How the Apollo Spacecraft works: Part 3

We did what we came here to do and now it's time to head home. Before take off, let's talk about the Lunar Module a little more. It was split up into two stages The Descent Stage got us safely to the surface, but now it's dead weight and will be left behind on the surface of the Moon. The Ascent Stage has it's own propulsion system, which is what gets the two Astronauts safely back into orbit. Don't forget about our one lonely Astronaut, who's still orbiting above us in the CSM. What I'm about to explain is called Rendezvous and Docking. I'm going to change the Moon's scale here, so we can show this a little better. Lift off, will need to happen at just the right time. The Ascent Stage fires up for about seven and a half minutes. This gets us initially back into Lunar Orbit. Several short engine burns happen over the next three and a half hours. It takes almost two orbits before Docking can happen. On later Apollo Missions, they were able to do this in less than one orbit. After the LM and CSM are docked, all valuables are transferred to the Command Module. It's time to say goodbye to the LM Ascent Stage; it was either left floating in Lunar Orbit, or intentionally smashed into the Moon. It's now time to head home; this is very similar to what we've done before. On the far side of the Moon, the Service Module Engine fires up for about two and a half minutes. This is called the Trans-Earth Injection. It was a three day journey to get back home. Remember that the Service Module contains things like the oxygen tanks and fuel cells; you can't actually go inside. This means that all three Astronauts are in the Command Module for the remainder of the journey. Sure hope no one gets claustrophobic. Once we're back in Earth Orbit, the Service Module is no longer needed. We started with the giant Saturn Five Rocket and now the Command Module is the only part that returns safely to Earth. The climax of the whole mission is called Re-entry. All this time the Service Module was protecting what's on the bottom side of the Command Module, the Heat Shield. Re-entering the Earth's atmosphere is dangerous because of the enormous heat it causes. The Heat Shield protects the Command Module for several minutes as it passes through the atmosphere. Down below, an Aircraft Carrier waits for the Astronaut's arrival. Once we get about two miles above the surface, the parachutes are deployed to slow us down even more. The hard part is over. now, we just enjoy the ride. The final part of every Mission... Splashdown. Half a million miles, one Lunar landing, and three youtube videos later. We made it. Thanks for sticking with me. If you've enjoyed learning about the Apollo Spacecraft, please consider sharing these videos on social media. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe. My name's Jared Owen. Thanks for watching.

Channel: Jared Owen

Views: 2,077,386

Keywords: Apollo Program, NASA, Command Module, Service Module, Lunar Module, Ascent Stage, Descent Stage, Reentry, Splashdown, Aircraft Carrier, Lunar, Trans-Earth Injection, Astronaut, Rendezvous and Docking, Heat Shield, Apollo, Saturn V, Orbit, Earth, Moon, Lunar Orbit Rendezvou, Orbital Mechanics, Engine Burn, DubbedWithAloud

Id: qt_xoCXLXnI

Length: 4min 2sec (242 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 13 2016