Walk-around of the cabin purge port
Picture 1 of 3.
After the Apollo 1 fire, the atmosphere inside the command module was changed
from 100% oxygen to a sea-level pressure mixture of 60% oxygen and 40%
nitrogen, which reduced the fire hazard. The pressure
and composition of the cabin gas during the prelaunch period was controlled by
ground support equipment through the purge port.
During launch, a pressure relief valve vented the excess gas
overboard. During normal space operations, cabin
atmosphere was pure oxygen and the pressure was maintained at 5 psi.
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