Apollo-CSM stack: What is that?

For some reason, this has been driving me nuts trying to find out what it is.
Please check out the picture in this link of the Apollo/CSM and tell me what is
that thing on the bottom, beneath the United States logo, and southeast of the
thrusters. I'ts half on the capsule, half on the CSM. Thanks.

http://www.folkusa.org/apollo.jpg

OM wrote:

...Main umbilical housing between the CM and the SM.

Does it lie in the airstream during ascent?

"Neil Gerace" wrote:

OM wrote:

...Main umbilical housing between the CM and the SM.

Does it lie in the airstream during ascent?


You can see it on the right side of the CM/SM in this launch photo of Apollo
11:

http://www.apolloarchive.com/apg_thu...geID=S69-39961

Here is a photo of it after the CM separated from the SM before earth
re-entry from Apollo 13. You can somewhat see it has swung out to an "open"
position to provide clearance for the CM as the two spacecraft separated:

http://www.apolloarchive.com/apg_thu...D=AS13-59-8500

On the early unmanned Block 1 CSM spacecraft (and the ill-fated Apollo 1),
that umbilical housing was smaller and near the front of the CSM just to the
right of the crew hatch as seen in this photo of the unmanned Apollo 6
launch.

http://www.apolloarchive.com/apg_thu...geID=68-HC-201

On the block 1 spacecraft, it was actually a two-piece housing that
essentially separated at the joint between the CM and the SM. During flight
testing, it was discovered that the design was flawed and created
aerodynamic issues for the CM during re-entry, not to mention a potential
for hot ionized plasma to burn through via the point of separation in the
housing and into the crew cabin, hence the redesign and moving the location
to the "rear" of the spacecraft.

T.B.

OM writes:

http://www.folkusa.org/apollo.jpg

...Main umbilical housing between the CM and the SM.

So what was carried through it? I'm thinking:

power
telemetry [how many pairs?]
water
O2
.....

Anything else? Wasn't the RCS system on each totally separate?



--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

David Lesher wrote:

OM writes:

http://www.folkusa.org/apollo.jpg

...Main umbilical housing between the CM and the SM.

So what was carried through it? I'm thinking:

power
telemetry [how many pairs?]
water
O2
....

Anything else? Wasn't the RCS system on each totally separate?

CM Cooling
Commands (to SM systems)
Data (from SM systems)

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL