Re: Retained LM ascent stage

I wrote:
To make time for it in lunar orbit, you'd either have to end science
operations early, or delay TEI...
Moreover, doing it in lunar orbit would insert a complicated procedure,
which expends a lot of time, effort, and oxygen, *before* a critical
maneuver...

A friend observes that there's a third issue: after TEI they had
continuous contact with the ground, while in lunar orbit they were out of
touch for perhaps one-third of every orbit. So doing it after TEI meant
better ground monitoring, making the spacewalk a bit simpler and safer.
--
spsystems.net is temporarily off the air; | Henry Spencer
mail to henry at zoo.utoronto.ca instead. | henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Retained LM ascent stage
    ... Are you sure it was Trans-Earth EVA and not still in lunar orbit, ... But you raise an interesting question: why was the EVA done after TEI ... What else did they do en route to Earth? ...
    (sci.space.history)
  • Re: Retained LM ascent stage
    ... while in lunar orbit they were out of ... touch for perhaps one-third of every orbit. ... So doing it after TEI meant ... "Uh, well, Houston, we sort of lost Ron while on the back side..." ...
    (sci.space.history)