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Forgotten Machines of the Space Race

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Today, simulators are perhaps the most under appreciated, and least recognized, machines to be built during the space race. At the time, (the 1960’s) they were massive in size, complex and very costly. Their purpose, however, was paramount. They would train men to land on the surface of the moon. The simulators of the Apollo era would attempt, as realistically as possible, to recreate the functions and scenarios that the astronaut’s spacecraft could display in real flight. These simulators also attempted to fill in the many mysterious gaps that could otherwise only be proved by actual space flight.

Simulators were built to test the astronaut’s merit on any crisis that might occur from launch to reentry. These machines simulated literally thousands of scenarios that could occur on any space mission. From a catastrophic power loss, to a rendezvous between two spacecraft, simulators could be an astronaut’s best friend when preparing for space travel. While there are several different types of simulators, I will concentrate on two little known machines in this article. Coincidentally, both were built and operated at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia

The Lunar Landing Research Facility (LLRF) was the largest simulator ever built at this time. It could very well be largest simulator ever built. On the surface, the idea of the LLRF appears simple, but its’ designers quickly realized that they would have to look into new avenues of simulation ingenuity to make it work.

The LLRF was comprised of a network of gantries. From a distance, it took on the appearance of the skeleton of an unfinished airplane hangar. Built at a cost of over 4 million dollars in 1965, this simulator proved itself to be a vital tool for landing on the moon. This massive, outdoor, complex stood at over 250 feet tall. Its designer, Donald Hewes, and its construction chief, W. Hewitt Phillips, wanted it to be taller but nearby Air Force air traffic limited its size. Its’ length was over 400 feet long, and used a complex system of cables. Specifically, two long cables provided the lifting capability needed to simulate a lunar module in lunar gravity. These cables were controlled by a series of servos that used a dolly system. This dolly system was attached to a landing vehicle (which was modified during its operation in congruence with the real lunar module’s development) that could move up and down and backward and forward. The dolly system relied on a bridge that moved along the 400-foot structure for movement. The entire system was powered hydraulically, and allowed the astronaut piloting the lunar test vehicle to control it with real time stick maneuvering capability. The landing vehicle could be flown up to 17 mph, and could accurately recreate the last 150 feet of a lunar landing mission. For a touch of lunar realism, craters were painted on the landing surface of the structure. Floodlights, at proper angles, were also used to mimic the position of the sun in the lunar sky when astronauts attempted a landing.

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