The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series

Transcription

1 The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series For further volumes:

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3 How to Find the Apollo Landing Sites James L. Chen With Graphics Contributions by Adam Chen

4 James L. Chen Gore, VA, USA ISSN ISSN (electronic) ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (

5 Dedicated to my loving parents, Vung Tsung and Lurene Chen, without whom I would never have been able to write this book. I miss them.

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7 President John F. Kennedy s May 25, 1961 Speech President John F. Kennedy addressing Joint Session of Congress 5/25/61. Courtesy of NASA vii

8 viii President John F. Kennedy s May 25, 1961 Speech President John F. Kennedy Excerpt from his speech delivered before a joint session of Congress May 25, 1961 First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish. We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar spacecraft. We propose to develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until certain which is superior. We propose additional funds for other engine development and for unmanned explorations explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight. But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the Moon if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there. Second, an additional 23 million dollars, together with 7 million dollars already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket. This gives promise of some day providing a means for even more exciting and ambitious exploration of space, perhaps beyond the moon, perhaps to the very end of the solar system itself. Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for worldwide communications. Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for worldwide weather observation. Let it be clear and this is a judgment which the Members of the Congress must finally make let it be clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action, a course which will last for many years and carry very heavy costs: 531 million dollars in fiscal 62 an estimated 7 to 9 billion dollars additional over the next 5 years. If we are to go only half way, or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all. Now this is a choice which this country must make, and I am confident that under the leadership of the Space Committees of the Congress, and the Appropriating Committees, that you will consider the matter carefully. It is a most important decision that we make as a nation. But all of you have lived through the last 4 years and have seen the significance of space and the adventures in space, and no one can predict with certainty what the ultimate meaning will be of mastery of space.

9 President John F. Kennedy s May 25, 1961 Speech ix I believe we should go to the Moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, and there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year. This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, materiel and facilities, and the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization, and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful interagency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel. New objectives and new money cannot solve these problems. They could in fact aggravate them further unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space.

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11 Preface Courtesy of NASA Sunday, July 20, :10 pm EDT. For readers of a certain age, this is a date and time that can never be forgotten. A moment in time in which everyone remembers where they were, and what they were doing. And unlike other dates that live in infamy, such as December 7 or 9/11, xi

12 xii Preface this is a moment of history that brings awe, inspiration, and pride. For this was the day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the LM Eagle on the Moon. Decades later, generations of people look to the Moon, and know that mankind has been there. But many have no idea where the landings occurred. The Moon has been visited by both robotic and human visitors, with landing sites scattered across its surface. It is the goal of this book to enlighten the reader, and show where to look upon the Moon for mankind s landing sites. As a child of the Sixties, I grew up entranced by the burgeoning Space Age. I received as a Christmas present my first telescope at the age of eleven, and my first target was to view the Moon. It was thrilling. I grew up to become a professional engineer, spending most of my career in the field of aviation. But my love for telescopes and astronomy never waned. Since my retirement, I have devoted a great deal of time supporting local Washington D.C. telescope stores and giving lectures on telescopes and astronomy equipment to astronomy clubs in Maryland and northern Virginia. And for those of sharp memories and a stack of old astronomy magazines in their basements, you ll find an article written by yours truly in the November, 1989 issue of Astronomy magazine on the subject of building a Dobsonian telescope. Now that I am retired from my professional engineering life, I ve found that I can spend more time viewing the skies through my telescopes. (Yes, that is plural. I m afraid I m slightly on the lunatic fringe of the hobby, pun intended.) Photos from NASA s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, showing the Apollo landing sites from an altitude of 50 miles, inspired me to search for the lander locations using my telescopes. And, with a subtle nudge from my older son Adam is the inspiration for this book. The intent of this book is twofold: to serve as a visual guide, stepping the reader through a process for locating and viewing the Apollo landing sites, and an appreciation of what was accomplished there. The reader should look elsewhere for a more historical accounting of the Apollo Program, as there are many fabulous books on the subject written by former Apollo astronauts, Apollo flight controllers, engineers, and other well-known authors. There is a conscious informality that I ve used in referring to the astronauts and their missions and equipment. This book serves as an observational guide, allowing the casual and serious observer a chance to locate the Apollo landing sites visually (with or without visual aid), and appreciate the historic experiments and equipment left behind. A review of the scientific results is included, and interestingly enough new knowledge is being added about the Moon from Apollo data to this day! Also included are photos from the lunar probes leading up to Apollo. The longforgotten Ranger series and the Surveyor series of lunar probes provided valuable information to NASA, both in terms of science and in terms of engineering requirements and techniques needed to getting to the Moon. Maybe someday in the future, Mankind can reach out to the Moon again. And provide a reason for a Volume 2 to this book. Gore, VA January 25, 2014 James L. Chen

13 Acknowledgements A big Thank You to the following people who made this book possible: First and foremost, my wife Vickie for her encouragement, support, and her proofreading and critiquing skills. To my son Adam for giving me the idea of writing a book in the first place, and his graphics abilities. To my son Alex for serving as a soundboard for some of my ideas for the book, and making valuable suggestions and contributions. To Gary and Sherry Hand of Hands-On-Optics, for providing technical support, conceptual ideas, and encouragement. To Vic Maris and the Stellarvue crew for building my mainstay 102 mm refractor. And to Nora Rawn of Springer, for supporting my book concept and getting me to improve upon it. xiii

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15 Contents 1 Moon Observing Basics and Book Tutorial: What You Need to Know What You Need to Know About Telescopes Apollo Apollo Apollo Apollo Apollo Apollo Apollo The Ranger Series The Surveyor Series Crash Sites of Saturn Third Stages and LM Ascent Stages Missed Opportunities: The Cancelled Missions Moon, Mars, and the Future Appendix 1: Abbreviations and Acronyms Appendix 2: Recommended Reading xv

16 xvi Contents Appendix 3: Author s Telescope Equipment Used for This Book Appendix 4: Displays of Lunar Rocks and Soil Samples (Source: Curator.jsc.nasa.gov) Appendix 5: Apollo Spacecraft Hardware on Display (Source: airandspace.si.edu) About the Authors Bibliography Index