Author Topic: Back-up plan for Apollo  (Read 44013 times)

Offline Bob B.

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Re: Back-up plan for Apollo
« Reply #30 on: April 11, 2012, 09:42:58 PM »
I do remember the person did a fairly straightforward if brute-force numerical integration, working through the earth as a series of concentric shells, each shell having a uniform composition that changed with depth. I had remembered seeing something like this result a while ago, but I wasn't sure of the actual acceleration value.

That sounds very similar to what I did, but I don't recall ever giving an actual number for the maximum acceleration - I just plotted and presented the graph.  If someone gave a specific number of 10.62 m/s2, then they likely calculated it independently from me.

Offline ka9q

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Re: Back-up plan for Apollo
« Reply #31 on: April 13, 2012, 08:39:27 AM »
I never knew that about Apollo 6 - now I have to go back and re-read the mission and especially the Saturn V reports!

The LVDC (Launch Vehicle Digital Computer) on the Saturn V was impressive for its day (with triple redundancy!) but it was an ant-brain by today's standards. That it could deal at all with a non-nominal condition without blowing up is itself remarkable.