Word: orbiters
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...danger lasted for only a fraction of a second. As soon as the A.C. circuits failed, three batteries delivering direct current took over automatically, bringing the Apollo spacecraft's vital systems back to life. Meanwhile, the mighty Saturn rocket was blasting away unaffected, lifting the astronauts toward orbit. After quickly resetting circuit breakers that had been sprung by a mysterious surge of current, the astronauts managed to restore A.C. power. "We're weeding out our problems here," Conrad reported calmly. "I'm not sure we didn't get hit by lightning." Neither were NASA scientists...
Despite the brief blackout, the spacecraft hurtled into a nearly perfect 118-mile-high earth orbit. By testing the spacecraft's navigational and guidance computers, the astronauts confirmed that the instruments had been left unscathed by the power surge. Halfway through the second revolution, after ground controllers were assured that Apollo was in perfect shape, Conrad fired the third stage S-4B rocket. The 51-minute burn increased the spacecraft's speed to 24,100 m.p.h., lifted it from orbit and sent it on its way to the moon. Said Conrad: "Everything is tickety...
...Ocean of Storms at the right time of lunar day. On this course, too, Apollo could loop the moon and head back if its big engine failed to fire again. But, even so, it might miss the earth by 56,000 miles, marooning the astronauts in eternal orbit around...
...Apollo 12 is no less complex or hazardous than the earlier moon shots. This attempt will include a number of dangerous innovations. The trickiest is a free-flying approach to the moon that, if it is marred by an engine malfunction, could send the spacecraft into a deadly sun orbit...
Lonely Day. If the flight goes according to plan, the all-Navy crew will ride the nautically named Yankee Clipper into moon orbit after 83 hours in space. Then Skipper Charles ("Pete") Conrad, 39, and Space Rookie Alan Bean, 37, will board the module Intrepid for their trip to the moon's surface. While his fellow astronauts explore the Sea of Storms 69 miles below, Gemini Veteran Richard F. Gordon Jr., 40, will spend a lonely day and a half in orbit...