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Author
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Topic: Apollo 15: Recovery parachute failure
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Orthon
Member Posts: 144
From: San Tan Valley, Arizona 85143
Registered: May 2002
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posted 10-14-2006 07:52 AM
   
Did they ever figure out why one of the Apollo 15 parachutes did not open properly? Was it recovered? |
mikej
Member Posts: 481
From: Germantown, WI USA
Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 10-14-2006 06:23 PM
The Apollo 15 30-day failure and anomaly listing report indicates that they did not recover the failed chute. They had a number of theories regarding the failure, but the anomaly was still open at the time of publication (refer to page 20 in the PDF file).Appendix C (page 50 in the PDF) of the Apollo experience report Earth landing system has a good deal more information, but still nothing definitive (at least, that's what I gathered from skimming it; I didn't read all 32 pages of it.  There's also an entire report devoted to the Apollo 15 main-parachute failure. However, it's not online (at least not on the NTRS). Since this was published before the ELS report quoted above, it's unlikely to contain too much additional information. |
space1
Member Posts: 861
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 10-14-2006 07:33 PM
In short, the failure was caused by the reaction control system fuel dump. Fuel touched the parachute lines and ignited from the residual heat of the RCS engine. The flames caused the parachute lines to melt and break. (NASA TM X-58106 7th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium.) |
Larry McGlynn
Member Posts: 1267
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 10-14-2006 09:39 PM
Al Worden talked about the parachute failure at a conference in San Antonio this year.Al stated that there was no wind during the descent. The RCS fuel dump cause the excess fuel to hit and desolve the number one parachute. The number two chute was starting to desolve when they hit the water. |
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