Design, building, and testing of the post landing systems for the assured crew return vehicle

The design, building, and testing of the post landing support systems for a water landing Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) are presented. One ACRV will be permanently docked to Space Station Freedom, fulfilling NASA's commitment to Assured Crew Return Capability in the event of an accident or illness. The configuration of the ACRV is based on an Apollo Command Module (ACM) derivative. The 1990 to 91 effort concentrated on the design, building, and testing of a 1/5 scale model of the egress and stabilization systems. The objective was to determine the feasibility of: (1) stabilizing the ACM out of the range of motions which cause sea sickness; and (2) the safe and rapid removal of a sick or injured crewmember from the ACRV. The ACRV model construction is presented along with a discussion of the water test facility. The rapid egress system is also presented along with a discussion of the ACRV stabilization control systems. Results are given and discussed in detail.