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Author Topic:   Bolt from Apollo Command Module?
Blaberus
Member

Posts: 18
From: England
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 05-31-2010 01:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blaberus     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I recently won a lot in a recent space auction which consisted of a bolt, two washers and a nut which had reputedly come from the Apollo 10 CM "Charlie Brown". Being a skeptical sort of guy I am trying to research the markings on the head of the bolt and establish whether or not this exact type of fastener was used in the CM.

The markings read "NAS1153-C4" followed by a symbol which might be the manufacturer's insignia. So far I have ascertained that NAS = "National Aerospace Standard" of the USA and that NAS1153 = a "Torq-Set Bolt with a Machine-Flat 100 Deg Head, Close Tolerance, Short Thread, Offset Cruciform Recess."

I have also found out that aerospace applications need bolts which are torque-tight and that the type of torq-set recess which my bolt has was designed earlier than 1965. I have not managed to work out what "C4" means or identify the possible insignia on the head, so if anyone can help I would be extremely grateful.

I would also like to know whether this model of bolt was used in the Apollo spacecraft - if anyone happens to know! I have posted pictures of the items below. Thanks in advance!!



space1
Member

Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 05-31-2010 02:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for space1   Click Here to Email space1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes that is the same type of bolt used in the Apollo spacecraft. The C4 is related to the size of the bolt. There would be no way of knowing from the bolt markings whether it flew or not.

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John Fongheiser
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Historic Space Systems, http://www.space1.com

Blaberus
Member

Posts: 18
From: England
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 05-31-2010 02:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blaberus     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks very much indeed for the information and your quick reply! The items came with a COA and a complex but plausible story about how they were obtained. Key points of the story check out, so given that the bolt is the correct type and appears to have been used, I am (now) inclined to believe that it is what it is reputed to be. If it is a hoax then it would be an extremely elaborate one and the hoaxer would have needed to know a lot about fasteners and their markings and would have needed to obtain the correct items from somewhere (which I guess would be difficult without a lot of specialist knowledge).

space1
Member

Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 05-31-2010 02:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for space1   Click Here to Email space1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I took a quick look at some photos I took recently at the National Air & Space Museum. Here is an example of that same type of bolt on the Apollo 11 hatch gear box.

Blaberus
Member

Posts: 18
From: England
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 05-31-2010 03:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blaberus     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The photos are really great to see - thank you very much indeed!

GACspaceguy
Member

Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 06-01-2010 11:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The bolt description as stated in the above thread is correct. The fact that the basic bolt part number is a NAS1153 indicates that it is a 3/16" nominal diameter bolt. The "C" means that it is a corrosion resistant steel fastener and the 4 is a 1/4" grip length. Grip length is the measurement from the top of the head to the start of the threads. This is the potion of the fastener that can be in bearing.

In aerospace applications the threads of the fasteners must always pass beyond the base material such that there are no "threads in bearing". If the threads contacted the base material they would cut into the material which would cause a stress concentration point leading to increased fatigue and possible failure over a number of cycles.

Also corrosion resistant steel (referred to as CRES in aerospace application) is the aerospace industries term for stainless steel. However if you are one of my engineers and call it stainless steel I would be quick to tell you that stainless steel is what forks and knives are made from, in aerospace we use CRES.

space1
Member

Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 06-01-2010 01:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for space1   Click Here to Email space1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the added details. I've always wondered what was different about CRES. Apparently it's a love for acronyms .

Blaberus
Member

Posts: 18
From: England
Registered: Nov 2006

posted 06-02-2010 03:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blaberus     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks very much for the additional information GACspaceguy. Would you happen to know anything about the nut - especially whether it goes with the bolt (it doesn't seem to be a very good fit). Also if anyone can identify the symbol on the bolt head, which I assume is the insignia of the company that made it, I would be very grateful...

GACspaceguy
Member

Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 06-02-2010 06:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The nut looks like a MS21042 CRES nut and yes it would match the fastener. I do not recognize the manufacture's symbol; I will ask our fastener expert when I can get a moment tomorrow.

SpaceAholic
Member

Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 06-02-2010 07:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This style Torq-Set fastener was also used in to affix the front panel of the Environmental Control Unit.

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