Figure 1 *22. Docking mechanism of the Apollo spacecraft, a. rod of the docking mechanism; b. head of the rod; 1. microswitch; 2. latch electromagnets; 3. pneumatic tanks; 4. shaft of the manual latch drive; 5. shaft of the latch drive; 6. cross connection; 7. trigger mechanism; 8. latch; 9. ball hinge. The pneumatic drive of the rod is supplied from four nitrogen tanks at a pressure of —35 MPa. Each tank is designed for one coupling. The supply of pressure to the working cylinder of the drive is done by puncturing the diaphragm with a pyrotechnic needle; the drive develops a thrust of no less than 4.5 kN. Gas is drained from the cylinder by opening a valve, which is controlled manually. In its compressed position the rod is fixed by a spring-loaded latch released by two doubling electromagnets which are switched on remotely during undocking. The latch can also be released manually by turning a handle on the command module. This handle is also used to create the force for preliminary compression of the rod before the first undocking.
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