1.4 Case Study: Moon Landing

Transcription

1 1.4 Case Study: Moon Landing Philadelphia University, Jordan

2 Preview In the previous sequence, essential skills for successful engineers have been presented. In this sequence, the moon landing mission will be studied to inspire future engineers of what is possible.

3 Moon Landing Because of its extreme difficulty and worldwide exposure, the successful moon landing of Apollo 11 is considered one of humanity's greatest achievements. Moon landing was made possible by the combination of: Science Engineering Imagination. Engineers were the architects of the technology that allowed the moon landing to happen.

4 Imagination: Moon Landing in Fiction Man was fascinated by the moon since the ancient times. Many books were written about humans on the moon: True History by Lucian in 79 First man on the moon by H.G. Wells in : Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke in 1968

5 Science Thrust (Reaction) Action and Reaction: the thrust that lifts the launcher comes from burning fuel in the combustion chamber. Gases escape through a nozzle. The gases exert an upward force (reaction) that is equal and opposite to the force (action) of the escaping exhaust. Newton s third law of motion. This reaction force overcomes gravity. Gas Action

6 Political Background After WWII, the competition between the superpowers (USA and USSR) was intense. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 to orbit the Earth and so initiated the Space Age in The Soviets also landed the first unmanned ship on the moon in 1959.

7 Vision U.S. President John F. Kennedy looked for an American project that would capture the public imagination. "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth JFK July 1969, USA landed first manned ship (Apollo 11).

8 Engineering Challenges 1. Spacecraft must first leave the Earth s gravity. A launcher needs sufficient thrust to lift its own mass to overcome gravity. At an attitude of 200 km, a launch vehicle must travel over 11 Km/s to escape gravity. This is referred to as escape velocity. 2. Fly to the moon. Travel at survivable speed. Follow the correct trajectory. 3. Land safely on the moon. High velocity (6000 mile/hr) is the effects of gravity using a landing rocket. 4. Return to earth. The escape velocities of the moon and earth must again be overcome. Moon departure rocket must be carried to the moon's surface. Need additional fuel for the return trip

9 Moon Landing Stages 1. Unmanned Hard Landing USA: 18 missions (3 successes), USSR: 22 missions (4 successes), Unmanned Soft Landing USA: 7 missions (5 successes), USSR: 14 missions (5 successes), Lunar Orbit USA: 5 missions (5 successes), USSR: 9 missions (7 successes), Manned Landing USA: Apollo 11 landed on the moon, 1969

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11 The Launch A Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11 into the orbit After one and a half orbits, the engines pushed the spacecraft onto its trajectory toward the Moon. The command module separated from Saturn V and docked with the lunar module. The combined spacecraft headed for the Moon.

12 Fly me to the Moon Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter lunar orbit. lunar module (LM) Eagle separated from the command module Columbia.

13 Command/Service Module The Command Service Module Columbia consisted of two parts. The Command Module held the three man crew. It was the control center during the mission. It also was the re-entry vehicle for returning back to Earth. The Service Module provided the propulsion and maneuvering capability for the space craft

14 The Lunar Module The Lunar Module Eagle consisted of two parts: the descent stage and the ascent stage. The descent stage provided the engine used to land on the moon. It had four legs and a storage area for experimental gear. The descent module also served as the launch platform for the ascent module when it came time to leave

15 Walking on the Moon One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind To walk on the moon's surface, the astronauts needed to wear a space suit with a back mounted, portable life support system. This controlled the oxygen, temperature and pressure inside the suit.

16 Return to Earth After re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, parachutes opened to safely lower the Columbia into the Pacific Ocean

17 Apollo 11: The Crew Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Buzz Aldrin

18 Conclusions The moon landing mission shows how engineers play an essential role in providing solutions to almost impossible tasks. The mission also shows the importance of leadership, planning, and teamwork