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Apollo 17 of Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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The Last Moon Shot
| Title |
The Last Moon Shot |
| Explanation |
In 1865 Jules Verne [ http://www.interlog.com/~anash/najvs.html ] predicted the invention of a space capsule that could carry people. In his science fiction story "From the Earth to the Moon" [ http://JV.Gilead.org.il/pg/moon/ ], he outlined his vision of a cannon in Florida so powerful that it could shoot a "Projectile-Vehicle" [ http://www.nasm.edu/galleries/gal109/NEWHTF/ITM6201.HTM ] carrying three adventurers to the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/ ap11ann/eagle.html ]. Over 100 years later, NASA [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/history.html ], guided by Wernher Von Braun [ http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/vonbraun/index.html ]'s vision, produced the Saturn V rocket [ http://www.apollosaturn.com/ ]. From a spaceport in Florida [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/ksc.html ], this rocket turned Verne's fiction into fact, launching 9 Apollo Lunar missions and allowing 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ]. Pictured [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075937.htm ] is the last moon shot, Apollo 17 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo17info.html ], awaiting a night launch in December of 1972. Spotlights play on the rocket and launch pad while the full Moon looms [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/moon.html ] in the background. Humans have not walked on [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ apollo.epilog.html ] on the lunar surface since. [ http://ilewg.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Apollo 17: VIP Site Anaglyph
| Title |
Apollo 17: VIP Site Anaglyph |
| Explanation |
Get out your red/blue glasses and check out [ http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html ] this stereo scene from Taurus-Littrow valley on the Moon! The color anaglyph [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaglyph_image ] features a detailed [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ] 3D view of Apollo 17's Lunar Rover [ http://www.batsinthebelfry.com/rover/index.php ] in the foreground -- behind it lies the Lunar Module and distant lunar hills. Because the world was going to be able to watch [ http://history.nasa.gov/40thann/videos.htm ] the Lunar Module's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060107.html ] ascent stage liftoff via the rover's TV camera, this parking place [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ] was also known as the VIP [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Very_Important_Person_(person) ] Site. In December [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040605.html ] of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. The crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil [ http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/cchoice/moonrocks/ moonrocks6.htm ] samples, more than from any of the other lunar landing sites. Cernan and Schmitt are still the last to walk [ http://www.alanbeangallery.com/ ] (or drive) on the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. |
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Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronau
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| Title |
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronaut Running |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to explore the surface of another world? In 1972 during the Apollo 17 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schmitt-hh.html ] found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ]'s own Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ]. In this recently compiled panorama of lunar photographs originally taken by astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cernan-ea.html ], the magnificent desolation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] of the barren Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981031.html ] is apparent. Visible above and by scrolling right are lunar rocks [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/moon/moon_surface.html ] in the foreground, lunar mountains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980705.html ] in the background, some small craters, a lunar rover [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level2/apollo15_rover.html ], and astronaut Schmidt on his way back to the rover. A few days after this image [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.sta1.html#1222614 ] was taken, humanity left the Moon [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon ] and has yet to return. |
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Apollo 17 Lunarscape: A Magn
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| Title |
Apollo 17 Lunarscape: A Magnificent Desolation |
| Explanation |
Buzz Aldrin [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.crew.html#buzzbio ], Apollo 11 Lunar Module pilot and the second human to walk on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950922.html ], described the lunar landscape as "a magnificent desolation". Dramatic pictures from the Apollo missions to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ ] testify to this apt turn of phrase. Near the Apollo 17 landing site, Family Mountain (center background) and the edge of South Massif (left) frame the lunarscape in this photo [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/ 10075963.htm ] of astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/ a17.crew.html#jackbio ] working alongside the lunar roving vehicle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990701.html ]. Schmitt and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/ a17.crew.html#genebio ] were the last to walk on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000617.html ] this magnificent desolation. |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
| Title |
Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096C ] was designed for flight [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] in the vacuum of space. This sharp picture from the command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096A ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972 - but where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site, Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ]. The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the moon. |
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Crater Copernicus
| Title |
Crater Copernicus |
| Explanation |
One of the more prominent craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990711.html ] on the Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ] is named Copernicus [ http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Copernicus.html ]. Copernicus [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/orbiter/orbiter-craters.html#COPER ] is a large young crater visible with binoculars slightly northwest of the center of the Moon's Earth-facing hemisphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010218.html ]. Copernicus [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/cap/moon/coper.htm ] is distinguished by its size and by the many bright rays pointing out from it. Although Copernicus [ http://www.mhhe.com/physsci/astronomy/fix/student/chapter9/09f21.html ] is relatively young for a lunar crater, it was formed nearly a billion years ago by a colossal impact [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/science/craterstructure.html ]. The center of Copernicus [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_Photography_metric.html#Copernicus ] is about 93 kilometers across. The above picture [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/science/craterstructure.html#Copernicus ] was taken in 1972 by the last human mission to the moon: Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ]. The prospects for a return have been boosted recently with increased evidence of ice deposits [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/ice/ice_moon.html ] near the lunar poles [ http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast13oct99_1.htm ]. |
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Strange Orange Soil on the M
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| Title |
Strange Orange Soil on the Moon |
| Explanation |
How did orange soil appear on the Moon? This mystery began [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a17/a17.sta4.html ] when astronaut Harrison Schmidt [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.crew.html#jackbio ] noticed the off-color patch near Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ]'s Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] landing site in 1972. Schmidt and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.crew.html#genebio ] scooped up some of the unusual orange soil [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a17/a17.sta4.html ] for detailed inspection back on Earth. Pictured above [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10076006.htm ] is a return sample shown greatly magnified, with its discovery location shown in the inset [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075960.htm ]. The orange soil [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_sampact.html ] contains particles less than 0.1 millimeter across, some of the smallest particles yet found on the Moon [ http://www.nasm.edu/galleries/attm/wl.so.1.html ]. Lunar geologists now think that the orange soil [ http://www.solarviews.com/cap/moon/moondust.htm ] was created during an ancient fire-fountain [ http://www.solarviews.com/cap/volc/fountain.htm ]. Detailed chemical and dating analyses indicate [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996LPI....27..303D ] that during an explosive volcanic eruption 3.64 billion years ago, small drops [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000322.html ] of molten rock cooled rapidly into the nearly spherical colored grains. The origin of some of the unusual elements found in the soil [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ], however, remains unknown. |
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www-sn.jsc.nasa.gov/PlanetaryMissions/EXLibrary/docs/ ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ lrvhand.html ] just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990501.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was a blazing 8 miles per hour. |
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Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
| Title |
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape |
| Explanation |
Why is the Moon dusty [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_Experiments_SMI.html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/edu/ micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/ lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/9301/ 9301.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC19/ lecture19.html ] and industrial [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC20/ lecture20.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970905.html ] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ a17/a17.eva2prep.html ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/ 10075959.htm ] the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with [ http://www.clavius.org/rover2.html ] the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape". |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
| Title |
Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-096A.html ] was designed for flight [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] in the vacuum of space. This sharp picture from the command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-096C.html ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972 - but where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ ls_17_5aa.html ] at the Apollo 17 landing site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ], Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_lsite.html ]. The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the moon. "Editor's note:" Eric Jones, Apollo Lunar Surface Journal [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ frame.html ] editor, comments, "If you look at the [... large, dark] triangular window, you'll see a bright rectangular area - which is the rendezvous window - beneath it, a bright arc. After much discussion, my team of volunteers and I concluded that the bright arc is the top of [mission commander] Gene Cernan's bubble helmet lit by sunlight ..." |
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An Apollo 17 Panorama
| Title |
An Apollo 17 Panorama |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to stand on the surface of another world, to look all around you, and to try to figure out how this world got there? To get an idea, scroll right. In 1972 during the Apollo 17 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] mission, astronauts Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.astronauts.org/astronauts/schmitt.htm ] and Eugene Cernan [ http://www.astronauts.org/astronauts/cernan.htm ] found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ]'s own Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ]. In one of the more famous panoramas taken on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/moon.html ], the magnificent desolation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] of the barren Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981031.html ] is apparent. Visible are rocks [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ], hills [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/orbiter/orbiter-sites.html ], craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010428.html ], the lunar rover [ http://www-sn.jsc.nasa.gov/HumanExplore/Exploration/EXLibrary/docs/ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ], and astronaut Schmitt preparing to take a soil sample [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ]. A few days after this image [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.sta1.html#1222614 ] was taken, humanity left the Moon [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar10.htm ] and has yet to return. An interactive version of the above image can be found here [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17vr1222614.htm ]. |
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Apollo 17 Lunarscape: A Magn
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| Title |
Apollo 17 Lunarscape: A Magnificent Desolation |
| Explanation |
Buzz Aldrin [ http://ees5-www.lanl.gov/APOLLO/a11.crew.html#buzzbio ], Apollo 11 Lunar Module pilot and the second human to walk on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950922.html ] described the lunar landscape as "a magnificent desolation". Dramatic pictures from the Apollo missions to the moon's surface [ http://ees5-www.lanl.gov/APOLLO/ ] testify to this apt turn of phrase. Near the Apollo 17 landing site, Family Mountain (center background) and the edge of South Massif (left) frame the lunarscape in this photo [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075963.htm ] of astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://ees5-www.lanl.gov/APOLLO/a17.crew.html#jackbio ] working alongside the lunar roving vehicle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960223.html ]. Schmitt and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://ees5-www.lanl.gov/APOLLO/a17.crew.html#genebio ] were the last to walk on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950909.html ] this magnificent desolation. |
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Apollo 17: Last on the Moon
| Title |
Apollo 17: Last on the Moon |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020128.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] on the Moon, in the Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/ expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ], while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020628.html ]. Near the beginning of their third and final excursion [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.eva3prep.html ] across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ], Schmitt took this picture of Cernan flanked by an American flag and their lunar rover's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010609.html ] umbrella-shaped high-gain antenna. The prominent [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/ a17.fam-mtn.html ] Sculptured Hills lie in the background while Schmitt's reflection can just be made out in Cernan's helmet. The Apollo 17 crew [ http://www.ari.net/nss/askastro/Apollo17/ home.html ] returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than from any of the other lunar landing sites [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ]. And after thirty years, Cernan and Schmitt are still the last to walk [ http://www.alanbeangallery.com/ ] on the Moon. |
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Apollo 17: Boulder in Stereo
| Title |
Apollo 17: Boulder in Stereo |
| Explanation |
Humans left the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021212.html ] over thirty years ago, but donning red-blue glasses [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/ glasses.html ] (red for the left eye) you can share this excellent stereo [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010310.html ] perspective view of their last stomping ground. Recorded [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/ 10075973.htm ] by Eugene Cernan, the scene depicts his fellow astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt next to a large split boulder on the floor of the narrow Taurus-Littrow valley located at the eastern edge of the lunar Mare Serenitatis. Parked nearby, their lunar rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010609.html ] is visible beyond the boulder at the right. During their stay the Apollo 17 astronauts explored [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] the unusually dark terrain at the Taurus-Littrow landing site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ] and deployed explosives to test [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/ Apollo17/A17_Experiments_LSPE.html ] the internal geology of the Moon. Apollo 17 returned the most lunar rocks and soil samples of any lunar mission [ http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html ]. |
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Apollo 17: Boulder on the Mo
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| Title |
Apollo 17: Boulder on the Moon |
| Explanation |
Twenty five years ago humans roamed the Moon [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/LunarTop10.html ]. Pictured here during the last moon landing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ], scientist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.crew.html#jackbio ] was photographed [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075973.htm ] standing next to a huge, split boulder. Apollo 17 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS17/Apollo17_fact.html ] was one of six missions that landed humans on the moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ ] and returned them safely. Apollo 17 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS17/Apollo17_MissionObj.html ] explored the unusually dark terrain at the Taurus-Littrow landing site, deployed explosives to test the internal geology of the Moon [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/apo17.htm ], and returned the most rocks of any lunar mission. |
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Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
| Title |
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape |
| Explanation |
Why is the Moon dusty [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_Experiments_SMI.html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ], the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/edu/ micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/ lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://epsc.wustl.edu/admin/resources/meteorites/ regolith_breccia.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific and industrial [ http://www.asi.org/adb/02/02/ regolith-volatiles.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030111.html ] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ a17/a17.eva2prep.html ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with [ http://www.clavius.org/rover2.html ] the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape". |
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Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronau
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| Title |
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronaut Running |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to explore the surface of another world? In 1972 during the Apollo 17 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/schmitt-hh.html ] found out first hand. In this case, the world was Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ]'s own Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ]. In this recently compiled panorama of lunar photographs originally taken by astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cernan-ea.html ], the magnificent desolation [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] of the barren Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981031.html ] is apparent. Visible above and by scrolling right are lunar rocks [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ] in the foreground, lunar mountains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980705.html ] in the background, some small craters, a lunar rover [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level2/apollo15_rover.html ], and astronaut Schmidt on his way back to the rover. A few days after this image [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.sta1.html#1222614 ] was taken, humanity left the Moon [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar10.htm ] and has yet to return. |
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Destination: Moon
| Title |
Destination: Moon |
| Explanation |
Tuesday, January 6, at 9:28 p.m. EST, NASA's Lunar Prospector [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/ ] spacecraft climbed into the sky [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/prospector/movies/ athena2.mpg ] above Cape Canaveral Air Station riding an Athena II rocket [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/schedule/mixfleet.htm ]. Representing NASA's first Moon mission since the 1972 flight of Apollo 17 [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/apollo17/ ], this launch also occurred on the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Surveyor 7 lunar lander [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/surveyor.html ]. The three stage launch vehicle's [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/project/launchp.html ] fiery trail is in the foreground of this time exposure [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/payload/missions/prospector/images/ captions/KSC-98EC-0107.html ] while the Moon [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/education/tg/teach1.html ], near first quarter phase [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960919.html ], is shown in the background some 250,000 miles from the Cape. Prospector will cover that distance [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960727.html ] in about 5 days, entering lunar orbit on Sunday. Prospector carries no cameras to image the well-photographed [ http://www.nrl.navy.mil/clementine/clib/ ] lunar surface. Instead, its array of instruments [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/science/instrumentss.html ] will map the lunar gravity, magnetic field, internal structure, and surface composition. The result, a detailed global view of current lunar properties [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980107.html ], is expected to dramatically impact [ http://www.njin.net/~dmollica/index.html ] humanity's understanding of the origins [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/science/overview.html ] of the Moon and the Solar System. From its vantage point [ http://www.moonlink.com/ ] in polar orbit, only 63 miles above the lunar surface, Prospector will also conduct a sensitive search for water ice which may be preserved [ http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/PSRdiscoveries/Dec96/IceonMoon.html ] in permanent shadow at the Moon's South Pole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961204.html ]. |
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031109.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020628.html ]. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/HumanExplore/Exploration/ EXLibrary/docs/ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ lrvhand.html ] just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was a blazing 8 miles per hour. |
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Crater Copernicus
| Title |
Crater Copernicus |
| Explanation |
One of the more prominent craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971117.html ] on the Moon [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/luna.html ] is named Copernicus [ http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Copernicus.html ]. Copernicus [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/orbiter/orbiter-craters.html#COPER ] is a large young crater visible with binoculars slightly northwest of the center of the Moon's Earth-facing hemisphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980107.html ]. Copernicus [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/cap/moon/coper.htm ] is distinguished by its size and by the many bright rays pointing out from it. Although Copernicus is relatively young for a lunar crater, it was formed nearly a billion years ago by a colossal impact [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/science/craterstructure.html ]. The center of Copernicus [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_Photography_metric.html#Copernicus ] is about 93 kilometers across. The above picture [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/science/craterstructure.html#Copernicus ] was taken in 1972 by the last human mission to the moon: Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970905.html ]. The prospects for a return have been boosted recently with increased evidence of ice deposits near the lunar poles [ http://george.arc.nasa.gov/dx/basket/pressrelease/98_47AR.html ]. |
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Bats And The Barren Moon
| Title |
Bats And The Barren Moon |
| Explanation |
This picture [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075986.htm ], taken as the Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] astronauts orbited the Moon in 1972, depicts the stark lunar surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960420.html ] around the Eratosthenes and Copernicus [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980909.html ] craters. Images of a Moon devoid of life are familiar to denizens of the space age [ http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/history/index.html ]. Contrary to this modern perception, life on the Moon was reported in August of 1835 [ http://www.historybuff.com/library/refmoon.html ] in a series of sensational stories first published by the New York Sun - apparently intended to improve the paper's circulation. These descriptions of lunar life [ http://www.bibliography.com/moon/ ] received broad credence and became one of the most spectacular hoaxes in history [ http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/#hoaxes ]. Supposedly based on telescopic observations, the stories featured full, lavish accounts [ http://storyteller.simplenet.com/stseason.html ] of a Moon with oceans and beaches, teeming with plant and animal life and climaxing with reported sightings of winged, furry, human-like creatures resembling bats [ http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/bats/resource.html ] ! Within a month the trick had been revealed but the newspaper continued to enjoy an increased readership. For now ... have a safe [ http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/adv/kidspage/hsplash.htm ] and happy Halloween [ http://www.stignatius.org/third/3act.htm ] ! |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
| Title |
Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096C ] was designed for flight [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] in the vacuum of space. This sharp picture from the command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096A ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972 - but where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site, Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ]. The ascent stage crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the moon. |
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Lunar Dust and Duct Tape
| Title |
Lunar Dust and Duct Tape |
| Explanation |
Why is the Moon dusty [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo11/ A11_Experiments_LDD.html ]? On Earth, rocks are weathered by wind and water, creating soil and sand. On the Moon, the long history of micrometeorite [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/solar/eng/edu/micromet.htm ] bombardment has blasted away at the rocky surface [ http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ] creating a layer of powdery lunar soil or regolith [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/9301/9301.html ]. This lunar regolith could be a scientific [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC19/lecture19.html ] and industrial [ http://elvis.neep.wisc.edu/~neep602/FALL97/LEC20/lecture20.html ] bonanza. But for the Apollo astronauts and their equipment [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_science.html ], the pervasive, fine, gritty dust was definitely a problem. On the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in December 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970905.html ] astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan needed to repair one of their lunar rover's fenders in an effort [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ a17/a17.eva2prep.html ] to keep the "rooster tails" of dust away from themselves and their gear. This picture reveals [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075959.htm ] the wheel and fender of their dust covered rover along with the ingenious application of spare maps, clamps, and a grey strip of "duct tape". |
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960420.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS15/LRV.html ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990501.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was nearly 8 miles per hour. |
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