eccentric shafts of the locks. The active clamps, affected by the springs, first engage the passive clamps of the matching APDA, and then tighten. After the entire tunnel is pressurized and the hermeticity is verified, the hatch of the transition lock is opened manually. When the “undock” command is given, the latches of the ring with the guides disengage. Then the drive of the locks of the docking frame turns on and the active clamps advance, then disengage from the passive clamps. The spacecraft are separated by four spring push rods (two for each APDA). To increase the velocity of separation, on a signal from the DKR [expansion unknown] sensors under the push rods of the matching assembly turn on the jet control system engines. That is how the APDA of the Soyuz craft undocks. For the active Apollo APDA undocking is done in the opposite order. First the locks of the docking frame are opened, and then after the ring with the guides is advanced, the latches are opened. Astronauts, using manual control, turn on the jet control system engines to separate the spacecraft. These docking and undocking operations are usually done by the active APDA. However, if necessary, some of the operations can be done by the passive assembly. Thus, the joint may be closed by the system of locks of either assembly. To undock, both mechanical connections, the primary through the docking mechanism, and the secondary through the locks, may be disengaged by the equipment of the passive APDA. To separate the primary connection the catches of the latches are opened using electrical drives. The secondary connections, the passive clamps, are opened using pyrotechnics on the Soyuz and by an additional electrical drive on the Apollo. The electrical drive also performs back-up opening of the active clamps. The back-up opening of the active clamps on the Soyuz is done (as for the passive) with pyrotechnic bolts. Control of docking on the Soyuz may be done by the cosmonauts and from Earth. Standard docking is done automatically. Monitoring of the work is done on board and on Earth using a telemetry system. The Apollo does not provide for control from Earth. Docking mechanism of the Soyuz APDA. Due to the innovations and complexity of the schematic of the docking mechanism, in the initial stage of work a decision was made to create scale models of the A PDAs. A method and procedures
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