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We Fly On The Most Powerful Machine Ever Built, Ever
Our Saturn V rocket at lift off. I was surprised by the severity of the vibration when the engines started.
I had never been shakened around so roughly. Lightning struck us about 36 seconds later,
taking the fuel cells, thus most of the electrical power to the Command Module, offline.
Quick coordination with Mission Control allowed us to solve the problem, restore power,
and continue on into Earth orbit.
Next: Skylab 3 (Skylab Mission II) Slideshow
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To freeze the slideshow, click any thumbnail below. All photos courtesy of NASA.
We Fly On The Most Powerful Machine Ever Built, Ever
Our Saturn V rocket at lift off. I was surprised by the severity of the vibration when the engines started.
I had never been shakened around so roughly. Lightning struck us about 36 seconds later,
taking the fuel cells, thus most of the electrical power to the Command Module, offline.
Quick coordination with Mission Control allowed us to solve the problem, restore power,
and continue on into Earth orbit.
President Nixon And His Family Came To Watch In The Rain
Richard Nixon viewing the launch of Apollo 12. He didn't see us very long before
we entered the thunderstorm that was raining on him and disappeared from view.
He would be listening to the communications between us and Mission Control so he
would know something exciting was going on specially when a big lightning bolt came out of the cloud and struck the launch pad.
Pete And I Inside The Lunar Module Undock From Dick In The Command Module
Pete Conrad and I are inside our Lunar Module "Intrepid", 60 miles above the moon,
as we separate from Dick Gordon in the Command Module "Yankee Clipper". The three of
us were so busy with preparations for our landing on the Ocean of Storms we did not have
a chance to enjoy the spetacular view you can see here.
Pete Takes This Photo Of Me Headed Out The Hatch And Down The Ladder
I am closing the hatch and beginning to descend the ladder. You can see a small crater inside
Surveyor crater just to the right of the ladder.
My First Step On The Ocean Of Storms
This is my first step onto the Ocean of Storms. When I release my hold on the ladder, I begin to wobble around
so I grab back on to stablize myself. It takes 2 or 3 minutes for my brain and the
sensors and muscles in my legs to adjust to the one-sixth gravity of the moon. You can see a reflection of Pete
in my gold visor.
At Work On The Moon
The engineers on Earth wanted me to take photos so they can see the effectiveness of our footpads when we landed on the moon.
You can see that they were well designed and allowed Intrepid to rest easily on the moon. You can
also see our high-gain S-band antenna that Pete and I erected so that we can have easy communications with Mission Control.
I Take A Photo Holding Up Our Flag
Pete unfurls the American flag. We had traveled some 239,000 miles to get here. Four hundred thousand Americans with their
ingenuity and dedication made this impossible dream a reality.
I'm Carrying Out The ALSEP
Pete has moved out ahead of me searching for a relatively uncratered area so we can deploy the
Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) that I am carrying. On Earth it weighted 420 pounds and I
wasn't strong enough to even lift it. Up here, it only weights 70 pounds. The black object to my right is a
nuclear generator that will power the 6 experiments that I am carrying to my left.
Pounding In A Hollow Pipe To Get A Cross Section Of The Soil Below The Surface
I am having a tough time driving this double core tube into the moon.
Since there has never been water or air on the moon in all of its history,
the individual particles of lunar soil
have not been rounded in the same way like they have been on Earth. As a result, these particles on the moon,
even down to the microscopic level, are much more sharp-edged.
As a result, they don't easily move out of the way even to a sharp-edged bit.
A double core tube is a two-meter-long
hollow pipe with a sharp bit on the front. When I drive it in as far as I can, I will pull it out, remove
the sharp bit and replace it with a cap.
Back on Earth, scientists will cut the core tube lengthwise and expose a cross-section of the lunar
surface for detailed study.
When I get back to Earth, I will recommend this hammer be replaced with a much heavier one. NASA made the change to the
hammer and driving core tubes was no longer a problem on future missions.
Running Was Easier Than Walking In The 1/6th Gravity
Running on the moon takes less energy than walking on the moon. This is because it is easier for me to move
my small ankle joints than to move my much larger hip and knee joints.
As I run about, I must look ahead and not step into any small craters or on
any rocks and injure an ankle. Also, I cannot move too close to larger craters because
if the edge were to give away, I would slip into the crater and be up there a long, long time.
Dancing on my tiptoes is the easiest way to move about and it's a lot fun as well.
Working On The Moon Inside My Spacesuite Was Hard Work
Near my right leg is our tool carrier that has all the equipment that we will use to explore the moon.
There is a hammer, a number of core tubes, sample bags, a scoop and a variety of other geological tools.
You can see my cuff checklist and watch on my left arm. Pete is visible in my visor as he takes this portrait of me
on the moon. Both legs are getting dirty with moondust.
Holding A Sterile Container To Collect Pristine Moon Dust
Some scientists on Earth were concerned that the moon rocks that Neil and Buzz picked up on Apollo 11 were
contaminated by their gloves. To see if this was really a problem, we carried an environmental sample container
on our mission. You can see that I am holding it in my right glove.
Pete has just filled it with lunar material using only the scoop. I'm going to attach the lid that you can
see hanging below the container without touching the inside or any of the material inside.
Back on Earth, testing would reveal that we did not and would not contaminate moon rocks when we picked them up.
Proof We Made A Pinpoint Landing
Well, we made a successful pinpoint landing right on the edge of Surveyor Crator. Pete has moved down to ensure that
Surveyor 3 is stable and there is no danger it might slide further down into the crator.
He is telling me that it's safe
to come down to help him cut off the camera (we can see near his right shoulder), the scoop (near his left leg) and
several other pieces that scientists on Earth are very interested in examining.
We can see "Intrepid" on the far side of Surveyor Crator some 200 meters distant.
The Moon Looked As Flat As It Looks On Your Screen
I can remember how flat the moon looked to me as Pete, Dick and I headed back to Earth.
We seemed to rise above a huge black and white photo of the moon and not above a sphere like it really is.
We all know when we look at the moon from Earth that it does not look like a sphere. It looks flat because
the lunar soil backscatters light equally from the center all the way out to the rim.
It was a strange, beautiful and welcome sight as the three of us began our journey home in Yankee Clipper.
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