https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19940018819 2019-04-03T05:19:45+00:00Z NASA Reference Publication 1317 1994 Catalog of Apollo Experiment Operations Thomas A. Sullivan NASA - Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas National Aeronauticsand Space Administration Preface The accomplishments of the Apollo missions to the Moon unfolded on the TV screens of America almost as a given. While there were certainly moments when things did not go as planned, for the most part it looked easy. Walking and driving on the lunar surface, laying out experiment pack- ages, and collecting samples all seemed as natural as the many science fiction stories we had been reading for years. Of course, it wasn't that easy. Years of planning, training, rethinking, and improvement had gone into those operations. Carrying out useful work from inside a pressure suit required a great deal of compromise on the part of experiment designers and mission planners. Even then, many tasks which were accomplished turned out to be extremely difficult. The lunar environment, especially its dust, low gravity, and vacuum, made it difficult to perform many operations. The need for a pressure suit lowered the productivity of an individual, making it a constant struggle to even merely grip something. Someday we will be going back to the Moon and even onward to Mars. Many of the things we want to do there will be similar to those we have already done. True, the instruments will be better and may be used for different purposes, but the tasks required of an astronaut and the design problems faced by the engineers will largely be the same. I hope to capture, with this document, some of the knowledge from the Apollo era to make the jobs of those future designers and opera- tors of lunar experiments somewhat more productive. The original motivation for this database came from the Astronaut Office, Science Support Group, which wanted to document the experience of the astronaut/experiment interface from the operations perspective. Beyond that, Ihope to retain some of the "lessons learned" from the Apollo experi- ence so that future astronauts, principle investigators, design engineers, and trainers will not need to make many of the same mistakes in operation and design of instruments and tools created for use by a crew in an extravehicular mobility unit with time constraints, on a planet with low gravity. In addition to the usual meaning of the term "experiment," I have included some pieces of equip- ment and hardware, such as the lunar rover and some of the tools the crew had available. Also included in this database are a few experiments performed in the command module during trans- lunar and trans-Earth coasts that were precursors to some Skylab experiments. While we have come a long way since then, some of the problems we still have in microgravity today were first seen in the Apollo command module. The progress made in the late '60s and early '70s was not as well documented as one might have hoped. We were operating at such a rapid pace that no one had the time to write it all down. The present effort was started by reviewing relevant documents, such as Apollo mission reports, pre- liminary science reports, technical crew debriefings, lunar surface operations plans, and various lunar experiment documents, and then collecting general and operation-specific information by experiment. After this, the crews who actually dealt with these experiments on the Moon were consulted for their input with 20+ years of hindsight. The anecdotes some of them shared con- ceming the deployment and operation of these units is probably the most valuable information in this document. Thomas A. Sullivan Solar System Exploration Division NASA - Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center iii Pltll;_IOtNG PAGE BLANK NOT FILMED Acknowledgments This document was started at the request of Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, without whose foresight I would not have had the opportunity to uncover so much of our past. It would not have been possible without the help of Joey Kuhlman and Janet Kovacevich in the JSC History Office. They were able to find information in the archives that I did not know existed. Likewise, Annie Platoff pro- vided access to documents which had long since been kept on anyone's shelf. Eric Jones was also very helpful in providing anecdotes related to him by the crews. Of course, the twelve astronauts that did the actual work on the Moon and allowed us to increase our knowledge of our solar system are owed a great debt, as are the teams of scientists and engineers who helped make it happen. I also need to thank John Young, Thornton Page, and Jack Sevier for their help and time discussing those experiments on which they worked. Mike Foale's review of what I had hoped was the final draft helped me to realize that more comparison of planned and actual timelines would be instruc- tive to future EVA planners. Finally, my thanks go to several people in the Solar System Explo- ration Division who talked with me in the hallways and gave me tips about who to talk to and what really happened back when I was just a kid in high school. iv Table of Contents Section Page PREFACE ...................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................... iv CONTENTS .................................................................................. v ACRONYMS ................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ x Part I Lunar Surface Experiment Operations During Apollo Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) Active Seismic Experiment .................................................................. 1 Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) - General Information ........ 5 Cameras - General Information ............................................................. 11 Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment ........................................ 15 Cold Cathode Gauge Experiment ........................................................... 19 Cosmic Ray Detector Experiment/Lunar Surface Cosmic Ray Experiment ............ 23 Dust Detector Experiment .................................................................... 29 Early Apollo Surface Experiments Package (EASEP) - General Information ......... 33 Far Ultraviolet (UV) Camera/Spectrograph ............................................... 37 Gravimeter, Lunar Surface .................................................................. 41 Gravimeter, Traverse ......................................................................... 45 Heat Flow Experiment ....................................................................... 49 Laser Ranging Retroreflector ................................................................ 53 Lunar Atmosphere Composition Experiment .............................................. 57 Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment ................................................... 61 Lunar Geology Experiment - General Information ....................................... 65 Lunar Geology Experiment - Tools ........................................................ 71 Lunar Neutron Probe Experiment .......................................................... 75 Lunar Rover Vehicle - General Information ............................................... 79 Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment ....................................................... 85 Magnetometer, Lunar Surface ............................................................... 89 Magnetometer, Portable ...................................................................... 93 Miscellaneous Tools and Equipment ....................................................... 97 Passive Seismic Experiment (Package) .................................................... 103 Soil Mechanics Experiment .................................................................. 109 Solar Wind Composition Experiment ...................................................... 113 Solar Wind Spectrometer Experiment ...................................................... 117 Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment ..................................................... 121 Surface Electrical Properties Experiment .................................................. 125 Surveyor 3 Retrieval ......................................................................... 129 Thermal Degradation Sample ................................................................ 133 V Table of Contents (continued) Section Page Part II Experiment Operations at Microgravity During Trans-Lunar and Trans-Earth Coast Composite Casting Demonstration, Apollo 14 ............................................ 137 Electrophoresis Demonstration, Apollo 14 ................................................ 139 Electrophoresis Demonstration, Apollo 16 ................................................ 143 Heat Flow and Convection Demonstration, Apollo 14 ................................... 147 Heat Flow and Convection Demonstration, Apollo 17 ................................... 149 Light Flashes Experiment .................................................................... 153 Liquid Transfer Demonstration, Apollo 14................................................. 157 Part III Summary of Lessons Learned and Guidelines for Future Experiments ................................................................... 159 Appendix A - Apollo Experiments and Missions .......................................... A-1 Appendix B Bibliography .................................................................. B-1 vi Table of Contents (continued) Figures Page 1 Mortar package assembly ........................................................... 4 2 ALSEP central station from Apollo 14 ............................................ 10 3 CPLEE deployed at Apollo 14 ALSEP site ....................................... 17 4 CCIG, SIDE at Apollo 14 ALSEP site ............................................ 22 5 26 CRD ......... °.°,°°°,,,,,o,o ........................ ********************* .... .o, ....... 6 LSCRE ................................................................................ 27 7 DTREM schematic ................................................................... 31 8 EASEP, containing PSEP and LRRR ............................................. 35 9 Far UV camera ....................................................................... 40 10 LSG deployed at Apollo 17 ALSEP site .......................................... 44 11 TGE experiment ..................................................................... 48 12 HFE on Apollo 15 ................................................................... 52 13 LR 3 on Apollo 14 .................................................................... 55 14 LACE at Apollo 17 ALSEP site .................................................... 59 15 LEAM at Apollo 17 ALSEP site ................................................... 63 16 Apollo 12 astronaut using tongs ................................................... 70 17 Astronaut using rake ................................................................ 74 18 Astronaut emplacing core tube into ground ....................................... 74 19 Lunar neutron probe ................................................................. 78 20 LRV on Apollo 16 ................................................................... 83 21 Explosive package used for the LSPE ............................................ 87 22 LSM deployed at Apollo 16 ALSEP site .......................................... 91 23 LPM on Apollo 16 ................................................................... 95 24 101 MET .... °°°,°°°°°°°° ....................... °........................................... 25 Erectable antenna on Apollo 14 .................................................... 101 26 RTG deployed for Apollo 14 ALSEP ............................................. 102 27 Fuel cask on Apollo 12 ............................................................. 102 28 PSEP deployed on Apollo 11 ...................................................... 106 29 PSE, with shroud deployed ........................................................ 107 3O Trench dug for soil mechanics investigation ..................................... 112 31 SWC foil deployed on Apollo 11 .................................................. 115 32 SWC foil on Apollo 16 ............................................................. 116 33 SWS deployed on Apollo 15 ....................................................... 119 34 SIDE deployed on Apollo 14 ....................................................... 124 35 SIDE deployed at Apollo 15 ALSEP site ......................................... 124 36 SEP transmitter deployed near Apollo 17 landing site .......................... 128 37 SEP receiving antenna on Apollo 17 LRV ........................................ 128 38 Astronaut Alan Bean and two U.S. spacecraft on surface of Moon ........... 131 39 Panels 1 to 6 of TDS 1002 ......................................................... 135 40 Electrophoresis demonstration on Apollo 16 ..................................... 145 41 Electrophoresis demonstration - left side view ................................... 146 42 Panel face of Apollo 17 heat flow and convection apparatus ................... 151 43 Interior view of ALFMED device .................................................. 155 44 ALFMED device worn during investigation ...................................... 156 vii Acronyms A Apollo (as in A-14) ALCC Apollo Lunar Closeup (Stereoscopic) Camera ALFMED Apollo Light Flashes Moving Emulsion Detector ALHT Apollo Lunar Hand Tools ALSD Apollo Lunar Surface Drill ALSEP Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package ALSRC Apollo lunar-sample return containers ASE Active Seismic Experiment ASP Apollo Simple Penetrometer CCIG Cold Cathode Ion Gauge CCG(E) Cold Cathode Gauge (Experiment) CDR Commander CM Command Module CMP Command Module Pilot CPLEE Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment CRD(E) Cosmic Ray Detector (Experiment) CSM Command/Service Module DAC Data acquisition camera DRT Dome Removal Tool DSEA Data storage electronics assembly DTREM Dust, Thermal, & Radiation Engineering Measurements EASEP Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package EMI Electromagnetic Interference EMU Extravehicular Mobility Unit EOS Electrophoresis Operations in Space ETB Equipment Transfer Bag eV Electron Volts EVA Extravehicular Activity FOV Field of View FTI" Fuel Transfer Tool HFC Heat Flow and Convection HFE Heat Flow Experiment IVA Intravehicular Activity JPL Jet Propulsion Lab JSC Johnson Space Center LACE Lunar Atmosphere Composition Experiment LCRU Lunar Communications Relay Unit LDD Lunar Dust Detector LDEF Long-Duration Exposure Facility LEAM Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites LEC Lunar Equipment Conveyor LM Lunar Module °.° Vlll Acronyms (continued) LMP Lunar Module Pilot LMS Lunar Mass Spectrometer LNPE Lunar Neutron Probe Experiment LPM Lunar Portable Magnetometer LRRR, LR 3 Laser Ranging Retroreflector LRV Lunar Rover Vehicle LSCRE Lunar Surface Cosmic Ray Experiment LSG Lunar Surface Gravimeter LSM Lunar Surface Magnetometer LSPE Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment LSUC Lunar Surface Ultraviolet Camera LTD Liquid Transfer Demonstration MCC Mission Control Center MESA Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly MEt Modularized Equipment Transporter MPA Mortar Package Assembly MSC Manned Spacecraft Center PI Principal Investigator PLSS Portable Life Support System PSE(P) Passive Seismic Experiment (Package) RTG Radioisotope Thermal Generator SEB Scientific Equipment Bay SEP Surface Electrical Properties Experiment SIDE Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment SIVB Saturn launch vehicle 3rd stage SNAP-27 System for Nuclear Auxiliary Power SM Service Module SRC Sample Return Containers SRP Self-Recording Penetrometer SWC Solar Wind Composition SWS Solar Wind Spectrometer TDS Thermal Degradation Samples TGE Traverse Gravimeter Experiment UHT Universal Handling Tool UV Ultraviolet UVC Ultraviolet Camera ix Introduction This catalog is organized by discrete experiments and selected pieces of equipment used or emplaced by an astronaut during the Apollo program. Part I consists of experiments performed on the lunar surface. Each of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP) experiments is described individually in addition to being addressed in a general ALSEP section. The many other experiments performed on the surface are likewise listed under their own rifle. Certain tools or pieces of equipment which were critical to experiment operations are also listed, since they were key to the successful performance of the task. There are also seven experiments which were performed at microgravity during the trans-lunar or trans-Earth coasts. These are collected in Part II. Within each experiment, general information about the principal investigator (PI) and other con- tacts, experiment mass and dimensions, manufacturer, and the mission(s) it flew on is provided. The Apollo experiment number is listed, an attempt to classify it into a discipline of study is made, and a description of the hardware and purpose is provided. After this, a general set of questions that are operational in nature is applied to the experiment so that the interaction of the crew with the experiment or hardware can be understood. Not all questions make sense for each experiment, but a standard battery of questions was applied to all with the idea that it might trigger the recollection of some unique aspect of that operation. Many experiments flew on more than one mission, and improvements were made for the follow-on flights based on the difficulties experienced. A cross reference to other similar experiments from Apollo or other efforts is also provided. Some disci- plines which continue to be studied on the Space Shuttle today are listed as a discipline code. This code is relevant to an on-line database of shuttle experiments prepared by the Flight Crew Opera- tions Directorate at JSC. Part HI attempts to summarize some of the general problems encountered on the lunar surface and provides guidelines for the design of future experiments to enable easier operation. Parts I and 1I are intended to also be incorporated into an electronic database that can be searched using many different query types. This remains a task for the near future.