The 2-Belo
Capt. Refsmmat
I wonder if someone whom has done this via the historical numbers can help point me in the right direction (puns; see below) on what is the proper way to transpose the CSM and dock with the LM in the Apollo 11 mission without using up too much thruster gas, but at the same time not "cheating" (i.e., cutting corners that Mike Collins did not).
1) My issue lies in what actions to take immediately after separating from the S-IVB. Once the four panels have fallen away the CSM is floating free, and at this point I'm supposed to pitch up, turning toward the LM for the docking attempt. But since the separation maneuver has put in a bit of a forward rate with respect to the S-IVB, by the time I turn around I've floated a good ways away from the booster, and it's even put in a little motion up and away from the line of sight.
I've figured out how to correct this (at least in Orbiter) by waiting about ten seconds after separation, switching to linear RCS, and thrusting backwards to null out the rate so I'm at zero velocity with respect to the S-IVB. But is this what Mike Collins did?
I suspect that there was some point where he stopped the outward movement, but was this before or after he pitched around? The Orbiter sim is realistic enough that you can see debris floating by the windows after the panels have separated; is a little distance necessary to make sure nothing hits the CM?
2) The other thing is, after I've ejected the LM from the booster, what to do with the S-IVB afterwards. In the real mission the flight controllers oriented the booster so it would slingshot around the other side of the moon and into a heliocentric orbit. This was done by venting the remaining propellant (rather than actually firing the engine, since it could only be fired twice). I suppose I should do it by switching ships to the S-IVB and then mashing down on the thrusters, but it seems like it never runs out of thruster gas, and I'm not sure what attitude to orient it. Should I just set up a maneuver using TransX like I would with any other vehicle?
Sorry for length.
1) My issue lies in what actions to take immediately after separating from the S-IVB. Once the four panels have fallen away the CSM is floating free, and at this point I'm supposed to pitch up, turning toward the LM for the docking attempt. But since the separation maneuver has put in a bit of a forward rate with respect to the S-IVB, by the time I turn around I've floated a good ways away from the booster, and it's even put in a little motion up and away from the line of sight.
I've figured out how to correct this (at least in Orbiter) by waiting about ten seconds after separation, switching to linear RCS, and thrusting backwards to null out the rate so I'm at zero velocity with respect to the S-IVB. But is this what Mike Collins did?
I suspect that there was some point where he stopped the outward movement, but was this before or after he pitched around? The Orbiter sim is realistic enough that you can see debris floating by the windows after the panels have separated; is a little distance necessary to make sure nothing hits the CM?
2) The other thing is, after I've ejected the LM from the booster, what to do with the S-IVB afterwards. In the real mission the flight controllers oriented the booster so it would slingshot around the other side of the moon and into a heliocentric orbit. This was done by venting the remaining propellant (rather than actually firing the engine, since it could only be fired twice). I suppose I should do it by switching ships to the S-IVB and then mashing down on the thrusters, but it seems like it never runs out of thruster gas, and I'm not sure what attitude to orient it. Should I just set up a maneuver using TransX like I would with any other vehicle?
Sorry for length.
