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Post by supermeerkat on Mar 4, 2011 20:56:21 GMT -4
That is the total interior volume of the ascent module. The habitable volume was 4.5 m 3. Thanks for the correction my good sir, I'll add that my copy and paste collection ;D
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Post by ka9q on Mar 6, 2011 4:46:17 GMT -4
60 m^3 still sounds too large for even the entire ascent module. It's the volume of a cube 3.9m on a side. Was that maybe the volume of the two stages combined?
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Post by randombloke on Mar 6, 2011 8:48:52 GMT -4
The ascent stage was a lot bigger than people think; possibly because it looks like a toy made out of scrunched up tinfoil to most people. It's actual dimensions were, however, somewhat larger than most cars: Height: 9.29 feet (2.83 m) Width: 14.08 feet (4.29 m) Depth: 13.25 feet (4.04 m)
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Post by Data Cable on Mar 6, 2011 11:34:04 GMT -4
Height: 9.29 feet (2.83 m) Width: 14.08 feet (4.29 m) Depth: 13.25 feet (4.04 m) Which is a bounding box volume of only 49m 3, so it couldn't possibly have an internal volume of 60m 3.
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Post by chew on Mar 6, 2011 19:26:03 GMT -4
That is the total interior volume of the ascent module. The habitable volume was 4.5 m 3. Thanks for the correction my good sir, I'll add that my copy and paste collection ;D I'm finding other sources that say the habitable volume is 6.7 m 3. I can't find anything about ascent or descent module volumes.
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Post by Obviousman on Mar 7, 2011 17:16:39 GMT -4
I saw this post on the sci.space.history newsgroup, and I think it is an excellent post. I'm repeating it here; it is an alternative "Apollo 18" plot. Kudos to David Spain, who came up with the plot.
******
Instead of "Alien" set in the past and on the Moon rather than in the future and in deep space, here's what Hollywood *could* have done with Apollo 18...
-o- RFK survives the assassination attempt in 1968, Humphrey bows out after crushing primary defeats and RFK goes on to win the presidency.
-o- RFK immediately freezes Vietnam commitment.
-o- RFK talks to Neil and Buzz on the moon in '69 in a nationally televised event full of emotion. With not wanting Vietnam to be the 'lasting' Kennedy legacy, RFK pledges full support of his brother's legacy and announces plans shortly thereafter for a continued lunar exploration program and restart of Apollo production lines.
-o- Grumman wins contract for LEM Block 3 to include geological laboratory.
-o- Rover Block-X developed with some excavation capacity.
-o- "Stretch" Saturn V SI-"D" and SIII-"E" developed with extended tankage to accommodate heavier block 3 LEM.
-o- Block 3 LEM capable of carrying supplies sufficient to extend Lunar stays to 14 days.
-o- Huge row breaks out after Apollo 17 over relevancy of Apollo launches to space science. With commitments to Apollo 24, NASA in a quandary. Administrators want cautious missions with low risk to program, scientists want polar exploration on the table. Eventually astronaut office sides with the scientists, administrators forced to relent before word leaks to press.
-o- First Apollo mission to Lunar North Pole announced in late spring 1973.
-o- Apollo 20 tasked to go to Lunar North Pole in 1974. First mission to use the new "stretch" Saturn, Block 3 LEM and Rover/excavator.
-o- Apollo 20 discovers ice on the moon; 3 decades before we actually think we have.
-o- Mishap in LEM geological lab, some of the water vapor from the lunar ice gets into cabin air.
-o- Ice dating / composition shows similarities to Earth from time around the same as what we now know to be the Chicxulub event. But at the time great debate breaks out over whether this water is terrestrial in nature, since Pemex Corporate policy prevents the conclusions of its contractor Robert Baltosser about Chicxulub from being publicly known at the time.
-o- Veteran Geologist/Astronaut Harrison Schmitt now on his 2nd lunar mission (and the first astronaut ever to return to the moon) begins to run a temperature.
-o- Mission Commander Russell Schweikart does his best to care for Schmitt whose condition continues to worsen. Soon Schwiekart discovers he is also feeling off.
-o- 3 days after ice discovery and 7 days into the 14 day mission, Schmitt dies of an undiagnosed illness. Schwiekart 'burys' his friend outside. Whole mission has 'gone black' at this point. National attention is riveted.
-o- 11 days into 14 day mission and Schweikart, knowing he faces the same fate sees the handwriting on the wall. Mission control publicly is insisting that they are doing everything then can to rescue Schweikart, privately Deke Slayton tells Schwiekart return is "his call".
-o- Block 3 LEM can orbit on its own. Schwiekart sends LM ascent module off with ice samples stowed and air evacuated. Watches departure from a distance with aid of the Rover.
-o- All contact with Schwiekart lost 1 hour after empty LM launch.
-o- Astronaut and CM pilot Vance Brand ordered under no circumstances to rendezvous with ill-fated LM and ordered to return to earth.
-o- The disaster and NASA's initial cover-up then subsequent leaks spark Congressional hearings.
-o- Congress charges NASA with "getting to the bottom" of the whole disaster.
-o- Apollo 21 re-tasked. First Saturn V ever launched with a 2 man crew and no LEM.
-o- Aboard Apollo 21 the legendary Deke Slayton recently cleared for flight and none other than his arch nemesis, Astronaut/Flight-Surgeon Dr. Fred Kelly. NASA's most experienced flight surgeon who was placed aboard only after the intercession of the VP and NASA administrator that if Slayton wanted this one for Rusty, he'd have to "play ball".
-o- Apollo 21 mission? Rendezvous with orbiting LM and retrieve the samples for analysis.
And that of course is the sequel movie...
*****************
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Post by supermeerkat on Mar 7, 2011 17:42:21 GMT -4
Instead of "Alien" set in the past and on the Moon rather than in the future and in deep space, here's what Hollywood *could* have done with Apollo 18... That's brilliant. It's intelligent, exciting and original. Oh, wait a minute...
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Post by PhantomWolf on Mar 7, 2011 19:44:06 GMT -4
Instead of "Alien" set in the past and on the Moon rather than in the future and in deep space, here's what Hollywood *could* have done with Apollo 18... That's brilliant. It's intelligent, exciting and original. Oh, wait a minute... A likely rather hard to turn into a 3 hour movie that will hold people's attention throughout.
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Post by grashtel on Mar 7, 2011 21:10:46 GMT -4
That's brilliant. It's intelligent, exciting and original. Oh, wait a minute... A likely rather hard to turn into a 3 hour movie that will hold people's attention throughout. Could make a nice novel though
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Post by Obviousman on Mar 8, 2011 1:40:41 GMT -4
Who'll contact David, and secure the rights to a novel? I'm actually thinking it could be fun to do.
(I have a secret desire to write a novel, and this would be a great outline)
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Post by echnaton on Mar 8, 2011 14:20:59 GMT -4
That's brilliant. It's intelligent, exciting and original. Oh, wait a minute... A likely rather hard to turn into a 3 hour movie that will hold people's attention throughout. It is missing several necessary elements such as... A secret and dangerous purpose or discovery, A resulting challenge to the safety of the world, A sure way to overcome the safety issue by letting the public know the truth or destroying the secret, A reckless government buffoon with his corporate ally/"boss" to order an override of safety procedures because the secret must be kept. They ultimately serve as the fall guys, The seemingly plain quiet woman engineer that over comes her inhibitions to become outspoken, The charismatic reporter who convinces her to spill the story only after he sleeps with her to convince her that she really is sexy too, The behind the scenes government operator who wiggles in to get the credit, The behind the scenes corporate operator who wiggles in to get control of the secret because controlling the secret means you can profit from the remedy. But wait, wasn't the original idea that the story be intelligent? Nevermind!
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Post by fiveonit on Sept 3, 2011 20:15:38 GMT -4
Saw Apollo 18 last night.
As you may have guessed... a rather ridiculous film!! I will say this, it looks as though the writers as least TRIED to get a few things right.
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Al Johnston
"Cheer up!" they said, "It could be worse!" So I did, and it was.
Posts: 1,453
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Post by Al Johnston on Sept 4, 2011 12:27:10 GMT -4
I rather enjoyed it ;D
****Spoilers****
Although I'm pretty sure there was an antenna or two on the LM that could communicate with Houston without relying on the S-band dish on the Rover.
And I don't know enough orbital mechanics to calculate exactly how infinitesimal the probability of orbital rendezvous shown in the denouement is. (Even assuming someone who demonstrably couldn't understand Russian could get the LK off the Moon in the first place ;D)
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Post by Jason Thompson on Sept 5, 2011 4:26:13 GMT -4
I hate this film already. Not becuase of anything wrong with the film itself, but simply because of the number of people now surfacing who don't understand the basic concept of a FICTIONAL movie. I have lost count of the number of people in the past week asking why this mission was kept secret and what the government is hiding from us and so on.
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Al Johnston
"Cheer up!" they said, "It could be worse!" So I did, and it was.
Posts: 1,453
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Post by Al Johnston on Sept 5, 2011 5:10:32 GMT -4
Blair Witch and Cloverfield have a lot to answer for But then apparently there are still people looking for the treasure by the fence featured in the Coen brothers' Fargo...
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