Hi Amy! I love the book but I'm only halfway through so I can't ask an intelligent question about it yet, so instead I have a question for you that involves your favorite Apollo mission. I've asked this a few people before but never got an answer, so here goes:
Apollo 11's landing was a close call fuel-wise, with Bob Carlton in the MOCR becoming very concerned that they weren't going to make it. Carlton announced "low level", then made a 60-second and then a 30-second call, and just as he was getting ready to announce "15" they heard the "contact light!" call from Buzz.
During Apollo 12's descent there is also a "low level" call, and then a 60 and a 30-second call, yet Al Bean is always very calm and composed and assures Pete Conrad several times that they have "plenty of gas, babe."
So overall that landing seems about as close, as far as propellant quantity is concerned, as Eagle's, but nobody seems to be very concerned. Are you aware of a reason for the change in sentiment?
(I know about the low level call being unreliable because of propellant sloshing, which they fixed for 14. I think the MOCR didn't know about that issue at the time of 12, though.)
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Hi Amy! I love the book but I'm only halfway through so I can't ask an intelligent question about it yet, so instead I have a question for you that involves your favorite Apollo mission. I've asked this a few people before but never got an answer, so here goes:
Apollo 11's landing was a close call fuel-wise, with Bob Carlton in the MOCR becoming very concerned that they weren't going to make it. Carlton announced "low level", then made a 60-second and then a 30-second call, and just as he was getting ready to announce "15" they heard the "contact light!" call from Buzz.
During Apollo 12's descent there is also a "low level" call, and then a 60 and a 30-second call, yet Al Bean is always very calm and composed and assures Pete Conrad several times that they have "plenty of gas, babe."
So overall that landing seems about as close, as far as propellant quantity is concerned, as Eagle's, but nobody seems to be very concerned. Are you aware of a reason for the change in sentiment?
(I know about the low level call being unreliable because of propellant sloshing, which they fixed for 14. I think the MOCR didn't know about that issue at the time of 12, though.)
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