Apollo SM thrust shields?

Perhaps somebody here can help me.

I have a pretty clear memory of seeing a diagram
or picture back in the 1960's of the Apollo
Service Module. The odd feature was on the skin
around the reaction control system quads were
large teardrop shaped areas. From their shape
and arrangement, it appears that these were
patches of material designed to protect the
skin from exhaust plumes from the RCS quads.

However, I have so far utterly failed to turn
up any images of these teardrop areas.

Can anybody give me a link to a website with
images of these areas, or are these areas
hallucinations of my youth?

Thank you

Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:



Can anybody give me a link to a website with
images of these areas, or are these areas
hallucinations of my youth?


No, I've seen paintings of the SM with those same things; I also assumed
they were protective plates for the RCS exhaust.
Google image searches are our friend:
http://www.apollosaturn.com/as202/p18a.gif

Pat

On Tue, 14 Jun 2005, Pat Flannery wrote:

No, I've seen paintings of the SM with those same things; I also assumed they
were protective plates for the RCS exhaust.
Google image searches are our friend:
http://www.apollosaturn.com/as202/p18a.gif

Thank you!

Your Google-fu is more powerful than mine.
I did try Google images searches on every keyword
I could think of, but did not find this.

Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:


Thank you!

Your Google-fu is more powerful than mine.
I did try Google images searches on every keyword
I could think of, but did not find this.


The Google search on images was "apollo spacecraft"; I've found the
Google "image" search to be a great way to find stuff in a hurry.
What's funny about this particular idea is that around the time that the
SM was losing its RCS blast shields, the descent stage of the LM got its
RCS blast shields added to its design.


Pat