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Images of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) from 1972
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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| Title |
NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Gr
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| Title |
Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Bingham Coppermine, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Gr
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| Title |
Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Bingham Coppermine, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Gr
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| Title |
Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Bingham Coppermine, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Gr
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| Title |
Bingham Coppermine, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Bingham Coppermine, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Earth photo Drift-in |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. For the first time in an Apollo mission, the Antarctic continent was visible allowing for a photo to be taken by the orbiting astronauts. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Earth photo Drift-in |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. For the first time in an Apollo mission, the Antarctic continent was visible allowing for a photo to be taken by the orbiting astronauts. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Earth photo Drift-in |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. For the first time in an Apollo mission, the Antarctic continent was visible allowing for a photo to be taken by the orbiting astronauts. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Saudi Arabia Zoom-out |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from the Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Saudi Arabia Zoom-out |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from the Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Salt Lake, Utah: Growth Over
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| Title |
Salt Lake, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Salt Lake, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Salt Lake, Utah: Growth Over
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| Title |
Salt Lake, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Salt Lake, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Salt Lake, Utah: Growth Over
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| Title |
Salt Lake, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Comparing two datasets for Salt Lake, Utah, from the Landsat satellite series. The first dataset is from August 7, 1972, the second, from July 31, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Antarctica Zoom-out |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. For the first time in an Apollo mission, the Antarctic continent was visible allowing for a photo to be taken by the orbiting astronauts. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Apollo 17 30th Anniversary:
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| Title |
Apollo 17 30th Anniversary: Antarctica Zoom-out |
| Abstract |
The Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at midnight on December 7th, 1972. Just hours after lift-off, the command module aligned with the Earth and Sun, allowing the crew to photograph Earth in full light. For the first time in an Apollo mission, the Antarctic continent was visible allowing for a photo to be taken by the orbiting astronauts. The photo was taken at about 18,000 statute miles away from Earth. Virtually every picture showing the full Earth is derived from this one photograph. Television, newspapers, websites, and marketing material have all used this photograph over the years. Geostationary weather satellites, Galileo, and many other spacecraft have returned great pictures of the full Earth from space, but this image is still the number one requested photo in the NASA photo archives. |
| Completed |
2002-11-21 |
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Salt Lake City, Utah: Growth
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| Title |
Salt Lake City, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Growth over time, comparing two datasets from the Landsat satellite series. The First dataset dated from August 7th, 1972, second data set dated from July 31st, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Salt Lake City, Utah: Growth
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| Title |
Salt Lake City, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Growth over time, comparing two datasets from the Landsat satellite series. The First dataset dated from August 7th, 1972, second data set dated from July 31st, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Salt Lake City, Utah: Growth
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| Title |
Salt Lake City, Utah: Growth Over Time! |
| Abstract |
Growth over time, comparing two datasets from the Landsat satellite series. The First dataset dated from August 7th, 1972, second data set dated from July 31st, 2000. |
| Completed |
2002-01-30 |
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Apollo 16: Exploring Plum Cr
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| Title |
Apollo 16: Exploring Plum Crater |
| Explanation |
Apollo 16 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS16/Apollo16_fact.html ] spent three days on Earth's Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/moon.html ] in April 1972. The fifth lunar landing mission [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-16/apollo-16.html ] out of six, Apollo 16 [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a16/a16j.html ] was famous for deploying and using an ultraviolet telescope as the first lunar observatory [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960608.html ], and for collecting rocks and data on the mysterious lunar highlands [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS16/Apollo16_MissionObj.html ]. In the above picture, astronaut John W. Young [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/persons/astronauts/u-to-z/YoungJW.txt ] photographs Charles M. Duke, Jr. [ http://nauts.com/astro/duke/duke.html ] collecting rock samples [ http://www.nasm.edu/apollo/apollotop10.htm ] at the Descartes landing site [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS16/Apollo16_LandingSite.html ]. Duke stands by Plum Crater while the Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990501.html ] waits parked in the background. The Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www.nasm.edu/apollo/lrv/lrv.htm ] allowed the astronauts to travel great distances to investigate surface features and collect rocks. High above, Thomas K. Mattingly orbits in the Command Module. |
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The Last Moon Shot
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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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The First Lunar Observatory
| Title |
The First Lunar Observatory |
| Explanation |
The first, and so far only, lunar astronomical observatory [ http://snoopy.gsfc.nasa.gov/~lunartel/lunar1.html ] was deployed by the Apollo 16 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960607.html ] crew in 1972. The Far Ultraviolet Camera / Spectrograph [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-031C-10.html ] used a 3-inch diameter Schmidt telescope to photograph the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000701.html ], nebulae [ http://nineplanets.org/twn/ ], star clusters [ http://www.allthesky.com/clusters/clusters.html ], and the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000222.html ]. The tripod mounted astronomical equipment is seen above [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS16/10075848.htm ], placed in the shadow of the Lunar Module [ http://www.nasm.edu/galleries/attm/nojs/ a11.am.lm.1.html ] (right) so it would not overheat. Also in the shadow is astronaut Charles Duke with the lunar rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990701.html ] in the background. The Far Ultraviolet Camera [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo16/ A16_Experiments_UVC.html ] took pictures in ultraviolet light which would normally be blocked by the Earth's atmosphere. It was created by George Carruthers (NRL [ http://nrl.navy.mil/ ]), had a field of view of twenty degrees, and could detect stars having visual magnitude [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/MAG.HTML ] brighter than eleven. One hundred seventy-eight images were recorded in a film cartridge which the astronauts returned to Earth. The observatory still stands on the Moon [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/expmoon/lunar_missions.html ] today. |
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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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Welcome to Planet Earth
| Title |
Welcome to Planet Earth |
| Explanation |
Welcome to Planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/earth.html ], the third planet from a star [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star ] named the Sun [ http://www.darkmattermag.com/august03/dark_science.htm ]. The Earth is shaped like a sphere [ http://octopus.gma.org/space1/nav_map.html ] and composed mostly of rock [ http://www.seismo.unr.edu/ftp/pub/louie/class/plate/composition.html ]. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980530.html ]. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html ] composed mostly of nitrogen [ http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/7.html ] and oxygen [ http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/8.html ]. The above picture [ http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-001138.html ] of Earth, dubbed Blue Marble [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Marble ], was taken from Apollo 17 [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-17/apollo-17.html ] in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica. It is thought to be one of the most widely distributed photographs [ http://neil.fraser.name/writing/earth/ ] of any kind. Earth has a single large Moon [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ] that is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061204.html ]. With its abundance of liquid water [ http://www.epa.gov/OW/ ], Earth [ http://www.nineplanets.org/earth.html ] supports a large variety of life forms [ http://cmex.ihmc.us/VikingCD/Puzzle/Evolife.htm ], including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins [ http://www.littletownmart.com/dolphins/ ] and humans [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960629.html ]. Please enjoy your stay on Planet Earth. |
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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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Apollo 17: Shorty Crater Pan
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| Title |
Apollo 17: Shorty Crater Panorama |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ Apollo17.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in the Taurus-Littrow [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17OTM.html ] valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. This sharp panorama is digitally stitched together from pictures taken by Cernan as he and Schmitt roamed the valley floor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ]. Starting with a view of the imposing South Massif, scrolling the panorama to the right will reveal Schmitt and the lunar rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040605.html ] at the edge of Shorty Crater, near the spot where geologist Schmitt discovered orange [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] lunar soil. The Apollo 17 crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock [ http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/cchoice/moonrocks/ moonrocks6.htm ] and soil samples, more than was returned from any of the other lunar landing sites [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ]. Now thirty five years later, Cernan and Schmitt are still the last [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051210.html ] to walk on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060826.html ]. |
|
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". |
|
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 ..." |
|
The Earth from Apollo 17
| Title |
The Earth from Apollo 17 |
| Explanation |
In 1972 Astronauts on the United States's last lunar mission, Apollo 17, took this picture looking back at the Earth on their way to the moon. The continents of Antarctica and Africa are visible below the delicate wisps of white clouds. For more information see NASA NSSDC press release. [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/apollo17_earth.txt ] |
|
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 ]. |
|
The Last Moon Shot
| Title |
The Last Moon Shot |
| Explanation |
In 1865 Jules Verne predicted the invention of a space capsule that could carry people. In his science fiction story "From the Earth to the Moon" [ ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/.22/gutenberg/etext93/moon10.txt ], he outlined his vision of constructing a cannon in Florida so powerful that it could shoot a "Projectile-Vehicle" carrying three adventurers to the Moon. Over 100 years later, NASA, guided by Wernher Von Braun [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Biographies/biosa-d.html ]'s vision, produced the Saturn V rocket [ http://pscinfo.pscni.nasa.gov/online/msfc/spacelink2.html ]. This rocket [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950829.html ] turned Verne's fiction into fact, launching 9 Apollo Lunar missions and allowing 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon. Pictured above is the last moon shot, Apollo 17 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo17info.html ], awaiting a night launch in December of 1972. Spot lights play on the rocket and launch pad while the full Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950903.html ] looms in the background. Humans have not walked on the lunar surface since. [ http://ees5-www.lanl.gov/Apollo/apollo.epilog.html ] Should we return to the Moon? [ http://www.ari.net/back2moon.html ] Tomorrow's picture: White Dwarfs Cool |
|
Lunar Module at Taurus-Littr
…
| Title |
Lunar Module at Taurus-Littrow |
| Explanation |
Can the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://hubblesite.org/ ] take a picture that shows the Apollo lunar modules [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] on the Moon? With its 2.4 meter diameter mirror [ http://hubblesite.org/sci.d.tech/nuts_.and._bolts/optics/ ], the smallest object that the Hubble can resolve [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/ purpose.htm ] at the Moon's distance [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ] of around 400,000 kilometers is about 80 meters across. So, from low Earth orbit even Hubble's sharp vision can not image the Apollo lunar module descent stages, at most a few meters across, left behind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981213.html ] at the lunar landing sites [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ apolloland.html ]. A space telescope over ten times the size of Hubble could ... or a much smaller telescope in close lunar orbit. In fact, this picture does just resolve Apollo 17's Lunar Module, Challenger [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020105.html ], and its shadow on the cratered floor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020128.html ] of the Taurus-Littrow valley in the Moon's Mare [ http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/lunarform/ maria.html ] Serenitatis. It was taken in 1972 from the Apollo 17 Command Module, America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/ 1972-096A.html ], orbiting about 100 kilometers above the Moon's surface and covers an area about 1.1 kilometers wide. Using a web site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ] created by Dan Durda of Southwest Research Institute, armchair astronauts can explore orbital views of this and the 5 other Apollo [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/apollo.html ] lunar landing sites. |
|
Sunspots and Solar Active Re
…
| Title |
Sunspots and Solar Active Regions |
| Explanation |
July was a good month for sunspots [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010315.html ] ... really big sunspots. In fact, the full disk and inset pictures above show three large groups of spots, photographed only a few days ago on July 28. Together the sunspots span [ http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Things/ g_sunspots.html ] a region about thirty times the diameter of planet Earth. Now rotating behind the Sun's [ http://solar.physics.montana.edu/ max_millennium/sun_today.shtml ] visible edge, these groups followed close [ http://skyandtelescope.com/news/current/ article_672_1.asp ] on the heels of another enormous sunspot group [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020718.html ] which appeared in mid July. All of July's monster sunspot groups could be viewed without magnification, using safe solar observing [ http://www.MrEclipse.com/Totality/ TotalityCh11.html#Intro ] methods of course. While individual sunspots [ http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/resource.html ] are not numbered or cataloged, groups of sunspots, designated solar active regions, are given consecutive numbers [ http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/sftheory/ questions.htm#AR_numbers ] as they appear on the visible solar disk [ http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/ ]. That numbering began on January 5, 1972 and on June 14, 2002, reached active region number 10,000. At the 10k mark no door prizes were given and no disasters [ http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/planets.html ] plagued our fair solar system [ http://www.spaceweather.com/ ]. But since June 14, active region reports [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/ARMaps/armaps.html ] often drop at least the leading digit, making these [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/ARMaps/Archive/2002/ 20020728.1632_armap.gif ] three active regions AR 0050, AR 0039, and AR 0044 (top left to bottom right). |
|
Rectangular Ridges on Mars
| Title |
Rectangular Ridges on Mars |
| Explanation |
What could cause rectangular ridges on Mars? As data flows in from the two [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/overvu/overview.html ] spacecraft [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/mission/index.html ] currently orbiting Mars [ http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html ], surface structures are seen that are not immediately understood. These structures pose puzzles that planetary geologists are eager to solve, as they might provide clues to past processes that have shaped Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010628.html ] over billions of years. On the right of the above image [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/8_2002_releases/incacity/index.html ] is an unusual array of ridges first spotted in Mariner 9 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1971-051A.html ] data in 1972. A ridge wall runs for about 5 kilometers [ http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Miscellaneous/ConversionTables/conversion_table.html ]. Two competing progenitor theories include hardened sand dunes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010226.html ] and once-molten rock that seeped through surface cracks and cooled. Dubbed "Inca City" for their resemblance to stone walls of an ancient Earth civilization [ http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/prehistory/latinamerica/south/cultures/inca.html ], the new Mars Global Surveyor [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/overvu/overview.html ] images now show them to be part of a larger circular pattern, indicating an origin possibly related to the impact crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001213.html ]. (Non-natural origin hypotheses are not invoked by conservative scientists unless clear indications exist that natural processes could not work.) |
|
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. |
|
The First Lunar Observatory
| Title |
The First Lunar Observatory |
| Explanation |
The first and only lunar astronomical observatory was deployed by the Apollo 16 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960607.html ] crew in 1972. The Far Ultraviolet Camera / Spectrograph [ http://www-sn.jsc.nasa.gov/explore/Data/Apollo/Part1/UVC.htm ] used a 3-inch diameter telescope to photograph the Earth [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS16/10075874.htm ], various nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950925.html ], star clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960221.html ], and the Large Magellanic Cloud [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950918.html ]. The camera is seen above placed in the shadow of the Lunar Module [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/LMordered.html ] so it would not overheat. A leg of the Lunar Module enters the picture from the left. The camera took pictures in ultraviolet light which would normally be blocked by the Earth's atmosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960527.html ]. The Far Ultraviolet Camera [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo16/A16_Experiments_UVC.html ] was created by George Carruthers (NRL [ http://dsuap1.nrl.navy.mil/7609/home.html ]), had a field of view of 20 degrees, and could detect stars having visual magnitude [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/MAG.HTML ] brighter than 11. 178 images were recorded in a film cartridge which was returned to Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/earth.html ]. The observatory stands on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/moon.html ] even today. |
|
The Last Moon Shot
| Title |
The Last Moon Shot |
| Explanation |
In 1865 Jules Verne [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030215.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 [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/lunar_missions.html ], launching 9 Apollo Lunar missions and allowing 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ]. Pictured is [ http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html ] the last moon shot, Apollo 17 [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ apollo17info.html ], awaiting its December 1972 night launch. Spotlights play on the rocket and launch pad at dusk. Humans have not walked on [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ apollo.epilog.html ] on the lunar surface since. |
|
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". |
|
Apollo 17 Panorama: Astronau
…
| 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. |
|
Apollo 16: Exploring Plum Cr
…
| Title |
Apollo 16: Exploring Plum Crater |
| Explanation |
Apollo 16 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS16/Apollo16_fact.html ] spent three days on Earth's Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/moon.html ] in April 1972. The fifth lunar landing mission [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-16/apollo-16.html ] out of six, Apollo 16 was famous for deploying and using an ultraviolet telescope as the first lunar observatory [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960608.html ], and for collecting rocks and data on the mysterious lunar highlands [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS16/Apollo16_MissionObj.html ]. In the above picture, astronaut John W. Young [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/persons/astronauts/u-to-z/YoungJW.txt ] photographs Charles M. Duke, Jr. [ http://nauts.com/astro/duke/duke.html ] collecting rock samples [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/LunarTop10.html ] at the Descartes landing site [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS16/Apollo16_LandingSite.html ]. Duke stands by Plum Crater while the Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS15/LRV.html ] waits parked in the background. The Lunar Roving Vehicle allowed the astronauts to travel great distances to investigate surface features and collect rocks. High above, Thomas K. Mattingly orbits in the Command Module. |
|
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. |
|
Alan B. Shepard Jr. 1923-199
…
| Title |
Alan B. Shepard Jr. 1923-1998 |
| Explanation |
On another Friday (May 5, 1961), at the dawn of the space age [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/index.html ], NASA controllers "lit the candle" and sent Alan B. Shepard Jr. arcing into space atop a Redstone rocket [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980404.html ]. The picture shows the pressure-suited Shepard before the launch in his cramped space capsule [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/MERC_OV/10073402.htm ] dubbed "Freedom 7" [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/MR3/10073523.htm ]. This historic flight [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/history/mercury/mr-3/mr-3.html ] - the first spaceflight by an American - made Shepard a national hero [ http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL114/SpaceRace/ ]. Born in East Derry, New Hampshire on November 18, 1923, Shepard graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1944 and went on to train and serve as a Naval Aviator. Chosen as one of the original seven Mercury Program [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm ] astronauts, he considered this first flight [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/ch11-4.htm ] the greatest challenge and actively sought the assignment. Shepard's accomplishments in his career as an astronaut spanned a remarkable period in human achievement and in 1972 he walked on the moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] as commander of the Apollo 14 mission. A true pioneer and intrepid explorer, Alan Shepard died Tuesday [ http://www.nasa.gov/shepard.html ] at age 74 after a lengthy illness. |
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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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