Known as the Apollo Unified hatch, this was made as a direct result of the tragic Apollo One fire, which took the lives of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. 

This a full size (1:1) NASA Apollo CM Hatch replica made to measurements and scan data from examples of real Apollo Command module hatches. 

The Command module hatch is a great example of the engineering that went into the incredibly complex Apollo spacecraft systems, that allowed man to go to the moon in less than 9 years, from his first journey into space.

We feel, the Command module hatch, showcases that amazing engineering and innovative design that was used throughout the Apollo space program, and it is a combination of Spacecraft, Swiss Watch and Bank Vault. 

There are 4 banks of latches that are all linked together with an incredible assortment of custom made rod-end linkages all driven by a pump handle "gearbox". 

In addition, these banks can be individually isolated in case any one set of latches and linkages has an issue, by a simple thumbscrew removal. 

To drive this, the "Gearbox" has ratchet gears, that with a few pumps of the handle, retracts all the latches at once, releasing the hatch. All of the latches have an over center design, that once in the lock position, can not be forced open, no matter the force applied by the hatch.

For this replica, all of the latches and gearbox elements are machined from 6061 aluminum, bronze and stainless steel, all mounted to an epoxy fiberglass hatch body. 

On the real CM hatch, the latch and linkage system was made from stainless steel, however on this replica, they have been made in aluminum and have been electroless nickel plated and surface finished to replicate the look of the stainless steel hardware. This was done to reduce the nearly 300 pounds of the real hatch, down to a more manageable weight for a wall mounted art piece. 

This replica hatch also uses real aircraft "cruciform" or Torq-set screws, just like the real hatches has. 

The interior surface has specifically been detailed to look like the Apollo 11 hatch, currently on display at the Smithsonian Museum, with part numbers and lock / unlock instructions.

The base price (as offered here) has an outer surface covered with real aluminized Kapton tape, just like the real hatch, to give it an "as launched" appearance.  It also has a fully working latch / linkage system, but is not motorized. 

Options at additional cost include; 

Servo driven latches, (as shown in the video above) controlled via a remote control switch. 

Also, the exterior finish can be painted to look like the post flight / post inspection look of the hatches displayed in museums. (Contact use for details on the cost of these options)

This comes in a powder coated steel frame and has the option of wall mounted or floor mounted. 

Here at Orbital Surplus, we collect odds and ends from anywhere in the galaxy. So depending on what empire has collapsed, space freighter has crashed or Transport "got lost", we never know what we will receive next. However, we have lost our lease on the asteroid we have called home for more than 30 solar cycles and have to move. So we are finding stuff we forgot we had, and this is where you luck out, cause it all has to go!