Lunar Orbiter I Preliminary Results

"Apollo 14, the third mission during which men have worked on the surface of the Moon, was highly successful. This mission to the Fra Mauro Formation provided geophysical data from a new set of instruments... Because of improved equipment, such as the modularized equipment transporter, and because of the extended time spent on the lunar surface, a large quantity and variety of lunar samples were returned to Earth for detailed examination. New information concerning the mechanics of the lunar soil was also obtained during this mission. In addition, five lunar-orbital experiments were conducted during the Apollo 14 mission, needing no new equipment other than a camera. The experiments were executed by the command module pilot in the command and service module while the commander and the lunar module pilot were on the surface of the Moon. This report is preliminary in nature; however, it is meant to acquaint the reader with the actual conduct of the Apollo 14 scientific mission and to record the facts as they appear in the early stages of the scientific mission evaluation. As far as possible, data trends are reported, and preliminary results and conclusions are included."--p. xi.

The Apollo 11 Mission, primarily designed to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth, signaled a new phase of the manned space program. Based on the success of Apollo 11, the first of a series of missions designed for the systematic exploration of the Moon was successfully accomplished on Apollo 12. The fact that the Apollo 12 astronauts were able to achieve a pinpoint landing at a preselected site, and then spend an extended time on the lunar surface, graphically illustrates the rapid progress of the Apollo program. The Apollo 12 mission added significantly to man's knowledge of the Moon. The precise landing capability allowed the crew to accomplish a wide variety of preplanned tasks and paved the way for planning future missions to smaller, more selected landing areas with the possibility of significant scientific returns. The publication includes chapters on mission description, summary of scientific results, photographic summary of the Apollo 12 Mission, crew observations, passive seismic experiment, lunar surface magnetometer experiment, the solar-wind spectrometer experiment, suprathermal ion detector experiment (lunar ionosphere detector), cold cathode gage (lunar atmosphere detector), the solar-wind composition experiment, Apollo 12 multispectral photography experiment, preliminary geologic investigation of the Apollo 12 landing site, lunar surface closeup stereoscopic photography, preliminary examination of lunar samples, and preliminary results from Surveyor 3 analysis.

Preliminary results of Apollo 16 investigations.

The third manned lunar landing, which increased to almost 200 the man-hours spent by astronauts on the Moon's surface, differed in character from previous missions. The dominant aspect of the first landing was, simply, that it was done. The second landing was notable for the precision that brought a manned spacecraft to rest 183 m from its target site, a robot spacecraft dispatched to the Moon two and a half years before. But the outstanding characteristic of the third landing, when Antares came down to the rolling foothills of Fra Mauro, was the exceptionally rich harvest in lunar science that the mission achieved. At Fra Mauro, astronauts Shepard and Mitchell emplaced an automatic geophysical station that quickly began to work in harness with Station 12, already functioning 181 km to the west, forming a valuable network that permits simultaneous observation from physically separated instruments. They also made a traverse on foot of record extent in an area of extreme geologic interest and brought back to Earth data and core tubes and other geologic samples in unprecedented volume. The preliminary scientific results reported in this publication are the product of work performed in the months immediately following the mission. Unquestionably these analyses and interpretations will be expanded and refined during the months and years to come. Apollo 14, the third mission, during which men have worked on the surface of the Moon, was highly successful. With the understanding of the lunar environment achieved by Apollo 11 and the pinpoint-landing capability demonstrated by Apollo 12, the Apollo 14 landing could be planned for a much rougher area of the Moon and one of prime scientific interest. This mission to the Fra Mauro Formation provided geophysical data from a new set of instruments located at latitude 3°40' S, longitude 17°27' W. The Apollo 12 lunar-surface experiments package deployed in November 1969 is still functioning at latitude 3°11 ' S, longitude 23°23' W, in the Ocean of Storms approximately 180 km from the Apollo 14 landing site. Comparisons between data from these first two sites in the Apollo scientific network can now be made. As an example, a single known seismic event, such as the impact of the lunar module ascent stage on the surface of the Moon, resulted in positive indications at both sites. The topography in the landing area was extremely interesting, and the geological and geochemical returns were great. Because of improved equipment, such as the modularized equipment transporter, and because of the extended time spent on the lunar surface, a large quantity and variety of lunar samples were returned to Earth for detailed examination. New information concerning the mechanics of the lunar soil was also obtained during this mission. In addition, five lunar-orbital experiments were conducted during the Apollo 14 mission, needing no new equipment other than a camera. The experiments were executed by the command module pilot in the command and service module while the commander and the lunar module pilot were on the surface of the Moon. This report is preliminary in nature; however, it is meant to acquaint the reader with the actual conduct of the Apollo 14 scientific mission and to record the facts as they appear in the early stages of the scientific mission evaluation. As far as possible, data trends are reported, and preliminary results and conclusions are included. Large numbers of samples and quantities of data must yet be examined and the results compared with the scientific information resulting from the Apollo 11 and 12 missions before any final conclusions can be drawn.

Our first journey to the Moon ushered in a new era in which man will no longer be confined to his home planet. The concept of traveling across the vastness of space to new worlds has stirred the imagination of men everywhere. One-sixth of the Earth's population watched as the Apollo 11 astronauts walked and worked a quarter of a million miles away, The success of this mission has opened new fields of exploration and research- research which will lead to a greater understanding of our planet and provide a new insight into the origin and history of the solar system. The Apollo 11 mission was only a beginning, however. Subsequent missions will reflect more ambitious scientific objectives and will include more comprehensive observations and measurements at a variety of lunar sites. This document is a preliminary report of the initial scientific observations resulting from the Apollo 11 mission. We expect that further significant results will come from more detailed analysis of the returned samples of lunar material, and from additional study of the photographs and data obtained from the emplaced experiments. Beyond that, we look forward to increasing international participation in the exploration of the Moon and neighboring regions of our solar system. The Manned Space Flight Program dedicated to the exploration and use of space by man. In the immediate future, men will continue exploring the Moon, adding greatly to our knowledge of the Moon, the Earth, and the solar system. It is expected that in Earth orbital laboratories men will conduct experiments and make observations that are possible only in the space environment. In standing firmly behind the space science program, it has been necessary to provide means for man to live and work in "this new ocean." A transportation system has had to be provided with a navigation system of great precision. An extensive medical program has been necessary to provide data on man's reaction to the space environment. The Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo missions have produced, step by step, the answers needed for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. The rapid progress of the program obscured its great problems. The success of the Apollo 11 mission was solidly based on excellent technology, sound decisions, and a test program that was carefully planned and executed. To this foundation was added the skill and bravery of the astronauts, backed up by a fully trained and highly motivated ground team. It must not be forgotten that the lunar mission was very complex from all points of view--planning, hardware, software, and operations. Of necessity, margins were small and even small deviations in performance or conduct of the mission could have jeopardized mission success. In parallel with the emphasis on engineering problems and their solution, the scientific part of the Apollo 11 mission was planned and executed with great care. The samples of lunar soil and rocks returned by the astronauts will add much detailed scientific information. The photographs and observations of the crew have already answered some questions man has asked for thousands of years. The emplaced experiments have yielded data unavailable until now. This report is preliminary and covers only the initial scientific results of the Apollo 11 mission. Much work remains for the large number of scientists involved to understand and interpret the facts that are only partly exposed today.

Apollo 8 observations of lunar topography.