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The unmanned missions
After the devastating fire in Apollo 1 Kapsel on 1-27-1967 it had got quiet
around the American space-travel. Originally the astronauts Virgil Grissom,
Edward White should and the saturn 1 B (no. ace 204) to the earth orbit is
brought with Roger Chaffee three weeks later. This flight should take place
only within 21 months now, however. The public wondered whether there
wouldn't be more important than a landing on the moon. The technicians of
the NASA nevertheless didn't rest within these two years. It backed unmanned
trial flights whose results were, however, hardly appreciated by the public.
It has the saturn given 1 B already three trial flights which one would
usually have described as an Apollo 1, 2 and 3 in front of the fire disaster.
The fourth spaceship in honor of the killed astronauts was called Apollo 1
first, however.
One lifted saturn V from the launching pad 39 ares with the first one on
November 9th, 1967 at 7.00 hours on the dot of American east time. The
inside of five jet engines of the first S intercity degree turned itself off
135 seconds later. The outer jet engines also went out 15 seconds after. The
first layer of the second which in turn burned out after 520 seconds then
divided (S II) in an altitude of approx. 65 kilometers. Kilometer was
reached by 191, the third S IVB degree stopped its burning process after an
altitude. The payload, an unmanned Apollo spaceship, was in the orbit now.
The jet engine was ignited after two orbitings of the earth once again and
Apollo 4 on an altitude of 18340 became kilometer so taken. Then it the
Apollo capsule parted with the third degree with the Versogungsmodul and
flew in the direction of the earth now, driven by the jet engine of its own,
where kilometer then penetrated into the atmosphere per hour and in the
Pacific ocean fell with a speed of 40000. With this successful test one came
closer to the landing on the moon large piece more closely to one. However,
even further tests should follow.
 One
became brought to Apollo 5 to the earth orbit saturn 1 B (no. ace 204) on
the top on January 22nd, 1968. Originally this rocket was provided for the
first manned Apollo mission which should take place two years before. The
fourth flight of this rocket type and the first prooftesting of a lunar
module which also was carried was. The saturn 1 B went the flight without
problems. After the separation of the lunar module the country jet engine
was ignited automatically. Since the push was, however, built up too slowly,
the computer switched the jet engine off already after approx. 4 seconds.
The ignition of the ground control was therefore started manually again. The
jet engine burned after that more than 33 seconds for a long time. Then the
Auftiegsstufe of the country degree came loose and increased at a burning
time of approx. 60 seconds further in the altitude. After a second ignition
the radio contact broke off, though, so that the mission was cut short with
that.
Three months later on April 4th, 1968 one started saturn V (no. ace 502)
with the second and Apollo 6 took to an earth orbit. However, the flight
didn't proceed as without problems as one had hoped for it. After the
separation of the first S intercity degree two jet engines of the second S
II degree switched off after each other at once too early so that the
burning time of the remaining jet engines had to be extended. The parking
orbit was reached although with that that jet engine of the third S IVB
degree burned also, however, then too briefly and couldn't be ignited once
more. Of 22000 kilometer could this way not reached therefore the target
altitude is. Only this one extended burning time the jet engine of the
command modulus took Apollo 6 to an altitude of over 22000 kilometers.
Apollo Kapsel was then aligned with the earth and the jet engine of the
command modulus ignited again. Burning time extended because of this one at
the first ignition, the fuel reserves didn't suffice any more, however, to
take the spaceship to the target speed so that the heat shield test a higher
speed was necessary for was cancelled. With a delay of 34 minutes the Apollo
capsule fell in the pacific Ozian and was held by the aircraft carrier
"Okinawa". The cause of the problems with the jet engines lay mainly to too
high oscillations with the flight of the rocket what single fuel conductions
came off through. In addition, current conductions were connected up wrongly
at the second jet engine of the S II
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