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Author
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Topic: Yaw maneuver during Saturn V launches
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Paul78zephyr
Member Posts: 775
From: Hudson, MA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-03-2012 02:38 PM
  
A few questions about the Saturn V launch yaw maneuver: - Was this yaw maneuver used on all Saturn V launches including Apollo 4 (AS-501) and Skylab 1 (AS-513/INT-21)?
- What was the maximun yaw angle before the vehicle became vertical again? (My eye says 3-5 degrees)
- Did any Saturn V crew note that they could tell that the vehicle was yawing (apart from the attitude indicators)?
- Many crew would report that they 'had a pitch and roll program' shortly after lift off but I never heard any notation from either crew or control about the yaw. Why was that?
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ilbasso
Member Posts: 1527
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 02-03-2012 04:19 PM
The Flight Report on the Apollo 11 launch vehicle says that the maximum yaw the vehicle experienced was 1.44 degrees during the S-IC boost phase.Films of the Apollo 4 and Skylab 1 launches on YouTube show the tower avoidance yaw maneuver very clearly. The nominal Saturn V flight plan was for the yaw maneuver to start at T+3.6 seconds and end at T+10.0 seconds. The Apollo 8 crew remarked on many occasions that being in the CM on the opposite end of a 38-story stack from the engines greatly amplified the crew's perception of the amount of steering that the engines were doing to keep the vehicle on course. I think it was Anders who likened it to being at the tip of a pool cue whose other end was balanced on someone's fingertip. If they didn't remark on the yaw maneuver specifically, perhaps it was more because they were reacting to the feelings of the first few seconds of the ride in general and their concern for clearing the tower. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 735
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 02-03-2012 08:02 PM
On Apollo 12, PAO Jack King says "Pete Conrad reports the yaw program is in," shortly after liftoff. Also, Spacecraft Films Apollo 12 DVD set has the crew launch audio track available to hear Conrad report "We've got a yaw program". Same thing on Apollo 17. The onboard voice recorder can be selected to hear Gene Cernan saying "yaw's complete, we're in the roll, Bob" (capcom Bob Overmyer). |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1751
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 02-03-2012 10:17 PM
The vehicle rolled to align its principle axis with the launch azimuth and then would pitch over as it climbed. In shuttle parlance, yaw steering (right or left of the flight path) would occur to reduce any errors caused by not launching on time. |
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