General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

3

Total Parts

5

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal conical part.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

N/A

Height

6.1 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

5.0 cm

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Space Technology

Category

Models

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

NASA

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Texas

City

Houston

Context

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Texas

Period

ca. 1962-1970

Canada

As part of the Apollo Program’s mission of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth, NASA requested proposals for a Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) in July 1962 from eleven U.S. aerospace companies. The LEM would attach to the Command and Service Module (CSM), which was contracted to be built by North American Aviation. This model shows an early concept of how the CSM would interact with the LEM. This early CSM/LEM model and ones like it were used to demonstrate how the CSM/LEM would function for internal NASA purposes as well as for demonstrating to contractors the basics of what they were looking for in a LEM design. Out of the nine proposals submitted, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Cooperation won the contract in November 1962, signing it in January 1963. This model belonged to Canadian engineer Owen Maynard and illustrates his close association with the Apollo Program and the early development of the Apollo spacecrafts. In 1961 Canadian engineer Owen Maynard became the first person at NASA to begin working on a LEM design, which would support the lunar-orbit rendezvous Moon landing approach of which Robert Gilruth’s Space Task Group was a proponent. Maynard then worked closely with Grumman as the Manager of the LEM Systems Office, before becoming Chief of Systems Engineering for the Apollo Office in 1964, where had continued to have a close hand in all aspects of the Apollo Program.

Function

Combined model used to illustrate the appearance of a proposed Command and Service Module and Lunar Excursion Module as part of the Apollo Program. This piece represents the engine nozzle of the Service Module, which carried the Command Module and Lunar Module to the moon and back to Earth orbit.

Technical

This Command and Service Module (CSM)/Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) model served as a communication tool and proof of concept during the early design and development of the CSM/LEM. It gave engineers the opportunity to quickly illustrate the main design features of the CSM/LEM and allowed for demonstration of how the LEM would disengage and dock on the Command Module.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None apparent

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Silver-coloured metal cone.

Decoration

N/A