Apollo 11, 1969—Edwin Aldrin prepares to join Neil Armstrong (the photographer) on the lunar surface during humanity's first lunar surface EVA. Note the PLSS backpack and lunar overshoes. (AS11-40-5868)
Image
Apollo 11 mission transcript, p. 374-376, 377, 379, 394; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Eric Jones (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/); Chariots for Apollo, NASA SP 4205, Courtney Brooks, et al, 1979, pp. 346-349; To a Rocky Moon, Donald Wilhelms, 1993, p. 201-205; Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1969, pp. 217-220; Apollo 11 Mission Report, NASA SP-238, 1971, pp. 21-25, 129-131; "Mobility Unhindered by Bulky Space Suit," Warren Wetmore, Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 28, 1969, p. 35; "Astronauts Detail Lunar Flight Experience," Aviation Week & Space Technology, August 18, 1969, p. 19.
November 19
1969 EVA 4
World EVA 14
U.S. EVA 12
Lunar Surface EVA 2
Duration: 3:39 Spacecraft/mission: Apollo 12 Crew: Charles Conrad, Alan Bean, Richard Gordon Moonwalkers: Charles Conrad, Alan Bean Purpose: Deploy ALSEP; collect samples
Conrad guided LM Intrepid over Surveyor Crater and lost sight of the surface at an altitude of 12 m (40 ft) because of dust kicked up by the descent engine, but still managed to land 180 m (600 ft) from Surveyor 3, the primary target of EVA 2. Landing near the old robot amply demonstrated the pinpoint landing capability of the Apollo system. This was critical for planning EVA traverses for future Apollo missions. The first EVA of Apollo 12 started about 50 min late. Conrad opened the MESA while climbing down the ladder, activating the color TV camera. Conrad then dropped onto Intrepid's forward footpad from the ladder's last rung, calling out, "Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me!" Even before Bean joined him on the surface Conrad reported that he was getting dirty from lunar dust. Bean removed the camera from the MESA and put it on a tripod, in the process pointing it at the Sun. The camera's vidicon tube was damaged, ending EVA TV for Apollo 12. Conrad and Bean planted the U.S. flag and collected rocks near the LM, then deployed the Advanced Lunar Science Experiment Package (ALSEP) north of Surveyor Crater, about 180 m (600 ft) from Intrepid. Dust kicked up by the astronauts stuck to the ALSEP instruments. The dust was not slippery, though Conrad took a harmless spill because of uneven footing. The astronauts had some difficulty removing from Intrepid's side the plutonium fuel cartridge for ALSEP's SNAP-27 nuclear power source. The cartridge was hot enough to melt a hole in a space suit. The astronauts saw Yankee Clipper, piloted by CMP Richard Gordon, as a bright star passing overhead. Conrad and Bean attempted to dust each other off before climbing back into Intrepid for the night.
Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP 235, 1970, pp. 31-33; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Eric Jones, 1995 (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/); Astronautics and Aeronautics 1969, pp. 376-377; "Exuberance Sets Tone of First EVA," Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 24, 1969, pp. 19-21; A Man on the Moon, Andrew Chaikin, 1993, p. 267.
November 19
1969 EVA 5
World EVA 15
U.S. EVA 13
Lunar Surface EVA 3
Duration: 3:48 Spacecraft/mission: Apollo 12 Crew: Charles Conrad, Alan Bean, Richard Gordon Moonwalkers: Charles Conrad, Alan Bean Purpose: Perform traverse to Surveyor 3 and landmark craters; retrieve pieces of Surveyor 3; collect samples
On this EVA, Conrad and Bean became the first to undertake a long (1800-m, or 6000-ft) lunar traverse. Objects on the surface appeared closer than they really were, and the bottoms of craters were hidden in shadow. In their section of the Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report, Conrad and Bean describe the effects on lunar surface mobility of lunar gravity and the Apollo EMU used for Apollos 11, 12, and 14:
On the Moon, the... legs never seem to get tired. The problem with the suit is that it does not always bend as the wearer wants to bend. For example, the suit bends fairly well in the knees and ankles, but it does not want to bend near the top of the thigh. This... results in loping in a stiff-legged fashion—running with straight legs, landing flat-footed, and then pushing off with the toes.
The traverse had three major objectives—site exploration, geological sample collection, and Surveyor 3 inspection. Conrad and Bean first cut the TV camera damaged during the first EVA from its cable and made room for it in the EVA rock box used during the first EVA so it could be returned to Earth for examination. They moved to the ALSEP site, then to Bench Crater, southwest of the LM. At Sharp Crater they collected a core and a trench sample, then they moved to Halo Crater, south of the LM, where they collected two cores. Along the way they saw spatters of cooled molten glass on rocks and occasional brightly colored rocks. They also noted that the surface was gray or brown depending on Sun angle and direction. Two hr into the EVA they received a "go" for a 4-hr EVA. The astronauts stated later that they felt little fatigue and could have continued for twice as long as the three and half hr originally scheduled. They skirted the south rim of Surveyor Crater to the southeast. Surveyor 3 sat on a 12-deg slope, 45 m (150 ft) inside the crater. The moonwalkers were puzzled by the apparent change in Surveyor's white color caused by a fine coating of tan lunar dust. It looked brown through the EMU's gold-coated visor. Conrad and Bean then became the first extraterrestrial archaeologists, collecting pieces of Surveyor 3 for study by scientists interested in the long-term effects on equipment of lunar surface conditions. Avoiding residual propellant and sharp edges, the astronauts used a cutting tool ("bolt cutter") to remove Surveyor 3's TV camera, sample scoop, and samples of wire, glass, and metal. The astronauts reported that Surveyor 3 differed from the mockup they used in training. Then they moved back to the LM, stowed the rock boxes, and closed out EVA 2. The astronauts reported that fighting the internal pressure of their gloves made their hands tired. Bean asked CapCom Ed Gibson to tell Fred Haise, Apollo 13 LMP, to do hand exercises to prepare for his visit to the Moon. Gibson used the code phrase "We'd like an EMU check" to warn the astronauts to slow down after their heart rates reached about 160 beats/min. The astronauts reported that their integrated thermal meteoroid garments were severely worn by lunar dust abrasion. Dust tracked into Intrepid became weightless during ascent to lunar orbit, making breathing difficult without their helmets. During the flight home in Yankee Clipper, the astronauts had to clean lunar dust off the air filter screens every 2 to 3 hr. After splashdown on November 24, the astronauts had difficulty telling themselves apart in their more than 500 photos.
Catalog of Apollo Experiment Operations, NASA RP 1317, Thomas Sullivan, January 1994, pp. 129-131; Apollo 12 Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP 235, 1970, pp. 33-37; Astronautics and Aeronautics 1969, pp. 376-377; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Eric Jones, 1995 (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/); "Apollo Yields Rich Lunar Return," Zack Strickland, Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 24, 1969, pp. 16-18; "Astronauts Urge Longer-Duration EVAs," Zack Strickland, Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 1, 1969, pp. 17-20; A Man on the Moon, Andrew Chaikin, 1994, pp. 266-267, 276.
November 24
Apollo 12 splashdown
1971
January 31
Apollo 14 launch
February 5
1971 EVA 1
World EVA 16
U.S. EVA 14
Lunar Surface EVA 4
Duration: 4:49 Spacecraft/mission: Apollo 14 Crew: Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, Stuart Roosa Moonwalkers: Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell Purpose: ALSEP deployment
Early on this date the LM Antares touched down at Fra Mauro, which was originally the landing site of James Lovell and Fred Haise on the aborted Apollo 13 mission. Mitchell described the landscape outside Antares' viewports as "choppy, undulating," and added that "I can see several ridges and rolling hills of perhaps 35 to 40 ft [10.5 to 12 m] in height." Communications problems delayed the first EVA's start by 49 minutes. Shepard stepped onto the Moon and described the surface as "so soft that it comes all the way to the top of the [LM] footpads; it's even folded over the sides to some degree..." Looking ahead to the second EVA, which would include a climb to the rim of Cone Crater, he added that "it looks as though we have a good traverse route up to the top of the Cone." After Mitchell joined Shepard on the surface, the astronauts collected a 19.5-kg (42.9-lb) contingency sample, then deployed the TV camera (taking care not to point it at the Sun), S-band dish antenna, and U.S. flag. Shepard's suit had red stripes at the knees and shoulders so he could be identified in photographs after the mission. His helmet also bore a red stripe. Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell also had identifying stripes on his suit. A hinged center shade section was added to the LEVA, providing additional eye protection when the astronaut walked toward the Sun under low Sun-angle conditions. The astronauts deployed the ALSEP experiments about 150 m (495 ft) west of Antares, then set up the laser ranging retroreflector 30 m (100 ft) beyond that. The EVA was extended by 30 min to partly compensate for the late start. In all, the astronauts covered about 550 m (1800 ft) before returning to Antares to eat and rest. Meanwhile, in lunar orbit, CMP Stuart Roosa conducted photography to aid in selection of the remaining Apollo sites and surface EVA planning.
Apollo 14 Preliminary Science Report, NASA SP 272, 1971, pp. 34-35; Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Eric Jones, 1995 (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/); Astronautics and Aeronautics 1971, NASA SP 4016, pp. 27, 41; To a Rocky Moon, Donald Wilhelms, 1993, pp. 250.
February 6
1971 EVA 2
World EVA 17
U.S. EVA 15
Lunar Surface EVA 5
Duration: 4:46 Spacecraft/mission: Apollo 14 Crew: Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, Stuart Roosa Moonwalkers: Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell Purpose: Geological traverse to rim of Cone Crater
Apollo 14 marked a modest upgrade in lunar surface EVA capabilities. The EMUs Shepard and Mitchell donned were modified to include the Buddy Life Support System (BLSS), a 2.5-m (8-ft) umbilical which allowed an astronaut with a malfunctioning PLSS to draw cooling water from his companion's healthy PLSS until he could return to the LM. For this EVA the BLSS umbilical was stowed on the NASA MSC-built Modularized Equipment Transporter (MET), a 9-kg (19.8-lb), two-wheeled "rickshaw" cart for hauling tools, photographic equipment, and sample containers. The MET had tires inflated to very low pressure which ballooned in lunar vacuum. The astronauts left Antares two and a half hr earlier than scheduled. The EVA was planned as a 3-km (1.8-mi) traverse—probably the longest practical for an astronaut wearing an Apollo EMU if useful work was to be performed along the way and a safety margin maintained. Their objective was the rim of Cone Crater, a meteoroid impact pit 300 m (1000 ft) wide. Geologists saw it as a natural excavation laying bare eons of lunar geological history. Reaching the elevated rim was considered important because it should have contained the oldest rocks. Shepard and Mitchell headed east toward the crater, taking turns towing the MET. They began climbing the blanket of loose debris around Cone 90 min into the EVA, about 850 m (2800 ft) from the crater rim. The MET had a tendency to tip and became difficult to pull as the number of boulders increased. Shepard and Mitchell finally resorted to carrying it. Mitchell noted problems with dust, saying that, "we're filthy as pigs... everything's going to be covered with dust before long." Shepard's heart rate climbed to 150 beats per min and Mitchell's right EMU wrist cable broke, impeding his hand movements. Shepard said after the EVA, however, that the worst problem was "the undulating terrain where you simply couldn't see more than 100 to 150 yards [90 to 135 m] away from you. Consequently, you were never quite sure what landmark would appear when you topped the next ridge. We were very surprised when we... approached the ridge which we thought to be the rim of Cone Crater, to find there was another one behind it... I think if we had wanted to reach the top of the crater and did nothing else, that we could have done that within the time period allotted." The astronauts received a 30-min extension, but were finally compelled to abandon their quest for the rim. They obtained only one of three planned core tubes, 16 photographs, and 10 kg (22 lb) of samples during their Cone traverse. Despite their problems, the West German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau reported that what the Apollo 14 astronauts achieved "couldn't have been done by a Lunokhod," referring to the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 teleoperated robot, which was exploring Mare Imbrium at this time. In all the astronauts collected more than 43 kg (94.6 lb) of samples.