Building a full-scale Apollo Command Module replica
One of the more unique instruments on the Apollo Command Module control panel was the “talkback annunciator,” or simply “talkback.” This was an electromechanical device (think relay or solenoid) that would display one of two appearances depending on the input signal. These were usually used to indicate positions of valves,
I wanted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing in some meaningful way at some meaningful location. However, most of the events either cost an arm and a leg (such as the event at Kennedy Space Center in Florida) or involve significant travel (such as the
The Computer Museum of America in Roswell, Georgia, had a pre-launch celebration for donors and guests on July17, 2019. I was invited as the guest of S&T Geotronics, who had donated replicas of the Open DSKY and the Enigma to the museum. Since the public grand opening of the museum
Now that I had the countdown displays working, I really wan’t content with not simulating any other aspect of the EMS. I could simulate the orientation lights fairly easily, but how could I simulate the scrolling graph? I really didn’t want to create a motorized assembly that would really scroll
Although the vast majority of the switches on the CM control panels are toggle switches, there are a handful of lighted pushbutton switches. Each of them have some text inside the button indicating what it is for. The switches I got have buttons that are designed to come off and
With the delays in construction of the main CM structure, I wanted to show at least a little completed progress, especially in time to meet Fred Haise on June 22nd. I had already sent STL files for the wedge-shaped toggle switch extensions and the toggle guards to Marc Tessier of
Took my daughters down to Columbus, Georgia, to hear Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise give a talk about “Failure Is Not An Option” at Columbus State University and to visit the anniversary exhibits at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. While we were there I connected with Marc Tessier of S&T
Aside from the AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer), one of the key pieces of equipment in the Apollo Command Module was the Entry Monitor System, or EMS. This device had a few specialized functions, but arguably the most important was to monitor the speed and position of the CM during reentry
The Apollo Education Experience Project’s GoFundMe page is now live! Please visit https://www.gofundme.com/apollo-education-experience-project to contribute to the project! Thank you in advance!
Because of the unusual shape of the Command Module, I needed to start off modeling the structure in 3D before ever cutting a single board. I don’t have a dedicated CAD program, so I’m doing my modeling in Blender. Hey — it’s free and it’s something I already know. This
