Wedge313
Well-known member
Hi. Just completed the Apollo 16 flight, almost 50 years exactly from the actual mission. Casper is bobbing safely in the warm Pacific waters. I had a few questions about two maneuvers that were scheduled on the original Apollo 16 flight plan but were later scratched: LOPC-2 and the Shape burn.
First, what was the intended purpose of these maneuvers? I ask because TEI goes off just fine without them, in fact for me this was the best TEI of the four missions I've run (8, 11, 15, 16). MCC-5 and MCC-6 were scrubbed, and MCC-7 was only a 0.86 fps burp of the RCS that I conducted simply because I was getting nervous about the upcoming reentry with no MCCs. So why did they plan to do what appears to be two unnecessary maneuvers? Or were they only not needed because they did the TEI about one day early?
Second, how would I set up for LOPC-2? I tried to run two different scenarios during the flight, one that followed the original flight plan and one that followed the slightly altered plan (slightly? Yikes!) they actually ended up doing. But I didn't understand the purpose of the PC, and so I couldn't begin to try to plan it. We did a Shape burn on Apollo 15, so I understood that process. LOPC-1 sets the CSM/LM up to pass directly over the planned landing site. But I'm not clear on what LOPC-2 was for, or how we would do it.
Finally thanks again to everyone involved with the development of NASSP. It's an incredible simulation.
P.S. Landing at Descartes is great, but nothing to compare with the descent into Hadley.
First, what was the intended purpose of these maneuvers? I ask because TEI goes off just fine without them, in fact for me this was the best TEI of the four missions I've run (8, 11, 15, 16). MCC-5 and MCC-6 were scrubbed, and MCC-7 was only a 0.86 fps burp of the RCS that I conducted simply because I was getting nervous about the upcoming reentry with no MCCs. So why did they plan to do what appears to be two unnecessary maneuvers? Or were they only not needed because they did the TEI about one day early?
Second, how would I set up for LOPC-2? I tried to run two different scenarios during the flight, one that followed the original flight plan and one that followed the slightly altered plan (slightly? Yikes!) they actually ended up doing. But I didn't understand the purpose of the PC, and so I couldn't begin to try to plan it. We did a Shape burn on Apollo 15, so I understood that process. LOPC-1 sets the CSM/LM up to pass directly over the planned landing site. But I'm not clear on what LOPC-2 was for, or how we would do it.
Finally thanks again to everyone involved with the development of NASSP. It's an incredible simulation.
P.S. Landing at Descartes is great, but nothing to compare with the descent into Hadley.