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  Navy-NASA cooperation on spacecraft recovery

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Author Topic:   Navy-NASA cooperation on spacecraft recovery
RobertB
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Posts: 168
From: Israel
Registered: Nov 2012

posted 02-07-2015 03:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for RobertB   Click Here to Email RobertB     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To what extent did NASA affect the Navy's planning and deployment?

For example, did NASA plan recovery around existing ships or did the Navy move ships around to suit NASA?

Chris Kraft mentions making a special request of the Navy to be ready to recover Apollo 8, but that was a Christmas exception.

One Big Monkey
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Posts: 171
From: West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2012

posted 02-07-2015 04:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for One Big Monkey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Manned spacecraft recovery had a dedicated task force (well, technically two - one for the Pacific and one for Atlantic), and Apollo's was CTF-130, or Combined Task Force 130.

The nature of the recovery programme meant cooperation was essential. This site gives indications that information and personnel were exchanged throughout.

This document contains recommendations by the Navy to NASA for changes to procedure and equipment, as well as how Apollo 11's recovery was conducted from the Navy's point of view.

Apollo 11's landing point was changed thanks to changes in weather forecast in the original landing zone, and this had to involve information exchanges between all parties.

There is a suggestion that it was military forecasts from secret satellites that were the driving force behind this change, though NASA had their own forecasters also working on it. Either way ships had to be re-positioned to match the new trajectory worked out by NASA to avoid trouble.

The relationship between NASA's civilian space programme and the military is an interesting one - they relied on each other a lot but at the same time shared a degree of antipathy thanks to different approaches and aims.

moorouge
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Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009

posted 02-08-2015 01:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The relationship between NASA and the DoD evolved as time went on. It quickly became clear that the Navy had the ships and the Air Force had the aircraft needed by NASA to recover both its astronauts and spacecraft.

To this end both parties appointed a single person to arrange and co-ordinate the requirements for each mission. The DoD contact was the Commander of Patrick AFB and it was through him that the necessary vessels/aircraft would be requisitioned and deployed.

The ship requirements were passed down the line to two Navy commanders - one for the Atlantic and one for the Pacific as has been mentioned in the previous post. They were usually two star admirals who often had other duties as well. For example, for CTF-130 the admiral was also commander of the Pearl Harbour Navy Station. There were additional staff under their command who would organise the detailed requirements for each recovery.

Air support was organised through the Air Force Rescue Command.

You can read more about this on p161 of NASA SP-4307.

NASA built a series of boilerplate capsules that were assigned to the CTF forces to practice recovery techniques. Once assigned, it was these forces that controlled their use and coordinated with other units needing a capsule to practice recovery techniques.

Training exercises, particularly full ones, would include vessels attached to the CTF for a specific Apollo mission. Typically, a recovery exercise would have a ship place the boilerplate in a selected location and then stand-off at about twenty miles distance whilst a ARRS unit homed in on the capsule using a SARAH beacon. Usually there would be a restricted zone place around the recovery area for safety reasons and not, as is sometimes suggested, to keep the exercises secret.

Finally, as a note of how one has to be careful about these matters. The Apollo Chronology makes mention of only one training exercise - that for Apollo 9 towards the end of January 1969. However, the CTF report on these exercises gives different dates from those quoted in the Chronology for the 'Guadalcanal', the prime recovery vessel, and a different ship for the exercise on the date, 29th, mentioned in the Chronology.

ea757grrl
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Posts: 732
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 02-08-2015 07:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ea757grrl   Click Here to Email ea757grrl     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Two books I recommend to anyone interested in the subject:

"Hornet Plus Three" by Bob Fish, while it focuses on the Apollo 11 recovery, gives a very nice, accessible overview of NASA/Navy/Air Force cooperation in that era of spaceflight. It's also very nicely illustrated.

"Moon Men Return" by Scott Carmichael limits its scope to the Apollo 11 recovery deployment, but does so in great detail and adds more insight. I recommend them both to interested parties. ("Splashdown!" by Don Blair is more like one man's scrapbook, and though it succeeds in that regard and has some rare photos, it's nowhere near the thorough historical narrative the other two are.) — Jodie Peeler

RobertB
Member

Posts: 168
From: Israel
Registered: Nov 2012

posted 02-09-2015 03:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for RobertB   Click Here to Email RobertB     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks very much everyone.

I got both fish and a fishing line

All times are CT (US)

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