APOLLO 15 EARTH ORBITAL CONTINGENCY MISSION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00681R000200120006-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 18, 2007
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: May 20, 1971
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2007/10/19: CIA-RDP74B00681 R000200120006-2
MAY ti 0 19/1
NASA Review Completed.
NRO review(s) completed.
MEMORANDUM FOR: Honorable Henry A. Kissinger
Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs
SUBJECT: Apollo 15 Earth Orbital Contingency Mission
References: 1. No dated April 3, 1970, from Mr. Shapley to
Members of the 40 Committee, subject: Apollo
Earth Orbital Contingency Mission
2. Mslwrandus for the Record dated 10 April 1970
approval of above request
3. IS dated Nov. 19. 1970, from Mr. Krueger to
Mr. frank Chapin, Executive Secretary, 40 Com-
mittee, subject: Apollo 14 Earth Observation
Contingency Mission Plan
As we have done to the past. we are planning for an earth orbital
contingency mission in the unlikely event that Apollo 15, now scheduled
for launch to the moon on 26 July 1971, cannot continue to the moon
from earth orbit. but can safely stay in earth orbit and perform useful
experimentation. This contingency would offer a unique opportunity to
acquire earth survey photography in support of the NASA Earth Resources
Survey Program.
We plan to optimize photographic coverage of the United States and
contiguous areas and plan to operate all the on-board photographic
systems in consonance with 40 Committee approvals for Apollos 13 and 14.
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In keeping with prior practice, we plan to have an interagency review
of all contingency earth photography prior to its release and
dissemination.
James C. Fletcher
Administrator
Enclosure
Memo dtd May 7. 1971,
sub j : Apollo 15
Contingency Mission
Planning (encl.'
NASA
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20546
RCPLY TO
ATTN OF: MMAO
MEMORANDUM
TO; M/Asaoaiato Administrator for Manftod Space Flight
FROM: MA/Apollo Program Director
SUBJECT: Apollo 15 Contingency Mission Planning
Contingency plans are being developed, as they were for past Apollo
lunar missions, for the unlikely event that Apollo 15, scheduled for
launch in late July of 1971, achieves earth orbit successfully, but
is unable to meet the GO criteria for carrying out the translunar
injection burn.
In studying possible earth orbital contingency missions, we noted that
alternate earth orbital parameters maximize only the potential results
of the earth's resources photography. All other experiments, except
using the X-ray for galactic survey, will either be saturated or will
not provide meaningful data. Therefore, unless photographic tasks
were conducted, an earth orbital mission would have little scientific
merit.
In the case of earth resources photography, the major equipment to be
used would be the ITEK 24-inch focal length panoramic camera and the
Fairchild 3-inch focal-length stellar-index mapping camera, both of
which are mounted outside of the Coi'nand Module in the scientific
instrument bay of the Apollo Service Modulo. This camera package has
been developed for high-quality lunar surface photography from lunar
orbital altitudes of 60 to 80 nautical miles.
Given a class of mission failure which permits the crew to remain with-
out danger in earth orbit for up to six days, the earth photography
contingency mission would be conducted at an altitude of 230 nautical
miles in order to accommodate the slower forward motion compensation
rates built into the ITEK optical bar for the lunar mission. The
orbital inclination would be increased to 40? and solar illumination
conditions selected to provide the greatest possible coverage of the
United States. The same contingency plan is expected to apply to
Apollos 16 and 17 scheduled for 1972.
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The lunar photographic syztcri on Apollo 15 clod t'ut lunva such u filter,
thus the above perforr.ance will be degraded because of loss in scene
contrast and thus loss in ground resolution.
The objectives of this contingency LUssion would be to acquire relatively
high resolution coverage of the United States and contiguous areas, for
evaluation by the scientific and earth resources ranagement communities
as an adjunct to the interagency Earth Resources Survey Program. This
program includes remote sensing aircraft, the Earth Resources Technology
Satellite project, and the Earth Resources Experiment Package on the
manned Skylab.
deleterious effects of haze and blue scattered light on system performance,
filter is always used in high altitude earth photography to minimize the
ORIGINAL SIGNED BY
ROCCO A. PETRONE
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