Apollo 17 launch sequencer failure at T-30 seconds

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Topic: Apollo 17 launch sequencer failure at T-30 seconds

Paul78zephyr
Member

Posts: 678
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 06-18-2008 10:46 AM

The launch on Apollo 17 was delayed from it intended launch time of 9:53PM (17:53) EST on 6 Dec 1972 due to a failure of the automatic launch sequencer at the T-30 second mark. Ultimately Apollo 17 was launched (spectacularly) at 12:33AM (00:33) EST on 7 Dec 1972. As I understand it the automatic launch sequencer failed to pressurize the S-IVB LOX tank. There was some 'jury rigging' (jumper wires) to allow the failure to be bypassed but it took some time for them to work out the procedure. They held at a recycled time of T-8 minutes for over 1-1/2 hours sorting things out but Ive never read any more detail than that. Can anyone say exactly what happened and why? Was there ever any thought given to scrubbing the launch?

Thanks
Paul

Fra Mauro
Member

Posts: 1624
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-18-2008 11:11 PM

They used up the entire 4 hour launch window simply becuase Launch Control felt there was a way to fix the problem. If they thought it wasn't possible to fix it quickly, the launch would have been scrubbed. Cernan felt for a time that the launch would be postponed.

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