On 3/1/2011 6:31 PM, Ken S. Tucker wrote:
On Mar 1, 3:31 am, Pat wrote:
On 2/28/2011 12:47 PM, Ken S. Tucker wrote:

It was challenging enough to have the LM thrust the CSM load,
something it was never designed for, or spec'd for, but Grumman
put enough balls into the upper-LM stage to do it!

It also had to sustain heavy loads on the docking collar then the CSM
braked itself and the LM into lunar orbit.
Pat

"heavy loads", Not really, 1 inch / sec is an easy closing speed.
(I can sim a soft landing on the moon doing that, so can automated
landings).

No, when the CSM with the LM attached to its nose entered lunar orbit,
it used the big service module engine to do it.
The service module engine produced 21,900 lbs. thrust.
This would be pushing on the heavy fully-fueled LM's docking collar.
When they fired up the LM descent engine on Apollo 13 its total thrust
when running full-out was only 10,125 lbs. and they may not have run it
at full thrust either.
Push on it from the CSM side or from the LM side and the total stress on
the docking collar assembly remains the same.

Pat