#service module

[thepastisalreadywritten]

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"Our crew on the International Space Station caught a glimpse of the NASA Artemis II crew as they re-entered the atmosphere from their journey to the Moon!

We first saw a bright light and a trail as the service module burned up.

We didn’t see the Orion capsule itself as it re-entered, but we saw the wispy trail it left behind in the upper atmosphere.

Overjoyed that our friends are safely back on Earth after their awe-inspiring mission!"

[nocternalrandomness]

NASA Orion spacecraft

[lonestarflight]

"An Apollo Service Module contour engine [Aerojet AJ10-137] mounted in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA Lewis Research Center in 1964. The Laboratory contained two 14-foot diameter test chambers that could simulate conditions found at very high altitudes. Researchers sought to determine the impulse value of the storable propellant mix, classify and improve the internal engine performance, and compare the results with analytical tools. A special setup was installed in the chamber that included a device to measure the thrust load and a calibration stand."

This engine used Aerozine 50 (a 1:1 mix of UDMH and hydrazine) as fuel and nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as an oxidizer, rather than the previous nitric acid/UDMH.

Three different noozles for testing: a 15 degree conical nozzle, a Titan transtage contour nozzle and an Apollo AJ10-137.

Date: 1964

source, source, source, source

NASA ID: C-1964-68789, C-1964-70930, C-1964-70929, C-1964-70931, C-1964-69633

[nelc]

Apollo Service Module attitude control thrusters

[silver-san-arts]

Ah yes, I like my spaceships long and pointy.

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WAIT A MINUTE!

[therealuniverse]

Apollo 7, which tested out the Command and Service Module assembly, carried a camera with a wide-angle lens. This remastered video allows you to spin around that wide-angle frame as you would with a 360 degree video. In this clip, they are testing basic motions around the command module - changing LiOH canisters, getting into your sleep station, etc - things that they needed to test in zero gravity before more advanced missions were attempted in these spacecraft.

[from-the-earth-to-the-moon13]

(14 Dec. 1972) --- An excellent view of the Apollo 17 Command and Service Modules (CSM) photographed from the Lunar Module (LM) "Challenger" during rendezvous and docking maneuvers in lunar orbit. The LM ascent stage, with astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt aboard, had just returned from the Taurus-Littrow landing site on the lunar surface. Astronaut Ronald E. Evans remained with the CSM in lunar orbit. Note the exposed Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) Bay in Sector 1 of the Service Module (SM). Three experiments are carried in the SIM bay: S-209 lunar sounder, S-171 infrared scanning spectrometer, and the S-169 far-ultraviolet spectrometer. Also mounted in the SIM bay are the panoramic camera, mapping camera and laser altimeter used in service module photographic tasks. A portion of the LM is on the right.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Orion’s crew and service module have separated.

The crew module continues on its path towards Earth while the service module will harmlessly burn up in Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

The Artemis II return trajectory is designed to ensure any remaining debris does not pose a hazard to land, people, or shipping lanes.