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LLRV in flight and landing o …
Title LLRV in flight and landing on ramp
Description This 26-second video clip shows the LLRV flying and landing. The LLRV's, humorously referred to as "flying bedsteads," were created by a predecessor of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and Bell Aerosystems Company, Niagra Falls, New York, to study and analyze piloting techniques needed to fly and land the tiny Apollo Lunar Module in the Moon's airless environment. (Dryden was known simply as the NASA Flight Research Center from 1959 to 1976.) Success of the LLRV's led to the building of three Lunar Landing Training Vehicles (LLTV) used by Apollo astronauts at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, predecessor of the NASA Johnson Space Center. Apollo 11 astronaut, Neil Armstrong -- first human to step onto the Moon's surface -- said the mission would not have been successful without the type of simulation that resulted from the LLRV's. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the Moon's surface. Three concepts developed: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Flight Research Center (FRC) contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the FRC's LLRV became the most significant one. Hubert Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman the project manager. After conceptual planning and meetings with engineers from Bell Aerosystems, a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, NASA issued Bell a $50,000 study contract in December 1961. Bell had independently conceived a similar, free-flying simulator, and out of this study came the headquarters' endorsement of the LLRV concept, resulting in a $3.6 million production contract awarded to Bell February 1, 1963, for delivery of the first of two vehicles for flight studies at the FRC within 14 months. Built of aluminum alloy trusses and shaped like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in a gimbal, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the Moon. Two hydrogen peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal movement. Sixteen smaller hydrogen peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll. As safety backups on the LLRV, six 500-pound rockets could take over the lift function and stabilize the craft for a moment if the main jet engine failed. The pilot had a zero-zero ejection seat that would then lift him away to safety. The two LLRV's were shipped from Bell to the FRC in April 1964, with program emphasis on vehicle No. 1. It was first readied for captured flight, on a tilt-table affair. The scene then shifted to the old South Base area of Edwards. On the day of the first flight, October 30, 1964, research pilot Joe Walker flew it three times for a total of just under 60 seconds to a peak altitude of ten feet (three meters). Later flights were shared between Walker, another Center pilot named Don Mallick, the Army's Jack Kleuver, NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, pilots Joseph Algranti and H.E. "Bud" Ream. NASA had accumulated enough data from the LLRV flight program at the FRC by mid-1966 to give Bell a contract to deliver three LLTVs at a cost of $2.5 million each. In December 1966 vehicle No. 1 was shipped to Houston, followed by No. 2 in January 1967, within weeks of its first flight. Modifications already made to No. 2 had given the pilot a three-axis side control stick and a more restrictive cockpit view, both features of the real Lunar Module that would later be flown by the astronauts down to the Moon's surface. When the LLRV's arrived at Houston, where research pilots would learn how to become LLTV instructor pilots, No. 2 had been flown just seven times while No. 1, the veteran, had a total of 198 flights. In December 1967, the first of the LLTV's joined the FRC's LLRV's to eventually make up the five-vehicle training and simulator fleet. Three of the five vehicles were later destroyed in crashes at Houston - LLRV No. 1 in May 1968 and two LLTV's, in December 1968 and January 1971. The two accidents in 1968, before the first lunar landing, did not deter Apollo program managers who enthusiastically relied on the vehicles for simulation and training. Donald "Deke" Slayton, then NASA's astronaut chief, said there was no other way to simulate a Moon landing except by flying the LLTV. LLRV No. 2 was eventually returned to Dryden, where it is on display as a silent artifact of the Center's contribution to the Apollo program.
Date 01.01.1960
LLRV liftoff from ramp
Title LLRV liftoff from ramp
Description This 24-second video clip shows the LLRV pilot strapping in and flying the vehicle. The LLRV's, humorously referred to as "flying bedsteads," were created by a predecessor of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and Bell Aerosystems Company, Niagra Falls, New York, to study and analyze piloting techniques needed to fly and land the tiny Apollo Lunar Module in the Moon's airless environment. (Dryden was known simply as the NASA Flight Research Center from 1959 to 1976.) Success of the LLRV's led to the building of three Lunar Landing Training Vehicles (LLTV) used by Apollo astronauts at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, predecessor of the NASA Johnson Space Center. Apollo 11 astronaut, Neil Armstrong -- first human to step onto the Moon's surface -- said the mission would not have been successful without the type of simulation that resulted from the LLRV's. When Apollo planning was underway in 1960, NASA was looking for a simulator to profile the descent to the Moon's surface. Three concepts developed: an electronic simulator, a tethered device, and the ambitious Flight Research Center (FRC) contribution, a free-flying vehicle. All three became serious projects, but eventually the FRC's LLRV became the most significant one. Hubert Drake is credited with originating the idea, while Donald Bellman and Gene Matranga were senior engineers on the project, with Bellman the project manager. After conceptual planning and meetings with engineers from Bell Aerosystems, a company with experience in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, NASA issued Bell a $50,000 study contract in December 1961. Bell had independently conceived a similar, free-flying simulator, and out of this study came the headquarters' endorsement of the LLRV concept, resulting in a $3.6 million production contract awarded to Bell February 1, 1963, for delivery of the first of two vehicles for flight studies at the FRC within 14 months. Built of aluminum alloy trusses and shaped like a giant four-legged bedstead, the vehicle was to simulate a lunar landing profile. To do this, the LLRV had a General Electric CF-700-2V turbofan engine mounted vertically in a gimbal, with 4200 pounds of thrust. The engine got the vehicle up to the test altitude and was then throttled back to support five-sixths of the vehicle's weight, simulating the reduced gravity of the Moon. Two hydrogen peroxide lift rockets with thrust that could be varied from 100 to 500 pounds handled the LLRV's rate of descent and horizontal movement. Sixteen smaller hydrogen peroxide rockets, mounted in pairs, gave the pilot control in pitch, yaw, and roll. As safety backups on the LLRV, six 500-pound rockets could take over the lift function and stabilize the craft for a moment if the main jet engine failed. The pilot had a zero-zero ejection seat that would then lift him away to safety. The two LLRV's were shipped from Bell to the FRC in April 1964, with program emphasis on vehicle No. 1. It was first, readied for captured flight on a tilt-table affair. The scene then shifted to the old South Base area of Edwards. On the day of the first flight, October 30, 1964, research pilot Joe Walker flew it three times for a total of just under 60 seconds to a peak altitude of ten feet (three meters). Later flights were shared between Walker, another Center pilot named Don Mallick, the Army's Jack Kleuver, NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, pilots Joseph Algranti and H.E. "Bud" Ream. NASA had accumulated enough data from the LLRV flight program at the FRC by mid-1966 to give Bell a contract to deliver three LLTV's at a cost of $2.5 million each. In December 1966 vehicle No. 1 was shipped to Houston, followed by No. 2 in January 1967, within weeks of its first flight. Modifications already made to No. 2 had given the pilot a three-axis side control stick and a more restrictive cockpit view, both features of the real Lunar Module that would later be flown by the astronauts down to the Moon's surface. When the LLRV's arrived at Houston, where research pilots would learn how to become LLTV instructor pilots, No. 2 had been flown just seven times while No. 1, the veteran, had a total of 198 flights. In December 1967, the first of the LLTV's joined the FRC's LLRV's to eventually make up the five-vehicle training and simulator fleet. Three of the five vehicles were later destroyed in crashes at Houston - LLRV No. 1 in May 1968 and two LLTVs, in December 1968 and January 1971. The two accidents in 1968, before the first lunar landing, did not deter Apollo program managers who enthusiastically relied on the vehicles for simulation and training. Donald "Deke" Slayton, then NASA's astronaut chief, said there was no other way to simulate a Moon landing except by flying the LLTV. LLRV No. 2 was eventually returned to Dryden, where it is on display as a silent artifact of the Center's contribution to the Apollo program.
Date 01.01.1960
View of Mexico and southwest …
Title View of Mexico and southwest United States from the Apollo 11 spacecraft
Description Near vertical view of Mexico, and a portion of the southwest United States, as photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its transearth journey homeward. The Pacific Ocean is at lower left, and the Gulf of Mexico at lower right center. Texas is at top right, California at top left. Portions of Arizona and New Mexico can be seen at top of picture.
Date 07.21.1969
View of Mexico and southwest …
Title View of Mexico and southwest United States from the Apollo 11 spacecraft
Description Near vertical view of Mexico, and a portion of the southwest United States, as photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its transearth journey homeward. The Pacific Ocean is at lower left, and the Gulf of Mexico at lower right center. Texas is at top right, California at top left. Portions of Arizona and New Mexico can be seen at top of picture.
Date Taken 1969-07-21
Astronauts Armstrong and Ald …
Title Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin study rock samples during field trip
Description Astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, and Astronaut Edwin Aldrin, Lunar module pilot for Apollo 11, study rock samples during a geological field trip to the Quitman Mountains area near the Fort Quitman ruins in far west Texas.
Date Taken 1969-02-25
Astronaut Neil Armstrong stu …
Title Astronaut Neil Armstrong studies rock samples during geological field trip
Description Astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, studies rock samples during a geological field trip to the Quitman Mountains area near the Fort Quitman ruins in far west Texas.
Date Taken 1969-02-25
Astronaut Neil Armstrong par …
Title Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in lunar surface siumlation training
Description Suited Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit, participates in lunar surface simulation training on April 18, 1969, in bldg 9, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). Armstrong is the prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Here, he simulates scooping up a lunar surface sample.
Date Taken 1969-04-18
Astronaut Neil Armstrong par …
Title Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in lunar surface siumlation training
Description Astronaut Neil Armstrong, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), participates in lunar surface siumlation training on April 18, 1969 in bldg 9, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). Armstrong is prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Here, he is opening a sample return container. At the right is the Modular Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) and the Lunar Module Mockup.
Date Taken 1969-04-18
Astronaut Neil Armstrong par …
Title Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in lunar surface simulation training
Description Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), participates in lunar surface simulation training on April 18, 1969 in bldg 9, Manned Spacecraft Center. Armstrong is the prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Here, he is standing on Lunar Module mockup foot pad preparing to ascend steps.
Date Taken 1969-04-18
Astronaut Neil Armstrong dur …
Title Astronaut Neil Armstrong during thermovacuum training
Description Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, is photographed during thermovacuum training in Chamber B of the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory, Building 32, Manned Spacecraft Center. He is wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit. The training simulated lunar surface vacuum and thermal conditions during astronaut operations outside the Lunar Module on the moon's surface. The mirror was used to reflect solar light.
Date Taken 1969-05-07
Apollo 10 and 11 crews photo …
Title Apollo 10 and 11 crews photographed during Apollo 10 debriefing
Description The prime crew of the Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission and the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission are photographed during an Apollo 10 post-flight debriefing session. Clockwise, from left foreground, are Astronauts Michael Collins, Apollo 11 command module pilot, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Apollo 11 lunar module pilot, Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 10 lunar module pilot, Thomas P. Stafford, Apollo 10 commander, Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, and John W. Young, Apollo 10 command module pilot.
Date Taken 1969-06-03
Astronaut Michael Collins in …
Title Astronaut Michael Collins inside Apollo Command Module mockup in training
Description Astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot of the Apollo 11 flight, is seen inside an Apollo Command Module (CM) mockup in bldg 5 practicing procedures with the Apollo docking mechanism in preparation for the scheduled Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Collins is at the CM's docking tunnel which provides passageway to and from the Lunar Module following docking, and after removal of the tunnel hatches, docking probe and drogue.
Date Taken 1969-06-28
Astronaut Eugene Cernan and …
Title Astronaut Eugene Cernan and Edwin Aldrin during Apollo 10 debriefing
Description Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan (left), lunar module pilot of the Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission, confers with Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. during an Apollo 10 postflight debriefing session. Aldrin is the lunar module pilot of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.
Date Taken 1969-06-03
Apollo 10 and 11 crews photo …
Title Apollo 10 and 11 crews photographed during Apollo 10 debriefing
Description The prime crew of the Apollo 10 lunar orbit mission and the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission are photographed during an Apollo 10 post-flight debriefing session. Clockwise, from left foreground, are Astronauts Michael Collins, Apollo 11 command module pilot, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Apollo 11 lunar module pilot, Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 10 lunar module pilot, Thomas P. Stafford, Apollo 10 commander, Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, and John W. Young, Apollo 10 command module pilot.
Date Taken 1969-06-03
Lunar Landing Site 2 compari …
Title Lunar Landing Site 2 comparisons with size of various metropolitan areas
Description A photographic illustration comparing the size of Apollo Landing Site 2 with that of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Site 2 is one of three Apollo 11 lunar landing sites. Site 2 is located at 23 degrees 42 minutes 28 seconds east longitude and 0 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis (38667), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of metropolitan Chicago, Illinois area (38668), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of Metropolitan New York City area (38669), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Los Angeles, California area (38670), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Houston, Texas area (38671).
Date Taken 1969-07-03
Lunar Landing Site 2 compari …
Title Lunar Landing Site 2 comparisons with size of various metropolitan areas
Description A photographic illustration comparing the size of Apollo Landing Site 2 with that of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Site 2 is one of three Apollo 11 lunar landing sites. Site 2 is located at 23 degrees 42 minutes 28 seconds east longitude and 0 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis (38667), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of metropolitan Chicago, Illinois area (38668), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of Metropolitan New York City area (38669), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Los Angeles, California area (38670), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Houston, Texas area (38671).
Date Taken 1969-07-03
Lunar Landing Site 2 compari …
Title Lunar Landing Site 2 comparisons with size of various metropolitan areas
Description A photographic illustration comparing the size of Apollo Landing Site 2 with that of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Site 2 is one of three Apollo 11 lunar landing sites. Site 2 is located at 23 degrees 42 minutes 28 seconds east longitude and 0 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis (38667), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of metropolitan Chicago, Illinois area (38668), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of Metropolitan New York City area (38669), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Los Angeles, California area (38670), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Houston, Texas area (38671).
Date Taken 1969-07-03
Apollo 11 preflight press co …
Title Apollo 11 preflight press conference
Description The three prime crewmen of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission participate in a pre-flight press conference in the bldg 1 auditorium on July 5, 1969. Left to right, are Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, and Michael Collins, command module pilot. The box-like enclosure surrounding the three astronauts was part of elaborate precautions in effect to reduce the possibility of exposing the crewmen to infectious disease in the preflight period.
Date Taken 1969-07-05
Lunar Landing Site 2 compari …
Title Lunar Landing Site 2 comparisons with size of various metropolitan areas
Description A photographic illustration comparing the size of Apollo Landing Site 2 with that of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Site 2 is one of three Apollo 11 lunar landing sites. Site 2 is located at 23 degrees 42 minutes 28 seconds east longitude and 0 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis (38667), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of metropolitan Chicago, Illinois area (38668), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of Metropolitan New York City area (38669), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Los Angeles, California area (38670), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Houston, Texas area (38671).
Date Taken 1969-07-03
Lunar Landing Site 2 compari …
Title Lunar Landing Site 2 comparisons with size of various metropolitan areas
Description A photographic illustration comparing the size of Apollo Landing Site 2 with that of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Site 2 is one of three Apollo 11 lunar landing sites. Site 2 is located at 23 degrees 42 minutes 28 seconds east longitude and 0 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds north latitude, in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis (38667), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of metropolitan Chicago, Illinois area (38668), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of Metropolitan New York City area (38669), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Los Angeles, California area (38670), Comparison of Site 2 area with that of the metropolitan Houston, Texas area (38671).
Date Taken 1969-07-03
Astronaut David Scott in Mis …
Title Astronaut David Scott in Mission Control Room during Apollo 11
Description Astronaut David R. Scott is seated at a console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, during the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. He is watching a television monitor during the lunar surface extravehicular activity in which Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. participated. Scott is the backup crew commander for the scheduled Apollo 12 lunar landing mission.
Date Taken 1969-07-20
View of Mission Control duri …
Title View of Mission Control during lunar surface Apollo 11 EVA
Description Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, during the lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.
Date Taken 1969-07-20
View of activity in Mission …
Title View of activity in Mission Control Center during launch of Apollo 11
Description Overall view of activity at the Flight Director's console in the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, Manned Spacecraft Center, during the launch of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Shift 1 Flight Director Clifford E. Charlesworth is seated in the center of the picture. Eugene F. Kranz, Shift 2 Flight Director, is seated on the left of Charlesworth.
Date Taken 1969-07-16
View of Mission Control duri …
Title View of Mission Control during lunar surface Apollo 11 EVA
Description Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, during the lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. The television monitor shows Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin on the surface of the moon.
Date Taken 1969-07-20
View of Mission Control duri …
Title View of Mission Control during lunar surface Apollo 11 EVA
Description Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, during the lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. The television monitor shows Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin on the surface of the moon.
Date Taken 1969-07-20
First Apollo 11 sample retur …
Title First Apollo 11 sample return containers unloaded at Lunar Receiving Lab.
Description The first Apollo 11 sample return container, containing lunar surface material, is photographed just after is arrived at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37, Manned Spacecraft Center. The rock box had arrived only minutes earlier at Ellington Air Force Base by air from the Pacific recovery area.
Date Taken 1969-07-25
First direct exposure to lun …
Title First direct exposure to lunar material for Crew Reception personnel
Description The first direct exposure to lunar material for Crew Reception personnel probably happened late Friday, July 25, 1969. Terry Slezak (displaying moon dust on his left hand fingers), Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) photographic technician, was removing film magazines from the first of two containers when the incident occurred. As he removed the plastic seal from Magazine S, one of the 70mm magazines taken during Apollo 11 Extravehicular Activity (EVA), it was apparent that the exterior of the cassette displayed traces of a black powdery substance. Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong reported during the mission that he had retrieved a 70mm cassette which had dropped to the lunar surface.
Date Taken 1969-07-25
Apollo 11 crewmen during fir …
Title Apollo 11 crewmen during first postflight debriefing
Description The crewmen of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission go through their postflight debriefing session on Sunday, July 27, 1969. Left to right, are Astronauts Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, Michael Collins, command module pilot, and Neil A. Armstrong, commander. They are seated in the debriefing room of the Crew Reception Area of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center.
Date Taken 1969-07-27
View of undisturbed lunar se …
Title View of undisturbed lunar sediment as core tube from Apollo 11 is opened
Description A view of undisturbed lunar sediment (sample 10004) as core tube from Apollo 11 is opened. The material was described as medium gray silty fine sand, loose (very incoherent), almost structureless, with scattered angular rock graments, glass spherules and aggregates of glass with brilliantly reflective fracture surfaces. The lunar soil was under study and examination in the Manned Spacecraft Center's Lunar Receiving Laboratory.
Date Taken 1969-08-05
Mobile Quarantine Facility u …
Title Mobile Quarantine Facility unloaded at Ellington Air Force Base, Texas
Description The Apollo 11 crewmen, still under a 21-day quarantine, are greeted by their wives as they arrive at Ellington Air Force Base after a flight aboard a U.S. Air Force C141 transport from Hawaii. Looking through the window of the Mobile Quarantine Facility are (left to right) Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins. The wives are (left to right) Mrs. Pat Collins, Mrs. Jan Armstrong, and Mrs. Jean Aldrin.
Date Taken 1969-07-27
Mobile Quarantine Facility u …
Title Mobile Quarantine Facility unloaded at Ellington Air Force Base, Texas
Description A Mobile Quarantine Facility, with the three Apollo 11 crewmen inside, is unloaded from a U.S. Air Force C141 transport at Ellington Air Force Base early Sunday after a flight from Hawaii. A large crowd was present to welcome Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin Jr. back to Houston following their historic lunar landing mission.
Date Taken 1969-07-27
First Apollo 11 sample retur …
Title First Apollo 11 sample return containers unloaded at Lunar Receiving Lab.
Description The first Apollo 11 sample return container, containing lunar surface material, is unloaded at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37, Manned Spacecraft Center. The rock box had arrived only minutes earlier at Ellington Air Force Base by air from the Pacific recovery area.
Date Taken 1969-07-25
Mobile Quarantine Facility u …
Title Mobile Quarantine Facility unloaded at Ellington Air Force Base, Texas
Description A Mobile Quarantine Facility, with the three Apollo 11 crewmen inside, is unloaded from a U.S. Air Force C141 transport at Ellington Air Force Base early Sunday after a flight from Hawaii. A large crowd was present to welcome Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin Jr. back to Houston following their historic lunar landing mission.
Date Taken 1969-07-27
Apollo 11 crewmen dining in …
Title Apollo 11 crewmen dining in Crew Reception area of Lunar Receiving Lab
Description The crewmen of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission are seen dining in the Crew Reception Area of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37, Manned Spacecraft Center. Left to right, are Astronauts Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., Michael Collins, and Neil A. Armstrong. They are continuing their postflight debriefings. The three astronauts will be released from quarantine on August 11, 1969.
Date Taken 1969-07-30
View of Mission Control Cent …
Title View of Mission Control Center celebrating conclusion of Apollo 11 mission
Description Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), showing the flight controllers celebrating the successful conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission (40022,40023), NASA and MSC Officials join the flight controllers in celebrating the conclusion of the Apollo 11 mission. Identifiable in picture, starting in foreground, are Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director, George M. Low, Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, MSC: Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director of Flight Operations, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips (with glasses, looking downward), Apollo Program Director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA Headquarters, and Dr. George E. Mueller (with glasses, looking toward left), Associate Administrator, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA HQ. Former Astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. is standing behind Mr. Low (40024).
Date Taken 1969-07-24
View of Mission Control Cent …
Title View of Mission Control Center celebrating conclusion of Apollo 11 mission
Description Overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center, bldg 30, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), at the conclusion of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. The television monitor shows President Richard M. Nixon greeting the Apollo 11 astronauts aboard the U.S.S. Hornet in the Pacific recovery area (40301), NASA and MSC Officials join the flight controllers in celebrating the conclusion of the Apollo 11 mission. From left foreground Dr. Maxime A. Faget, MSC Director of Engineering and Development, George S. Trimble, MSC Deputy Director, Dr. Christopher C. Kraft Jr., MSC Director fo Flight Operations, Julian Scheer (in back), Assistant Adminstrator, Offic of Public Affairs, NASA HQ., George M. Low, Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, MSC, Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director, and Charles W. Mathews, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA HQ (40302).
Date Taken 1969-07-24
First Apollo 11 sample retur …
Title First Apollo 11 sample return containers arrive at Ellington AFB
Description The first Apollo 11 sample return container, containing lunar surface material, arrives at Ellington Air Force Base by air from the Pacific recovery area. Happily posing for photographs with the rock box are (left to right) George M. Low, Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Samuel C. Phillips, Apollo Program Director, Office of Manned Space Flight, NASA HQ., George S. Trimble, MSC Deputy Director (almost obscured), Eugene G. Edmonds, MSC Photographic Technology Laboratory, RIchard S. Johnston (in back), Special Assistant to the MSC Director, Dr. Thomas O. Paine, NASA Administrator, and Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director.
Date Taken 1969-07-25
Closeup view of lunar rocks …
Title Closeup view of lunar rocks contained in first Apollo 11 sample container
Description A closeup view of the lunar rocks contained in the first Apollo 11 sample return container. The rock box was opened for the first time in the Vacuum Laboratory of the Manned Spacecraft Center's Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37, at 3:55 p.m., July 26, 1969. The gloved hand gives an indication of size.
Date Taken 1969-07-26
Examination of plants in lun …
Title Examination of plants in lunar (germ free) soil in Plant Laboratory
Description Dr. Charles Walkenshaw, Manned Spacecraft Center botanist, examines sorghum and tobacco plants in lunar (germ free) soil in the Plant Laboratory of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. The soil was brought back from the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts.
Date Taken 1969-10-08
View of lunar rocks containe …
Title View of lunar rocks contained on second Apollo 11 sample return container
Description A close-up view of the lunar rocks contained in the second Apollo 11 sample return container. The rock box was opened for the first time in the Vacuum Laboratory of the Manned Spacecraft Center's Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37, on August 5, 1969.
Date Taken 1969-08-05
Progress photograph of sampl …
Title Progress photograph of sample experiments being conducted with lunar material
Description A progress photograph of sample experiments being conducted in the Manned Spacecraft Center's Lunar Receiving Laboratory with lunar material brought back to Earth by the crew of the Apollo 11 mission. Aseptic cultures of liverwort (marchantia polymorpha) - a species of plant commonly found growing on rocks or in wooded areas - are shown in two rows of sample containers. Seven weeks or some 50 days prior to this photograph 0.22 grams of finely ground lunar material was added to each of the upper samples of cultures. The lower cultures were untreated, and a noted difference can be seen in the upper row and the lower one, both in color and size of the culture.
Date Taken 1969-09-30
Apollo 11 lunar sample no. 1 …
Title Apollo 11 lunar sample no. 10046
Description A close-up view of Apollo 11 lunar sample no. 10046, under scientific examination in the Lunar Receiving laboratory, bldg 37, Manned Spacecraft Center. This rock was among many brought back to Earth by the crew of the Apoll 11 lunar landing mission. The rock has glass-lined pits and vugs throughout the surface area. Scientists have labeled it a microbreccia, with lithic fragments up to a few millimeters in size. Tine broken grains of feldspar and pyroxene were recognized in early examination, but the great bulk of the rock is composed of microscopic grains of lunar dust. This sample of microbreccia is somewhat harder and more cohesive than others.
Date Taken 1969-08-04
Progress photograph of sampl …
Title Progress photograph of sample experiments being conducted with lunar material
Description A close-up view of numerous fern plants growning in a sprinkling of lunar soil brought back from the lunar surface by the crew of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. The photograph of the fern plants was taken 50 days after the plants were explosed to the lunar matter. The plants - Ococlea Sensidilis, or more commonly known as Sensitive Fern - were photographed on a dish containing the minimal nutrients for germination. The cabbage-like, darker circle of plants, about 3/8 inch tall at the highest point, is germinating in contact with the lunar material, but the lighter colored, blurred plant material surrounding the cabbage-like clump is not in contact with any of the lunar soil.
Date Taken 1969-09-30
Closeup view of lunar rocks …
Title Closeup view of lunar rocks contained in first Apollo 11 sample container
Description This is the first lunar sample that was photographed in detail in the Lunar Receiving laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center. This photogrtaph shows a granular, fine-grained, mafic (iron magnesium rich) rock. At this early stage of the examination, this rock appears similar to several igneous rock types found on Earth. The scale is printed backwards due to the photographic configuration in the Vacuum Chamber. The sample number is 10003.
Date Taken 1969-07-26
Second Apollo 11 sample retu …
Title Second Apollo 11 sample return container in Vacuum Laboratory
Description A close-up of the second Apollo 11 sample return container in the Vacuum Laboratory of the Manned Spacecraft Center's Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37. This rock box was opened for the first time at 1 p.m., August 4, 1969. Some of the material has already been removed in this view. The stainless steel can contains some coarse lunar surface material.
Date Taken 1969-08-04
Closeup view of lunar rocks …
Title Closeup view of lunar rocks contained in first Apollo 11 sample container
Description This is the first lunar sample that was photographed in detail in the Lunar Receiving laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center. This photogrtaph shows a granular, fine-grained, mafic (iron magnesium rich) rock. At this early stage of the examination, this rock appears similar to several igneous rock types found on Earth. The scale is printed backwards due to the photographic configuration in the Vacuum Chamber. The sample number is 10003.
Date Taken 1969-07-26
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