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Author
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Topic: Apollo spacecraft: How many individual parts?
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teachspace
Member Posts: 97
From: river edge, nj usa
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 04-03-2025 02:59 PM
   
Does anyone know how many individual parts made up the Apollo command and service module and particularly the docking mechanism? |
Axman
Member Posts: 733
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 04-04-2025 08:12 AM
It all depends on what you classify as "individual parts." In truth, the answer is unknowable. Is a process (such as a paint layer) a part? Do you count the parts that make a part? Just one example to illustrate the point: Is a piece of wiring a part? And if cut into a set number of lengths is that one part or x number of parts? And do you count each copper strand within the wire as a part?, is the outer plastic coating another separate part? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 54382
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-04-2025 10:08 AM
Every spacecraft part that NASA considered significant was assigned a part number so it could be tracked through its use and more easily replaced if needed. Sometimes this extended down to the individual nut and bolt level; sometimes it was the complete unit (and sometimes it was both). The question is if a record of all the part numbers exists somewhere that they can be tallied. |
space1
Member Posts: 957
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 04-04-2025 10:16 AM
Here are just some quick numbers for the scope of the docking probe. My collection of drawing scans of the docking probe has about 660 files, although some of these are assemblies, and many drawings require more than one scan.The top assembly drawing has over 200 items called out spread across several versions of the assembly, many of which are subassemblies with more parts. And most of the items have more than one in the assembly, especially with the hardware callouts. It would take many hours to get an accurate count. |
nasamad
Member Posts: 2200
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 04-04-2025 12:55 PM
The North American Command Module News Reference states the Apollo CM has over two million parts not including wiring and skeletal components. |
teachspace
Member Posts: 97
From: river edge, nj usa
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 04-05-2025 09:11 AM
Thanks everyone. Great information and just what I was looking for. I’m teaching an adult class on Apollo 13 and I want to illustrate the complexity of the CSM. |
davidcwagner
Member Posts: 1110
From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 04-05-2025 12:20 PM
At one part per second, it would take over 23 days to ID two million parts. |
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