that collectSPACE members can weigh in on the engineer's opinion. The scan below is a closeup of the title area on one of the four sheets. For whatever reason I can't upload a cropped version that eliminates the shadows and such, but this should give everyone a good idea of the blueprints and their condition. Immediately below the title area of the upper sheet is a second sheet in the frame, below it, overlapped.They all have the same titling on each sheet, but show various parts of electrical circuits.Thank you in advance for all your help!space1It looks like part of the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) schematic, with its references to shaft and trunnion angles, trays, and modules, as well as many AGC acronyms. It also has MIT Instrumentation Labs, where the AGC was designed and built, in the title block. It does not appear to be specific to the "joystick."The engineer may have referenced Apollo 11 Eagle because of the "LEM 5" in the title. The LM on Apollo 11 was LM 5. However, this appears to read "LEM" "5-AXIS MODING". I have no idea if 5-axis moding is a feature of the AGC.Apollo AGC schematics are rare, so that in itself makes these unusual.Can you make out the date of the drawings? "LEM," or Lunar Excursion Module, was the name used early in the Apollo Program. It was later revised to "LM" for Lunar Module. But the LEM designation survived for many years in some technical documentation.SpaceAholicExtract appears to be depicting PGNCS.
With me that day was a set of four blueprints. The engineer was obviously knowledgeable, and had worked for NASA for many years. So I asked him what the blueprints represented.
The engineer/gentleman stated these were blueprints of LM-5's joystick electrical circuits, which converted joystick commands to the appropriate firing of each the 16 thrusters on Eagle. Essentially a translation circuit.
Should the engineer be correct, these blueprints are of considerable historical significance, particularly since Neil Armstrong essentially flew Eagle on the moon to a safe landing site using the joystick.
I'm hopeful that collectSPACE members can weigh in on the engineer's opinion. The scan below is a closeup of the title area on one of the four sheets. For whatever reason I can't upload a cropped version that eliminates the shadows and such, but this should give everyone a good idea of the blueprints and their condition. Immediately below the title area of the upper sheet is a second sheet in the frame, below it, overlapped.
They all have the same titling on each sheet, but show various parts of electrical circuits.
Thank you in advance for all your help!
The engineer may have referenced Apollo 11 Eagle because of the "LEM 5" in the title. The LM on Apollo 11 was LM 5. However, this appears to read "LEM" "5-AXIS MODING". I have no idea if 5-axis moding is a feature of the AGC.
Apollo AGC schematics are rare, so that in itself makes these unusual.
Can you make out the date of the drawings? "LEM," or Lunar Excursion Module, was the name used early in the Apollo Program. It was later revised to "LM" for Lunar Module. But the LEM designation survived for many years in some technical documentation.
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