TransWikia.com

Where did the floatation collar and sea anchor attach to the command module?

Space Exploration Asked on November 20, 2021

When the recovery helicopters arrived after an Apollo splashdown, one of the first tasks was for Navy divers to attach a flotation collar and sea anchor to the spacecraft. The flotation collar kept the capsule high enough out of the water so waves would not reach the hatch opening. The sea anchor kept the capsule from drifting as the helicopters worked to recover the crew and spacecraft.

I have yet to see diagrams or pictures showing how these items were attached to the command module. Where were the attachment points?

2 Answers

Work in progress!

There was no set of three or more attachment points.

Only a single attachment point below the hatch was needed to fix the sea anchor and both ends of the floatation collar, the sea anchor ring.

enter image description here

Apollo 17 after recovery aboard the Ticonderoga, image S72-55886 from ALSJ. The sea anchor ring is inside the red circle (annotated by me) below the crew hatch.

The sea anchor was attached to the ring by the first rescue diver.

enter image description here

Image source: http://www.collectspace.com/review/apollo-recovery-operational-procedures.pdf

Swimmer A fixes the red striped left end of the collar to the sea anchor ring.

enter image description here

After inflation the collar is secured with two vertical straps on the rear side of the CM. But these straps do not take the buoyant forces of the collar.

enter image description here

An image of the Apollo 11 flotation collar drying after recovery:

enter image description here

Image source: https://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/index.php/apollo-11-mission-and-recovery/

All the ropes attaching the collar to the Apollo capsule are to be seen. The upper rope ring above the water is marked with green arrows. The lower rope ring below the water and the CM heat shield is marked with blue arrows.

Note the red (port side, left) and green (starboard side, right) stripes on the floatation collar. The bow of this ocean going vessel is at the top of the image, the stern at the bottom. See Wikipedia.

Answered by Uwe on November 20, 2021

The attachment point is directly under the door:

here

Image sourced from Smithsonian: https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/apollo-11-flotation-collar/nasm_A19780202000

Because of the conical shape:

Image Source: https://twitter.com/apollo_50th/status/1154117320047861760

no other point is needed:

Image Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brostad/3548675310/

Once laid around and fastened, you do not need to fix it more often.

Answered by CallMeTom on November 20, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP