Apollo 14 Preliminary Science Report NASA SP-272

302 Pages·2002·24.1 MB·English

NASASP-272
Preliminary
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Science
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Report
APOLLO 14 PRELIMINARYSCIENCEREPORT
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Tracks of modularized equipment transporter show route taken by Apollo 14 astronauts on
their traverse to Cone Crater.
NASA SP-272
Preliminary Science Report
PREPARED BY
NASA MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER
SNcAieTntIiOfiNcAaLnd TeAchEnRicOaNl AInUfoTrImCaStion OA_NcDe SPACE ADMINISTRATION 1971
Washington, D.C.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The material submitted for the "Apollo 14 Preliminary
Science Report" was reviewed by a NASA Manned
Spacecraft Center Editorial Review Board consisting of
the following members: Philip K. Chapman (Chairman),
Michael B. Duke, Helen N. Foley, Jackson Harris, Frank
J. Herbert, Bob Mercer, Scott H. Simpkinson, Paul J.
Stull, and John M. Ward.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402
Price $3.00
Library oJ Congress Catalog Card No. 78_511931
Foreword
THE THIRDMANNEDLUNARLANDING,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 space-
craft 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 excep-
tionally rich harvest in lunar science that the mission achieved.
At Fra Mauro, astronauts Shepard and Mitchell emplaced an automatic geo-
physical station that quickly began to work in harness with Station 12, already
functioning 181 km to the west, forming a valuable network that permits simulta-
neous 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 resuIts 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.
GEORGE M. LOW
Deputy Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
JUNE 1, 1971
Contents
PAGE
INTRODUCTION xi
lames ,4. McDivitt
MISSION DESCRIPTION xiii
F. J. Herbert and W. K. Stephenson
SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC RESULTS 1
Philip K. Chapman, Anthony 1. Calio, and M. Gene Simmons
1 PHOTOGRAPHIC SUMMARY 9
John W. Dietrich
2 CREW OBSERVATIONS 33
Alan B. Shepard, Edgar D. Mitchell, and Stuart A. Roosa
3 PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS OF THE 39
APOLLO 14 LANDING SITE
G. A. Swann, N. G. Bailey, R. M. Batson,
R. E. Eggleton, M. H. Hait, H. E. Holt, K. B. Larson,
M. C. McEwen, E. D. Mitchell, G. G. Schaber,
I. B. Schafer, A. B. Shepard, R. L. Sutton,
N. J. Trask, G. E. Ulrich, H. G. Wilshire, and
E. W. Wolle
4 SOIL MECHANICS EXPERIMENT 87
I. K. Mitchell, L. G. Bromwell, W. D. Carrier III,
N. C. Costes, and R. F. Scott
5 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF LUNAR SAMPLES 109
The Lunar Sample Preliminary Examination Team
6 PASSIVE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT 133
Gary V. Latham, Maurice Ewing, Frank Press,
George Sutton, James Dorman, Yosio Nakamura,
Nail Toksoz, Fred Duennebier, and David Lammlein
7 ACTIVE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT 163
Robert L. Kovach, Joel S. Watkins, and Torn Landers
8 SUPRA.THERMAL ION DETECTOR EXPERIMENT 175
(LUNAR IONOSPHERE DETECTOR)
H. K. Hills and J. W. Freeman, Jr.
vii
APOLLO 14 PRELIMINARY SCIENCE REPORT
PAGE
9 COLD-CATHODE-GAGE EXPERIMENT (LUNAR
ATMOSPHERE DETECTOR) 185
F. S. Johnson, D. E. Evans, and J. M. Carroll
10 CHARGED-PARTICLE LUNAR ENVIRONMENT
EXPERIMENT 193
Brian J. O'Brien and David L. Reasoner
11 LASER RANGING RETROREFLECTOR 215
J. E. FaUer, C. O. Alley, P. L. Bender, D. G. Currie,
R. H. Dicke, W. M. Kaula, G. J. F. MacDonald,
J. D. Mulholland, H. H. Plotkin, E. C. Silverberg,
and D. T. Wilkinson
12 SOLAR-WIND COMPOSITION EXPERIMENT 221
J. Geiss, F. Buehler, H. Cerutti, P. Eberhardt, and J. Meister
13 LUNAR PORTABLE MAGNETOMETER EXPERIMENT 227
P. Dyal, C. W. Parkin, C. P. Sonett, R. L. DuBois,
and G. Simmons
14 LUNAR-SURFACE CLOSEUP STEREOSCOPIC
PHOTOGRAPHY 239
T. Gold
15 GEGENSCHEIN-MOULTON REGION PHOTOGRAPHY
FROM LUNAR ORBIT 249
L. Dunkelman, C. L. Wolff, R. D. Mercer, and S. A. Roosa
16 S-BAND TRANSPONDER EXPERIMENT 253
W. L. Sjogren, P. Gottlieb, P. M. Muller, and W. R. Wollenhaupt
17 BISTATIC-RADAR INVESTIGATION 257
H. T. Howard and G. L. Tyler
18 ORBITAL-SCIENCE PHOTOGRAPHY 267
PART A. VOLCANICFEATURES IN THE FAR-SIDE HIGHLANDS 267
Farouk E1-Baz
PART B. PRELIMINARYGEOLOGICRESULTSFROM ORBITAL
PHOTOGRAPHY 274
D. H. Scott, M. N. West, B. K. Lucchitta, and J. F. McCauley
PART C. HYCON PHOTOGRAPHYOF THE CENTRALHIGHLANDS 283
Farouk El-Baz and J. W. Head 1H
PART O. GEOLOGYOF THEREGION AROUNDTHE CANDIDATE
DESCARTESAPOLLO LANDINGSITE 290
Daniel J. Milton
PART E. SKETCH MAP OF THE CANDIDATEDESCARTESAPOLLO
LANDING SITE 293
Carroll Ann Hodges
viii
PAGE
PART F. CORRELATION OF THE ZERO-PHASE BRIGHTNESS SURGE
(HEILIGENSCHEIN) WITH LUNAR-SURFACE ROUGHNESS 296
Howard A. Pohn, R. L. Wildey, and T. W. O_eld
PART G. NEAR-TERMINATOR PHOTOGRAPHY 297
J. W. Head and D. D. Lloyd
PART H. ASTRONOMICAL PHOTOGRAPHY 300
R. D. Mercer, L. Dunkelman, and S. A. Roosa
APPENDIX A--GLOSSARY 303
APPENDIX B--ACRONYMS 305
APPENDIX C--Units and Unit-Conversion Factors 307
ix
Introduction
APOLLO 14, THETHIRDMISSIONduring 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
3o40' 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.
JAMES A. McDIVITT
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center
xi