Blitzeinschläge bei Apollo 12 | Funkverkehr | Reupload
Video from the channel Mondgeflüster about Apollo 12, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 6:23. Language: German. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
A short piece about the two lightning strikes that hit Apollo 12 during launch. It is built around the radio communications between the crew and mission control, which the author plays back translated into German and comments on.
Historical context
On board were Pete Conrad as commander, Alan Bean and Richard Gordon. After the first lightning strike, which can be heard in the recording, telemetry and instrument readings were completely lost both on the spacecraft and in Houston, although the Saturn V kept flying correctly.
Highlights
The EECOM controller, John Aaron, in charge of the electrical systems and about twenty-five years old, recognized the telemetry failure pattern because he had already seen it during a test. He deduced that the problem was in the SCE, the signal-conditioning electronics. Neither Conrad nor several of the controllers in Houston immediately understood his call, "SCE to AUX." Alan Bean, who had practiced that switch during a training session, flipped it and everything returned to normal. The mission came close to being aborted. The video ends with the crew laughing once the incident was over.