Boiler Plate 29A

Boiler Plate 29A. . , This test capsule, named Boiler Plate 29A never flew into space. Instead, the capsule was built in 1965 to test the systems that helped Apollo space capsules float upright after splashdown at sea., The test capsule represents an Apollo command module, the control center for astronauts who traveled to the moon. The command module is the only portion of the Apollo spacecraft that returned to Earth, glowing red as it entered the Earth's atmosphere much like a meteor., Take a look inside. Can you imagine living in this capsule for several days during a mission?, Astronaut Training , From 1963 through late 1970, astronauts scheduled for Apollo missions to the moon were trained at Meteor Crater because of its similarity to craters on the lunar surface., The extensive science training occurred under the guidance of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker and Dr. David Roddy. Both men worked for the Branch of Astrology of the United States Geological Survey. , The astronauts learned how to make their way around a cratered environment, and how to collect rocks ejected from a crater-rocks which would provide clues to the underground composition of the moon. , Captions , After re-entering Earth's atmosphere from space, Apollo capsules deployed parachutes, then landed in the ocean. This photograph shows an Apollo capsule floating upright in the water., Among the first students in the NASA astronaut training program at Meteor Crater were Neil Armstrong, Frank Borman, Charles Conrad, James Lovell, Thomas Stafford, and James McDivitt., Training at Meteor Crater led to a safer space suit after one of the astronaut trainers ripped his suit on a rock in the crater-an accident that would have released oxygen and caused death on the moon. The suits were then redesigned with a thicker material to resist tears. More recently, a suit designed for missions to Mars was tested at Meteor Crater.