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TITLE Apollo 12, ANewVista for Lunar Science. INSTITUTION National Aeronautics andSpaceAdministration, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO NASA-EP-74 PUB DATE 70 NOTE 24p. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, GovernmentPrinting Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 ($0.650-372-723)

EDRS PRICE MF-$0. 65 HC-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS *Aerospace Education; *AerospaceTechnology; Instructional Materials; *LunarResearch; Photographs; Resource Materials;Scientific Research IDENTIFIERS NASk; *Space Sciences ABSTRACT Man's second lunar landing,Apollo 12, provided a wealth of scientific informationabout the moon. The deployment of the magnetometer, seismometer,and ionosphere detector, and other activities on the lunar surface aredescribed. A number of color photographs show the astronautssetting up equipment on the moon as well as close-ups of the lunarsurface.. Some illustrations are afull page in s ize. (PR) 1 A I A OIL

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U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG INATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EOU CATION POSITION OR POLICY

AI, * 4.40' 4 / N Apollo A New 12 Vista for Lunar Science

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S. In reviewing the events of the 60's, a thousand, maybe even a million lunar science v4%ciuld undergo historians will mark the year times more important to science major modific*ons as a result 1969 as the beginning of a new than Apollo 11." Director of the of thr missiok The geophysical era in which the Apollo 11 U.S. Geological Survey, Department stati*, set u,on the Moon's flight demonstrated man's of th,,e Interior, W. T. Pecora, after surface, haS4aupched a new age capability to leave Earth, land eliminary inspection of the in lunar stclies and in the on another celestial body and lunar samples brought back byti-IS exploratiOn of the solar return safely to his home planet Apollo 12irew, commented that the syster-A.- They will cite Apollo 12 as the rocks broight back by Apollo 11 Irriportaht and exciting as the beginning of a new era of were a "... geologic hors troeuvre" re/sults of the individual experiments different and, perhaps, more while the samples collected by were, the broader implicatiogs of consequential dimensions when Apollo 12 were "... a veritable the mission were of greater men took this,new capacity and feast." sinificance. The new understand- used it to achieve a broadening of If there was a constant in the gsNIe dynamics of the the horizOns of science. early data produced by the Apollo unar struure, its environment A judgment of this kind was 12 flight, it was the element of -. and the forces with which rlointed mit by one scientist soon the unexpected. Experienced it intetacts provide the basis.for dfter the completion of the Apollo investigators, inherently cautious fresher and deeper insights into 12 flight. He described the in drawing conclusions from the origins of Earth, the forces that

Apollo 12 mission as ". . . particularly in the preliminary influence its environment, and its phases of analysis, inclined toward place in the solar system. the view that basic concepts of

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,, ..1 Deploying the Apirfk) lunar Surface xperimentc Package (Al SI P). On the 1`011.1111`lett a carrying pallet and «Ivo Aisfoyink from left to right are I the Solar Wind Spec trumetvi, the lonocpherp Ikle( fnr mid the ntli generatorI hp 7 1. aftronant scraruling next to the Al SIP

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111.1glk Captain Alan L. Bean, USN, Pilot of the Captain Richard Gordon, USN, Pilot of the Spacecraft Commander Captain Charles Intrepid (the lunar module). command module Yankee Clipper, who Conrad, USN, who, along with Bean, won kept watch from lunar orbit while his crew praise from the missioo scientists for the mates walked on the Moon. werk on the Moon. Lift Off for the Ocean of Storms

As Apollo 12 lift-off time platform, heart of the spacecraft 12 was placed in a trajectory approached, a low overcast moved guidance system, was "just that lacked the free return in over the launch area and rain drifting all over the place." factor. This was necessitated by the fell. The question of delaying Discussing the incident a few location of the landing site. I-lad the iaunch was discussed and, minutes later into the flight, the a malfunction kept it out of after a search plane reported that crew commented, "We all said lunar orbit, it would have swung there was no lightning within there were so many trouble lights into a highly ellipticai Earth orbit 20 miles of the launch pad, the on we couldn't read them." that would have made its return mission directors elected to to Earth far more complicated. The flash triggered overload launch on schedule. detectors and circuit oreakers in A significant feature of Apollo The countdown proceeded the electr;cal systems into an 12's lunar journey was its pinpoint smoothly to ignition and then automatic disconnect. This landing 600 feet from Surveyor liftoff exactly as planned, and dropped the entire load on the 3 (an unmanned spacecraft that the huge Saturn V space backup battery system. In an landed on the Moon in Apri:, vehicle cleared the gantry and emergency of this kind, this is 1967). Once set in the correct climbed deliberately toward the what is supposed to happen. lunar orbit, the crew avoided overcast. As it entered the clouds, activities, such as the dumping of a bolt of lightning arced between Within roughly 3 minutes, the wastes, that would have the rocket and the ground. For crew had closed the circuit caused minor changes in its flight a few heartstopping seconds breakers and overload detectors. path. During the second phase of there was silence, and then details All circuits were back in operation the landing maneuver, the powered started coming back from the and the fuel cells again on-line. descent, Spacecraft Cornmanckv Command Module (CM). When the spacecraft entered Charles Conrad manipulated the From the spacecraft: "Okay, we Earth's shadow on its first orbit, on-board computer to compensate just lost the platform, gang. I Command Module Pilot Richard for errors that would have landed don't know what happened here. Gordon, took star sights and used the Lunar Module (LM) 5 miles We had everything in the world the navigational fix, thus obtained north of its target. to right the guidance platform. drop out ...fuelcell,lights, Establishing the capabi:ity for a and AC buss light, fuel cell Apollo 12 made a significant pinpoint landing, a major objective disconnect, AC buss overload, departure from the course followed of the mission, makes feasible the one and two main buss A and B by previous manned lunar plans for future Apollo missions out . . ." The vital inertial missions. The three predecessor that are targeted for upland and missions had flown a free return mountainous areas of the Moon trajectory wherein, if the where rough terrain makes spacecraft failed to achieve lunar precise navigation essential. orbit, it would loop,around the 2 Moon and return, tr, Earth: Apollo 8 -eee 41, PS S. 47.4k0 eee (10,JCO ir lor k. ,t01,11,lotortilt I. vattepler 1" t,, a 12 ' ,, * / Apollo overcast ", " ^. *".*Iiiim boosts the "... 4% s.*. rre....:, '''',../ -'4,...,, toward V, - - '" ' ' ',,,,..1,:A11,4i:/,, . Rocket N./ . 'N ' s+ 'i - 100,;-,4))10*1 Saturn'The ... '

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Conrad starts down the ladder (attached to one of Intrepid's struts) toward the Moon's surface as Bean photographs him through the hatch.

of a geophvsk.al ,,tation that has The geologi-al survey conducted ', .111(1,1111(y icpOiled no 'leer On the --or On by the two astronauts occupied drai Ludt- the seismometer is a marvel a small fraction of the first walk on (onipdctiles, ..iod sensitivity. the Moon's surface and most of the d',111)11.1ttk,as th.'y instru,mmts in second walk. Geologists at the !!-.,ir lunar duties. ohse-vatori,--, Ixotdd Manned Spacecraft Center at .,liort lime afterits ten times larger.I he ALSIT Houston v.'ere delighted with the had recorrled ten instrument is 16'' high and ,.righs performance of their exuberant natural origin xyhich pourds.itis so sensitive that it proxies on the Moon's surface. The .rotrt 2.0 to .10 minotes----probably would he useless on the dynamic running commentary maintained ion ,olneleorite hils----although and quake-ridden Earth. Wind and by Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot -Is one experimenier put it, no wave motion alone would dominate AlanA. Bean enabled the scientists .,elf-respel ling geologist xvould have the instrument.Itis "critically to determine that the assigned said !..) before the Apollo 12 damped" so lhat there is no tasks were properly executed and mission. As lunar ni,;;ht fell, the thin resonance. A shock is recorded also provided on-the-spot layer of .1..,neole, mantle rocks once and the sensor is instantly observations that could be linked a II ed d regolith- --that underlies the ready lo rer.ord the next one. to specific locations and maria itt the ink of the Apollo -12 particular samples that the landim; site v.e, twisted and lilted astronauts were collecting. One hy the rapid drop in temperature. geologist described the astronauts [he seismometer recorded this as "real rockhounds": high praise geologic nnrest. from a professional. 'This ir..,r;imetit which was unveiling Intrepid, as the LM was named, the mysteries of the Moon's internal landed some 25 feet from the rim striftture is perhaps asremarkable oc the crater containing as the data it transmitted. As part Surveyor. Conrad described the ,urrounding area as "sort of like an undulating plain." "I'm sure," 4 12 . .

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An astronaut prepares an ALSEP experiment for movement tothe site where it will be set up. At right, the .! -band dish antenna. he said, "that some of these rocks one-sixth that of Earth's. Conrad The dust quickly coated the have different colors and different commented: "I have the distinct ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Surface textures, but from here in the impression I don't want to move Experiments Package) instruments even as they were being spacecraft . . . they all appear to too rapidly. But I can walk quite be of the same material and they deployed. One astronaut commented, "There's no way to all appear to be pure white." After an exchange with Houston, Subsequently, while on the Bears told Conrad, "Boy, you sure handle all this equipment with second walk, both Conrad and lean forward." Conrad rejoined, all the dust on it. Every time Bean were to report grey, tan and you move something the dust ". . . don't think you're gonna brown tones which they steam around here quite as fast as flies . . . goes way up in the tentatively linked to the Sun's you thought you were." air and comes in and lands angle of elevation and whether on you." The powder-like dust on the they were laking down-Sun or Moon's surface that was to plague Conrad's first task was collecting across it. the contingency sample, a bagful the astronauts throughout both They reported rocl, -rimmed their walks was quickly evident. It of black soil. With Bean craters of varying .;izes in almost eddied in a thick cloud below the assisting he undertook to deploy the S-band antenna, a dish-shaped every direction. Some of the LM as the spacecraft approached device to augment their radio boulders were very large, on the the lunar surface, forcing order of 20 feet. They also noted Conrad to land on instruments. signal strength, and encountered what they suspected was bedrock. As Conrad took his first steps on the first of a sequence of minor problems with their equipment. Conrad was first out of the LM the Moon, Bean told him, ". . . your boots are digging inthe They had trouble getting the and began his chores with an antenna into a stable position ebullience that was to characterize soil quite a bit . . . your left foot has a big mound ahead of and finally resolved the matter by the actions of both astronauts pushing the legs of the s-pporting throughout their time on the lunar it right now just pushing along." tripod into the lunar surface. surface. The first moments As they unloaded the LM with the outside were spent getting pulley arrangement, both After planting the American flag, acclimated to a lunar gravity reported theytv getting dirty. the astronauts set about deploying k

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Bean lifts the hot plutonium core, sheathed in its cask, from its place of storage aboard the Intrepid. The generator is in the foreground.

Assembling the ALSEP instrumenti on the bar-bell preparatory to carrying them to the deployment site,

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A onl,on:,r,t of the that magnetic field with its focus 600 iet orned k!nexoected information feet from the instrument--a fa, e magnetometer, distance that could be either vertical i; hel;; dned to determine if there tvaS or lateral.-I his field could extend a lunar rila.,,noti(field an(I, over half the Moon's surface. period of 00-rdH:.!1, if so, 1) me,1sure 'Though very weaK, the mattielot»eter tittottt...h. I he instrument also provided magnetometer reported it at kast the hm.x shock w,ixe four times stronger than that data on the electromagnetic created hi thy f-nrminty; W ic disturbances created by the solar recorded by the Explorer satellite 11'11111 %1'ith larth'! wind. In addition to the light it IMP ((or Interplanetary Monitoring ,.vave and gt.i .H!j,tc,..n: gives out, the Sun radiates vast Platform) from its orbit above the urhulenfnu theit1e ;;( th: quantities of ionized particles of Moon. The IMP read the field alvoy lion) the vt.;t energy spun out into space at strength at 5 gamma while the particul.;- intcnni In St +,' tremendous velmil'es. This "wind" surface magnetometer set the level r.v,tier: Ihrcm,y,; Ow at between 20 and 30 gamma. For also contains magnetic fields that flu iteThinuct.t re()1-f.lt porposes of comparison, Earth's geophysicists want to measure. ,,eporote "bittuy ; magnetic field is 25,000 gamma. Finally, besides its eleclromagnetic l',antrtio.. I ,Rtni!t,t effect, the extent to which the solar 'The new data suggests that Ow yontrid, the he;tit",1 wind penetrates the Moon will assist Moon's magnetic field is close to in1110' vi( l',-1(1Wi in determining the Moon's hC!.J 'holm( e,' composition. apprn\intai(dv mintde,, were sevei'.rF hOW e ,trt.t:tc:r could havy been coft,ed hy fh1C111,11101-,L holy ,;1)(6. strihing the magiwiometer it random to «ndd be attributed fo solar itare,,. 6 4.

The magnetometer (center foreground) which provided new data on the Moon's magnetic field.

The Central Station of the ALSEP distributes the power generated by the SNAP 27. The station also transmits data to Earth and receives commands from Earth.

Astronaut working at the ALSEP site.

(continued from page 5) Like the solar wind, the penetration the powered instruments of the The astronauts continued in a these relatively strong impulses ALSEP. They selected a spot about northwesterly direction from the achieve into the Moon provides 600 feet northwest of the LM ALSEP passing within a few feet of information on its structure. When on the far side of a small crater. Shelf crater, a feature about 1,000 the Moon's orbit swung the sensor This was so the instruments would feet in diameter with large boulders clear of Earth's magnetic tail, not be disturbed by the blast of the in its basin. They told Houston, readings dropped to 40 gamma, LM's ascent engine on lift-off "... we're looking down at this big which was construed to be a from the Moon. crater and it looks rather old and it has bedrock at the bottom ... combination of the effect of the The deployment was not without there are some big boulders resting Moon's internal field of 30 gamma difficulties. Despite the astronauts' and a solar wind field of inside the rim .. . we don't see any initial efforts, the Lunar Atmosphere outcrop of rocks either .. . say, approximately 10 gamma. It will Detector toppled over on its side require another magnetometer at a well, from the top of the rim down and the aluminum skirt of the to about 20 feet." They passed different landing site to resolve the seismometer persisted in curling some small, very fresh craters question of fundamental up at the edges as a resultof it as well. importance: i.e., whether the having remained so long in the field is a property of the whole rolled state in which it was For the return trip, they made a "U" Moon or merely of an area of the packed. The astronauts finally got turn and came back toward the LM Moon. Experimenters believe that the detector to remain upright on a course parallel to,and east readings from thrce compl2te 28- and a suggestion from Houston of, their outward track. They passed day lunar cycles will be needed to weight the edges of the skirt a mound that caused Bean to before reliable average values down with some lunar dirt exclaim: "I don't know, Houston, are established. flattened the curl. Once Ihey had what they are. They're just sort of pulled the plutonium core out mounds." After warning Houston of its cask and inserted it into not to take the following comment the power center, three of the the wrong way, he said, "It looks instruments began operating like a small volcano only its just immediately. about 4 feet high and about 5 feet 7 One of two mounds reported by Bean, a feature that puzzled the geologists.

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The everpresent lunar dust, caught by the Sun's rays, a halo for an astronaut.

across at the top. It slopes down crew had been able to penetrate The Power Center to a base with a diameter of and with less resistance. Theinstruments making up the 15 to 20 feet." When Conrad's time on the surface ALSEP gotpowerfrom acentral There were two such moundsthe reached 3 hours and 38 minutes, sourceunique in space history: only two in the entire area of their Houston advised that they had a a SNAP 27forSpace Nuclear walk or in the area they could cover fair amount of consumables Auxiliary Power. SNAP 27 is fueled visually. Geologists on the ground remaining and not to rush too hard by a rod of uranium 238. Removing speculated that they were piles of to get back into the spacecraft. the rod from its cask, and coarse materials ejected from a The crew did their housekeeping, inserting it into the power unit was crater. The astronauts spotted a stowed their rock collections and perhaps the astronauts' most ticklish block too large for the tongs, so one the core sample. They also assignment of the mission. pushed it over to the other who attempted to clean up. "Man, are Extraordinary precautions had been picked it up and stowed it in his we filthy. We need ... awhisk taken to prevent a slip or sample bag. broom." Then Conrad to Bean, mishandling which would have had Under instructions to return to the "Dust me off and I'll dust you off serious consequences. When the and we'll get in." LM for rest, the two astronauts set astronauts attempted to extract the out for the spacecraft, stopping at rod from the shielded cask, it stuck. intervals to pick up rocks that looked After .'epeated blows on the cask interesting after photographing with a hammer, the rod was freed, them in place. One of these withdrawn from its container, and Conrad described as a "pure piece inserted into the power unit of glass." without further difficulty. The unit is generating 73.59 watts of On reaching the vicinity of the electric power, higher than the LM, Bean sank the core tube some design output. It has an operating 32 inches into the lunar surface, life of at least 2 years. 20 inches deeper than the Apollo 11 20 8 21

The 11. Long Traverse

A trail of footprints on the lunar surface. Object in the background is the color television camera that was thought to be sunstruck early in the first of 12's two Moon walks.

Lunar Atmosphere Detector After a 5 hour sleep and a could be examined, on return to conference with Houston about the Earth, for the effects of a 31-month This instrument, which was long traverse planned for the second exposure to the lunar environment. designed to measure the density of Moon walk, Conrad and Bean were They would then exit from the the very attenuated lunar ready to return to the lunar surface. Surveyor crater and travel west atmosphere, was turned on between The traverse had been carefully to the LM. the first and second walks of the plotted so as to bring the astronauts Apollo 12 crew. A highly sensitive Conrad began his observations to local features with a special instrument, its maximum reading is potential for scientific finds. They while still in the spacecraft. "The for an atmosphere with a density material around the spacecraft . were to leave the LM and skirt the one-millionth that of Earth. .. a veryrich northern rim of Head crater one looking into the Sun . For reasons that are not clear, the brown color like a good plowed of the Snowman group. After instrument ceased functioning ...down-Sun, it is still the reaching the western side, they field during the second Moon walk and were to pass between the inner pair same ash grey." He called attention did not respond to turn-on to a 31/2-inch rock sitting, loose, 6 of three small craters and proceed commands. Astronaut Conrad inches from the engine bell of the nearly due south to Bench crater. passed it during his walk and it is From there they would swing LM that had not been blown possible that the discharge of gas west-by-south to the small away by the engine exhaust although from his suit material overloaded the ground around it had been crater, Sharp. the sensor. swept "glassy clean." Next objective was Halo crater, a small feature close to the southern En route to Head crater, at rim of the crater in which Surveyor Houston's request, the solar wind lay, east and north of Sharp. Their composition experiment was route would then take them into photographed. Not a part of the Surveyor crater and over to the ALSEP powered unit, this was a Surveyor spacecraft for inspection strip of foil-like material shaped like of the hardwat atjd the removal of a window shadedesigned to trap selected allefits so that these gas particles in the solar wind. 9 Map of both walks taken by the astronauts. The large central and right-hand cratersform the head and body of the "Snowman." The name is informal as are the names given the individual craters. The second walk was approximately a mile long.

The device had been set up early in Conrad spotted a rock with small Both astronauts busied themselves the first walk to give it maxim:Tr crystals, one "shining very, very taking pictures of the phenomena exposure. The astronauts had bright and clean like a ginger ale they observed. In the terrain west reported during the previous walk bottle." Bean told Houston that a of Head crater, Conrad kicked that it had bent back around its crater, about three feet in diameter, the dark surface layer with his boot supporting staff as though actually on the rim of Head crater, had glass and uncovered lighter, blown by a wind. A close-up beads on its floor and glass-coated cement-colored soil underneath. inspection revealed the effect to be rock fragments. He speculated The development prompted the an optical illusion. that the crater "was made by a not astronauts to trench the area, and very fast moving or energetic or they found lighter-colored, grainier While Conrad was checking the heavy projectile." He collected material markedly different from ALSEP, Bean found a "dandy extra samples of the materials. He the surface layer. Bean took samples grapefruit-size rock." After making described to Houston "nice white from the bottom of the trench and sure that Bean was standing still to small craters with white rims." stored them in a special container prevent his movements from which preserved the lunar registering on the seismometer, environment in which the rock Conrad rolled the rock down the was found. slope of Head crater. "It's strike down, hit, hit, hit. Now it's just rolling...roll, roll, roll." Houston told the astronauts that the bouncing rock had registered on the seismograph. Other observers doubted that there had been a significant return of data.

2 4 S., 10 - '14 5 Locomotion in gravity 1/6th that of Earth. An astronaut gets on his toes to begin a lunar "lope."

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A close-up of the Solar Wind Spectrometer which is The Seismometer which recorded Intrepid's crash landing on measuring the energies of the the Moon, and other natural lunar events. particles that make up the solar A second Solar Wind experiment. This "wind." A vast flow of thesesheet of foil-like material was set up by particles is spun off by the Sun Conrad, shortly after leaving Intrepid, to at very high velocities. trap particles in the "wind." In The experiment has sent good eighteen hours of exposure, it confirmed data from the outset and its that a thin, high-velocity "wind" blows readings have been consistent with across the lunar surface. Each square those of the magnetometer. centimeter of the foil was peppered with between six and seven million atoms each second.

The astronauts began a trek of 8 inches and they took samples. Surface material in the vicinity of southward, picking up samples as Conrad then took a core tube Halo ccater differed from the smooth they went. They commented that sample from the bottom of top layer over which the astronauts every crater contained the glass the trench. had been walking. Bean described beads and described rounded rocks Houston transmitted directions to it as "more cohesive...in clumps." with skirts of surface dust on all Halo crater, the next stop. As the They took a double core tube sides. On approaching Bench crater, astronauts passed south of Bench sample, using the hammer to drive Conrad stated that it was very crater, they reported firmer footing. the tube its full 32-inch length into different from Head crater, with Bean said that, as he pushed off, the soil. One rock that caught what looked like bedrock on its the toes of his boots sank in about Conrad's eye looked like "granite" floor and material that appeared to 3 inches, but on landing (it wasn't) and had a large glass have been melted. Bean thought flatfooted, the heels sank in only 1/8 splotch on it. the tiny central peak in the crater of an inch. Conrad commented In collecting samples, Bean devised also had a melted appearance. that in moving he felt like a giraffe a means to make leaning over and Near the rim of Bench crater, the running in slow motion. Bean told picking up a rock easier. By astronauts encountered rocks with Houston that he got the "decided grasping a strap on Conrad's an iridescent coating and others feeling" he was going to sleep that backpack and steadying him as he that were splattered with glass. night, and that he could go for a bent over, Bean compensated for the The astronauts walked west about good drink of ice water. awkwardness resulting from the 400 feet to Sharp crater which was rigidity of the pressurized spacesuits small enough to raise doubts that and the difficulties with balance in they had located the right feature. a low-gravity environment. Conrad Shaip had a white rim, raised about advised Houston that he had yet to 2 feet, of much softer material than had previously beer! encountered. Surrounding the crater was a radial pattern of rays. 28 Bean trenched the area to a depth 11 p s4,`r

An astronaut forces the core tube into the lunar surkze to obtain subsurface samples of lunar material.

The tongs used to help the astronauts pick up lunar rocks.

(continued from page 11) Ionosphere Detector see any of the breccia differing bounced after touchdown and the impressions made by its footpads at The Ionosphere Detector, which mineral fragments in a binder of first contact with the surface were measures the lunar ionosphere, was another kind of rockthat predominated the samples brought carefully photographed. inadvertently activated on Conrad mentioned the brownish tint November 19th when the dust back by the Apollo 11 crew. Bean added, "This is not at all like of Surveyor and learned from covers were opened during Houston that, originally, the deployment. It returned interesting Neil's run." equipment bays, the primary and useful scientific data. Some The astronauts crossed the southern structure, and the struts were white. outgassing took place rim of Surveyor crater and followed A closer inspection revealed that the that caused arcing which does the approximate contour line on spacecraft had taken on a coat of which Surveyor 3 rested, a curving no damage to the instrument, but the everpresent dust. The mirror prevents it from transmitting data. path parallel to the rim. They told used in Surveyor's photo system had Experimenters turned the instrument Houston they weren't sinking very not cracked, but was slightly warped far, that the surface was "fairly off until it had purged itself of its and was covered with a fine coating firm stuff." They continued around gases. The interval also allowed of dust. Bean rubbed it with a time for the LM, which burps and the rim toward the prize that their precision landing had won them piece of cloth attached to his wrist grunts like an overfed puppy for and some of the coating came off. Surveyor. The spacecraft had several days and thus muddles the Scientists are curious whether the data coming from the sensors, to do dust accumulated over a period of likewise. The sensor was time or whether it was blown on commanded back into operation in the spacecraft by the landing early December and has operated of the LM. successfully since. In its early stages the background data rate was extremely low. This changed when the Moon's course brought the instrument back into sunlight. ,

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' -in S Surveyor footpad next to imprints left by its initial touchdowns. Imprints appear fresh despite 31 months of exposure to the lunar environment.

Approaching Surveyor from the southeast with Intrepid in the background.

Conrad and Bean unlimbered a interesting," with a lot of bedrock successors easier and more efficient. cutting tool and snipped off two in it and big, chunky rocks with Both Bean and Conrad were critical pieces of tubingone painted and sharp corners blown up out of it. of some of the equipment with which they had to work. On several the other unpainted. A tube that On the way back to the IM, the occasions, Bean commented on they had been assigned to get astronauts collected additional difficulties with the rock bags and proved too thick and toue for the samples and took more rictures. noted the need for sturdier tool so they cut another. They also Among the last of the photos was construction. They had to make a cut off a length of cable, the the area under the engine of the LM quick fix on a set of scales and they Surveyor's trenching scoop, and the that had been swept clean of dust were less than pleased with the spacecraft's camera. With these by the engine exhaust. pieces of salvage, a laboratory tool carrier. Houston made note of examination would reveal how the The astronauts' experience in the problems with their hand various coatings reacted to working on the lunar surface will cameras, and the difficulties in prolonged exposure to the Moon's make the Moon walks of their stabilizing ALSEP instruments will environment. The camera would be the subject of study before the show how electrical, mechanical and next Apollo launch.It may well be solid state components and the that Bean's method of dealing with thermal control coating had been the uncertainty of balance while affected. All the parts would be leaning over will result in future checked for chemical properties and spacesuits coming equipped with the scoop given a microbiological a handle on the back that a partner examiration. While at Surveyor, can hold while the astronautbends. the astronauts completed a photo assignment and filled a bag full of samples. Block crater, an impact feature within the larger Surveyor crater, was described as "fantastically 3 CI 13 ,r

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Yankee ( lipper Intrepid Rejoining Yankee Clipper

One of the critical maneuvers in a "It's good." Intrepid: "I don't know. You look lunar mission, where there is no "Pitchover looking good." awfully good yourself." recourse from an engine failure, is Shortly after this exchange the two Thirty seconds after liftoff they the ascent from the lunar surface to spacecraft were station keeping; were 1,594 feet above the lunar rendezvous with the mother ship. and began the cautious, creeping surface. The LM's designers entrusted the final approach. Finally, from Yankee task of boosting it back into luila:"We're on our way. This program Clipper, the active member in the orbit to the ascent engine of the looks good. Keeping right down the docking maneuver, "...and you're LM's upper stage, a constant-thrtetpike. What a nice ride." home free boys." Intrepid rocket engine that engineers have At 4 minutes and 8 seconds they responded, "Super job you did. described as one of the world's mostwere travelling at 2,400 feet per That was cool, wasn't even a ripple." beautifully simple examples of second relative to the Moon, and Yankee Clipper and Intrepid were engineering design. Except for the gaining speed. Seven minutes after firmly joined once more. ben-shaped nozzle, every lift-off, velocity had built to 5,000 component of significance has a feet per second. Seconds later, the backup ready to take over in case crew shut off the engine. Intrepid it fails. had achieved lunar orbit. After an intensive checkout of the As they started their catch-up systems of the upper stage, and a maneuvers with Yankee Clipper, lengthy exchange of situation checksConrad told Houston, "I sure do with Houston, Intrepid radioed, enjoy flying this thing." Intrepid "The engine is fired." During the and Yankee Clipper steadily cut the seconds following, Intrepid distance separating them from 140 transmitted a series of staccato miles, to 80 miles and finally from reports on the ascent. Yankee Clipper, "Hey, Pete, I've got you at 6/10 of a mile. How can you look so good if you're so ugly?" ait 15 cq.

Intrepid's powered descent on its last flight ... picks up speed for science. The LM ...

In previous lunar missions, the LM The results of the LM's impact on The ascent stage has been jettisoned and the Moon's surface astounded the LM fired into an orbit that would geophysicists. The shock waves prevent its interfering with future registered on the lunar seismometer Returns missions. This time the Intrepid for 55 minutes, building up to the was to make a last contribution to to a peak at the 8-minute mark science by being destroyed. With and then slowly declining.Dr. Moon the crew reunited in the command Maurice Ewing of Lamont and service module the LM was Observatory exclaimed: "It was as cast off and driven from orbit into though one had struck a bell in a the lunar surface. Traveling at church belfry a single blow and its approximately 5,000 mph, the 5,500 reverberation had continued for lb. (Earth weight) stage struck about 55 minutes." The phenomenon was 45 miles from the ALSEP completely outside any experience seismometer. The force of the blow on Earth. LM delivered was about 30,000,000 foot-pounds. On Earth, such an event would register a minor tremor for perhaps as long as 2 minutes on an Earth-type seismometer.

38 16 ... as itarches down .toward the lunar surface.

Early examination of the The team of investigators offered Geophysicists are now awaiting seismometer data reveals that the several tentative hypotheses. The Apollo 13 which will crash the larger signal was received on the three most plausible was that the shock Saturn V third stage into the Moon pipe-like axes of the instrument that waves traveled through a severely at a point from 200 to 400 miles parallel the surface, but not on the fragmented structurea rubble from the seismometer. The more vertical axis.If the vertical axis was that was sandwiched between two severe the impact, the more functioning, this established that reflective rock layers, the deepest information it will yield. the shock wave traveled through the of which was roughly 10 kilometers surface strata but lacked the below the lunar surface. In this strength to penetrate deep into the formation, they bounced back and Moon and bounce back to the forth as they would in an echo instrument. The signal was of lc, N chamber. frequency and extremely low Crashing the LM into the Moon velocity: less than the velocity of provided the investigators with an sound in air. invaluable yardstick for reading seismic data, The mass, velocity and point of impact of the LM were precisely known. It is thus possible to evaluate signals produced by other events by comparing them with the "gong" produced by the LM. The more than 20 events recorded by the Apollo 11 seismometer since July 1969 can now be correctly interpreted, as we)I as readings from the instriinieult carried on the Apollo 12 mission.38 17 ;

te. S,. , A lunar rock(IQ the lip otasmallcrater pliotooraphed from close up.

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Despite chuckles and whoops, and Conrad's humming from time to time, the sample collection that the crew of Apollo 12 brought back to Houston, and the commentary the crew supplied, verified the fact that A small rock directly under the Intrepid. The exhaust swept they were indeed good "rock the adjacent surfaces clear of dust but did not move the rock. hounds." While the study of the 0. samples and accompanying pictures is still in the preliminary stages, scientists are suggesting unique, and heretofore not possible, models which will lead to an understanding of the complex composition and history of the Moon. The total of returned samples from Apollo 12 was approximately 75 pounds. The rocks vary from fine to coarse grained. One crystalline rock was very unusual because of large crystals more than 1 inch long. While scientists are not agreed on how such crystals may have been formed, to one school of thought, this indicates high pressures and temperatures and Another lunar rock with an iridescent coating. slow cooling. This group believes that such slow cooling occurs only at depths of more than a kilometer or in a massive lava flow that is Geologists are of the opinion that on Apollo 11. The fourth rock was cooling at its base. Another group the surface layer of pulverized much coarser grained and of scientists ascribe to the material has been extensively chemically different from the Apollo "Hot-Moon" model. They suggest churned by micrometeorite impacts 11 samples. Its chemistry has that these large crystals are evidence which thoroughly mixed the indicated that potassium, that the Moon was once made up materials. One experimenter uranium and thorium are in greater of hot, igneous rocks formed from adescribed it as a "big blanket of abundance while the titanium silicate liquid. They are not certain beat up soil." content was less than half that of rocks from the previous flight. what caused the meltingperhaps The lunar samples lack hydrated volcanism or perhaps impact ef minerals which suggests that While the samples returned on very large meteoroids; but what water did not exist when they were Apollo 11 were 75 percent breccia, ever it was, they believe the Moon formed. There was no vesicular the breccia on Apollo 12 was less may have been hot for a long timerock rock with small than 5 percent. Glass spherules from 500 million to a billion years. spherical pockets in its matrix. Threewere noted in both missions, but Age determinations on samples of the four large rocks gathered there were fewer glass beads in from both Apollo missions by Bean near the end of the second Apollo 12 material. The fine material suggest this. walk were fine grained basalt with returned was probably igneous In their lunar traverse, the some crystal-lined cavities lava that had cooled quickly with a astronauts covered three different presumably remnants of gas rapid escape of gases. types of surface. One was grooved bubbles similar to those that One can say without question that and was first observed by Conrad appeared in the samples collected new finds from Apollo 12 and the in the area of the Lunar Module; a striking variation from Apollo 11 second, the firmer surface that are dramatic proof that the Moon is Conrad and Bean reported south of an inhomogeneous body with a Bench crater; and the third, the very complex history. soft, powdery dust encountered around Sharp crater and inside several of the very small craters. 42 19 The Long Voyage Home Yankee Clipper splashes down in choppy seas.

To accelerate Apollo 12 out of lunar orbit and into the narrow path that would bring the spacecraft back on the right course for safe re-entry and splashdown, the CSM engine was fired on the far side TiflieÔj of the Moon. In this segment of a , . , lunar orbit there was no communication between Houston rMoonJif ion and the spacecraft. As the spacecraft emerged from in back of the Moon and communications were reestablished, Houston asked: "How are things up near the Moon?" Yankee Clipper replied: "Not too bad, but I think we're about

ready to leave." n;.;,'

back." 4,0 The response: "We haven't met anybody up here." A bit later, from the spacecraft, such light gravity things would roll Two mid-course corrections put the "HoustonApollo 12's moving down rather easily ...that wasn't spacecraft on target and Apollo 12 home." the case... you gotit going and hit the water 3.5 nautical miles For the next minutes, the crew it just sort of went along in animatedfrom the prime recovery ship, turned cameras on the receding slow motion, but it kept going for Hornet. The sea in the landing Moon "in true living color." For a long, long time." area was rougher than in any the benefit of Earth viewers, the previous splashdowns, and the "I found I couldn't walk... lenses recorded the apparent Yankee Clipper hit hard. wherever we went we loped and it topographical roughness of the just didn't seem natural not to...." On recovery, the crew was terrain in the vicinity of terminator immediately transferred to the Of the space suit, "...doesn't the boundary between sunlight and mobile quarantine facility and always want to bend like you want darkness which, under a low Sun remained there until they transferred to .. . you can bend pretty well angle, looked "fairly smooth." to the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at your knee ... at the ankles, but it The problem of determining color at Houston. was unresolved, even at 500 doesn't want to bend up near the nautical miles. Yankee Clipper top of the thigh. For this all-Navy crew, one phrase seemed especially apt: reported: "The impression Iget is When the dialogue had finished, "Well done!" that it is really useless... tohave the Moon had shrunk to a 6-inch color out there because itis puresphere out the window of black and white. It just doesn't Yankee Clipper. look right, it's so black and white." Highlight of the return trip was the For the next thousand miles, the view of Earth's eclipse of the Sun. crew turned the TV camera on various lunar features and discussed them with Houston. There was also some discussion, in retrospect, of Prepared by the Office of Public Affairs National Aeronautics and Space Administration the unusual characteristics of Washington, D.C. 20546 movement in the lunar environment. On the rock rolling experiment: For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government "It was hard to get them going... Printing Office, Washington, D.C, 20402 Price .65 cen ts 20 everybody had the idea that in * GPM 10700-372-723 4 45

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