A significant portion of crew readiness training for the astronauts involves maintaining their competence in piloting high-performance airplanes. In all astronaut selections, such a competence is a rigid requirement. For this reason, we are coordinating our efforts with the Air Force to procure T-38 aircraft during the next year. Helicopter training for astronaut personnel was initiated this past year in the simulation of flight profiles for the lunar landing phase of the APOLLO mission (fig. 104).

Astronaut survival training in water, desert, and jungle environments was completed this past year (fig. 105). Jungle and desert survival training was conducted under the auspices of the Air Force in Panama and in Utah, respectively. Water survival training was conducted at the Manned Spacecraft Center and at the Navy facility at Pensacola, Fla.

Environmental training this past year included indoctrination in high-g and zero-g environments, as well as indoctrination in life support systems, such as an astronaut's space suit (fig. 106). A continuing effort in this field is necessary to further our knowledge in developing a feasible extra-vehicular locomotion capability for space

crews.

Representative specific training hardware includes APOLLO systems trainers, similar to these used in GEMINI (fig. 107), to be available in fiscal year 1964, as well as centrifuge training for APOLLO mission g-profiles. APOLLO mission simulators are scheduled to be operational for crew training in early calendar year 1965. A unique vehicle that is scheduled to become available in the second quarter

of 1964 for operational research and ultimately for crew readiness training, is the free flight lunar landing research vehicle. It is a single seat, jet-powered free-flight vehicle that can simulate the lunar excursion module landing profile and the necessary control requirements for a lunar environment. Crew safety provisions include a rocket-powered ejection seat for zero-zero airspeed/altitude capability.

For the GEMINI program, a moving base docking trainer is in the final assembly phase and will soon be operational at the Manned Spacecraft Center for dynamic simulation of the docking maneuver. Shown here (fig. 108) is the first of two GEMINI missions simulators as it appeared in December just prior to shipment from the McDonnell plant to Cape Kennedy. This unit has been installed in the Mission Control Center at Cape Kennedy and is undergoing checkout for full mission simulations.