Sep 262009
 

Before the Apollo Command and Service Module designs we’ve come to know were settled upon, numerous American aerospace companies designed their own vehicles to fulfill the Apollo role. General Electric was one of those companies, and their most detailed design was the D-2 configuration. Much like the later Soyuz design (a fact that has caused many to wonder if the design was “copied” by the Soviets), the D-2 consisted of a power & propulsion module at the aft, a re-entry module in the middle and an expendable Mission Module up front, all contained within an aerodynamic shroud. The recovery vehicle portion bears a striking resemblance to the Soyuz version. Unlike the Soyuz, the D-2 would retain the shroud while in space.

Newly released are a series of GE diagrams of their D-2 Apollo spacecraft configuration. You can see more on this drawing package HERE.

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 Posted by at 11:20 pm

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