The Life-Saving Q-Ball of Apollo
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2017
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Among my other engineering duties at KSC from 1967-70, I was the Q-Ball Cover Retraction System engineer for the launches of Apollos 8 through 13. I want to make a few comments on the video.
The top of the LES was not a “tiny silver ball” as stated. It was cone shaped with a rounded top with holes in it; no “ball” was visible.
The Styrofoam cover was put in place whenever the vehicle was exposed to the elements, namely rollout, CDDT and CD. At the pad, the LES was usually enclosed by a small shack on the MSS.
The 2 halves of the cover were held together by a wide (3”) rubber (not elastic) band under tension. The 2 ends of the band were held together with a short piece of copper wire that passed through a shearing (not razor) mechanism. The cutter was attached to the cable that was routed back to the 320’ level of the LUT (via a pulley on the Hammerhead crane walkway) where the drop tube and control panel were located.
The command to initiate the cover retraction process began at T-8.9” (not T-5” as stated) when the launch sequencer sent a signal to activate the solenoid valve which applied 125 psi to move the lever supporting the weight.
The retraction system for Apollo 4 (and possible 6) consisted of an inflatable bladder that was inflated prior to launch, causing the 2 halves to pop apart. This method was apparently too complicated and was changed to the rubber band method for Apollos 8 and later. The QBCRS was monitored by the CPDC (pneumatics) console in the LCC and still had a (deactivated) switch on it to manually operate the old inflation system.
Thank you so much for commenting. You may not think it but you are someone’s hero. I regard every engineer and technician involved, yourself included, to be my heroes. Your collective efforts accomplished the seemingly impossible. The single greatest feat ever undertaken by mankind. As an engineer, I can only dream that in my lifetime I will be involved in such a noble effort.
I too noticed in accuracies in the video, demonstrating a general lack of understanding about the aerodynamic principles involved and what this device measured. For example, the misunderstanding of what the variable Q actually represents. I do admire her efforts however, to spark the imagination of people in a time when our civilization no longer seems interested in leaving the earth and exploring the great unknown.
Aw, shucks, twern't nuthin'.
apollo11guy I admire your humility :)
apollo11guy Why didn't you simply lift the cover with a tilting arm, activated electrically at the level where it was mounted?
Several reasons. For one, we didn't want another arm sticking out over the rocket where it could scrub the launch if it didn't retract properly. Second, it would be hard to put the cover back in place if for some reason the launch was delayed or scrubbed. The actual system was activated at T-8.9" when the engines were started up, so that baby was almost certainly going to leave.
Sorry for the delayed response.
So the Q-ball gets uncovered at the last moment. You might even say... right on Q.
I'll show myself out now.
Jan Babiuch-Hall don't let the door hit you on the way out
Ouch
Who are you talking to troll?
That system was used on the x-15 too, as far as i know and there's a good picture of Neil Armstrong next to his x-15 nicely showing the tip of the plane with the Q ball attitude system.
Ah! That's where the Q-Tip got it's name! Bwaaaaawwwww! Great job on this, Amy! Good one, Jan!
They could have trained squirrels to remove the Q-ball cover! Then fitted the squirrels with tiny little jet-packs to blast them out of harm's way! See NASA, you shouldn't have rejected my job application! Look what you're missing!
Alan Moss a scene straight out of rocky and Bullwinkle
One way or another, most of the world's problems can be solved by trained squirrels! And of cause hypnotized Badgers!
And jet-packs. Don't forget the jet-packs.
I grew up with the Apollo program and this is the first I've ever heard of the Q Ball. Great channel keep up the good work.
What, Are you saying Walter Cronkite & Roger Mudd were remiss in their news reporting?
Very interesting! I'm 62 and grew up with the space program, and this is the first time I've heard of this stuff involving the Q-ball.
Thank you for responding to my request to do this video. Apparently I wasn't the only one asking about this. It's so good to learn things from you. Great job once again. Thank you.
wow... Saturn V was the most complicated machine ever built!!
So the Saturn V had a hat? Awesome!
Yay! My Pete-Shirt arrived today! Absolutely going to rock it at work tomorrow!
Finally someone, anyone, mentions it! I've always wondered about it and how it worked (aside from the obvious escape stuff)
Just to clarify; the 4 nozzles on the bottom of the LES are all connected into one solid fuel combustion chamber, not 4 separate motors. You probably meant this, but others might not know.
plus they don't gimbal
Yup, they don't gimbal, the LES uses small fins and a separate engine-system to pitch
Thanks, you saved me looking this up. It didn't look like it would be four separate motors.
Pete merch! Coming soon*: Pete's own channel, where it's just video of him with Amy's narration of the latest Vintage Space in the backgrounds. Since it lacks important graphics and visuals, this channel is recommended for advanced users only.
*Theoretically possible, but unlikely
Thank you for pronouncing "Pitot" correctly! So many people call it a "pea-dot" tube.
Amen!
I blame the French.
Darren Marsh So much of the English language is peppered with French, camoflaged as regular English.
See what i did there?
I've always called it a "pee-tot" (I've never heard of anyone call it a "pee-dot") because everyone around me during my time in the Marine Corps working on F-18s pronounced it that way. Some habits are hard to break.
I have never encountered an individual pronouncing it wrong. However I have run across several who SPELLED it as "p-e-d-o." :-)
Is it me or is that uncovering mechanism designed by the same person who designed Mousetrap?
You might have a point. I'm sure Mousetrap appeared around 1969.
Heath Robinson I think
I just bought the "Mousetrap" game. That mechanism doesn't work correctly anymore.
Oh - the good old days!
Love the Q-Ball. Thanks Amy
Thank you Amy. As a recent mechanical engineering grad, I really appreciate what you are doing. The interesting thing is that when I took Flight vehicle design in my last semester, I used your channel to help me in the class.
OMG, I had that same model of the command and service module sometime back in the 70's or 80's when I was a kid. Seeing that with the hinged side panel brought back so many memories. That alone made the video worth watching. Great job again!!!
Thanks so much for doing this. I've been curious about the LES for a long time. So cool to finally see footage of it in action. Fascinating also to see and hear about the mechanism for uncovering the Q ball.
I love your videos, as I grew up watching the Apollo missions, I thought I knew most of the things important to their missions. I learn something new with each of your videos. Great work, keep them coming.
Terrific video Amy. I'm an engineer and am in awe of what they were able to accomplish back in the 60's. You've documented so much information I've never heard before. Please keep up the good work!
Absolutely fascinating; thanks, Amy.
Another great presentation! Thanks!
Amazing! See? Only AMY could bring out such fascinating minutiae about an iconic program ALL thought we knew so well! Thank you Amy!
I had no idea. _My favorite kind of video!_
Love these videos. Thanks Amy!
I would like to suggest a correction to what was said in the video presentation--The Q-Ball was not part of the launch vehicle attitude control system at all, i.e., it had nothing to do with engine gimbal commands. To do so, it would have had to interface with the Launch Vehicle Instrument Unit. There was no such connection. The Q-Ball did 1 thing, and 1 thing only--it drove an Angle-of-Attack meter on the Command Module display panel. For anyone interested, the meter it used was the Pc meter for the SPS engine, since this meter was not used for that purpose at this point in flight. Also, the Q-Ball was not used as part of an automatic abort system. Per the Apollo Mission Rules, the Q-Ball was used as a 'trend indicator only, with specific limits established in the Mission Rules document'.
Thanks for the info. How about the ballast below the nose cone that had depleted uranium and lead in it to help with aerodynamic stability. I've been trying to find some more in-depth info about this with no luck at all.
Hi Mako88sb-- I was not aware at all of the whole 'ballast compartment' business. I dug out an Apollo Operations Handbook, and was able to find the following:
The tapered ballast compartment and nose cone top the assembly. The ballast compartment contains lead and depleted uranium weights. The nose cone contains the 0\Q-ball instrumentation. Both the ballast compartment and nose cone are made of lnconel (a heat-resistant nickel alloy) and stainless steel. The Q-ball provides an electrical signal to a display on the main display console and to the ground. The Q-ball has eight static ports (openings) for measuring pressure changes which are a function of angle of attack. The pitch and yaw pressure-change signals are electronically summed in the Q-ball and displayed on the indicator. The Q-ball information provides a basis for crew abort decision in the event of slow launch vehicle divergence.
I know this is not exactly a 'wealth of data', but it's all I can find at the moment. Sorry. Do you know where Amy got the reference regarding the Q-Ball somehow feeding the Launch Vehicle flight control system?
Thanks for the info. Helps a bit. I only found out about this particular feature after watching one of Scott Manley's episodes. Sorry, don't know where Amy got her info from.
Amy needs a cat toy version of the LEM or an Astronaut with a bit of catnip inside for Pete to get his Conrad on...
I can always count on you to make entertaining and informative videos about the tiniest details :)
That was a brilliant episode, thank you.
Love the shirt with Pete on it.
I think this is my favorite episode (so far). Very interesting!
Very quickly becoming one of my favourite CZcams channels. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Fascinating...great video!!
Very cool, fun fact I didn't know!!! Thank you Amy for all your hard work and enthusiasm!
Very educational - Thanks for posting.
It's good to hear that your boss is finally receiving a little well-earned recognition for his hard work. Pete is the cat's whiskers.
Your grin at 2:02 is hilarious!
I learn something every time I visit this channel. So glad I subscribed.
Another fascinating, great show, Amy!
Extraordinary investigation !!!
Fascinating presentation thanks xxx.
I never knew this. Thanks Amy! 😊
Excellent video.... LOVED IT!
The question about the launch escape system I've had for many years (almost half century) has been solved. Moreover, I learned that the name of the Q-ball comes from the dynamic pressure = Q, and that the boots protective cover is removed by the tower jettison motor. Thank you for the wonderful video.
I have followed the space program since I was a kid watching all the early launches of the Mercury program and all those afterwards. I lived in Florida and have gone to the cape to watch some of the Apollo shots. I thought I knew a lot but there is always something you don't know and this is one of those things. Thanks for a great video and I have subscribed and plan to watch more.
Thanks. Always wondered about that. Love the Pete Merch. Space Cats are cool!
Thanks! Totally new info for me.
Wow, for all the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, ASTM, Shuttle, ISS, Soviet, and now private space history I've followed and studied since a kid, somehow I never knew about the Q-Ball! THANK YOU for this vid!
You Go Girl > In Vintage Space.
What a fantastic channel! I've been a big space nerd all my life. I thought I knew tons about the 60s space program, but I learn so much new stuff from you. Great content and subbed!
Love this type of topic. Another cool video!!
I did not know about the Q ball.
And I do tours at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center.
Thank you for you hard work doing the video.
And thank you for some thing new for me to talk about in my tours.
Yay! Vintage Space Pete Merch! :-)
Fascinating! Exquisitely fascinating! Thank you, Amy. I definitely did not know about the Q-Ball 😃👍
Off on a tangent and probably a question you've answered a HUNDRED times before: did you ever read "Space Cat", about the first astronaut to the moon insisting that he bring his cat, Flyball, along? Your picture of Pete on the shirt made me flash back to that first book, from the late 50's (so it's right up your alley)!
I read those in the 80s! Oh, Flyball.
way cool.. never knew about the q-ball before! thanks amy :P
I've been a space nerd who could name the planets in order from about age 6 (satellites took slightly longer :) ) and this is the first I knew of this system. Great video, thanks Amy!
Wow, I never even knew that much about the Q-Ball... that was incredibly interesting!
Wow, I never knew that! Cool bit of space trivia. Love all things Apollo, so keep up the good work.
Could you do a video about the Apollo capsule guillotine that severed the electrical and oxygen connection between the CM and SM?
shlibber The Chuck Norris of space babes;D
^ Forever Alone ^
Great video!!! Very informative and as always filled with great information. Very entertaining. Wonderful Job
Your makeup has convinced me that "cat eyes" are the optimal female eye-makeup for informative science videos.
Thank you. This was very fun and informative
Thanks Amy.
This was a great episode. Keep it up!
Oh Miss Amy , another great video i am so hooked on your channel, you're always such a Pleasure to watch and listen too Thank You .
Great video...thanks so much!
Fantastic topic!
Hey Amy! That was my question a couple of months ago (Q-ball). Thanks for responding. 👍🏼
WOW, after all these years to see a CZcams of this device; I was SHOCKED. You see, I was the designer of the original prototype...Ha!
Amy your Amazing!! I 've never knew so much About Apollo! I want Pete Merch!!
Thank you for the explanation for "Q" now I know what "Max 'Q'" means :D
I'm a Saturn/Apollo nerd of 50 years endurance and I never knew this. Vale!
You are so awesome!
Nice again, Amy!
You are literally perfect...
Your so adorable!!😍
excellent, excellent videos!
THAT -- was VERY interesting. -- Thank you.
I just added my subscription on YT!!! I love your video work!!! I grew up with the space programs of the 1960's and 70's, so I am the same vintage as your content! Keep up the VERY good work, I am only following you here on YT!!
great video, very well explained!
Nice video as always. As big of an Apollo nerd as i am i always learn new things from your videos.
I was lucky enough to be born into the teeth of the "space race" between the USA and USSR in the 1960's. It was a very exciting time and even us "little kids" could feel it. I honestly DON'T remember the Mercury or Gemini launches or even the awful APOLLO fire on the launchpad which took the lives of our three astronauts. However, I DO have very strong memories of ALL the Apollo missions after #7. Especially of course the landing of APOLLO 11 on the Moon.
It was a GLORIOUS time for anyone who was a fan of all things outer space related.
I have an armchair knowledge of Apollo and Saturn 5, but knew little about the escape tower or the q ball. Thank you!
Awesome info~ Thank you
Very good!
This was fascinating. I would never even known to ask about the q ball as I was unaware of its existence.
I didn't know that, thank you for the video
Wow! I never knew any of this!
I first discovered you through a recommendation on Instagram. Not until your post today about Discover Magazin featuring, have I thought about looking you up on CZcams, but I'm glad that I did😄
Awesome content and you have a nice voice to listen to! I'm looking forward to your coming content and that is for providing us with awesome aeronautics knowledge!😃
P.s. Hi Pete😁
I love that you say Pitot correctly. So many people screw that up.
Thanks! Very informative.
Just love the Wat you ride that rocket
Amy,
You are absolutely incredible & entirely gorgeous 💙
Very informative..never knew that. Thanks
I just found your channel. A woman into space, science and building models? Dream come true!
Pete Merch, and the Atomic Rockets Rocket Cat... bros made in the heavens XD Love your videos, and someone that loves old space race tech as much as I do
Great video, learnt something new (again!). Thanks. :)
Small corrections- The LES was a 'single' solid rocket motor with 'four' nozzles not '4' motors -and while the thrust was more than the Redstone rocket the total impulse was minuscule compared to Redstone. Only a constructive comment nothing else. I really like your site, very good as a propulsion engineer of 45 years. Thank you - Ken
I first noticed the LES about thirty years ago and have never casually found any explanation as to what it did, and specifically how it worked, until now. I guess I'll chalk this up as a Win for CZcams's Recommendation algorithm.