Apollo -- Hamilton Sundstrand

In 1962, HS won the Apollo suit / portable life support system contract. Under this contract, HS was not only responsible for the backpack-type, portable life support systems, but also for suit development and manufacture until 1966. Apollo suits were specifically developed for Lunar space walk mobility. In January 1963, HS was awarded the Lunar Module (LM) Environmental Control System (ECS) contract. Under this contract to the Grumman Aerospace Engineering Corporation, HS was responsible for the design, development, fabrication and qualification of the ECS for this world's first manned lunar landing vehicle.

Apollo Space Suit System Efforts (1962-72)

Under the HS Apollo contract, 42 suits representing seven design models were delivered through subcontractors and two prototype models were provided from internal HS fabrication and design efforts. HS also contributed many milestone inventions and technical firsts to the Apollo suit system effort. In 1963, Apollo heat removal requirements increased beyond the cooling technology of the time. A result was HS invention (ref. U.S. Patent No. 3,289,748) of the space suit Liquid Cooling Garment (LCG). The world's first space suit to feature a LCG was completed in 1964. This was the HS-designed and manufactured Apollo AX5H suit. HS was the designer and fabricator of Apollo LCGs until March 1966. In March 1966, HS sold the rights to the LCG patent to NASA, which made the design available to all U.S. corporations and individuals.

Mercury, Gemini and early Apollo helmets used pressure visors made from acrylic. Polycarbonate was superior to acrylic in impact resistance but in 1963-1964, no one had perfected forming Polycarbonate while retaining optical quality. HS was the first to develop the necessary forming technology, making Apollo helmets featuring optical quality Polycarbonate pressure visors from 1964 to 1966. The Apollo Portable Life Support System (PLSS) featured another HS invention -- porous plate sublimation (ref. U.S. Patent No. 3,170,303). This cooled the Astronaut by controlled evaporation to the vacuum of space through a porous metal plate. Additionally, sublimation was incorporated into the Lunar Module Environmental Control System and the Saturn rocket electronics heat rejection system. Porous plate sublimation is now a space standard that is used on the Space Shuttle and Russian Mir Space Station and in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (the U.S. EVA suit) and the Russian Orlan (Russia's EVA Space Suit).

The HS Apollo PLSS was the world’s first, self-contained portable life support system qualified for space use. The Apollo 9-14 type PLSS furnished the suited crewmen with four hours of primary life support, 30 minutes of emergency life support, communications, telemetry and controls and displays for the lunar exploration missions.

To support Lunar Rover exploration on Apollo 15 to 17, HS redesigned the PLSS to provide at least six hours of life support. On Dec. 12, 1972, the world’s record for the longest space walk (7 hours and 37 minutes) was set by Apollo 17 Astronauts Cernan and Schmitt using HS Apollo PLSSs. The record stood until 1992 when a new record was set by HS Shuttle PLSSs.

Apollo Vehicle Life and Support System Efforts (1963-72)

Hamilton Standard "(now Hamilton Sundstrand) directed and controlled the related activity of 20 major subcontractors and more than 100 vendors. The complete system contained more than 70 different components and four major subsystems. The major subsystems were the Atmospheric Revitalization Subsystem, Heat Transport Subsystem, Oxygen Supply and Cabin Pressure Control Subsystem, and the Water Management Subsystem.

The Lunar Module ECS supported the five successful lunar missions and was responsible for the safe return of the three Astronauts during the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission (ref. "Hs's role in Saving Apollo 13", below). This performance demonstrated the high reliability and performance characteristics of our equipment.

HS's role in saving Apollo 13

Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, for a mission to the Moon's Fra Mauro Hills on April 15. On April 13 during a cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen "stir" at 9:07 PM EST, there was a sharp bang followed by a vibration. Astronaut Swigert radioed: "Houston, we've got a problem." Apollo 13 was 205,000 miles from Earth. There was no reading from oxygen tank #2. Thirteen minutes later, Astronaut Lovell looked out and announced, "We are venting something ... a gas of some sort." This was the beginning of a historic space drama.

The Lunar Module was immediately activated to provide a "life boat." While these events were unfolding, a few selected HS engineers were manning a mission support room in Windsor Locks, CT. When Mission Control announced activation of the Lunar Module, among the many activities triggered throughout the NASA/subcontractor network was HS telephoning all HS Space System engineers to report to the plant to support the emergency.

In activating the Lunar Module, the main flight control was not used. Instead, HS's Lunar Module Abort Sensor Assembly, the LM’s backup guidance system, was activated. This decision was made because the Abort Sensor Assembly operation consumed less electricity.

On April 14th at 2:43 AM, the flight controls of the Lunar Module Abort Sensor Assembly were used to adjust trajectory before firing Lunar Module engines to achieve a free-return trajectory around the Moon to speed the return to Earth. While this was successful, there was still another significant problem, CO2 removal.

The Lunar Module's (LM) Environmental Control System (ECS) was designed to supply 45 hours of life support for two crewmembers (90 man/hrs.). The HS LM ECS provided almost 83 hours of life support for three people (249 man/hrs.). This was achieved because of two alternative means of CO2 removal.

First, HS had designed the cartridges from the Portable Life Support Systems to fit the LM ECS. This interchangeability was not a program requirement but a feature HS felt was good engineering practice. This interchangeability provided an immediate spare cartridge supply, permitting the development of a second means of CO2 removal with the adaptation of the Command Module CO2 removal cartridge to the LM ECS.

During the period when the Apollo team searched for a method for using Command Module canisters for CO2 removal, HS supported Grumman and Mission Control. HS not only contributed inputs to the work-around configuration, but, with parts flown to Windsor Locks, assembled and ground tested the Apollo 13 adapter. This testing verified the adaptation worked in advance of the Apollo 13 crew modification and use of the "system."

On April 15, HS's Abort Sensor Assembly was used to make a second course correction at 10:31 AM. This adjusted the trajectory for re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The crew successfully splashed down off the coast of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean at 12:07 PM on April 17, 1970.