super-orbital (up to approximately
24,000 mph) re-entry speeds with
Block-1 Apollo CMs. Each CM included
pressure transducers, radiometers
and surface mounted calorimeters
to capture data during re-entry. The
her calculations and the design of
the heat shield was correct. The
results proved that the use of Lee’s
same material used on Apollo CMs)
and is built on the same theoretical
predictions made by Lee so many
decades before. In an echo of the
1960’s Apollo heat shield tests, in
December 2014, Orion will undergo
its own super-orbital velocity tests with
a 20,000 mph re-entry from space.
Crews past, present and future have
a debt of gratitude to this “human
computer with a calculator”.
the true unsung heroes of Apollo. We
all can learn from their example. The
high ground of space is still there for
us, if we only commit ourselves to that
“William Bradford, speaking in
1630 of the founding of the Plymouth
Bay Colony, said that all great and
honorable actions are accompanied
be enterprised and overcome
with answerable courage. If this
and the use of wind tunnel test
capsule history of our progress
data were essential in the design
teaches us anything, it is that
of the Apollo spacecraft, and
man, in his quest for knowledge
especially so for its extreme reand progress, is determined
entry conditions.
and cannot be deterred. The
exploration of space will go
The legacy of Dottie Lee’s
ahead, whether we join in it or
work are clear; four unmanned
not, and it is one of the great
Apollo and subsequent manned
adventures of all time, and no
nation which expects to be
spacecraft and carried its crews
the leader of other nations can
expect to stay behind in the race
of re-entry before returning
for space…. We choose to go to
home. Such is the trust in her
the Moon! We choose to go to
work that NASA continued to
the Moon in this decade and do
promote Lee and retain her
eroding away its ablative heat shield. Credit: NASA via Retro Spae Images the other things, not because
experience where she directed
Houbolt, Kelly, For aker, Shea, Silver they are easy, but because they are
the thermal protection system for the and Lee. These tireless, dedicated hard, because that goal will serve to
Space Shuttle. Her vast experience men and women worked silently and organize and measure the best of
with cone shaped spacecraft was diligently in the background towards our energies and skills, because that
incorporated into the design of a national goal and a wider vision challenge is one that we are willing
to accept, one we are unwilling to
the Shuttle’s nose cone which was
postpone, and one which we intend
nicknamed “Dottie’s Nose”. Now the
legacy of her early work back on supporting three men that climbed to win!”
Wallops Island and since has been
- President John F. Kennedy
continued once again. On June 5th into the void and walked on another speaking at Rice Stadium, September
2014 engineers at NASA’s Johnson world. This cast of hundreds of 12 1962
Space Center in Houston installed thousands committed themselves
Please visit our website for the
the largest heat shield ever made to a historic achievement that was
to the new Orion spacecraft. The larger than anything they had been entire list of source material consulted
heat shield is made from Avcoat (the part of before and since. These are during the writing of this article.
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon
Here is a rare perspective on a story we only thought we knew. For Apollo 11, the
belongs to the seamstress who put together twenty-two layers of fabric for each
space suit. To the engineers who created a special heat shield to protect the
software experts, suit testers, telescope crew, aerospace technicians, photo
developers, engineers, and navigators.
Gathering direct quotes from some of these folks who worked behind the
scenes, Catherine Thimmesh reveals their very human worries and concerns. Culling
NASA transcripts, national archives, and stunning NASA photos from Apollo 11,
she captures not only the sheer magnitude of this feat but also the dedication,
ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team ever – the team that worked to
This recommended book may be purchased at www.amazon.com.
www.RocketSTEM .org
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