posted November 08, 2010 04:35 AM               

A Field Guide to Apollo Spacecraft gives a list. However, there are some anomalies. For example, BP-1215 is not listed but was, it is claimed, based at Yokosuka in Japan. Was there such a capsule?

Two other boilerplates mentioned in the Field Guide are BP-1204 listed as being at the Garber Facility, Suitland, MD, the National Air and Space Museum's storage facility. This capsule was apparently based in Rota, Spain.

posted December 20, 2010 04:05 AM               

In 1980 there was a UFO sighting in Suffolk which is widely claimed to be Britain's most famous.

Now, it turns out that this may have been BP-1206 which was dropped by a helicopter from the 67th ARRS operating out of RAF Woodbridge. The capsule was dropped in a wood near the airbase as it was being returned from an exercise. It is said that the UFO story was encouraged by the American airmen to cover up the fact that there had been an incident.

The capsule was recovered the next day.

posted December 20, 2010 01:34 PM               

As a side note, the 67th ARRS got in the first of the shuttle mockups in the first two months of 1978.

Moving on to the 1980's sighting: one more time, I was on the base at the time and it is not possible that a helicopter from the 67th ARRS was flying that night, as we had a bad ground fog for the days of the sighting and ALL flights were grounded at the time.

Plus the A-10 aircraft base at RAF Woodbridge and Bentwaters at the time did not have night vision aids as they do now, so they did not fly at night.

As a side note to all this UFO sightings, this is not the first sighting at RAF Woodbridge/Bentwaters as they had a big sighting back in the 1960. A ball of light was seen over the top of the nuclear bomb dumps at RAF Lakenheath, which then moved off at a high speed.

A bit later a ball of light was seen over the nuclear bomb dumps at Woodbridge / Bentwaters. Some say it was the same ball of light that was seen at RAF Lakenheath that same day.

posted December 23, 2010 07:27 AM               

It would seem that recovery crews practiced with wooden mock-ups of the capsule. This was typically a three quarter capsule built round the hatch area. Inside would be chairs on which dummies were placed so that recovery personnel could perfect procedures for extracting the crew.

posted January 26, 2011 04:35 PM               

Apollo boilerplate BP-1206, originally located at RAF Woodbridge, was returned to the US in 1977. As of March 2008 it was at Patrick AFB, Florida.

posted February 06, 2011 01:57 PM               

February 5

A Senior Flammability Review Board meeting at MSC reached a number of decisions on the CSM. Attending were Robert R. Gilruth, chairman; George M. Low, Kenneth S. Kleinknecht, Aleck C. Bond, Maxime A. Faget, Donald K. Slayton, Charles A. Berry, and Rodney G. Rose, all of MSC; Samuel C. Phillips, NASA Hq.; William B. Bergen and Dale D. Myers, North American Rockwell; and George Stoner, Boeing (nonvoting observer).

Several previous action assignments were reviewed:

1. Component level Flammability Test Program - North American reviewed the results of its material identification and test program, the component test program, and the boilerplate 1,250 tests. These tests had provided the basis for design decisions on selection and application of CM nonmetallic materials.

2. Boilerplate 1224 configuration comparison to CSMs 2TV-1 and 101 - North American presented the comparison and the Board decided that the boilerplate configuration was representative of the "worst case" configuration, considering both 2TV-l and 101.

3. Internal ignition rationale - ignition rationale for the boilerplate 1224 tests was presented to the Board. Nichrome wire ignitors were used with the ignitor wire embedded in potting. In some locations a Ladicote cover was applied over the potting and ignitor. The Board pointed out that the ignition techniques were not really representative of actual operating conditions and were indeed overly severe.

4. Crew communications umbilical - North American was evaluating a fluorel crew communications umbilical as well as fluorel oxygen umbilicals. A Beta sleeve over the oxygen and crew communications umbilicals would also be evaluated for its operational acceptability by the Crew.

The Board presented a review of test results. In the tests at pressure of 4.3 newtons per square centimeter (6.2 pounds per square inch) in a 95-percent oxygen atmosphere, there were 38 ignitions in boilerplate 1224. Of these,5 produced fires large enough to require further consideration. In tests at 11.2 newtons per sq cm (16.2 psia) in a 60-percent-oxygen and 40-percent nitrogen atmosphere, there were 31 ignitions. Of these, 4 produced fires large enough to require further consideration.

The Board concluded that the material changes made in the CM had resulted in a safe configuration in both the tested atmospheres. The Board agreed "that there will always be a degree of risk associated with manned space flight," but the risk of fire "was now substantially less than the basic risks inherent in manned space flight."

posted February 06, 2011 04:57 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
Apollo boilerplate BP-1206, originally located at RAF Woodbridge, was returned to the US in 1977.

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posted February 07, 2011 02:27 AM               

The Apollo boilerplate 1206, then in the possession of the 67th ARRS located at the Woodbridge RAF, was transferred to the Smithsonian in title only on 29 April 1976. Eventually, in July 1977 a loan agreement was executed between the Smithsonian and the 67th ARRS.

Through the 1980s that loan was periodically renewed through various offices of the 67th ARRS.

Throughout this period the capsule continued to be used as a training vehicle. However, following the Rendelsham UFO incident it was moved away from its site in front of the 67th hanger to a secluded spot out of the view of the public.

In June of 1991, at the discretion of the U.S. Air Force, and as subsequently reported to the Smithsonian, the boilerplate spacecraft was shipped to the 71st ARS at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. Eventually new loan arrangements were executed between the Smithsonian and the Rescue Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base.

posted April 13, 2011 02:39 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
I have found a boilerplate Apollo capsule that was sunk. Unfortunately, the number quoted - Q10 000 - does not appear in the Field Guide to US Spacecraft. Nevertheless, this capsule was reported as sunk by naval gunfire after it broke from a ship's towline by the New York Times on 27th May 1967.

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posted April 29, 2011 08:20 AM               

I was behind the camera and do remember our failure to retrieve the dummy re-entry pod there was a considerable rolling swells causing a lot of movement of the aft deck some part broke and we were not going to be able to tow the dummy too much drag for any attachment point nor could it be left in the sea lanes the decision was to sink it a couple of 5" holes and it sank.

posted November 08, 2011 03:32 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by dabolton:
Apollo capsule sitting at the Harris County Youth Facility

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posted November 10, 2011 01:46 AM               

The first CM boilerplate to be completed was BP-25 on 7th August 1962. Following testing in the waters off Los Angeles, it was delivered to NASA in mid-August.

It was followed a month later, in mid-September 1962, by BP-1 and BP-3. [It's worth noting that in this month NASA deleted five Apollo mock-ups and three boilerplates from a contract because of budget constraints.]

posted November 10, 2011 09:18 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
The first CM boilerplate to be completed was BP-25 on 7th August 1962.

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posted November 10, 2011 11:01 AM               

On edit - BP-25 was accepted on 2nd October 1962. BP-2 was accepted 11th December 1962.

posted November 18, 2011 04:41 PM               

This can now be filled in. According to a NASA reference document, a letter (JF4-50799) dated 26 March 1971 directed Rockwell to dispose of the capsule through 'regular property disposal procedures'. It was offered to the Smithsonian but was declined. Following this, the 1978 NASA document says that BP-14 was sold to Kolar Inc. at Tucson, Arizona.

posted May 10, 2012 04:41 PM               

One interesting fact concerns BP-18. In A Field Guide to American Spacecraft, this is listed as 'Unused'. However, one of the following documents suggests that it was being prepared for a qualification test of the C-1 launch vehicle and to demonstrate the separation of the spacecraft from the launch vehicle following the S-IV burn out. This document is marked with a *.

Another capsule listed in the Field Guide as 'unused' is BP-30 (aka BP-18). However, as is recorded below, there were plans to use it.

The boilerplate capsules are listed in order with the really interesting documents in bold type.

All the boilerplate configurations - SID 62-1408-2-VOL-2 *; SID 62-1434

• BP-1: Land and water impact test - SID 62-205; SID 63-143-4-R-1-REV
  
• BP-2: Land impact test - SID 62-206
  
• BP-3: Parachute drop test - SID 62-207; SID 63-143-2-R-1-REV
  
• BP-4: Water impact test - SID 62-208
  
• BP-5: Earth recovery - SID 62-209
  
• BP-6: Support manual - SM2A-07-BP6; SID 63-143-6
  
• BP-6A: Parachute drop test - SID 63-143-16
  
• BP-7: Water impact test - SID 62-211
  
• BP-9: Dynamics and ground test - SID 62-213
  
• BP-10: Water egress test - SID 62-214
  
• BP-11: CM recovery equipment test - SID 62-215
  
• BP-12: End item specification - SID 63-423
  
• BP-13: Support manual - SM2A-07-BP13; SID 63-620; SID 62-217 (SA-5 specification)
  
• BP-14: Number 1 specification (house spacecraft) SID 62-218
  
• BP-15: Chronology SA-7/A-102 - SP-207; Support Manual - SM2A-07-BP15; SID 62-219; Post flight - NAS 1.15.X-53171
  
• BP-16: End specification - SID 62-220; SID 63-691
  
• BP-19: Parachute drop test - SID 63-143-3; SID 63-143-3REV
  
• BP-22: High altitude abort test - SID 63-143-14; SID 65-793
  
• BP-23A: Working paper for PA-2 - 1158 & 1158A; Flight test report - SID 63-1416-8
  
• BP-26: End specification - SID 63-695
  
• BP-28: Weight/Balance report - SID 63-143-19
  
• BP-30: Preliminary weight/balance report - SID 65-793; Performance/design requirements - SID 64-1083 (to provide capabilities for unmanned LEM [sic] misson

In addition to these are Boilerplate Stack reports:

• BP-12: SID 63-143-9W
  
• BP-15: SID 63-143-10
  
• BP-23: SID 63-143-12W
  
• BP-27: SID 63-143-13

posted May 10, 2012 09:41 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
Following this, the 1978 NASA document says that BP-14 was sold to Kolar Inc. at Tucson, Arizona.

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Sol Kotz owned Kolar, Inc., an Arizona business engaged in aircraft scrap and salvage. In early 1976 Kotz made his first commodities investments...

posted May 10, 2012 09:46 PM               

BP-30: Preliminary weight/balance report - SID 65-793; Performance/design requirements

posted May 26, 2012 06:57 AM               

• 001
  
• 003
  
• 005
  
• 013
  
• 015
  
• 016
  
• 018
  
• 019

posted August 29, 2012 01:35 AM               

At the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, the display placard in front of Apollo BP-1102A states:

This one is made of aluminum with a fiberglass outer shell.

On the Seattle Museum of Flight website, the information for Apollo CM-007A states:

CM 007 was delivered to NASA in 1966. After serving as a ground test vehicle, CM 007 was modified in 1967 for use in water-survival training. As part of their training, the astronauts inside the capsule were dropped into the Gulf of Mexico by a crane from an aircraft carrier to simulate the force of splashdown. Apollo crews also trained for extended recovery by remaining at sea for several days at a time in the Command Module. Such training prepared astronauts for the possibility of a splashdown far from the planned recovery site.

In Cernan's book, "The Last Man On The Moon" which is one of the best astronaut biographies, the crew photo of the Apollo 10 crew of Tom Stafford, Gene Cernan, and John Young is captioned as:

...in front of their Apollo 10 spacecraft.