Source: NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Office, NASA.
Headquarters, Washington, DC.
In addition to the extensive system, subsystem, and component studies on the Apollo spacecraft made by the Apollo 204 Review Board, NASA undertook a detailed analysis of the entire Apollo program and its management. This included a comprehensive review of each deficiency noted by the Board and its supporting panels to identify and initiate corrective action in those areas noted. In addition to identifying and taking actions to improve crew safety, this review, because of its extraordinary depth and analysis, should result in substantial improvements to many other aspects of the Apollo program.
Many changes have been made in the Apollo program because of the accident and are discussed in parts 6, 7, and 8 of the hearings. The astronauts have had and will continue to have a direct hand in all planning and changes for the Apollo command module and no manned flights have been or will be attempted in the Apollo program until the astronauts, in the light of their newly acquired technical information, are completely satisfied with all aspects of the Apollo system.
Sunstantial changes in the management of the Apollo program have been made both in the agency and in the prime contractor's effort.
Some of the more important procedure and hardware changes that have been initiated by NASA follow:
Procedures
Spacecraft and Facility Modifications
One Hundred Percent Pure Oxygen Environment
NASA has defined all tests taking place in 100 percent pure oxygen environment as hazardous. While NASA has reconfirmed by detailed review that the inflight cabin atmosphere, outside the Earth's atmosphere, should continue to be 100 percent oxygen at 5 p.s.i.a., it has modified the command module systems on the launch pad. Should full scale flammability tests indicate a need to change to an air atmosphere for ground operations, NASA will implement this capability. However, the dual gas cabin atmosphere, while reducing the fire hazard, creates other risks such as the risk of the astronauts getting the "bends" if their cabin pressure is reduced quickly.
NASA Status Report
NASA submitted to the committee on January 8, 1968, a report on the status of actions taken on the Apollo 204 Review Board Report as of December 28, 1967. This document is printed as part 8 of the committee's hearings on the Apollo accident. This status report shows that NASA has made substantial progress in adopting and implementing the findings, determinations, and recommendations of the Apollo 204 Review Board and its task panel.
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Updated October 22, 2004