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Started By
Message
50 years ago today, Ed White walked in space
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:41 pm
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:41 pm
5
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:43 pm to Jim Rockford
What did he walk on?
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:45 pm to JG77056
His gigantic titanium balls
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:46 pm to JG77056
God's grace.
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:55 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
Buzz AldrinVerified account
?@TheRealBuzz
Ed White was my best friend at West Point. We served together in the US Air Force & he's the reason I joined NASA.
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:55 pm to Jim Rockford
Posted on 6/3/15 at 5:57 pm to Jim Rockford
Posted on 6/3/15 at 6:39 pm to Jim Rockford
RIP, big man.
Posted on 6/3/15 at 6:52 pm to VetteGuy
Yep .. Died in the Apollo 1 fire
Posted on 6/3/15 at 7:10 pm to TigahRag
He tried to lift the hatch.
Never quit...
Never quit...
Posted on 6/3/15 at 7:19 pm to VetteGuy
Weren't the main hatches bolted closed in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, until after the Apollo fire?
Posted on 6/3/15 at 10:10 pm to White Roach
Correct.
He still tried to open it though.
From his NASA biography:
As the crew entered the Apollo I command module for the plugs out test on January 27, 1967, Ed White took the center seat. Toward the end of the test, they would be practicing emergency egress procedures and Ed would be responsible for opening the hatch by removing the bolts which sealed it shut. It was a difficult maneuver because Ed needed to reach over his head to loosen the bolts with a ratchet. The inner hatch was extremely heavy, but Ed, who was known for his great strength, had become accustomed to handling it by repeatedly practicing the opening procedure. Although the well-trained crew had practiced the egress drill numerous times, they never had managed to perform the duty within the ninety second recommended time frame. The entire plugs out test had been riddled with various problems from the time the crew entered the spacecraft shortly after 1:00 P.M., especially in the area of communications. As darkness began to fall, the crew still needed to perform the emergency egress procedure before ending the test and heading home for the weekend. A ninety second time frame was the goal for completing the hatch removal. Ed White had no idea that he and the crew soon would be in an emergency situation and that their lives would depend upon the crew opening the hatch in less than twenty seconds.
He still tried to open it though.
From his NASA biography:
As the crew entered the Apollo I command module for the plugs out test on January 27, 1967, Ed White took the center seat. Toward the end of the test, they would be practicing emergency egress procedures and Ed would be responsible for opening the hatch by removing the bolts which sealed it shut. It was a difficult maneuver because Ed needed to reach over his head to loosen the bolts with a ratchet. The inner hatch was extremely heavy, but Ed, who was known for his great strength, had become accustomed to handling it by repeatedly practicing the opening procedure. Although the well-trained crew had practiced the egress drill numerous times, they never had managed to perform the duty within the ninety second recommended time frame. The entire plugs out test had been riddled with various problems from the time the crew entered the spacecraft shortly after 1:00 P.M., especially in the area of communications. As darkness began to fall, the crew still needed to perform the emergency egress procedure before ending the test and heading home for the weekend. A ninety second time frame was the goal for completing the hatch removal. Ed White had no idea that he and the crew soon would be in an emergency situation and that their lives would depend upon the crew opening the hatch in less than twenty seconds.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 1:19 am to VetteGuy
That's really interesting. Thanks for posting that.
I had no idea the bolts could be removed from the inside. I just thought it was always blown after splashdown. Never really thought about all the preflight testing. Obviously, they wouldn't blow the hatch after each test. Maybe NASA even stopped using explosive bolts after the Liberty 7 incident, I don't know...
There's a poster who worked for NASA back in the moonshot days. I'm sure he could add some firsthand insight.
I had no idea the bolts could be removed from the inside. I just thought it was always blown after splashdown. Never really thought about all the preflight testing. Obviously, they wouldn't blow the hatch after each test. Maybe NASA even stopped using explosive bolts after the Liberty 7 incident, I don't know...
There's a poster who worked for NASA back in the moonshot days. I'm sure he could add some firsthand insight.
Posted on 6/4/15 at 3:04 am to White Roach
Interesting stuff. Those were some brave souls.
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