Now At: $300 (1 bid)
Next Bid: $330
The 30 Minute Rule begins April 17 at 7:00 PM EDT. An Initial Bid Must Be Placed By April 17 at 6:00 PM EDT To Participate After 6:00 PM EDT
Flown 36 x 10.5 fold-out schematic of the Lunar Module's Propulsion Ascent System carried around the moon as part of the Apollo 13 LM Systems Data Book, signed and flight-certified in black ballpoint, "Carried around the moon on Apollo 13, Fred Haise, Apollo 13 LMP." Also annotated in red ink by Haise during training: "Min burn time - 0.5s, Min ΔT between burns - 5m, Max ΔP - 90psi, Tested ΔP - 20psi." In fine condition.
Accompanied by a detailed letter of provenance signed by Fred Haise, in part: "Accompanying this letter is a folded sheet labeled 2 APS from the Apollo 13 LM Systems Data Book carried on the flight of Apollo 13 during April 11 to 17, 1970. Our flight was scheduled to be the third manned lunar landing mission but had to be aborted after a Service Module oxygen tank explosion.
This particular sheet is the Propulsion Ascent System Schematic for the Lunar Module. It illustrates the APS rocket engine with the corresponding fluid flow lines from the fuel and oxidizer tanks. The helium pressurization lines and regulators are shown plus the various shutoff valves. The APS was a 3,500 pound thrust rocket engine that was designed to propel the Ascent Stage of the LM from the lunar surface to a rendezvous with the Command Module remaining in lunar orbit. The explosion prior to our lunar landing eliminated the need for the APS to perform this task. However, if we developed trouble in the Descent Stage rocket engine during our emergency return to the earth, we could have utilized the APS. That, however, would have required 'staging,' resulting in loss of the Descent Stage and valuable consumables.
This schematic shows how we could monitor the status of the APS on the LM control panel with meters labeled 'PRESS' and 'TEMP' which provided the pressure and temperature measurements of our propellants. During training for Apollo 13, I made notes in red ink…This was to remind us during the flight that the APS has a minimum burn time of 1/2 second, we had to wait 5 minutes between burns, the maximum change of pressure was 90 pounds per square inch, and the tested change in pressure was 20 psi.
Many of our LM systems were powered down during the period after the explosion to conserve electrical power. It was reassuring to have this and the other schematics in the Data Book as a trouble shooting tool in case of any other failures during the remainder of the flight. This sheet has been in my personal space collection since 1970."
