25 August 2009

Jarrah's Question No3

Jarrah said: "On page 57 of Mission To The Moon, by Kennan & Harvey, we find: The Review Board therefore included the history of a similar spacecraft, command module 008, whose altitude testing was presumed to be typical of all Apollo spacecraft. It is of the greatest significance that two fire extinguishers were located in that (008) spacecraft during its testing.

Not only were fire extinguishers included, but fire-resistant Teflon sheets and fireproof Beta-cloth were draped over wire bundles and the astronauts couches. These particular items, nonflight items, were conspicuously absent in command module 012 during the fatal plugs-out test on January 27, 1967.

We are also told by John Young in various interviews, such as his interview for the documentary In The Shadow Of The Moon, that NASA would fire him (Grissom) if he spoke up about the shoddy wiring.

Why did NASA remove the fire extinguishers from the cockpit, strip the wires of their fireproofing, and would fire anyone who brought this wiring problem to attention?"

Okay, I can now read that there were fire extinguishers available in Spacecraft 008. Would this have made a difference? NO. Why? By the time the fire was noticed, it was already well established. In the atmosphere, a fire extinguisher would have been unlikely to be able to stop the flame propagation. Additionally, any fire extinguisher except for water or foam would have produced toxic gases in the enclosed space.

What does the report say were the materials that were non-flight items or possibly relevant to flame propagation?
  • Inspection of polyurethane foam and coating with silicone rubber of some items not carried out.
  • Polyurethane bags placed over hose fittings for drinking water dispenser / battery instrumentation cable / connectors / transducer.
  • Two polyurethane pads over couch struts in spacecraft to protect wiring during planned egress drill.
  • Three packages of checklists for spacecraft checkout.
  • Nylon protective sleeves placed over crew umbilical cords.
  • Nylon window covers.
  • Velcro hook to protect velcro pile spacecraft floor.
  • 'Remove Before Flight' tags.
  • Polyurethane protective covers over hand controller cables.
So what did Spacecraft 008 have that was different?
  • Did not have Teflon protective covers on wiring.
  • Additional wiring for altitude tests.
  • Had inferior cabin lighting.
  • Did not have noise filters on communication cables.
  • Beta-cloth covering used extensively on aft bulkhead.
So yes, beta-cloth was used in Spacecraft 008. How much difference would this have made in the fire? The fire started in a different location to where the beta-cloth was. The propagation route didn't involve the aft bulkhead until the fire was well established. Did the beta-cloth make a difference? Probably. Did it make a difference in crew survival? Very unlikely, almost certainly not.

All sorts of things would have made a difference. 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing, but NOTHING indicates anything like deliberate efforts to kills the crew. Were NASA and NAA culpable? In hindsight, yes. Do NASA or NAA deny this? No.

Lastly, there is the claim that Grissom said he would be sacked if he complained about the spacecraft. Is this true? If John Young said it is true, then I believe it. yet once again, does anyone believe that Gus Grissom - or any of the crew - would have placed themselves in a position where they thought it was likely they would have been killed.

NO.

They were test pilots, used to risk... but would not take unacceptable risks. This has been stated on a number of occasions. As Frank Borman said: "Although there are sometimes romantic and silk-scarf attitudes attributed to this type of business, in the final analysis we are professionals and will accept risks but not undue risks."

2 comments:

  1. Okay, I can now read that there were fire extinguishers available in Spacecraft 008. Would this have made a difference? NO. Why? By the time the fire was noticed, it was already well established.

    That depends on who you’re asking. RCA Technician Gary W. Propst testified that about two or three minutes went by from the first mention of fire to the moment the capsule ruptured.

    About 15 seconds after the cry of fire, I saw more arms in addition to White’s in front of the porthole seemingly coming from the left. Looking further back into the spacecraft, I could see the legs of the center Astronaut moving about. The movement inside the spacecraft lasted about 2minutes before the flames began to block the view.

    During the entire time that I watched the astronauts their spacesuits were silver in colour with no signs of being burned or charred.

    I know my times are very near accurate because I remember saying to the others that had gathered in the area of the monitor: “Blow the hatch, why don’t they blow the hatch?” One person that was near said that the spacesuits would protect them from the heat until they could get out. A short conversation then took place concerning how long and how much the suits could protect them from the fire. Also comment was made on why no one had entered the White Room as yet. During the time of this conversation the White Room was still clear and the Astronauts movements still visible.


    Propst’s testimony obviously contradicted the official government story, that only fifteen seconds went by from the first mention of fire to the moment the capsule ruptured.

    Propst was also interviewed for the January 27 1968 printing of the Florida newspaper Today: “I think NASA convinced themselves of what happened in that spacecraft, but they didn’t convince me. It was about three minutes after the fire started that the White Room began to fill with smoke. Prior to that time the air was clear. I saw the astronauts moving inside for at least two minutes before the flames began to block the view.”

    Either way, 15seconds or 2minutes, I still believe the astronauts would have had a decent chance of survival had the extinguisher been left in the craft.

    Additionally, any fire extinguisher except for water or foam would have produced toxic gases in the enclosed space.

    You’re forgetting about Halon extinguishers. They chemically render combustion impossible instantly and, according to Gordon Cooper, NASA had conducted tests that proved this. Cooper in fact preferred the Halon extinguisher to the water extinguisher. Typically any products produced by a Halon extinguishers only cause a minor dizziness and no long-term effects.

    Also, provided they don’t get breached the suits would protect the astronauts from any fumes. Yes, the Apollo 1 suits did get breached by the fire, but according to Propst they evidently had enough time on their side to extinguish the fire before it got too out of control.

    So what did Spacecraft 008 have that was different?
    · Did not have Teflon protective covers on wiring.


    False. Spacecraft 008 did have Teflon covers on the wiring. And it’s test conditions were supposed to be typical of all Apollo simulations. Under the typical test conditions, Spacecraft 012 would have had these Teflon covers and fire extinguishers stored inside during the January 27 plugs out test.

    . How much difference would this have made in the fire? The fire started in a different location to where the beta-cloth was.

    In think you’ve misread the source material. The beta-cloth and Teflon was draped over the astronaut couches AND the wire bundles – i.e. all the wiring in the cockpit, not just behind the astronauts couches.

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  2. Lastly, there is the claim that Grissom said he would be sacked if he complained about the spacecraft. Is this true? If John Young said it is true, then I believe it.

    So if you believe Young: how can you continue to claim that NASA was all innocent when they would fire any who spoke up about the bad wiring? And if Young was so worried about his friend from Gemini 3, why didn’t he speak up about the wires?

    yet once again, does anyone believe that Gus Grissom - or any of the crew - would have placed themselves in a position where they thought it was likely they would have been killed.

    If someone told you there was a fire extinguisher inside the capsule, when there wasn’t, before you got in the vehicle, would you get in?

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