Apollo Command Module Land-Impact Tests

1 N A S A TECHNICAL NOTE
by J. E. McCzlllozcgh and J. F. Lands, Jr.

Manned Spacecrafi Center
Hozlston, Texas 77058
’
I
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D. C. OCTOBER.1972

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
NASA TN D-6979
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Reoort Date
October 1972
.~ --
APOLLO COMMAND MODULE LAND-IMPACT TESTS 6. Performing Organization Code
7. Authodsl 8. Performing Organization Report No.
J. E. McCullough and J. F. Lands, Jr., MSC MSC S-301

10. Work Unit No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
9 14- 50-20- 17- 72
11. Contract.or Grant No.
Manned Spacecraft Center
Houston, Texas 77058
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Technical Note
14. Sponsoring Agency Code
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, D. C. 20546
15. Supplementary Notes
The MSC Director waived the use of the International System of Units (SI) for this Technical
Note because, in his judgment, the use of SI Units would impair the usefulness of the report
or result in excessive cost.
16. Abstract
Full-scale-model and actual spacecraft were impact tested to define the emergency land-landing
capability of the Apollo command module. Structural accelerations and s t r a i n s were recorded
on analog instrumentation, and a summary of these data is included. The landing kinematics
were obtained from high-speed photography. Photographs of the structural damage caused
during the t e s t s a r e included. Even though extensive structural damage can be expected, the
crew will receive nothing m o r e than minor injuries during the majority of the probable landing
conditions.
17. Key Words (Suggested by Author(s)) 18. Distribution Statement
* Land Impact
.Apollo Command Module
' Emergency Landing
' Crew Accelerations
I
19. Security Clanif. (of this report) ' 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. NO. of pages 22. Price
None None 61 $3.00
2
* For sale by the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151
CONTENTS
~ Section Page
1
~
SUMMARY ..................................... 1
I
I. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1
~ PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ............................. 2

I
LANDING SURFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
John F . Kennedy Space Center T e r r a i n Survey ................ 3
Manned Spacecraft Center Impact Surface .................. 3
TEST FACILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Launching Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Facility Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
TEST VEHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Boilerplate Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Spacecraft Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a
Secondary Spacecraft Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Crew-Systems Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
TEST INSTRUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Instrument ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TEST RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Comparison of the Kennedy Space Center and Manned Spacecraft Center

Impact Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Comparison of Kennedy Space Center Terrain Types ............ 18
Manned Spacecraft Center Test Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
T e s t s at 0" Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
T e s t s at 180" Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
iii
Sect ion Page
Askew Landing T e s t s ............................. 36
Damage to Secondary Equipment ....................... 37
Crew-Systems-Equipment Performance ................... 39
........
Structural Capability and Stability .............. 41
Probability of Emergency Landing . . . . . . . . .............. 41
CONCLUDING REMARKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............. 42
APPENDIX A - INSTRUMENTATION . . . . . . . . .............. 43
APPENDIX B - IMPACT DATA . . . . . . . . . . . .............. 52
iv
TABLES
Table Page
I LABORATORY COMPARISONS O F SELECTED SAND SAMPLES .... 4
I1 CREW-COUCH DATA AND STRUT STROKES .............. 14
I11 STROKING LOADS OF CREW-COUCH STRUTS ............. 15

IV IMPACT-TEST CONDITIONS AND ACCELERATIONS . . . . . . . . . 18
B-I APOLLO COMMAND MODULE IMPACT TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
I FIGURES
Figure
1 Launch complexes 39A and 39B at the KSC ............... 2
2 Comparison of the KSC and MSC impact-surface sands ......... 4
Impact soil bearing p r e s s u r e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Monorail and accelerator rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Accelerating components of launching catapult
(a) Monorail trolley supporting a test vehicle . . . . . .

....... 6
.......
(b) Acceleration pusher assembly cradling a test vehicle 6
6 Apollo CM structural configuration ................... 8

7 Views of BP- 1201
(a) Exterior view............................. 8
(b) Interior view .
............................ 8
8 Apollo CM dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
9 Exterior view of Block I CM ....................... 9
10 The CM docking tunnels, - Z side

(a) Block1 . . .............................. 10
(b) B l o c k I I . . .............................. 10
V
Figure Page
11 The RCS tanks and clearances
(a) Plan view of tanks looking aft . . . . ................ 11

(b) Clearance between tanks and ballast ................ 11
12 View of oxygen surge tank ........................ 12
13 Apollo CM impact system ........................ 12
14 Crew-couch systems
(a) Unitized crew couch ......................... 13
(b) Foldable couch ............................ 13
15 Comparison of honeycomb and cyclic couch s t r u t s
...........................
(a) Honeycomb s t r u t 14
(b) Cyclic s t r u t . . .
........................... 14
16 Photoinstrumentation system in test vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
17 Boilerplate c . g. accelerations on the KSC and MSC impact surfaces

(a) BP-25 at the MSC . ......................... 17
(b) B P - 2 5 a t t h e K S C . ......................... 17
(c) BP-1201 at the MSC ......................... 18
18 Center-of -gravity accelerations from 38-fps and 32-fps vertical

velocities
(a) Vertical velocity of 38 fps in test 81 ................ 19

(b) Vertical velocity of 32 fps in test 80 ................ 19
19 Landing dynamics during a 0" roll test ................. 20
20 Boilerplate accelerations as a function of horizontal velocity ..... 22

21 Boilerplate accelerations as a function of pitch attitude ........ 22
22 Comparison of spacecraft and boilerplate accelerations........ 22
23 Accelerations f r o m test 16 with BP-28A ................ 23
24 Accelerations from test 31 with CM-009 ................ 23
25 Impact damage to CM-009 in test 31 ................... 24
vi
Figure Page
26 Factors in the dynamics of a CM landing
(a) Landing at 0" roll . ......................... 25

(b) Landing at 180" roll ......................... 25
27 Theoretical trajectory of CM c . g . during a 180" roll impact ...... 26
28 Landing dynamics of CM-008 during test 28 ............... 27
29 Impact damage to CM-008 ........................ 27
30 Landing dynamics of CM-009 during test 63 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
31 Damage to CM-009 during a 180" roll landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
I 32 Landing dynamics of CM-011 during test 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
33 Impact damage to CM-011 ........................ 32
34 Accelerations at c . g . recorded during test 28 with CM-008 ...... 34
35 Boilerplate c.g. accelerations under conditions of test 28 ....... 34
36 Accelerations at c . g . during test 63 with CM-009 ............ 34
37 Boilerplate accelerations at c . g . under conditions of test 63 ...... 35
38 Accelerations at c . g . during test 64 with CM-011 ............ 35
39 Boilerplate accelerations under conditions of test 64 .......... 36
40 Accelerations recorded during test 68 with CM-OO2B .......... 36
I 41
42
Boilerplate accelerations under conditions of test 68 . . . . . . . . . .
Landing dynamics of CM-002B during test 68 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

36
37
43 Damage to CM-OO2B in test 68 ...................... 37
44 Typical impact damage to RCS tanks ................... 38
45 Accelerations in the X axis during test 31 with CM-009 ......... 40
46 Accelerations in. the X axis during test 64 with CM-011 ......... 40
47 Land-landing capability as a function of roll angle of a CM ....... 41
A- 1 Locations of accelerometers and stroke indicators for test 16 with

BP-28A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
vii
Figure Page
A-2 Aft-sidewall strain-gage locations f o r test 16 with BP-28A ....... 43
A- 3 Details of aft-sidewall strain-gage locations for t e s t 16 with

BP.28A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 44
A-4 Aft-sidewall s t r a i n gages a t c o r e 2 f o r test 16 with BP-28A ...... 44
A- 5 Aft-sidewall s t r a i n gages at c o r e 3 f o r t e s t 16 with BP-28A ...... 44
A- 6 Aft-bulkhead equipment and instrumentation f o r test 16 with

BP.28A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 44
A- 7 Range-camera coverage f o r test 16 with BP-28A ............ 45
A-8 Locations of structural accelerometers for test 28 with CM-008 .... 45
A-9 Instrumentation of foldable crew couch and support system f o r test 28

with CM-008 and test 31 with CM-009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
A- 10 Locations of analog-recorded s t r a i n gages f o r test 28 with CM-008
(a) Inside view toward + Z ........................ 46

(b) Inside view toward - Z ........................ 46
A-11 Locations and views of range c a m e r a s f o r test 28 with CM-008 .... 46
A- 12 Locations of structural accelerometers f o r t e s t 31 with CM-009 .... 47
A- 13 Locations of sidewall- and aft-bulkhead s t r a i n gages f o r test 31 with

CM.009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
A-14 Locations of side-frame s t r a i n gages f o r t e s t 31 with CM-009 ..... 48
A- 15 Locations of range cameras for test 31 with CM-009 .......... 48
A- 16 Structural accelerometers f o r t e s t 63 with CM-009 and test 64 with

CM.011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
A-17 Crew-couch accelerometers f o r test 63 with CM-009 and test 64 with

CM-011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
A- 18 Crew-couch strut instrumentation f o r test 63 with CM-009 ....... 49
A- 19 Locations of range c a m e r a s f o r t e s t 63 with CM-009 .......... 49
A-20 Crew-much strut instrumentation f o r test 64 with CM-011 and

test 68 with CM-OO2B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 50
viii
.
Figure Page
A-21 Locations of range c a m e r a s for test 64 with CM-011 . . . .. .. .. . 50
A-22 Structural accelerometers for test 68 with CM-OO2B . .. . . . . . . . 51
A-23 Crew-couch instrumentation for test 68 with CM-002B . . . . .. .. . 51
A-24 Locations of accelerometers in BP-1201 .. . . . . . . . ... . . . . 51

APOLLO COMMAND MODULE LAND-IMPACT TESTS
By J. E. McCuIlough and J. F. Lands, Jr.
SUMMARY
A low-altitude o r pad abort can result in a land landing of the Apollo command
module. An extensive investigation was performed to identify potential crew hazards
associated with land landing.
A 10-mile radius of the launch area was inspected, and the percentage a r e a of
each t e r r a i n type w a s determined. The relevant soil properties of each t e r r a i n type
were measured. Full-scale boilerplate vehicles then were impact tested at the launch
area at the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center and on a simulated test bed at the NASA
Manned Spacecraft Center. The impact tests were designed to establish the combina-
tions of spacecraft attitude and velocity that produced the most severe vehicle dynamics
and to verify the acceptability of the simulation at the Manned Spacecraft Center of the
launch-area soil.
The boilerplate t e s t s were followed by impact t e s t s of spacecraft structures. The

tested s t r u c t u r e s contained all the significant secondary equipment, crew-station equip-
ment, and anthropomorphic dummies. All spacecraft structures were instrumented ex-
tensively with s t r a i n gages and accelerometers. Six spacecraft t e s t s were conducted:
two at 0" roll, t h r e e at 180" roll, and one at an askew roll of 325". In all tests, the
vertical velocity at impact was 32 fps, which simulated a nominal three-parachute land-
ing. The horizontal velocity was varied from 20 to 54 fps, the latter being the wind
velocity that constrains the launch of the booster. Landings with the spacecraft at a
1 roll orientation of 180" were the most unstable and tumbled the vehicle, producing mul-
tiple impacts. Higher horizontal velocities produced m o r e violent impacts.
The damage to spacecraft structures was extensive and included compartment

sidewall c r a c k s and debonding of secondary equipment. However, at horizontal veloci-
t i e s l e s s than 40 fps, the crew has an excellent chance for survival. Potential hazards
to the crew were the possible rupture of the fuel and oxidizer tanks and the high accel-
erations recorded at the crew-couch system. In general, however, the Apollo command
module and associated components withstood severe landings better than had been
expected .
I NTRODUCT ION
1 The Apollo earth-landing system was developed f o r water landings. However, the
locations of launch pads 39A and 39B at the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
(fig. 1) and the high probability of onshore,
o r easterly, winds result in an 83-percent
chance of a land landing should an abort
occur from a pad o r during the first
40 seconds of flight.
To define the land-landing capability

of the Apollo command module (CM), a
program was initiated during 1967 at the
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC).
The program consisted of t e r r a i n studies Beach and dunes 7
in the vicinity of the KSC launch pads, the
Organic muck 13
establishment of an impact-testing facility FIII material 12
at the MSC, impact t e s t s of full-scale boil-
erplate (BP) command modules, impact
Figure 1. - Launch complexes 39A
t e s t s of actual spacecraft, and analysis of and 39B at the KSC.
the data collected from test instrumentation.
Fifty-one impact t e s t s were made with boil-
erplate vehicles to qualify the facility and to determine conditions for the spacecraft
tests. Six impact t e s t s were made with representative Apollo command modules.
The investigative program, specific objectives, test facilities, test vehicles and
equipment, and test results a r e described in this report. Summaries of data obtained
from individual t e s t s a r e included to clarify o r augment stated test results.
P ROG RAM OBJECTIVES
The program consisted of a s e r i e s of related objectives and tests. A t e r r a i n s u r -

vey of the KSC launch a r e a identified the types of t e r r a i n upon which a pad abort might
occur. Then, a s e r i e s of boilerplate command module impact t e s t s established the
severity of landings on the various types of t e r r a i n . An impact surface that w a s r e p r e -
sentative of the most severe KSC landing surface was constructed at the MSC and w a s
verified by soil and boilerplate impact tests. Then, the combinations of spacecraft atti-
tude and velocity that produced the most s e v e r e dynamics on impact were established.
Finally, actual spacecraft were tested under the most s e v e r e conditions to determine
potential crew hazards.
The specific objectives of the impact-test program were as follows.
1. To define the capability of the CM s t r u c t u r e s to withstand a land landing
2. To measure the accelerations that would be experienced on the CM structure

and by the crewmen
3. To identify hazards presented by flight hardware during a land landing, includ-

ing damage t o reaction control system (RCS) tanks and plumbing, damage to the oxygen
surge tank, and dislodged hardware within the crew compartment
4. To determine the vehicle landing dynamics and any associated difficulties in

crew recovery
2
LANDING SURFACE
John F. Kennedy Space Center Terrain Survey

To evaluate possible landing sites, a field study of the KSC launch a r e a was made
between October 2 and November 28, 1967. During the survey, the a r e a was mapped,
the relative proportions of soil and vegetation types were determined, and the critical
mechanical properties of the soil types were measured.
In the s i t e survey, six basic types of t e r r a i n were identified. The t e r r a i n types

and the relative proportions within the launch a r e a a r e as follows.
T e r r a i n type Area, percent
Palmetto 26
Water 24
Grass 18
Organic muck 13
Fill material 12
Beach and dunes 7
The palmetto t e r r a i n was relatively dry sand overgrown with thick underbrush and
palmetto vegetation. The water s i t e s were shallow-water m a r s h e s and ponds. The
g r a s s sites were sandy soils covered by salt g r a s s 2 to 3 feet in height. The organic
muck occurred in tidewater marshes and w a s a silty, quicksand type of soil with a high
moisture content and a low bearing strength. The f i l l material was a fine-grained sand
pumped from canals to r a i s e the surface level. When dry, this fill material had a high
bearing strength. The a r e a s in the immediate vicinity of the launch pads were composed
of fill material. The last category, beach and dunes, was composed of loose, water-
washed o r wind-drifted sand. Because of the high bearing strength, the fill material
w a s considered to be the most formidable impact surface on which a spacecraft could
land.
Manned Spacecraft Center Impact Surface

A sand material from the a r e a of League City, Texas, w a s found to have proper-
t i e s s i m i l a r t o the f i l l material at the KSC. Comparisons of the properties of the
League City and the KSC sands a r e presented in table I and in figure 2.
An impact surface w a s constructed at the MSC by filling a pit with the League City
sand. The pit was 13 feet deep, 40 feet wide, and 100 feet long. To obtain the proper
density, the sand was placed in the pit in 6-inch layers and then rolled before the appli-
cation of another 6-inch layer. All subsequent surface-elevation changes during the
t e s t program were made by the s a m e technique.
3
TABLE I. - LABORATORY COMPARISONS OF SELECTED SAND SAMPLES
Angle of
Moisture,
internal Cohesion,
Sample percent by
friction, psi
weight
deg
League City, Texas Room drya 33.8 0.25

5.5 32. 2 . 50
10.0 33. 1 . 40
20.0 32. 7 .60
30.5 30. 7 . 40
b34. 0 33.8 . 00
a 0.20
KSC, west of pads 39A Room dry 37.8
and 39B 2. 1 32. 8 .30
b37. 8 37. 6 . 10
I I 7-
KSC, south of vertical Room drya 38.0 0.57

assembly building 38.0 .27
b33. 1
KSC, Wilson Road 0.0 34. 8 0.45

6. 2 33. 5 .25
b32. 0 36. 1 . 00
KSC, beach area 0.0 33.1 0.26
a
Room dry to less than 0 . 5 percent moisture content.
bSaturated.
0- To prevent radical moisture-content

changes between tests, the impact surface
20- was covered with a plastic sheet. Imme-
I
S
diately preceding each spacecraft o r
P 40- BP-28A test, the moisture content and the
2-
.a
w
L
density of the soil were measured by means
c 60- of standard laboratory techniques. The
0
L
C
bearing strength also w a s measured before
80- each of these t e s t s by recording the load-
a
0)
penetration curve of an 8-inch-diameter
loo - disk forced into the sand. The average
moisture and density values determined f o r
120
10.0
1 I I I the major t e s t s a r e listed in the following
1.0 .1 .01 .001
Grain size, mm table.
Figure 2. - Comparison of the KSC and

MSC impact-surface sands.
4
Moisture content, percent
-
Test Vehicle bv weight Density, lb/ft3
16 BP-28A 8.36 122
28 CM-008 11.96 127
31 CM-009 10.80 123
63 CM-009 9.96 125
64 CM-011 9.80 125
68 CM-002B -- --
The soil bearing p r e s s u r e , which was measured a t various depths before each
major test, is plotted in figure 3. The data define a band with a slope of 320 p s i p e r
inch of penetration depth and with a data-scatter bandwidth of approximately 60 psi.
No soil measurements were made for test 68 because previous samples had demon-
strated consistent values of moisture and density, and no significant precipitation had
occurred since test 64.
TEST FACILITY
5116 -- - L i m i t of scatter band .
4116 - 0 .
Test facility 338 at the MSC was es-
/ tablished in 1967 to impact test full-scale
.i 3116 -
i
e
CL
2116 -
- /*
/- Apollo command modules on either water
or land. The facility consisted of water-
and land-impact areas arranged at opposite
,Slope approximately 320 p s i l i n .
Bandwidth approximately 60 psi
ends of a launching structure. The launch-
ing mechanism w a s a pneumatic catapult
capable of propelling an Apollo-weight vehi-
cle to a horizontal velocity of 65 fps at
heights sufficient t o obtain free-fall veloc-
ities a s great as 40 fps. The facility also
Figure 3. - Impact soil bearing contained equipment f o r recording data from
pressures. 200 channels of test instrumentation.
La u nching Eq uip me nt
The launching equipment included an open-frame structure approximately 100 feet
long t o which a monorail and two accelerator rails were attached. The monorail sup-
ported a trolley from which the test vehicle was suspended. The attitude of the test
vehicle w a s p r e s e t by adjusting the trolley and its rigging. The vehicle pusher a s s e m -
bly cradled the test vehicle at the specified attitude and, during acceleration, pushed
the vehicle between the two accelerator rails. The pusher assembly was propelled by
a cable system reeved 8 to 1 to a pneumatic cylinder the piston rod of which could stroke
11 feet. The major components of the facility a r e shown in figures 4 and 5. The moving
components w e r e equipped with a passive braking system consisting of a s e r i e s of
5
opposed, spring-loaded braking pads that
were forced a p a r t as the assembly contacted
and overrode a tapered rail. A pyrotechnic
device released the cables that suspended
the test vehicle f r o m the monorail trolley.
In operation, the trolley, the pusher

assembly, and the test vehicle were accel-
erated to the desired velocity. The pusher
was braked at the end of i t s run. Next, the
t e s t vehicle was released pyrotechnically
from the trolley. Finally, the trolley w a s
braked on i t s rail. The height of the fall,
which determined the vertical velocity of
the test vehicle, was adjusted by changing
either the heights of the monorail and accel-
e r a t o r rails in the s t r u c t u r e or by changing
the height of the landing surface.
Figure 4. - Monorail and accelerator
rails.
-ac__
(a) Monorail trolley supporting a (b) Acceleration pusher assembly

test vehicle. cradling a test vehicle.
Figure 5 . - Accelerating components of launching catapult.
6
Facility Operation
The test facility w a s adjusted to provide the specified conditions f o r each test.
The free-fall height was adjusted to control the vertical velocity at impact. The trolley
and acceleration pusher were adjusted to provide the pitch and roll attitudes. The air-
storage-tank p r e s s u r e that propelled the pneumatic piston was adjusted to achieve the
required horizontal velocity.
Because data recorders, pneumatic-piston start switches, photographic lighting,

cameras, and the pyrotechnic r e l e a s e had to be coordinated to perform the test, a pro-
gramed electronic sequence w a s used. The following is a typical sequence of events.
1. All recording systems energized T - 5 min
2. Start button depressed; countdown s t a r t s T - 10 s e c
3. Vehicle acceleration begins ; all cameras s t a r t T - 0

I
4. Trolley t r i p s first velocity-recording switch T + 5.068 s e c
I
5. Pyrotechnic r e l e a s e f i r e s and internal flash lighting begins T + 5.28 s e c I
,
6. Impact occurs T + 6.28 s e c
7. Secondary impact occurs T + 7.40 s e c
8. Impact dynamics end T + 9 . 4 sec
9. Cameras run out of film T + 10 s e c
10. Internal flash lighting ends T + 11.78 s e c
TEST VEH ICLES
Boilerplate St ructu res

Two drop-test sequences using boilerplate vehicles were performed to support
and complement the test of spacecraft structures. The first sequence verified the sim-
ilarity of the MSC and KSC impact surfaces and determined the relative severity of a
landing on the various types of t e r r a i n at the KSC. The second sequence provided para-
m e t r i c data necessary to establish impact conditions for the t e s t s of spacecraft
structures.
Two boilerplate test vehicles (BP-1201 and BP-25) were used as full-scale models
of an Apollo (Block 11) CM. The boilerplates were constructed with steel I-beam s t r u c -
t u r e s and 3/16-inch steel-sheet exterior facings. Sidewalls were supported by I-beam
s t r i n g e r s , and the simulated heat shields were supported by radial I-beams. No attempt
w a s made t o simulate the inner structure or the secondary equipment of a CM except
f o r the effect on total weight and inertias. The desired m a s s and inertias were obtained
7
by the installation of lead ballast. The m a s s properties of the boilerplate vehicles are
as follows. (Coordinates are shown in figure 6.)
Weight, l b ............. 12 720

Forward
ha& CreLv access [Forward

heat shield
Center of gravity, in.
C-channels
/-hatch 'ram -CI.,nlarr I.,,
Xc ............... +38.5
Yc ............... -0.02
Zc ............... +4.6
2
1-stringers> iy
Inertias, slug-ft
Ixx ............... 5650
I ............... 5097
heat shield YY
Izz ............... 4420
Figure 6. - Apollo CM structural
configuration.
In figures 7(a) and 7(b), exterior and interior
views of BP-1201 are shown; BP-25 was
s i m i l a r to BP- 1201.
(a) Exterior view (b) Interior view.
Figure 7. - Views of BP-1201.
Spacecraft S t r u c t u r e s
Basically, the Apollo CM is a s t r u c t u r e within a structure. A trisegmented heat
shield surrounds a pressurized crew compartment (fig. 6). The crew compartment is
a 0. 75- to 0.90-inch-thick sandwich s t r u c t u r e composed of aluminum honeycomb with
8
bonded face sheets. The heat shield is fabricated of brazed stainless-steel honeycomb
c o r e and face sheets and v a r i e s in thickness from approximately 0. 50 inch on the conical
section to approximately 2 inches on the spherical section. Ablator material is bonded
to the outer surface. The basic dimensions of the CM are shown in figure 8.
For economy, spacecraft structures that had been built for and tested in other
ground- and flight-qualification programs were used in the land-impact program. The
s t r u c t u r e s used included command modules CM-O02B, CM-008, CM-009, CM-011, and
boilerplate vehicle BP-28A. All command modules tested were of the Block I external
configuration (fig. 9). The basic difference between the Block I spacecraft and the later
Block I1 spacecraft was in secondary structure. Block I spacecraft were not designed
f o r a lunar mission and, therefore, were not equipped with lunar module docking hard-
ware. The docking hardware is in the forward region of the spacecraft. The two con-
figurations a r e shown in figure 10. The aft heat shields and conical sidewalls of the
configurations a r e similar.
The docking tunnel of a Block I spacecraft is a cylinder approximately 30 inches in

diameter and 28.75 inches in height. The Block I1 tunnel is a truncated cone that is ap-
proximately 23 inches in height. Design differences a l s o exist in the arrangement of the
tunnel gussets, as shown in figure 10. The significant effect of the difference is that
the docking tunnel of the Block I1 configuration has the higher load-carrying capability
both in compression and in shear.
+X
Aft heat s h i e l d 1 -X
Location of p i n t s on s t r u c t u r e , in.
Point
81.500 35.929
43.134 60.392
Figure 9. - Exterior view of a Block I CM.
I F I 80.750 1 35.316 I
Figure 8. - Apollo CM dimensions.
9
(a) Block I. (b) Block 11.
Figure 10. - The CM docking tunnels, - 2 side.
An early design of the crew-compartment side hatch was incorporated in all the
Block I vehicles tested. This design included an inner p r e s s u r e hatch and a separate
outer ablation hatch. The Block I1 design is a quick-opening, single-hinged hatch. The
secondary equipment, including the main display console and all equipment bays, simu-
lated the Block I configurations.
Test vehicle BP-28A was a hybrid structure. The upper o r forward portion of the
vehicle consisted of standard structural steel and aluminum m e m b e r s welded and bolted
together. A spacecraft crew-compartment aft bulkhead and sidewall segment (120" s e c -
tion centered about the + Z axis) was attached to the boilerplate frame. A spacecraft aft
heat shield w a s used. No secondary equipment other than a crew-couch system, the
equipment installed in the lower bay, and the RCS tanks w a s represented.
Each spacecraft test vehicle used in the MSC land-impact t e s t s was ballasted to a
landing weight of 12 235 pounds, which represents a CM that weighs 13 500 pounds a t
launch. Test vehicles BP-28A, CM-008, and CM-009 (test 31) were ballasted to the
following specifications.
Weight, lb ............. 12 235 * 100

xc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.4 * 1.0
Yc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -0.5 + 0.5
zc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 T 0.5
Inertias, slug-ft 2
Ixx ............... 5927
I
YY
............... 5796
Izz ............... 52 18
10
In March 1968, new predictions of the center-of-gravity (c. g . ) location for the
13 500-pound launch weight were made, and the remaining t e s t s (CM-009 in test 63,
CM-011, and CM-002B) were conducted with the vehicles ballasted to the following
specifications.
Weight, lb ............. 12 235 * . l o 0

Xc.. .............. 38.5i0.5
Y C . . " . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 * 0.5
zc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 i 0.5
2
Inertias, slug-ft
I= ..... .......... 5973
Seconda ty Spacecraft Equipment

Because one major concern f o r crew safety w a s the potential rupture of the RCS
fuel and oxidizer tanks, these systems were simulated on all tests. However, only the
associated plumbing in the immediate a r e a of the tanks was included. Although the RCS
tanks were not pressurized f o r any of the t e s t s , f o r test 63, the tanks were filled with
a Freon and isopropyl alcohol mixture to simulate the fuel and oxidizer masses.
The most probable cause of damage to the tanks is a puncture by the heat-shield
ballast plates when the aft area deforms on impact. The ballast-plate installation is
slightly different in each spacecraft depending on the extent to which the center of grav-
ity must be adjusted. The locations of the RCS tanks in the spacecraft and the typical
clearance between the tanks and the ballast a r e shown in figure 11.
Fuel tanks filled to: tank
Tungsten \\\ . A? i n
."L 111.
I I
ballast
Insulation
Insulation
Ballast support
Aft heat shield plate
A. 87 Ib: 8. 30 Ib honeycomb ribs
(a) Plan view of tanks looking aft. (b) Clearance between tanks and ballast.
Figure 11. - The RCS tanks and clearances.
11
Another potential hazard t o the crew during a landing is the oxygen s u r g e tank, a
thin-walled vessel that is normally pressurized to 850 psi. The oxygen surge tank was
installed on all of the test spacecraft except BP-28A and was pressurized to 850 p s i f o r
t e s t 63. The tank is approximately 15 inches in diameter and is located just behind the
left-hand equipment bay in the - Z direction (fig. 12). The thin closeout panel would not
provide much protection f o r the crew if the tank should fragment during impact.
C rew-S y stem s Eq u iprne nt

The Apollo CM impact system (fig. 13)
consists of eight s t r u t s that support the crew
couch and four aluminum honeycomb ribs in
the lower + Z a r e a of the CM structure. The
CM structure and the landing surface absorb
most of the impact energy, The eight
impact-attenuation s t r u t s are identified i n
figure 13 by the relationship to the space-
craft axis in which the s t r u t s operate. The
X-X head and foot s t r u t s a r e capable of
strokes from the initial position of 16 inches
in tension and 1 inch in compression. The
Z - Z s t r u t s are capable of an 18. 5-inch ten-
sion stroke and a 5-inch compression stroke
from the initial position. The Y-Y s t r u t s
have 4.5 inches of compression stroke and
no tension capability. To accommodate
crew-couch excursions experienced during
the stroking of the X-X and Z - Z s t r u t s , the
Y -Y s t r u t s have a ball-and-socket -mounted
shoe that contacts a bearing plate mounted
Figure 12. - View of oxygen surge tank. on each side of the crew compartment. The
X-X and Z - Z couch s t r u t s a r e attached by
spherical ball joints to the crew couch and
Sidewall
Fuel and to the structure of the CM.
oxidizer +X
To improve equipment performance

during an emergency land landing, the Apollo
A f t i n n e r sidewall crew-systems equipment w a s modified sev-
e r a l times during the course of the MSC
A f t heat shield core
A f t heat shield
impact-test program. The changes should
be considered when comparisons a r e made
of data from the various tests.
The first crew- syst e m s equipment

tested (in BP-28A) was a unitized crew couch
supported by s t r u t s that absorbed energy by
Y - Y side struts the crushing of honeycomb cores. The unit-
-Y ized crew couch (fig. 14(a)) consisted of
t h r e e rigidly constructed couches fabricated
Figure 13. - Apollo CM impact system. of stiffeners and riveted face sheets. The
12
t h r e e couches were bolted together into a single unit that could not be disassembled
easily in flight. Shortly after the BP-28A test, a change to a newly designed, foldable
crew-couch system was initiated. The foldable couch system (fig. 14(b)) consisted of
t h r e e independent couches, each composed of a lightweight, monocoque f r a m e of sheet
aluminum. A fiber body support was attached to the couch frame. During flight, each
couch could be removed readily from i t s support f r a m e to provide a l a r g e r working a r e a
for the crewmen.
(a) Unitized crew couch. (b) Foldable couch.
Figure 14. - Crew-couch systems.
The crew-couch s t r u t s used before and during the impact test of BP-28A absorbed
energy by the crushing of a honeycomb core. These s t r u t s were designed to limit crew
accelerations to approximately 20g and had mechanical lockout devices to prevent p r e -
I
mature stroking during the deceleration phase of some atmospheric reentry conditions
(fig. 15(a)). The lockout devices were deactivated before landing and, thus, were tested
in the deactivated condition. It was discovered during the water-impact qualification
program that even the most critical water landings failed to produce stroking of the
couch s t r u t s . When it w a s realized that only emergency land impacts would cause the
s t r u t s to stroke, the decision was made to increase the stroking loads of the Z - Z s t r u t s
to a level producing emergency crew accelerations and thus to provide a higher energy-
absorption capability.
To provide adjustable stroking loads, newly designed cyclic s t r u t s were incorpo-

rated into the system at the s a m e time that the foldable couch w a s introduced. Both
s t r u t s y s t e m s had the s a m e attachment points. The cyclic s t r u t s could have their strok-
ing loads tailored to f i t individual crew weights and had energy absorption equally effec-
tive in both tension and compression, features not available with the honeycomb s t r u t s .
A different metal-yielding technique was used to absorb energy in the cyclic strut.
Small metal t o r i were twisted by the friction forces generated by their being in contact
with an inner and an outer cylinder of the s t r u t (fig. 15(b)). To reduce the stroking
f o r c e , the number of t o r i were reduced.
13
r R o d end /Tori
Inner
spring
1 Piston _I LHoneycomb
co re Rod t u b e 1 d r u t cylinder
(a) Honeycomb strut. (b) Cyclic strut.
Figure 15. - Comparison of honeycomb and cyclic couch s t r u t s .
All of the spacecraft were tested with the foldable couch and the cyclic struts.
The struts were designed to limit crew accelerations to 3 5 g to 40g in the X axis and
1 8 g to 20g in the Z axis. Accelerations exceeding those specified as emergency crew
levels were recorded by the anthropomorphic dummies that were installed in the couch
to simulate the m a s s of the crewmen. Then, the stroking loads of the struts were r e -
duced in an attempt to decrease the x- and Z-accelerations to approximately 20g and 8g,
respectively. Lockout devices again were incorporated in the design. However, they
were not used in any of the t e s t s discussed in this report. Crew-couch-system data,
including couch-strut strokes and stroking loads, a r e presented in tables I1 and 111.
TABLE 11. - CREW-COUCH DATA AND STRUT STROKES
T e s t 16, T e s t 28, T e s t 31. T e s t 63, T e s t 64, Test 68.

Item
BP-28A CM-008 CM-009 CM-009 CM-011 CM-OO2B
Couch type Unitized Foldable Foldable Foldable Foldable Foldable
Couch-system 903.2 886.6 1024.0 957. 1 957.1 957.1

weight. l b
Strut stroking d i s t a n c e , in.
Left foot X-X 3, 8 0 1 '8 1-1 4 7 8 1-1 4

Right foot X-X 3/8 0 1/4 0 7 '8 1-3 8
Left head X-X 1/64 0 0 7-1 4 5- 3 18 0
Right head X-X 1/64 0 0 4- 112 6-3 '8 0
Left Z - Z 3-3/4 0 4- 1//2 2 - 1 '6 3 '8 10- 1'8

Right Z - Z 3-51'8 0 4-718 0 1-3/ 4 12-1/16
1,eft Y - Y 0 0 0 0 0 0
I
Right Y-Y 0 0 0 0 0 0
-
14
TABLE 111. - STROKING LOADS OF CREW-COUCH STRUTS
Loads, lb
Strut
T e s t 16 T e s t 28 T e s t 31 T e s t 63 T e s t 64 T e s t 68
location
Design Actual Design Actual Design Actual Design Actual Design Actual Design Actual
Left foot X-X 7875 10 600 10 000 6250 6 000 (a) 4960 5200 4960 5700 5975 6950
Right foot X-X
Left head X-X
Right h e a d X - X
1 1 I 1 1 1 1 lii: 1
7875
5167
5167
11 500
3 440
3 660
7 500
6 000
4 300
4720
5400
3070
4 400
10 000
7 500
9 670
4 560
3 610 3089
49 50
4200
4776
4230
3660
3089
4400
4000
4000
5316
4292
3874
6100
2370
3200
Left Z - Z 5171 8 120 10 000 5900 10 000 10 700 3750 4444 3750 3200 5134 (a)
Right Z - Z 5171 7 250 7 400 3820 7 400 5 420 3320 3765 3320 4000 4541 4750
Left Y-Y 8170 0 8 170 0 8 170 300 8170 0 8170 0 8170 4848
Right Y-Y 8170 460 8 170 0 8 170 600 8170 0 8170 0 8170 0
aBad gage.
TEST I NSTRUMENTATION
Photog rap hy
Motion picture photography was used extensively to record impact motions during
the land-impact-test program. A s many as 12 range c a m e r a s covered the launching
structure and the landing a r e a to record and time the kinematics of the test vehicle.
All range c a m e r a s operated at 400 f r a m e s
p e r second except f o r the 24-frame-per-
second c a m e r a s used to document the en-
tire test sequence. The locations and
viewing angles of the range c a m e r a s f o r
each test a r e illustrated in appendix A.
Each of the spacecraft structures

tested contained a photographic system
mounted within the crew compartment.
This system recorded the movements of
the crew - couch components, anthropomor-
phic dummies, and vehicle components and T,m,ngco
equipment. The onboard photographic sys-
tem usually included five 16-millimeter,
high-speed motion picture cameras, a
lighting installation, a timing-code com-
plex, a battery power supply, and system
control units. In figure 16, the locations
of photographic system components within
a t e s t vehicle are shown. Films of all im-
pact t e s t s a r e available at the MSC Film
Library. Figure 16. - Photoinstrumentation system
in test vehicle.
15
I nst rumentation
Horizontal-velocity measurements of the trolley and the t e s t vehicle were provided
by a timing system on the launching structure. A s t r i k e r in the trolley sequentially
broke three carbon electrical conductors mounted on the monorail immediately ahead of
the release point of the t e s t vehicle from the trolley. The horizontal release velocity a t
release was computed from the t i m e s of recorded voltage drops caused by breaking the
conductors and the known spacings between the conductors.
The level of test-vehicle instrumentation varied from nine channels of data acqui-
sition for the boilerplate t e s t s to as many as 120 channels f o r the spacecraft tests.
Instrumentation of the boilerplate vehicle was limited to range c a m e r a s and accelerom-
eters necessary to determine vehicular kinematics and c. g. accelerations. The loca-
tions of specific boilerplate instruments are shown in appendix A.
The spacecraft s t r u c t u r e s and equipment were instrumented with a much g r e a t e r

number and variety of transducers. These included transducers t o measure accelera-
tions, strains, and crew-couch-strut deflections. All transducers (except the self-
contained instrumentation packages within the crew dummies during t e s t s 16, 28,
and 31) were connected to test-facility recording devices by an umbilical cable. Data
f r o m accelerometers in the crew dummies during t e s t s 63, 64, and 68 also were re-
corded through the umbilical cable.
Test-facility recording devices consisted of analog and digital tape r e c o r d e r s .

Accelerometer data were recorded on magnetic tape in analog format and later were
converted to oscillograms a t several frequency filtration levels. Crew-couch-strut
loads and deflections also were recorded in analog format and l a t e r converted to un-
filtered oscillograms. Strain measurements were recorded both in analog and digital
format. The analog strain measurements were processed in the s a m e manner as the
couch-strut measurements. The digital measurements were processed by computer
t o produce maximum and minimum normal and s h e a r s t r e s s e s . Details of test instru-
mentation including locations and ranges of the various tranducers are given in appen-
dix A of this report.
All instrumentation of the test facility and test vehicle, including photographic
instrumentation, was centrally timed by a n Inter-Range Instrumentation Group B timing
t r a c k to permit correlation of specific impact events on all transducer recordings.
Accelerations for the f i r s t 15 impact t e s t s with boilerplate t e s t vehicles were r e -

corded by the use of a closed-drum oscillograph data-acquisition system. Evaluation
of the data revealed that the accelerations were distorted significantly both in magnitude
and in wave form by the galvanometers used.
The acceleration data obtained during subsequent boilerplate and spacecraft t e s t s

were recorded on magnetic tape and then reproduced on oscillograph machines. These
data a r e presented as unfiltered, filtered at 320 hertz, and filtered at 100 hertz. The
filtering process distorts the data by reducing peak values and by introducing a time
lag. All acceleration values discussed within this report are the authors' interpreta-
tion of the values on unfiltered t r a c e s . Interpretation was necessary to distinguish be-
tween primary structural accelerations and those accelerations superimposed by
high-frequency, low-energy vibrations of specific equipment o r instrumentation
mountings.
16
TEST RESULTS
Comparison of the Kennedy Space Center and Manned

Spacecraft Center I mpact Surfaces
A porta le impact test facility was assembled at the MSC to obtain Lata on the
newly constructed impact surface and to verify the new operating procedures. Impact
t e s t s were made with BP-25 and BP-1201 at a pitch attitude of -27. 5", a roll attitude
of O", a horizontal velocity of 37.2 fps, and a vertical velocity of 34.5 fps. The port-
able test facility then was dismantled and shipped to the KSC where s i m i l a r t e s t s were
conducted near launch pad 39B on the hard-packed fill material.
The test of BP-25 on the MSC impact surface resulted in acceleration peaks of ap-
proximately 28g in the X axis and 35g in the Z axis. The s a m e vehicle with the same
test p a r a m e t e r s produced accelerations at the KSC of 33g in the X axis and 30g in the
Z axis. Under s i m i l a r test conditions at the MSC, BP-1201 was subjected to peak ac-
celerations of approximately 38g in both the X and Z axes. Plots of X axis and Z axis
accelerations recorded on BP-25 and BP-1201 during these t e s t s a r e shown in figure 17.
The data reveal that both test vehicles experienced comparable accelerations and that
the MSC impact surface closely simulated the KSC pad 39B a r e a in impact
characteristics.
40 r X Axis
20- Z AXIS
2 AXIS
-40
0
I
.02
I
.04
l i m e . sec
: : -
I
.06 .08
-40
-60
0 .02 .04
Time, sec
.06 .08
(a) BP-25 at the MSC. (b) BP-25 at the KSC.
Figure 17. - Boilerplate c. g. accelerations on the KSC and MSC impact surfaces.
17
Comparison of Kennedy Space Center
x dXli
40 Terrain Types
20 A total of 13 impact t e s t s were con-
0 ducted a t the KSC on the six basic types of
t e r r a i n to determine their relative impact
-20
resistance to a landing spacecraft. The
40 test conditions and comparative peak accel-
Y axis erations recorded during each impact test
20 a r e presented in table IV. In t e s t s 2 to 13
- 0 on the other five t e r r a i n s , the vertical veloc
c
0
ity was increased above that used at the
-20
y0,
-
a,
MSC and on the KSC fill material. Despite
s -40 the velocity increase, no significant in-
c r e a s e s in accelerations were recorded.
20 - Thus, a comparison of these accelerations
0 discloses that the fill material of the
pad 39B a r e a does produce m o r e s e v e r e
-a impacts than the other five t e r r a i n types.
- 40
-60 -
80 -
L : s oo l - ---Lpi I
02 04 06 08
Time, sec
(c) BP-1201 a t the MSC
Figure 17. - Concluded.
TAB1,E I V . - I M P A C T - T E S T CONDITIONS ANI) A C C E L E R A T I O N S
I
I
Test location
and
I
I Surf.icc
type I 1
Roll.
drg
Pitch,
dcxg
Vc r t I r ;I I
velocity.
Ips
1'e.k ;iccelt,r.itiun
:it the c . g . , r:
MSC M S C s;ind 0 -27.5 34. 5 3H. ti

KSC 1 I'ad 3 9 B 0 -27.5 34. 5 37. 2
KSC 2 1':i 1 m 01 to 0 -27.5 37. 5 36. 4
KSC 3 P.ilmcttu 180 -27.5 37. 2 38. n
KSC 4 l ' a l l ~ l l ~tot 0 -36.0 36. 9 3ti. :i
KSC 5 tiriiss 0 -27.5 39. 1 36.5
KSC 6 tir.iss in0 -27.5 99. ti 37. 4 26
I
KSC 7 tir.iss 0 -36.0 39.0 36. 5 23 20
KS(' ti 0rg:iiiic muck 180 -27.5 41. 3 37. 1 23 8
KSC 9 0 r g . i n i c murk 0 -27.5 41. 7 37.9 5
KSC 10 O r g . i ~ i i ( ~, n u r k 0 -36.0 41. H 37. 5 5
KSC 1 1 Sll.IllOW N':It<'r 180 -27. 5 3!). 9 3n. 2 I8 6
KSC 12 sI1:llluw \ \ : i t < , r 0 -27.5 39. 4 36. 1 H 5
KSC 13 sll;lllou \v.ltt'r 0 -36. 0 XI. 5 36. 3 7 3
__
~~
-__ - ~
18
Manned Spacecraft Center Test Program
A total of 47 boilerplate land-impact t e s t s were conducted at the MSC test facility
to obtain inexpensively as much parametric data a s possible within a short time. A
complete tabulation of all test conditions is included in appendix B. The boilerplate
s t r u c t u r e s produced acceleration and kinematic data that could be compared with data
obtained with spacecraft structures. This approach was an economical means of p r e -
dicting reactions of the m o r e costly spacecraft structures.
A total of five spacecraft vehicles (six tests) w a s impacted to verify the boiler-
plate results and to establish the land-landing capability of flight-type structures. The
impact t e s t s with boilerplate and spacecraft vehicles could be divided into t h r e e basic
groups: 0 " roll landings, 180" roll landings, and skewed landings (where the direction
of travel does not coincide with the X-Z plane). Pitch attitudes were varied between
-18" and -36" to simulate a range of possible impact attitudes resulting from the p a r a -
chute rigging tolerances and from the swinging motion of a CM descending under a para-
chute cluster. All spacecraft t e s t s were conducted a t a vertical velocity of 32 fps to
simulate the nominal descent rate with three deployed parachutes because a two-
parachute recovery terminating in a land landing would be the result of a double system
failure.
Ten t e s t s were conducted at a vertical velocity of 38 fps to determine the magni-

tudes of the accelerations should one of the three parachutes fail to deploy. In figure 18,
the effects of vertical velocity on acceleration a r e shown. This figure contains the X,
r
t t
X, 75 g l i n . deflection
I Y, 75 g l i n . deflection
I Y, 75 g l i n . deflection
I Z, 75 g l i n . deflection
I 2 , 75 g l i n . deflection
0 0
I (,I111 I,' I
15.66 15.67 15.68 15.69 15.70 29.84 29.85 29.86 29.87 29.88
l i m e , sec Time, sec
(a) Vertical velocity of 38 fps in test 81. (b) Vertical velocity of 32 fps in test 80.
Figure 18. - Center-of -gravity accelerations from 38-fps and 32-fps vertical velocities.
19
Y, and Z axis accelerations recorded during two boilerplate t e s t s in which the rate of
descent at impact was 38 and 32 fps. There was no horizontal velocity, and the initial
pitch attitude w a s maintained at -27. 5" during each test. The peak c. g. accelerations
increased from approximately 42g to 52g in the X axis and from 37.5g t o 52.5g in the
Z axis. The kinetic energy expended during the 32-fps test was 780 000 foot-pounds com-
pared with 1 100 000 foot-pounds during the 38-fps test. The difference represents an
increase in energy of 40.8 percent. This significant increase in acceleration and ki-
netic energy is estimated to exceed the structural capability of the command module.
Tests at O o Roll
Earlier t e s t s with models and full-scale boilerplates indicated that the most Se-
v e r e accelerations during land landings occurred when the test vehicle impacted at a
.roll orientation of 0 '. Fourteen boilerplate and two spacecraft t e s t s were conducted
to define the capability of the CM to withstand the 0 " roll landing.
The kinematics resulting from all 0" roll landing t e s t s were s i m i l a r . The t e s t
vehicle impacted on the +Z axis of the aft heat shield with a horizontal velocity vector
approximately parallel to and in the direction of the Z axis. The +Z edge of the
aft heat shield penetrated the soil to a maximum depth of approximately 7-5/8 inches
and then slid forward with the bottom section of the heat shield plowing a shallow furrow.
The pitch attitude trimmed from -27. 5" to approximately - l o " , an attitude change of
only 17". The slide-out distance increased slightly with increases in horizontal veloc-
ity. When impacted with a horizontal velocity of 25 fps, the vehicle slid approximately
3 feet. An increase in horizontal velocity t o 43.5 f p s increased the slide-out distance
to approximately 5 feet. During t e s t s in which the vehicle landed with a horizontal ve-
locity of 54 fps, the slide-out distances were approximately 9 feet. The kinematics
typical of these t e s t s a r e pictured in figure 19.
Figure 19. - Landing dynamics during a 0 " roll test.
20
- -
Roll t e s t s were conducted at 0 " with BP-1201 at pitch attitudes of -18", -27. 5",
and - 3 6 " to evaluate the effect of pitch-angle variation on stability and accelerations.
All 0 " roll t e s t s conducted with pitch angles smaller than -27. 5" produced stable land-
ings during impact. However, when the pitch angle was increased to -36" and the hori-
zontal velocity was increased to 54 fps, the vehicle (BP- 1201) penetrated the impact
s u r f a c e to a depth sufficient to produce a high horizontal force and turned over slowly,
impactin.g again on the + Z sidewall.
21
Peak c. g. accelerations recorded during the BP- 1201 tests generally decreased
with increasing horizontal velocities and pitch attitudes because m o r e of the energy was
expended through sliding friction and soil penetration by the s h a r p e r entrance attitude
of the vehicle. These relationships are shown in the plots of figures 20 and 21.
-0 X axis tpositivel
55 - -- A Z axis
-OX (positive1 accelerations
axis lneqativei 79 ---6 Z axis lnegativel
+\\
r T e s t 15 Test vehicle BP-1201
\A +-lest 71 Horizontal
Vertical velocity 32 44
velocity Ipsfps
50 -
\,
Roll attitude 0'
\\\ +-Test 76
m
.45 -
-
0 o \
e
-
aJ
9 40 -
U Test vehicle BP-1201
Vertical velocity 32 Ips
P i t c h attitude -27.5"
\.
+-Test 72
35 - Roll attitude 0
I I I I I I I - 1 I
10 M 30 40 50 60 70 - 20 -30 - 40
Horizontal velocity. Ips Pitch attitude. deg
Figure 20. - Boilerplate accelerations Figure 21. - Boilerplate accelerations

as a function of horizontal velocity. as a function of pitch attitude.
The boilerplate t e s t s accurately predicted spacecraft accelerations. The boiler-

plate test data indicate (fig. 20) that at a horizontal velocity of 25 fps and the nominal
pitch attitude of -27. 5", the peak c. g. acceleration would be approximately 45g in the
X axis and 47g in the Z axis. When BP-28A was tested under the s a m e conditions, peak
c. g. accelerations were 43. 5g in the X axis and 45g in the Z axis.
An increase in horizontal velocity t o

43. 5 fps with BP-1201 resulted in peak c. g. 55 -
accelerations of 39. 5g in the X axis and -0 X axis Ipositivel
C u r v e s a r e faired boilerplate - - - 0 Z axis tnegativel
42.5g in the Z axis. When CM-009 was data taken f r o m f i g u r e 20
impact tested at the s a m e impact condi- M- \
\ Test 31 with CM-009
tions, 37g in the X axis and 45g in the Z axis
Z axis were experienced. The X axis and
Z axis peak c. g. accelerations recorded
during tests of BP-28A and CM-009 a r e
plotted in figure 22 as functions of hori- 4 acceleration
zontal velocity. The boilerplate data plot

is also included in this figure. Assuming P i t c h attitude -27 5"
that a gross structural failure does not
occur and that the s a m e general relation-
Roll attitude 0" \
30 I I I I I I
ship between horizontal velocity and accel- 0 10 20 3 0 4 0 M 60
Horizontal VelOCity. fps
erations found f o r BP-1201 (fig. 20) also
applies to spacecraft, an increase to 54 f p s
Figure 22. - Comparison of spacecraft
and boilerplate accelerations.
22
in the horizontal landing velocity of a spacecraft would result in X axis and Z axis peak
c. g. accelerations of 30g and 38g, respectively. This extrapolation is shown in
figure 22.
The acceleration experienced during a 0" roll landing is a single pulse of approxi-
mately 0.045-second duration with principal components being in the X-Z plane. The
X axis and Z axis accelerations recorded during impact t e s t s of BP-28A and CM-009
are shown in figures 23 and 24.
Computed accelerations at c.9. for test 31
259
Computed accelerations at c.g. for test 16
7% r
%- - 2 5 9 t 1 , , I I I I I
- 509
2% -
-2591 I I I I I
-- I
--
I I
259
. .
":
I I I I I 1 I I I
-259 I I I I I I I I I I
ZC.9.
zc.g.
- 259
--%
759
48.034 48.044 48.054 48.064 48.074 48.084 48.094 48.104 48.114 48.124
-7Gl I I I 1 I I 1 1 I
31.60 31.61 31.62 31.63 31.64 31.65 31.66 31.67 31.68 31.69
S ec Sec
Figure 23. - Accelerations from test 16 Figure 24. - Accelerations from test 31
with BP-28A. with CM-009.
Damage to spacecraft structures caused by 0 " roll landings was l e s s extensive

than had been expected. The damage was limited largely to the + Z a r e a of the aft bulk-
head, heat shield, and crew-compartment sidewall. The aft heat shield was crushed
into the aft equipment bay, causing damage to the RCS oxidizer tanks and related equip-
ment installed in that a r e a . F r a m e s and cores were crushed, fractured, and debonded
f r o m the sidewall throughout a sector of approximately 60". Several face-sheet cracks
and separations occurred in the honeycomb core of the crew-compartment sidewall.
These openings could admit toxic fumes from the ruptured RCS tanks into the crew com-
partment. Apparently, no other failures occurred either in p r i m a r y structure o r in
secondary equipment. The primary damage sustained during the impact test of CM-009
(typical of the 0 " roll landing damage) is shown in figure 25.
23
Figure 25. - Impact damage to CM-009 in test 31.
24
Tests at 180° Roll
Thirteen tests with BP-1201 and spacecraft t e s t s with CM-008, CM-009, and
CM-011 were conducted to define the capability of the Apollo CM to withstand 180" roll
landings. Unlike the 0" roll t e s t s , all landings at a roll of 180" were unstable, even at
relatively low horizontal velocities (25 fps). As the horizontal velocity was increased,
the tumbling of the test vehicle became more violent because of the spherical shape of
the heat shield and the direction of the forces involved.
The direction of the inertial forces that act upon a vehicle during 0" and 180" roll
landings a r e shown in figure 26. During a 0" roll landing, the overturning o r destabiliz-
ing moment about the contact point produced by the horizontal inertial force is opposed
by the moment produced by the vertical inertial force. Therefore, the vehicle is inher-
ently m o r e stable in a 0 " roll orientation. The process can be expressed by the follow-
ing simple summation of resulting moments f o r 0" roll case.
(M) (Av) (L) - (M) (AH)(E) = Stabilizing moment
where A and AH a r e vertical and horizontal accelerations of the c. g . , M is the

V
m a s s of the vehicle, L is the horizontal moment a r m from the contact point to the
c. g., and E is the vertical moment a r m from the contact point to the c. g. Apparently,
the vertical inertial f o r c e adds to the stability of the system in a 0" roll landing
(fig. 26(a)).
M mass of v e h i c l e
c q c e n t e r of gravity
AH
y7-
h o r i z o n t a l acceleration
AV vertical acceleration
E h e i g h t 01 c q above contact point
t h o r i z o n t a l displacement of c g l r o m
contact point
( M XAvxL) )M X A ~ X EStabilizing
A ~ X L((MxAH~E) ) moment
Stabilizing moment
1 MxAHj
Conlact p o i n t
(a) Landing at 0" roll. (b) Landing at 180" roll.
Figure 26. - Factors in the dynamics of a CM landing.
25
When the direction of travel is re-
versed, as in 180" roll landings, the two 70
CM leaves impact surface w i t h approximately
moments (of the previous equation) become ._ equal horizontal VH and verlical V V
additive, producing a high angular acceler- 2
d
M)-
velocities and a h i g h rotational veloclty
ation about the c. g. of the vehicle. This 2
high angular acceleration results in a vio-

lent rotation of the vehicle about i t s aft
heat shield. A s the vehicle rotates from a
negative pitch attitude through 0", an up-
ward acceleration is imparted t o the c. g . ,
as shown in figure 27. When the surface - I
2
c
M-
contact point reaches the - Z edge of the aft F
heat shield (at a pitch of approximately I

20 I I 1 I
30 "), the vertical velocity causes the vehi- -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 M 40
CM pitch attitude d u r i n g impact, deg
cle to leave the impact surface with a t r a -
j ectory angle of approximately 50 " from
the horizontal and to continue to rotate and Figure 27. - Theoretical trajectory of CM
translate in f r e e flight until another impact c. g. during a 180" roll impact.
occurs.
Because much of the initial horizontal velocity of the test vehicle was converted
into upward thrust, the attitude and velocity of the vehicle a t second impact was highly
sensitive to changes in the initial horizontal velocity. A variety of impact attitudes was
possible for the second impact, and it was necessary to select specific test conditions
that would load critical structural a r e a s . The boilerplate vehicle constituted an inex-
pensive tool f o r the prediction of secondary impact conditions. Boilerplate t e s t s re-
vealed that at horizontal velocities of approximately 25 fps, the test vehicle would
overturn and impact on the - Z side of the upper deck and docking tunnel. A s the hori-
zontal velocity w a s increased to 43.5 fps, the vehicle rotated about 300" and impacted
on the lower + Z sidewall. A s the horizontal velocity w a s increased to 54 fps, the vehi-
cle impact rotated approximately 360" and reimpacted on the aft heat shield.
Conditions were selected f o r the test of CM-008 to a s s e s s the damage to the upper
deck and docking tunnel should the second impact of a land landing occur on this area.
The test conditions to achieve such an attitude a t second impact included a roll of 180",
a pitch of -27. 5", and a horizontal velocity a t initial impact of 25 fps. The kinematics
of the test of CM-008 are shown in the photographic sequence of figure 28. The upper
deck, the docking tunnel, and the + Z sidewall of the crew compartment were damaged
extensively (fig. 29). Many f r a c t u r e s occurred in the s t r u c t u r e s of the docking tunnel
and upper deck, and extensive debonding of the main-display-panel support occurred.
However, all damaged members remained attached to the s t r u c t u r e of the test vehicle
and did not present a significant crew hazard. The aft bulkhead was buckled approxi-
mately 6 to 8 inches into the crew compartment by the aft heat shield, and the crew-
compartment sidewall w a s cracked completely through i t s c o r e on the + Z side. The
initial impact conditions for test 63 (second test of CM-009) were selected to determine
the effects of a secondary impact on the + Z sidewall.
26
r
. .
. .
__ . - . .
..
..
Figure 28. - Landing dynamics of CM-008 during test 28.
Figure 29. - Impact damage to CM-008.
27
I Figure 29. - Concluded.
I 28
The impact t e s t of CM-009 at 180" roll and 43.5 fps horizontal velocity produced
m o r e violent impacts than those of the CM-008 test. The rotation during the landing of
CM-009 in test 63 is pictured in figure 30. The damage to the structure of the test ve-
hicle in test 63 was m o r e extensive than in any previous test. Damage to the docking
tunnel and forward bulkhead was light, but significant damage occurred to the aft heat
shield, aft bulkhead, and crew - compartment sidewall.
Although the docking tunnel contacted the impact surface on the + Z sector, the
loading w a s light and no damage occurred to the tunnel. Debonding occurred between
the forward bulkhead and the sidewall on the + Z side (fig. 31(a)), but no debonding oc-
curred on the main display console.
The crew-compartment sidewall between stations Xc = 42.0 and Xc = 81.5 on

the + Z side was crushed inward by the crew-compartment heat shield (fig. 3l(b)). Sev-
e r a l large c r a c k s occurred through the + Z sector of the sidewall behind the lower equip-
ment bay (fig. 31(c)), and the entire lower equipment bay w a s debonded from the
29
sidewall, which caused the equipment shelves to deflect under their own weight approxi-
mately 2 inches. Although extensive damage occurred on the sidewall in the oxygen
surge tank a r e a (fig. 3l(d)), the surge tank was not damaged.
(c) (4
Figure 31. - Damage to CM-009 during a 180" roll landing.
30
..-
I
..
d
The aft-bulkhead c o r e failed in shear in an a r e a approximately 6 feet in diameter

in the + Z sector, and a crack through both face sheets extended approximately 36 inches
from the center in the + Z direction (fig. 31(e)). The oxidizer tanks were crushed, and
the fluid from the tanks escaped and entered the crew compartment through the crack
in the aft bulkhead. The aft bulkhead w a s separated from the crew-compartment side-
wall through an included angle of 196" (fig. 3l(f)).
Test 64 with CM-011 was conducted at a horizontal velocity of 54 fps, equivalent

to the maximum wind velocity in which the launch vehicle can be operated. The result-
ing kinematics were even m o r e violent than those of test 63 with CM-009. The second
impact of CM-011 occurred a t a pitch attitude of approximately 300" and loaded the aft
sidewall and heat shield m o r e severely in the X axis direction and l e s s in the Z axis
direction than did the test conditions of CM-009. The aft a r e a of CM-011 w a s damaged
to a g r e a t e r extent than that of CM-009. However, the separation of the aft bulkhead
from the aft sidewall was less extensive, occurring throughout a 110" segment of the
sidewall. The damage included numerous cracks in the aft bulkhead and sidewall that
could permit the passage of toxic fumes and fluids from the aft equipment bay. On
second impact, the sidewall beneath the crew hatch w a s crushed inward and upward from
12 to 18 inches, which fully compressed the Z- Z s t r u t s of the crew couch and produced
high accelerations in the crew-couch system. The kinematics of the CM-011 test a r e
shown in figure 32, and typical damage is pictured in figure 33.
Slight variations occurred in the impact kinematics between spacecraft t e s t s 63

(CM-009) and 64 (CM-011) and similar t e s t s of BP-1201. Essentially, the boilerplate
vehicle was a rigid body. In contrast, the structure of the spacecraft yielded and ab-
sorbed a considerable amount of the impact energy. Furthermore, this deformation of
the spacecraft changed the shape of the heat-shield surface about which the vehicle ro-
tated before second impact.
31
1c -- a
If' e
t
I
i
I
Figure 33. - Impact damage to CM-011.
32
The accelerations recorded during the initial impacts of 180 roll t e s t s displayed
a characteristic shape regardless of the initial horizontal velocity. The X axis and
Z axis accelerations a t the c.g. of the three tested spacecraft and the t h r e e correspond-
ing boilerplate t e s t s are presented in figures 34 to 39. The six figures indicate that
significant X axis peak accelerations occurred during the first 0.02 second of impact
and varied from 33g t o 45g f o r the spacecraft and from 40g to 50g f o r the boilerplate
vehicle. A second, relatively high, acceleration spike of 20g and 30g occurred approx-
imately 0. 1 second l a t e r as the test vehicle rolled past the center of i t s heat shield.
The velocity vector of the c. g. was toward the ground as the vehicle rolled about the
heat shield f r o m a pitch attitude of -27. 5" to approximately -2". A s the vehicle rotated
through 0" pitch, the rotation accelerated the c. g. upward significantly in the direction
of the X axis. The acceleration along the Z axis at the c. g. was almost insignificant
because of the m o r e gradual velocity changes in that direction. The X axis c. g. veloc-
ity vector underwent a direction change of 180" in a few milliseconds. The highest
33
Z axis c.g. accelerations occurred during the second impact and ranged from 20g to
30g f o r the spacecraft and 30g to 35g f o r the boilerplate vehicle.
X. 10Cqfin. deflection
-~
Z. 92glin. deflection
0
I I I I I I
- .02 .MJ .02 .04 .06 .08 .10
Reference time. sec
x. 1iNqlin. deflection
37.47 37.49 37.51 37.53 37.55 37.57 37.59
Reference time. sec
I 2 . 92gfin. deflection
1.08 1.10 1.12

Reference time. sec
x. 100glin. deflection
Z. 92glin. deflection
, I
All accelerations calculated
I I 1
37.59 37.61 37.63 37.65 37.67 37.69 37.71
Reference time. sec 2.68 2.70 2.72
Reference time. sec
Figure 34. - Accelerations at c. g.

recorded during test 28 with Figure 35. - Boilerplate c. g. accelera-
CM-008. tions under conditions of test 28.
X. 75qlin. deflection
0
0 0
0 0
All traces filtered at 320 Hz A l l traces filtered a1 320 Hr

I I I I I 1 1 1 I i - ~ ~~~ 1 -. l.._ -u
14.39 14.41 14.43 14.45 14.47 14.49 14.50 14.52 14.54 14.56 14.58 14.60
Reference l i m e . sec Reference l i m e , sec
Figure 36. - Accelerations at c. g. during test 63 with CM-009.
34
c
X. 75giin. deflection
0
2 . 75g'in. deflection
2. 75giin. deflection
0
1Hz All traces filtered at 320
A l l traces filtered at 320 HI
56.30 56.32 56.34 56.36 56.38 56.39

I 1 1 I I Reference time. sec
15.76 15.78 15.80 15.82 15.84 15.86
Reference time, sec

X. 75giin. deflection
0 dwnkh.- Y. 5Cqlin. deflection
X. 102gfin. deflection
----
0 -
Z.102gfin. deflection
56.40
--
c
I
56.42
I
56.44
I
56.46
Reference time. sec
-
A l l traces filtered at 320 HZ
56.48 56.50
0 --
_ .
- p
X. 102glin. deflection
- -
x.
_
1
-
- 5 7%1in. deflection
0-
-
-
-- 2. 102gfin. deflection
0.
Y . 50gfin. deflection
I I I I i I 4 0--- P
2. 75qIin. deflection
0-
- - c
-_ -
.
Figure 37. - Boilerplate accelerations

at c. g. under conditions of -test 63.
A l l traces filtered at 320 HI
58.11 58.13 58.15 58.17 58.19 58.21

Reference time. set
Figure 38. - Accelerations at c. g. during

test 6 4 with CM-011.
35
T r a c e s f i l t e r e d a t 3 2 0 H z f r o m t e s t 61 w i t h BP-1201
- Askew Landing Tests

As predicted f r o m scale model and
X, 50 g!tn. deflection
0
boilerplate t e s t s , a roll angle of 180" pro-
duced the most unstable landings. Any de-
-c viation from the 180" roll condition increased
-
landing stability. From the summation of
moments at impact, it can be seen that any
Z, 50giin deflection
shortening of the moment a r m between the
0.
surface contact point and the c.g. velocity ~
vector is a stabilizing influence. Landings

at 180" roll have the maximum positive-
01 , I I 1 I I I I I I 1 I I I I I I I
pitch moment a r m at impact, and 0 " roll
46.20 46.30 46.40 46.50 46.60 46.70
Relerence time. sec
landings have the maximum negative value.
In an askew landing, a rolling moment is
Figure 39. - Boilerplate accelerations
produced by the s u r f a c e contact point being
under conditions of test 64.
outside the vertical plane that contains the
horizontal velocity. Three impact t e s t s
were made with BP-1201 at roll angles between 0" and 180" to establish the stability
of askew landings.
The CM-OO2B w a s impact tested at a roll angle of 325" and a horizontal velocity Of
54 fps. The peak accelerations recorded a t the c. g. were 30g in the X axis, 27g in the
Y axis, and l l g in the Z axis. The shapes of the acceleration pulses were s i m i l a r to
those of the 0 " roll t e s t s and resembled a single pulse of approximately 0.045-second
duration that has principal components of X and Z axis accelerations. The accelera-
tions a r e shown in figure 40. The results of a boilerplate test under similar conditions
a r e shown in figure 41. The CM-OOBB impact sequence is shown in figure 42.
Computed acceleratlons at c . 9 . for test 68

r Traces filtered at 320 Hz from lest 65 with BP-1201
0- - X. 75glin. deflection
259
-2591 I I I I I I I I I I
2% yc.9.
-
O1J"L--
-259 I I I I 1 1 I I 1 I Z. 75glin. deflection
759 r zc.4
~
- 259
- 509 I I I I I I 1 20. M 20.60 Relerence time20.80
20.70 sec 20.90 21.00
29.39 29.40 29 41 29.42 29 43 29 44 29 45 29 4 6 29 4 1 29.48 29 49
Tiilie, sec
Figure 40. - Accelerations recorded Figure 41. - Boilerplate accelerations

during test 68 with CM-002B. under conditions of test 68.
36
Figure 42. - Landing dynamics of CM-OO2B during test 68.
L e s s damage was sustained by

CM-OO2B than by any other spacecraft
tested in t h e program (fig. 43). Damage
w a s limited primarily to the + Z section of
the aft heat shield where some slight buck-
ling occurred outside the bolt circle. No
damage was apparent on the crew-
compartment aft bulkhead. A slight de-
bonding of one sidewall frame occurred.
Damage to Secondary Equipment

The RCS tanks. - One o r both RCS ox
idizer tanks were crushed o r ruptured by
the aft-heat-shield ballast during all of the
spacecraft-impact t e s t s except <est 68 with Figure 43. - Damage to CM-OO2B
CM-002B. However, none of the fuel tanks in test 68.
37
was crushed to such an extent that spillage
of the fluid was imminent. Nothing can be
concluded about the possibility of a f i r e re-
sulting from the rupture of the RCS plumb-
ing. Neither this plumbing nor the type of
ballast that is most likely to damage this
system (fig. 11) were installed on any of the
test vehicles. However, extensive damage
in areas containing plumbing is indicative
of a high probability of toxic-fume release
f r o m the oxidizer tanks and a significant
possibility of fire caused by the mixing of
oxidizer with the fuel f r o m ruptured lines.
In most t e s t s , numerous c r a c k s in the aft
bulkhead and sidewall provided routes to the
crew compartment f o r the released fluids
and fumes. Typical damage caused to RCS
tanks by a land impact is shown in figure 44
Figure 44. - Typical impact damage to RCS tanks.

. -
The oxygen surge tank. - No damage occurred to the oxygen surge tank in any of
the tests, and the s u r g e tank retained its pressure of 850 p s i during the test f o r which
it was pressurized (test 63 with CM-009). The conclusion was reached that a signifi-
cant hazard does not exist to the crew from the oxygen tank or its attachment. However,
as in the c a s e of the RCS, the plumbing w a s not installed on any of the test vehicles;
therefore, no assessment can be made of possible damage to this hardware.
C rew - Sy ste m s - Eq uip m ent Pe rf o r ma nce

In all of the land-impact t e s t s , a time lag existed between the accelerations r e -
corded on the anthropomorphic dummies and crew-couch system and those recorded
n e a r the c. g. of the test vehicle. The elasticity of the crew-couch system, which pro-
duced the time lag, a l s o recorded higher accelerations than those a t the c.g. of the
vehicle. The recorded couch-strut loads did not deviate greatly from the design values.
39
Typical data recorded during a 0" roll landing (with CM-009) and during a 180"
roll landing (with CM-011) a r e shown in figures 45 and 46. The solid-line curves a r e
plots of X axis accelerations experienced at the c. g. of each test vehicle. The dashed
lines a r e crew-couch and dummy accelerations recorded at a location near the vehicle
c. g. The fourth curve in figure 46 was generated by a calculation of the rigid-body
accelerations put into the couch system by the struts. The calculations were made by
adding the X axis components of the s t r u t loads at various times and dividing by the
weight of the suspended mass. A s the curve indicates, the stroking loads of the s t r u t s
limited the g force of the couch system to approximately 17g in the X axis. However,
the couch and dummy accelerometers recorded 37g and 42g, respectively; however,
the acceleration at the c. g. of the vehicle was only 34g. This amplification w a s ex-
perienced by both the unitized and the foldable crew couches.
-
--- Vehicle c.g. 50
56.31 sec - Vehicle c.g.
.-
Near center of CGUCh
Chest of center d u m m y
--- Near c e n t e r of c o u c h
--- Calculated
Pelvis of center d u m m y
40 A
I I ----- from s t r u t forces ,'
m I . rn
2-2 s t r u t s stroked to t h e I
l i m i t in compression I
/ I L' \
1 I I I 1 I I
0 .01 .02 .03 .04 .05 .06 .07 0 .02 .04 .06 .08 .IO .I2 .I4
Time. sec Time, sec
Figure 45. - Accelerations in the X axis Figure 46. - Accelerations in the X axis
during test 31 with CM-009. during test 64 with CM-011.
The accelerations represented by the couch and c. g. curves a r e only the X axis
component at a particular location. Higher and lower X axis component accelerations
were recorded at other points in the couch system. Also, the resultant accelerations
were much higher than the associated X axis components.
Another potential crew hazard was revealed during the test of CM-011 when the
Z - Z couch s t r u t s stroked to their limit in compression as a result of the crushing of the
- Z sidewall of the spacecraft. The crew couch w a s loaded severely and caused the
Z axis accelerometer i n the chest of the center dummy to record 37.5g. Subsequent
modifications of the Z-Z s t r u t design have further reduced their stroking load, which
will provide even l e s s protection from stroking to their limit during s e v e r e 180" roll
landings.
Emergency crew-recovery procedures will be needed if a 180" roll landing occurs.

The CM could come to r e s t in a position that would render the upper-deck-attachment
fittings unusable for uprighting. Moreover, the side hatch a r e a may be damaged and
prevent the actuation of the hatch-opening mechanism. Access through the docking
40
tunnel o r , in extreme cases, through an opening sawed in the aft heat shield might be
required. In any case, expedient removal of the crewmen is mandatory because of the
potential presence of toxic fumes and the possible incapacitation of the crewmen a s a
result of excessive accelerations.
Structural Capability and Stability
Estimates of the structural capability Landing stability

and stability of a CM in a land landing have Bp.120, S t r u c t u r a l capability
been derived from this test program 0 BP-28
A CM-008
(fig. 47). Such estimates a r e based on the 0" roll
nominal descent r a t e of 32 fps and the nom-

+ CM-009 ,test 31,
CM-009(test 6 3 e-
inal pitch attitude of -27. 5" with impact on
hard-packed sand.
;
Horizontal velocities a r e displayed a s
concentric circles increasing from zero at
the center to 60 fps at the outermost circle. 60 PS
Roll attitude is displayed as the angle be- - 6 4%-

90" roll
tween the spacecraft + Z axis (as defined in 2700
fig. 13) and the projection of the horizontal-

velocity vector into the Y-Z plane. As an
example, the test conditions of CM-OOBB
(represented by the black square in the
upper - left - hand quadrant) were a ho r izont a1
velocity of 5 4 fps and a roll attitude of A l l test p i n t s at a vertical
325". The a r e a shaded by the left-hand D+
180" roll
velocity of 32 fps
diagonal lines represents the structural ca-

pability of the CM to withstand various im-
pact conditions. It was derived by
-
47. Land-landing capability as a
function of roll angle of a CM.
a s s e s s i n g the damage caused during the
five spacecraft t e s t s and by interpolation
between test conditions. The a r e a shaded by right-hand diagonal lines represents the
landing stability. It was defined by the relative stability of both spacecraft and boiler-
plate tests.
It can be concluded from this figure that the basic s t r u c t u r e is adequate f o r land
landings if the horizontal velocity does not exceed 40 fps. If the roll attitude of the vehi-
cle is within *90" of z e r o roll, the structural capability is equal to o r g r e a t e r than the
horizontal wind velocity that constrains the launch of the booster (54 fps).
Probability of Emergency Landing

All data in this report resulted f r o m tests considered representative of emergency
land-landing conditions. Such conditions can occur only as a result of a mission abort
on the launch pad o r during the f i r s t 40 seconds of flight. Should such as abort occur,
an 83-percent chance exists that the vehicle will impact on land; of these landings, an
88-percent chance exists that the vehicle will not impact on the hard-packed f i l l material.
41
A 75-percent chance exists that the winds will be less than 43.5 fps, and approximately
a 24-percent chance exists that the vehicle will not land near a 180" roll attitude. With
these probabilities combined, l e s s than a 5-percent chance exists that an aborted mis-
sion will result in a CM landing under conditions as s e v e r e as in the t e s t s of CM-009
o r CM-011.
CONCLUD I NG REMARKS
The capability of the Apollo command module to withstand the loads imposed by
an emergency land landing is much g r e a t e r than had been expected. Very little damage
can be expected from 0" roll and askew-roll landings that a r e not close to 180". Most
of these landings should be stable to velocities as high as those that constrain the opera-
tion of the launch vehicle.
Most 180" roll landings will be unstable, and extensive structural damage can be
expected, even at low horizontal velocities. At horizontal landing velocities in excess
of 40 fps, structural failure is a definite hazard to the crewmembers.
In all land landings, a strong probability exists f o r damage to the reaction control
system tanks and plumbing. Damage to this hardware c r e a t e s the hazards of f i r e and
toxic fumes within the crew compartment.
The oxygen surge tank can be expected to retain i t s structural integrity during all
landings within the ranges of the tested parameters. However, massive damage to the
area of the oxygen surge tank plumbing can be anticipated.
Emergency crew-recovery procedures may be needed if a 180" roll landing occurs.

The upper deck may be damaged, making it difficult to upright a tumbled vehicle, o r the
damage to hatch areas may prohibit normal recovery techniques. In any case, expedient
removal of the crew is mandatory because of the potential presence of toxic fumes and
the possible incapacitation of the crew f r o m excessive accelerations.
Accelerations of 40g to 50g will be experienced in the X and Z axes at the center
of gravity of the command module. An approximate 20-percent amplification of these
accelerations by the couch system could produce higher values than those prescribed
as emergency crew-tolerance levels. Analyses have been performed to optimize the
crew-couch s t r u t s to minimize the accelerations and provide maximum protection
against exceeding the s t r u t stroking capabilities.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Houston, Texas, June 6, 1972
914-50-20-17-72
42
APPEND X A
1 NSTRUMENTATION
The identifications and locations of the various transducers installed for the major
tests in the land-impact program a r e shown in figures A-1 to A-24. In general, the
figures are arranged by test number and vehicle, but occasionally the s a m e figure is
representative of two o r more t e s t s and is not repeated under succeeding t e s t s o r
vehicles.
Center lines of honeycomb

'Y
View looking aft at aft sidewall

I
Triaxial accelemmeter locations
Y axis = 0.0
( S A . SB, SDI
AWS-l.-2 X, = 28 In.
Center l i n e
+ = 42.15'
S = structural AWS-5,-6 + 'c ~ 28 in. View G-G

CSD = c o u c h s t r u t LAWS-4
n e a r side
View F.F AWS - aft-sidewall s t r a i n (gagel
Figure A- 1. - Locations of accelerom- Figure A-2. - Aft-sidewall strain-gage

e t e r s and stroke indicators for locations for test 16 with BP-28A.
test 16 with BP-28A.
43
Note Odd numberr
insidecren
ABS ail bhluhear Iiratn ia
Vien A
+ 6 9 ~ + 108'
A B S 19 ?u A B S ?j 24
A B S ?I ?2 A B S 25 26
Figure A-3.- Details of aft-sidewall Figure A-4.- Aft-sidewall s t r a i n gages

strain-gage locations for test 16 a t c o r e 2 for test 16 with BP-28A.
with BP-28A.
r X 42 665 i n
59 600 in
1 1 25 i n Carbon dioxide r A B S 13, 14
Section P ' - P '
Optics container
Section R ' - R ' Fecal canister
E q u i p m e n y +Z absorber stowage
doublers
View looking a l l
@ Biaxial accelerometers mounted o n

aft-bulkhead inside surface
IS t r a i n gages w i t h odd-numbered
gages o n inside surface
[Rc 57 8 B i n
Figure A-6. - Aft-bulkhead equipment
i
and instrumentation for test 16 with

Figure A-5.- Aft-sidewall strain gages BP-28A.
a t c o r e 3 for test 16 with BP-28A.
44
Camera Location and view o r type
Monorail track - release to impact 110 mml
B
North accelerator rail - before release 18 mm]
Top frame east end - start to release
End impact area - parallel to track 110 m m l
End impact area - parallel to track 110 mml
Perpendicular to impact (16 m m l
Perpendicular to impact 116 m m l
Perpendicular to last frame - veloclty
Perpendicular to roll over 116 mml
J Perpendicular to impact (Bell & Howell1
K Perpendicular to impact IHulcherl
L Tracking release to impact (Arriflexl
Launching structure
'cl Built-up-sand
impact area
m I
Figure A-7. - Range-camera coverage f o r test 16 with BP-28A.
+Y @Uniaxial accelemmeter
8 Biaxial accelerometer
R i g h t - h a n d equipment bay %
CSL. C S D - 2 c\ e T r i a x i a 1 accelerometer
+Strut loadlstroke qaqes
Triaxial accelerometer
Biaxial accelerometer
Distance from c e n t e r of
spacecraft axes, in.
Accelerometers
tlW
I
Figure A-8. - Locations of structural Figure A-9.- Instrumentation of foldable

accelerometers for test 28 with crew couch and support system f o r
CM-008. test 28 with CM-008 and test 31 with
CM- 009.
45
Angle callouts
from +Y
v, ,I
90 s h e a r bridge. insiile
60’ a x i a l stres5 brldqr ir1,ide
Outside gage
Back 10 back gages
68’
117 98” 77’
SWS sidewall strain lqaqel
(a) Inside view toward +Z. (b) Inside view toward - Z .
Figure A-10. - Locations of analog-recorded s t r a i n gages for test 28 with CM-008.
Built up-sand
iinpact area
Camera Location a n d view o r type
A M o n o r a i l track - release to impact

B N o r t h accelerator r a i l - before release
C Top f r a m e east e n d - start to release
D End impact area - parallel to track
E End impact area - parallel to track
F Perpendicular to impact
G Perpendicular to impact
H
I
J
K
Perpendicular to last frame - velocity
Perpendicular to r o l l over
Perpendicular to impact lBe11 a n d Howell 100 Ips1
Perpendicular to impact I H u l c h e r 20 fpsl
B
L Release to impact I A r r i l l e x 48 Ips1
Figure A-11. - Locations and views of range c a m e r a s for t e s t 28 with CM-008.
46 S-301
Figure A- 12. - Locations of structural accelerometers
for test 31 with CM-009.
I
\
\
77' 63' 55" 45'
View toward +Z lrom inside
Figure A- 13. - Locations of sidewall- and aft-bulkhead strain gages

for test 31 with CM-009.
47
Impact
Launching crater
line structure
M i l l i k e n 400 Ips o n s t r u c t u r e sldnting down
; '
C
M i l l i k e n 400 Ips closeup side view
M i l l i k e n 400 Ips overall side VIPW
;i
D Bell and Howell 100 Ips 75 m m documentary
H u l c h e r 20 fps 70-mm documentary
M i l l i k e n 400 Ips release to impact
A r r i l l e x 48 Ips trackinq camera
M i l l i k e n 400 Ips overall end view
- ~~ ~~~ _ _ .
Figure A-15. - Locations of range

c a m e r a s for t e s t 31 with
CM-009.
Core 3 ore 2
Figure A- 14.- Locations of side-frame

s t r a i n gages for test 31 with
C M- 009.
Triaxiat accelerometer
8 B i a x i a l accelerometer
y - I .
Figure A- 17. - Crew-couch accelerom-

I
Figure A- 16. - Structural accelerometers f o r test 63 with CM-009 and

eters for test 63 with CM-009 and test 64 with CM-011.
test 64 with CM-011.
48
0 U n i a x i a l accelerometer
0 S t r u t load gage
left. r i q h t
CSHL. R - C o u c h - s t r u t head +Y
CS2L.R- Couch-strut
-Y
Figure A- 18. - Crew-couch s t r u t instrumentation for test 63 with CM-009.
Figure A-19. - Locations of range c a m e r a s for test 63 with CM-009.
49
@ Uniaxial accelerometer
0 toad and deflection gage
-Y
Figure A-20. - Crew-couch s t r u t instrumentation f o r test 64

with CM-011 and test 68 with CM-002B.
i i
t 1 I I
i i +!
50
+V
strain gage
0 Iriaxial dccelerorneter
8 Uniaxial accelemmeler
l S l r a i n qaqe
rn
CSG-9. IO.
Figure A-22.- Structural accelerometers 11. - 1 2
for test 68 with CM-002B. I

+Y
One channel
bending
TWO channels One channel
bending bending
CSG-I, -2. Onechannel
- 3 , -0 axial I
C S G ~ I I 14 One channel
bending
CSG-1. 8
Figure A-23.- Crew-couc-. instrumen :a-

tion for test 68 with CM-002B.
Figure A-24. - Locations of accelerom-

eters in BP-1201.
51
APPENDIX B
IMPACT DATA
T A B L E B-I. - A P O L L O COMMAND MODULE I M P A C T TESTS
Atlilude, deg Velocity. fps

T e s t no. Date Surface File no. Vehicle
Pitch Roll Yaw Vertical Hcrizontal
1 5/31/67 Sand p i l e 27.5 180 0 28 44 lo 46 S67-317 BP-002

2 6/23/67 Sand p i l e 27.5 180 0 28 38 S67-334 BP-002
3 6/30/67 Sand pile 27.5 180 0 28 39.2 S67-337 BP-002
4 7/3/67 Sand p i l e 27.5 180 0 28 37.3 __ BP-002
5 7/6/67 Sand p i l e 27.5 180 0 28 51.0 567-565 BP-002
6 8/8/67 Hard sand 18.5 0 0 38 43.5 S67-417 BP-001
7 8/16/67 Hard sand 18.5 0 0 38 43.7 567-427 BP-001
8 8 31/67 Hard sand 18.5 0 0 38 43.5 957-449 BP-1201
9 9 / 2 167 Hard sand 18.5 0 0 38 43.5 S67-452 BP-001
10 9/7/67 Hard sand 36 0 0 38 43.5 S67-459 BP- 1201
11 9/9/67 Hard sand 32.5 0 0 38 43.5 S67-456 BP-1201
12 9 / 1 2 ’67 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 38 43.5 S67-466 BP-1201
13 9/16/67 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 32 25.3 S67-486 B P - I201
14 9115‘67 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 32 17 S67-487 BP-I201
15 9/18/67 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 32 25.6 S67-488 BP-I201
16 9 27/67 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 32 25 S67-491 BP-28
17 10/9/67 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 33 37.8 ._ BP-I201
18 10/11/67 Sol1 s a n d 27.5 0 0 33 37.8 S67-506 BP- 1201
(15 lo I 8 in. d e e p )
19 10/13/67 So11 s a n d 27.5 0 0 33 40. 3 -. BP-1201
(24 in. d e e p )
20 10’23/67 Hard sand 27.5 180 0 32 25.0 567-533 BP- 1201
21 10/24/67 Hard sand 27.5 180 0 32 43.5 -. B P - I201
22 1 0 l 3 1 ‘67 Hard sand 18.5 180 0 32 25.3 S67-544 BP-1201
23 11 2/67 Hard sand 18.5 180 0 32 43.5 567-540 BP-1201
24 1 I /9 ‘67 Hard sand 37.2 180 0 32 25.3 S67-545 BP-1201
25 I 1 13/67 Hard sand 37.2 180 0 32 43.5 567.600 BP- 1201
26 12/1/67 Hard sand .. 180 0 32 40 5 S67-600 BP- 1201
27 1 2 13/67 Hard sand 27.5 180 0 __ 40. 5 .. BP-1201
28 1 / I 1/68 Hard sand 31 180 0 32 21.25 S69-009 CM-008
29 2/8/68 Hard sand 27.5 180 0 32 45 S68-83 BP-1201
30 311 ‘68 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 32 46 S68-151 B P - 1201
31 3/7/68 Hard sand 27.5 0 0 32 42. 55 S68- 174 CM-009
32 lo 60 __ Wale! .. .- __ -. __ __ __
61 10’18 68 Land -27.5 180 0 32.81 54.8 __ BP-1201
62 10122 68 Land -27.5 180 0 __ 51.3 S68-596 BP-I201
63 10/26/68 Land -27.5 180 0 __ 42 I S68-603 CM-009
64 10/31/68 Land -27.5 180 0 .- 56.34 568-613 CM-011
65 11’12 68 Land -27.5 270 0 .. 35. 08 S68-629 BP-1201
66 11 13’68 Land -27.5 225 0 .. 51.3 568-631 BP-1201
67 11/18 68 Land -27.5 315 0 -. 46 S68-623 BP-1201
68 11 2 6 / 6 8 Land -21.5 325 0 ._ 54. I S68-445 CM- 002B
69 __ Wale, .. -_ .- __ .. _. -.
IO 3 10/69 Sand -27.5 0 0 32.77 44 N o Iilm BP-I201

I1 312 1/69 Sand - 22 0 0 32.65 43. I No f i l m BP-I201
72 3/25/69 Snd 36 0 0 32. 16 44 70-mm Hulrhvr BP-I201
73 3/26 69 Sind 36 0 0 32. 39 56. 4 .- BP-1201
74 3/28 69 Sand 36 0 0 31.94 29.4 __ BP-1201
75 -. Walcr __ .. __ .. .- .. __
76 4/7/69 Sand 27.5 0 0 32.2 44 .- BP-1201
77 4/10/69 Sand 27.5 0 0 31.9 56 2 70-nim H u l r h e r BP- 1201
78 4 122 169 Sand 27.5 0 0 32.5 31.2 -. BP-1201
19 4 / 2 3 69 Sand I8 0 0 32.5 45.2 .- BP-I201
80 5 / 1 69 Sand 27.5 0 0 32 0 .- BP- 1201
GI 5 1’69 Sand 27.5 0 0 38 0 .. BP-I201
82 5/26/69 Sand I8 0 0 32 29.5 -. BP-I201
83 1 5/28/69 Sand 18 0 0 32 58.8 -. BP- 1201
52 NASA-Langley, 1912 -31 s- 301

Apollo Command Module Land-Impact Tests

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Apollo Command Module Land-Impact Tests

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1 N A S A TECHNICAL NOTE

by J. E. McCzlllozcgh and J. F. Lands, Jr.

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON, D. C. OCTOBER.1972

7. Authodsl 8. Performing Organization Report No.

J. E. McCullough and J. F. Lands, Jr., MSC MSC S-301

17. Key Words (Suggested by Author(s)) 18. Distribution Statement

~ PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ............................. 2

John F . Kennedy Space Center T e r r a i n Survey ................ 3

Manned Spacecraft Center Impact Surface .................. 3

Comparison of the Kennedy Space Center and Manned Spacecraft Center

Comparison of Kennedy Space Center Terrain Types ............ 18

Manned Spacecraft Center Test Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Askew Landing T e s t s ............................. 36

Damage to Secondary Equipment ....................... 37

Crew-Systems-Equipment Performance ................... 39

Probability of Emergency Landing . . . . . . . . .............. 41

CONCLUDING REMARKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............. 42

APPENDIX A - INSTRUMENTATION . . . . . . . . .............. 43

APPENDIX B - IMPACT DATA . . . . . . . . . . . .............. 52

I LABORATORY COMPARISONS O F SELECTED SAND SAMPLES .... 4

I1 CREW-COUCH DATA AND STRUT STROKES .............. 14

I11 STROKING LOADS OF CREW-COUCH STRUTS ............. 15

B-I APOLLO COMMAND MODULE IMPACT TESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

2 Comparison of the KSC and MSC impact-surface sands ......... 4

Impact soil bearing p r e s s u r e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Accelerating components of launching catapult

(a) Monorail trolley supporting a test vehicle . . . . . .

6 Apollo CM structural configuration ................... 8

9 Exterior view of Block I CM ....................... 9

10 The CM docking tunnels, - Z side

11 The RCS tanks and clearances

(a) Plan view of tanks looking aft . . . . ................ 11

12 View of oxygen surge tank ........................ 12

13 Apollo CM impact system ........................ 12

15 Comparison of honeycomb and cyclic couch s t r u t s

16 Photoinstrumentation system in test vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

17 Boilerplate c . g. accelerations on the KSC and MSC impact surfaces

18 Center-of -gravity accelerations from 38-fps and 32-fps vertical

(a) Vertical velocity of 38 fps in test 81 ................ 19

19 Landing dynamics during a 0" roll test ................. 20

20 Boilerplate accelerations as a function of horizontal velocity ..... 22

22 Comparison of spacecraft and boilerplate accelerations........ 22

23 Accelerations f r o m test 16 with BP-28A ................ 23

24 Accelerations from test 31 with CM-009 ................ 23

25 Impact damage to CM-009 in test 31 ................... 24

26 Factors in the dynamics of a CM landing

(a) Landing at 0" roll . ......................... 25

27 Theoretical trajectory of CM c . g . during a 180" roll impact ...... 26

28 Landing dynamics of CM-008 during test 28 ............... 27

29 Impact damage to CM-008 ........................ 27

30 Landing dynamics of CM-009 during test 63 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

31 Damage to CM-009 during a 180" roll landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

I 32 Landing dynamics of CM-011 during test 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

33 Impact damage to CM-011 ........................ 32

34 Accelerations at c . g . recorded during test 28 with CM-008 ...... 34

35 Boilerplate c.g. accelerations under conditions of test 28 ....... 34

36 Accelerations at c . g . during test 63 with CM-009 ............ 34

37 Boilerplate accelerations at c . g . under conditions of test 63 ...... 35

38 Accelerations at c . g . during test 64 with CM-011 ............ 35