Apollo Project
Apollo Project
Also known as the Apollo project, it is a series of satellite missions carried out by the United States from 1961 to 1972. Human mission to the moon.
On July 16, 1969, the huge "Saturn 5" rocket carrying the "Apollo 11" spacecraft was ignited and lifted off from the Cape Kennedy launch site in the United States, beginning the first human space journey to land on the moon. . American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Michael Collins drove the Apollo 11 spacecraft across a journey of 380,000 kilometers, carrying the dream of all mankind and setting foot on the surface of the moon. This is indeed a small step for one man, but a great step for mankind. They witnessed the realization of the dream from the earth to the moon, a step that spanned 5,000 years.
Human exploration of the moon
Human exploration and research on the moon began in the 1950s. The United States and the former Soviet Union engaged in a fierce space race in the context of the Cold War.
In 1957, the former Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial earth satellite.
On April 12, 1961, the former Soviet Union’s Vostok spacecraft entered space. Yuri Gagarin wore a 90-kilogram spacesuit and became the first person in the world to enter space. And the aviation warriors who saw the entire earth from the universe. Gagarin's name, along with his charming smile, spread to every corner of the world. It marked an important chapter in the epic picture of manned spaceflight.
Since then, manned space science has advanced by leaps and bounds. When the time was fixed on July 16, 1969, the United States took the lead in landing on the moon and completed this dream of mankind. By the time Apollo 17, the last flight of the Apollo program, landed on the moon in December 1972, 12 astronauts had landed on the lunar surface.
Human beings have an increasingly rational understanding of the moon. Each Apollo flight conducted extensive surveys of the lunar surface and collected a large number of lunar rock and soil samples. Among them, 440 kilograms of lunar rock samples were brought back to the earth from the moon. The Apollo missions also installed many instruments on the moon to conduct scientific research, such as solar wind experiments and moonquake measurements. The moon is no longer a mystery.
The moon is not as crystal clear as when we look up at her from the earth. Its surface is rugged, covered with large and small craters, and even a bit eerie. As a permanent satellite of the Earth, she always faithfully orbits the Earth. The diameter of the moon is 3476 kilometers, which is about 3/11 of the diameter of the Earth. The surface area of ??the moon is about 1/14 of the earth's surface area, slightly smaller than the area of ??Asia. The moon's volume is only equivalent to 1/49 of the earth's volume.
The lunar surface has a high vacuum, no magnetic field, stable geological structure, weak gravity and a highly clean environment. The back of the moon is not subject to interference from radio waves from the earth. Establish a lunar astronomical observation base, biological products and new materials laboratories. , Earth observation stations and deep space exploration outposts are of great political and scientific significance. The moon is an ideal place to study lunar science, astrochemistry, space physics, life science, earth observation science and materials science.
Establishing an astronomical observation station on the moon can not be restricted by the earth's atmosphere, and can conduct observations in the band from Gama rays to long radio bands. An interferometer array of any band can be set up on the moon, and the quiet environment on the moon can ensure its measurement accuracy. Some astrophysical phenomena such as supernova explosions and gamma ray bursts can be observed and studied in different wavebands.
Although the moon is just a small member of billions of stars, it is not an ordinary satellite that revolves around the earth forever. For humans, the moon is not only an outpost for humans to set foot in the vast universe, but also a storage warehouse for resources that humans rely on for survival. The resources on the moon are of incredible value to humans. Ilmenite accounts for 25% of the volume of basalt on the moon, and the amount of titanium is probably more than 100 trillion tons. In the future, humans can directly use this stone to produce resources such as water and liquid oxygen fuel. Uranium, rare earths, etc. that are scarce on the earth are also quite abundant on the moon.
In particular, the unique helium-3 in the lunar soil will change the energy structure of human society. There are millions of tons of helium-3 in the soil on the surface of the moon. This is an efficient, clean and safe nuclear fusion fuel. One ton of helium-3 can produce enough electricity to be used by all mankind for one year. The abundant metal resources such as silicon, aluminum, and iron on the moon are also a huge storage reservoir for the earth’s mineral resources in the future.
Today, the moon has become increasingly important to the development of human space technology. The development and utilization of lunar resources has become an important issue in the 21st century.
All this is the attraction and temptation of the moon. It is precisely for this reason that the United States, the only country that has successfully landed on the moon, restarted the moon landing plan after halting it for 30 years. On January 14, 2004, US President Bush ambitiously announced the new US space program.
US President Bush once said: "It is time for America to take the next steps. Today I announce a new plans to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system. We will begin the effort quickly using existing programs and personnel. We'll make steady progress, one mission, one voyage, one landing at a time. The last man to set a foot on a lunar surface said this as he left: 'We leave as we came, and God willing as we shall return with peace and hope for all mankind. America will make those words come true." ("The time has come for America to take the next step in exploring the universe. Today I am announcing our new plan to explore the vastness of the universe. We will use the available human and material resources to determine a clear plan. The last man to set foot on the moon once said: We leave just as we came, and God knows we will return with the hope of all mankind. , we will make this sentence come true”)
The plan proposed by Bush includes that the United States will conduct a series of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface no later than 2008, and then as early as 2015. The goal is to send people to the moon no later than 2020, and the goal is to continuously extend the time of living and working on the moon. Based on the knowledge and experience gained on the moon, the United States will next prepare to send people to explore Mars and even beyond. A new generation of manned space tools has begun to be designed and constructed, and the space station will be assembled in the shortest possible time.
$86 billion is provided to NASA’s budget for the next five years. The United States began to build a new round of moon programs.
In addition to the United States, more and more countries have become interested in the moon at the beginning of the new century. Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Israel, and India have each launched their own lunar plans. The sooner they set foot on the moon, the greater the chance of understanding and developing the moon. In the far east opposite the United States, a giant dragon that has been sleeping for a hundred years roared.
Looking at our blue planet from space, the Asian continent is so vast, and China is so beautiful. A firm gaze and a tall body carry the Chinese nation's dream of flying into the sky - on October 15, 2003, the roaring "Long March 5" rocket, carrying the expectations of 1.3 billion people, shot straight into the sky, and the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei is the pride of China.
The Chinese people’s 40-year dream of flying into the sky has finally come true, carried by the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft. The moon is one step closer to us. At this time, the excited Chinese people once again focused their attention on the ancient myth - "Chang'e flies to the moon". People can't help but ask: "When will the Chinese go to the moon to see our relatives who are far away from their homeland - the girl Chang'e."
The moon is calling, and Chinese scientific researchers have been quietly working on lunar exploration for 10 years. As early as 1994, our country’s aerospace science and technology workers conducted a study on the necessity and feasibility of lunar exploration. In 1996, we completed the research on the technical plan of the lunar exploration satellite, and in 1998 we completed the research on the key technologies of the satellite. After 10 years of deliberation, we finally determined that our country's entire lunar exploration project is divided into "orbiting" and "landing". ", "Return". The first step to the moon will be to launch the lunar exploration satellite "Chang'e-1" in 2006 to detect the lunar surface environment, landforms, topography, geological structures and physical fields.
The second step is scheduled from 2007 to 2010. The goal is to develop and launch a spacecraft to land on the moon in a soft landing for detection, using patrol vehicles and automatic robots that land on the lunar surface to detect rocks in the landing area. and mineral composition, and determine the heat flow and surrounding environment at the landing site.
The third step of the flight to the moon is scheduled from 2011 to 2020. The goal is to patrol the lunar surface and return samples to prepare for the next step of manned lunar landing. Provide data for detecting and establishing sites for lunar outposts
The reason why China has accelerated its aerospace industry is because of the advancement of aerospace technology, which can also drive the development of a large number of high-tech industries, such as the Apollo in the United States. The moon landing program is the best example. The "Apollo moon landing program" not only cultivated a generation of high-level scientists, but its scientific research results also led to computer technology, communication technology, measurement and control technology, etc. in the United States and the world in the 1960s and 1970s. The comprehensive development of high-tech technologies such as rocket technology, laser technology, material technology, and medical technology has raised the overall level of science and technology to a new level. In terms of economics, the entire Apollo moon landing program has obtained more than 3,000 patents. According to statistics, every dollar invested in the Apollo project brought about an average of about 5 dollars in benefits.
Technology is another proven factor in the aerospace industry.
Currently. We have broken into space and started to explore the moon. When we learned that China's lunar probe project was progressing smoothly, we felt extremely relieved that the moon is not far away from us. One day, we will feel the charm of the moon together.
It may take the Chinese 20 years or more to realize their dream of landing on the moon, but the moon is there, and it will never refuse human exploration
US President Bush said: "With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon we will then be ready to take the next steps of the space exploration, human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond." Mankind will land on Mars and be fully prepared to explore the more distant universe")
Various missions
The Apollo program includes 11 manned missions, from Apollo 7 to to Apollo 17, all launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Apollo 4 to Apollo 6 were all unmanned test flights (officially there were no Apollo 2 and Apollo 3).
Apollo 1
January 27, 1967. Astronauts Virgil Gleeson, Edward White and Roger Chaffee died in a fire tonight. The fire engulfed their Apollo 1 spacecraft. It was originally planned to launch the spacecraft on February 21 and send them into Earth orbit for 14 days. During the simulation exercise of this launch, they died on the ground.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials said an electrical spark probably ignited the pure oxygen in the Apollo spacecraft cockpit. The three astronauts were sitting side by side on top of the Saturn 1 rocket on Launch Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy as if they were actually flying. At 6:31 pm that day, a fire broke out.
They were stuck behind a closed hatch and were unable to use the Apollo safety system because they were blocked by the missile trailer. Emergency crews tried to reach them, but were blocked by thick smoke billowing from the cabin. The Air Force and NASA collected all information related to the fire. Officials said: "The losses of personnel and spacecraft dealt a serious blow to the Apollo moon landing program. Facing the difficulties of budget cuts, the Apollo program has been working hard to achieve the moon landing in the late 1960s.
Apollo 7
After several unmanned Earth orbit flights, Apollo 7 finally carried three astronauts around the Earth for 163 times on October 11, 1968.
Apollo 8
The first step in manned lunar exploration was Apollo 8. The Apollo 8 team composed of Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders, 12 On December 21, the Saturn 5 rocket took off. It entered the orbit around the moon. On December 21, 1968, the members of the Apollo 8 spacecraft flew from the earth to the moon and returned to the earth safely.
Apollo 9
Apollo 9 flew in orbit around the Earth for a long time and conducted further inspections of the lunar module.
Apollo. No. 10
Apollo 10 flew into lunar orbit and descended the lunar module to within 15 kilometers of the lunar surface to test its performance.
Apollo 11.
In July 1969, Apollo 11 finally landed on the moon, bringing the progressive Apollo moon landing plan to a climax. Armstrong also became the first person to land on the moon. The United States has achieved the most brilliant achievements in lunar exploration. In addition, the research on the lunar rocks and dust brought back also played a big role. NASA has announced the top ten discoveries of the Apollo lunar landing program
"Apollo" 12-17 spacecraft. From November 1969 to December 1972, the United States successively launched "Apollo" 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 spacecraft. Except for "Apollo 13", the landing was aborted due to the explosion of the liquid oxygen tank in the service module. In addition to the lunar mission (two astronauts drove the spacecraft safely back to the ground), 12 astronauts successfully landed on the moon.
The Apollo manned lunar landing project is divided into the following aspects:
1. Moon landing plan: including demonstrating the spacecraft's lunar landing flight orbit and determining the overall layout of the manned spacecraft. Select the lunar orbit rendezvous plan from the three flight plans of the "Apollo" spacecraft, and accordingly. Determine the overall layout plan of the spacecraft consisting of the command module, service module and lunar module.
2. Auxiliary plans: The four auxiliary plans to prepare for the lunar landing flight are: ① "Prowler" detection. Probe Plan (1961-1965): Japan launched 9 probes and took 18,000 photos of the lunar surface conditions in different lunar orbits to understand the possibility of landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface ② "Surveyor". Probe Plan (1966-1968): China launched five automatic probes to soft-land on the lunar surface, sent back 86,000 lunar surface photos via television, and detected physical and chemical property data of the lunar soil. "Orbital Circulator" program (1966-19677): *** launched three probes that orbited the moon, took high-resolution photos of more than 40 pre-selected landing areas, and obtained more than 1,000 small-scale, high-definition lunar surfaces photos, and based on this, about 10 expected lunar landing sites were selected. ④ "Gemini" spacecraft plan (1965-1966): 10 spacecrafts each carrying 2 astronauts were launched to conduct medical-biological research and training in maneuvering the spacecraft, docking and extravehicular activities.
3. Launch vehicle: The "Apollo" spacecraft was launched using the high-thrust "Saturn" launch vehicle. The development of launch vehicles is carried out in two stages: ①Develop "Saturn" 1 and 1B to gain experience in the development of large launch vehicles and conduct flight tests of the "Apollo" spacecraft. ② Develop the Saturn 5 giant 3-stage launch vehicle as a vehicle for spacecraft to land on the moon.
4. Test flights: 6 unmanned flight tests were conducted from 1966 to 1968 to identify the command module, service module and lunar module of the spacecraft in low-Earth orbit, and to test the power of the lunar module. device. From 1968 to 1969, the "Apollo" 7, 8, and 9 spacecraft were launched for manned flight tests. It mainly conducts simulation tests of orbiting the earth, lunar flight and landing of the lunar module out of the lunar orbit, orbital maneuvering flight and simulated rendezvous, and simulated separation and docking of the lunar module and the command module. The flight lasted 11 days according to the time required for the moon landing to test the reliability of the spacecraft. The "Apollo" 10 spacecraft, launched on May 18, 1969, conducted a rehearsal flight of the entire moon landing process, orbiting the moon 31 times, and the two astronauts descended to an altitude of 15.2 kilometers from the moon in the lunar module.
5. "Apollo" spacecraft: The "Apollo" spacecraft consists of three parts: the command module, the service module and the lunar module.
1. Command module - the cockpit where astronauts live and work during flight, and is also the control center of the entire spacecraft. The command module is conical, 3.2 meters high and weighs about 6 tons. The command module is divided into three parts: the front cabin, the astronaut cabin and the rear cabin. Landing components, recovery equipment, attitude control engines, etc. are placed in the front cabin. The astronaut cabin is a sealed cabin that contains necessities and life-saving equipment for the astronauts to live for 14 days. The rear cabin is equipped with 10 attitude control engines, various instruments and storage boxes, as well as attitude control, guidance and navigation systems, shipboard computers and radio subsystems.
2. Service module - the front end is connected to the command module, and the rear end has the main engine nozzle of the propulsion system. The cabin is cylindrical, 6.7 meters high, 4 meters in diameter, and weighs about 25 tons. The main engine is used for orbit transfer and orbit change maneuvers. The attitude control system consists of 16 rocket engines, which are also used to separate the spacecraft from the third-stage rocket, dock the lunar module with the command module, and separate the command module from the service module.
3. Lunar module - consists of a descent stage and an ascent stage. It weighs 14.7 tons when taking off from the ground, is 4.3 meters wide, and has a maximum height of about 7 meters. ① Descent stage: consists of landing engine, 4 landing legs and 4 instrument bays. ②Upgrade: It is the main body of the lunar module. After the astronauts completed their activities on the lunar surface, they drove the upgrade back to the lunar orbit to rendezvous with the command module. The ascent upgrade consists of the astronaut cabin, return engine, propellant tank, instrument cabin and control system. Astronaut Seat; The cabin can accommodate 2 astronauts (but no seats) and has navigation, control, communication, life support and power supply equipment.
4. Moon landing flight - The "Apollo" 11 spacecraft realized the ideal of man landing on the moon for the first time on July 20-21, 1969. Since then, the United States has launched the "Apollo" spacecraft six times, five of which were successful. A total of 12 astronauts landed on the moon.
The "Apollo" 11 spacecraft flew to the moon. On July 16, 1969, the "Apollo" 11 spacecraft was carried by the "Saturn" 5 rocket. When the third-stage rocket flames out, the spacecraft is sent to a low-altitude parking orbit around the earth. The third-stage rocket ignited and accelerated for the second time, sending the spacecraft into the Earth-Moon transition orbit. The spacecraft separated from the third-stage rocket. After flying along the transition orbit for 2.5 days, the spacecraft began to approach the moon. The main engine of the service module decelerated, allowing the spacecraft to enter a lunar orbit. Astronauts N.A. Armstrong and E.E. Aldrin entered the lunar module, drove the lunar module to separate from the mother ship, and descended to the moon for a soft landing. The other astronaut remains in the command module and continues to orbit the moon.
The lunar landing astronauts deployed a solar array on the lunar surface, installed a moonseismometer and a laser reflector, collected 22 kilograms of lunar rock and soil samples, and then drove the ascent stage of the lunar module back to orbit around the moon to rendezvous and dock with the mother ship. Then the lunar module was abandoned, the main engine of the service module was started to accelerate the spacecraft, and it entered the moon-Earth transition orbit. When approaching the earth, the spacecraft entered the reentry corridor, abandoned the service module, and made the domed bottom of the command module face forward, decelerating under the action of strong aerodynamic force. When entering low altitude, the command module ejects three parachutes to further reduce the descent speed. The "Apollo" 11 spacecraft command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii on July 24.