by neufer » Sat May 23, 2009 10:11 am
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090523.html
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(Pete Conrad is eyeing a Twix candy bar through the Surveyor vending machine glass)
Pete: Twix.. (Makes various noises) B-5.
(Pete put in his dollar, but the machine rejects it. He tries to jam it in, same result. He tries one more time - unsuccessful)
Pete: Ah, come on!
Pete: (As the Twix starts to move) Ha, ha, ha, ha!
(The Twix gets stuck in the spindle right before falling. Pete begins to pound the machine)
Come on!
Jump!
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_12 wrote:
<<The Apollo 12 mission landed on an area of the Ocean of Storms that had been visited earlier by several unmanned missions (Luna 5, Surveyor 3, and Ranger 7). The International Astronomical Union, recognizing this, christened this region Mare Cognitum (Known Sea). The landing site would thereafter be listed as Statio Cognitum on lunar maps (Conrad and Bean did not formally name their landing site, interestingly enough, though the intended touchdown point was nicknamed Pete's Parking Lot by Conrad).
The second lunar landing was an exercise in precision targeting, using a Doppler Effect radar technique developed to allow the pinpoint landings needed for future Apollo missions. Most of the descent was automatic, with manual control assumed by Conrad during the final few hundred feet of descent. Unlike Apollo 11 where Neil Armstrong took partial control of the lander and directed it further down range when he noticed that the intended landing site was strewn with boulders, Apollo 12 succeeded, on November 19, in landing within walking distance (less than 200 meters) of its intended target - the Surveyor 3 probe, which had landed on the Moon in April 1967.
Conrad actually landed Intrepid 580 feet (180 m) short of Pete's Parking Lot because the planned landing point looked rougher than anticipated during the final approach to touchdown. The planned landing point was a little under 1,180 feet (360 m) from Surveyor 3, a distance that was chosen to eliminate the possibility of lunar dust (being kicked up by Intrepid's descent engine during landing) from covering Surveyor 3. But the actual touchdown point — 600 feet (180 m) from Surveyor 3 — did cause a thin film of dust to coat the probe, giving it a light tan hue.
To improve the quality of television pictures from the Moon, a color camera was carried on Apollo 12 (unlike the monochrome camera that was used on Apollo 11). Unfortunately, when Bean carried the camera to the place near the lunar module where it was to be set up, he inadvertently pointed it directly into the Sun, destroying the vidicon tube. Television coverage of this mission was thus terminated almost immediately.>>
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Attempted stunts:
* Alan Bean smuggled a camera-shutter self-timer device on to the mission with the intent of taking a photograph with himself, Pete Conrad and the Surveyor 3 probe in the frame. As the timer was not part of their standard equipment, such an image would have thrown post-mission photo analysts into confusion over how the photo was taken. However, the self-timer was misplaced during the EVA and the plan was never executed.
.................................................
* The Apollo 12 backup crew managed to insert into the astronaut's lunar checklist (attached to the wrists of Conrad's and Bean's spacesuits) reduced sized pictures of Playboy centerfolds, surprising Conrad and Bean when they looked through the checklist flip-book during their first EVA.
![Image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Apollo12_cf.jpg)
Centerfold in lunar checklist (for historical purposes only).
The Lunar Surface Journal website contains a PDF with the photocopies of their cuff checklists showing these photos. The checklists also contain two pages of pre-prepared complex geological terminology at the back, to be used for the confusion of the ground crew.
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http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090523.html
--------------------------------------------------
(Pete Conrad is eyeing a Twix candy bar through the Surveyor vending machine glass)
Pete: Twix.. (Makes various noises) B-5.
(Pete put in his dollar, but the machine rejects it. He tries to jam it in, same result. He tries one more time - unsuccessful)
Pete: Ah, come on!
Pete: (As the Twix starts to move) Ha, ha, ha, ha!
(The Twix gets stuck in the spindle right before falling. Pete begins to pound the machine)
Come on!
Jump!
---------------------------------------
[quote=" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_12"]
<<The Apollo 12 mission landed on an area of the Ocean of Storms that had been visited earlier by several unmanned missions (Luna 5, Surveyor 3, and Ranger 7). The International Astronomical Union, recognizing this, christened this region Mare Cognitum (Known Sea). The landing site would thereafter be listed as Statio Cognitum on lunar maps (Conrad and Bean did not formally name their landing site, interestingly enough, though the intended touchdown point was nicknamed Pete's Parking Lot by Conrad).
The second lunar landing was an exercise in precision targeting, using a Doppler Effect radar technique developed to allow the pinpoint landings needed for future Apollo missions. Most of the descent was automatic, with manual control assumed by Conrad during the final few hundred feet of descent. Unlike Apollo 11 where Neil Armstrong took partial control of the lander and directed it further down range when he noticed that the intended landing site was strewn with boulders, Apollo 12 succeeded, on November 19, in landing within walking distance (less than 200 meters) of its intended target - the Surveyor 3 probe, which had landed on the Moon in April 1967.
Conrad actually landed Intrepid 580 feet (180 m) short of Pete's Parking Lot because the planned landing point looked rougher than anticipated during the final approach to touchdown. The planned landing point was a little under 1,180 feet (360 m) from Surveyor 3, a distance that was chosen to eliminate the possibility of lunar dust (being kicked up by Intrepid's descent engine during landing) from covering Surveyor 3. But the actual touchdown point — 600 feet (180 m) from Surveyor 3 — did cause a thin film of dust to coat the probe, giving it a light tan hue.
To improve the quality of television pictures from the Moon, a color camera was carried on Apollo 12 (unlike the monochrome camera that was used on Apollo 11). Unfortunately, when Bean carried the camera to the place near the lunar module where it was to be set up, he inadvertently pointed it directly into the Sun, destroying the vidicon tube. Television coverage of this mission was thus terminated almost immediately.>>
---------------------------------------
Attempted stunts:
* Alan Bean smuggled a camera-shutter self-timer device on to the mission with the intent of taking a photograph with himself, Pete Conrad and the Surveyor 3 probe in the frame. As the timer was not part of their standard equipment, such an image would have thrown post-mission photo analysts into confusion over how the photo was taken. However, the self-timer was misplaced during the EVA and the plan was never executed.
.................................................
* The Apollo 12 backup crew managed to insert into the astronaut's lunar checklist (attached to the wrists of Conrad's and Bean's spacesuits) reduced sized pictures of Playboy centerfolds, surprising Conrad and Bean when they looked through the checklist flip-book during their first EVA.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Apollo12_cf.jpg[/img]
Centerfold in lunar checklist (for historical purposes only).
The Lunar Surface Journal website contains a PDF with the photocopies of their cuff checklists showing these photos. The checklists also contain two pages of pre-prepared complex geological terminology at the back, to be used for the confusion of the ground crew.[/quote]
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