The main launch site of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Satish Dhawan Space Centre, also known as the Sriharikota Range (SHAR), is located on Sriharikota Island (13.9° N, 80.3° E), about 80 km north of Chennai. This island was chosen in 1969 for setting up of a satellite launching station because of various factors; a good launch azimuth corridor for various missions, ability to utilize Earth's rotation for eastward launchings, nearness to the equator, and large uninhabited area, offering a safety zone. The facilities at SDSC include solid propellant production plant, rocket motor static test facility, launch complexes for a variety of rockets, telemetry, telecommand, tracking, data acquisition and processing facilities, and other support services. Range safety restrictions on launch azimuth make it inefficient to launch into polar orbits from here. The facility was named Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC), on September 5, 2002, in memory of Prof Satish Dhawan, former Chairman of the ISRO.
Sriharikota Island
Sriharikota Island is 17 km from the main land and is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Pulikat Lake on the West. The shallow backwaters in the Pulikat Lake attract a large number of migratory birds. The island has a variety of flora and fauna. Several new plantations are all along the coast and protect the island from high-speed winds during cyclonic period. The island was inhabited by a tribal community, Yanadis, who have been resettled within the island and also rehabilitated by providing employment opportunities and educational facilities.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SHAR)
Cape Canaveral
A cape in eastern Florida, located on the Atlantic Ocean at 28.5° N, 80.5° W about 25 km northeast of Cocoa Beach. It is home to America's largest complex of launch pads and support facilities. The northern part of the complex, including Merritt Island, is operated by NASA and known as Kennedy Space Center (KSC). To the south is Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, operated by Patrick Air Force Base. It is usual to talk about the civilian and military facilities together since NASAand commercial launch companies often use launch pads in the military-run section. In fact, NASA and the Air Force now have a single office at Patrick AFB for dealing with launch customers. They also recently agreed to share police and fire departments, and other functions, which in the past were duplicated. Efforts continue to unite the military, civilian, and commercial facilities at Cape Canaveral into a single "spaceport."
Cape Canaveral was chosen as a missile launch site soon after World War II when it became clear that new rockets were becoming too powerful for inland facilities such as that at White Sands, New Mexico. The Cape had good weather, the Atlantic to the east over which missiles could be fired without risk to human populations, and a string of islands on which tracking stations could be set up. In the late 1940s, Patrick Air Force Base was established as a launch command center and, shortly after, acquired more than 4,500 hectares of land from the state of Florida to use as its new proving ground. To the east extended the Eastern Test Range across which missiles, and eventually space vehicles, could be launched safely and tracked for thousands of kilometers. The first launch from Cape Canaveral was of a Bumper WAC in July 1950. Swiftly this was followed by many more test flights of the Navaho, Snark, and Matador guided missiles, and of the Redstone and Jupiter C ballistic missiles. As America’s seminal space program began to take shape, Cape Canaveral was the obvious choice as a launch site. Not only were the launch and tracking facilities already in place but the Cape's location not far from the equator meant that rockets heading eastward for orbit could take advantage of the extra velocity imparted to them by Earth's rotation.
Since 1950, more than 40 launch complexes have been constructed at the Cape, many of them now obsolete or dismantled. At the southern end are pads used to test fire Trident and Minuteman missiles, and small- and medium-sized unmanned space launchers such as Scout, Delta, and Atlas-Centaur. Toward the center of the site is "ICBM row" – a chain of a dozen or so major pads used for Redstone, Atlas, and Titan launches, including those of the manned Mercury and Gemini flights. At the northern end of ICBM row are Complex 37, used for theSaturn Is, and Complex 34, the site of the Apollo 1 fire in which three astronauts died. These all lie within Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Still further north is Launch Complex 41, just within the border of the Air Force Station, and the Complexes 40 and 39, within Kennedy Space Center. These three Complexes are used to launch the largest American rockets and operate differently than the smaller pads to the south. Instead of each rocket being assembled and tested on the pad, it is put together and checked inside special buildings and then moved to the pad as the launch day approaches. The cores of Titan IIIs and IVs are assembled in the Vertical Integration Building, then moved on railtracks to another building where their solid boosters are attached, and finally transported to either Launch Complex 40 or 41 prior to liftoff.
Launch Complex 39, the most northerly at the Cape, includes two launch pads, 39A and 39B, which were used by Saturn Vs during the Apollo program. Today they are the points of departure for the Space Shuttle which is put together in the Vertical Assembly Building then moved to its pad by a crawler-transporter a few weeks before launch. Other specialized buildings at KSC are used to check the Shuttle after its return from orbit and to prepare its payloads. A 4,500-m runway several kilometers to the west of Complex 39A enables the Shuttle to return directly to the Cape after each mission. Space Launch Complex Launch vehicle 17 A, 17 B Delta 36 A, 36 B Atlas 39A, 39B Space Shuttle 40, 41 Titan
Friday, February 20, 2009
De orbit Burn and Re entry.
As a spacecraft reenters the Earth's atmosphere, it is traveling very much faster than the speed of sound. The vehicle is is said to be hypersonic. Typical low earth orbit reentry speeds are near 20,000 kph (17,500 mph) and the peak Mach number may be almost 25. The chief characteristic of reentry aerodynamics is that the temperature of the flow is so great that the chemical bonds of the diatomic molecules of the air are broken. The molecules break apart producing an electrically charged plasma around the vehicle. The air density is very low because reentry occurs many kilometers above the Earth's surface. Strong shock waves are generated on the lower surface of the spacecraft.
NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC)
NASA’s primary site for the development and operation of manned space missions, including the selection and training ofastronauts. Founded in 1961 and located in Houston, Texas, the Johnson Space Center (JSC) houses the Mission Control forSpace Shuttle flights and a separate control center for theInternational Space Station. JSC also conducts major programs related to manned spaceflight, space medicine, and aviation. Originally, known as the Manned Spacecraft Center, it was renamed the (Lyndon B.) Johnson Space Center, on February 17, 1973, after the President who, earlier in his career, recommended a manned lunar landing in response to early Soviet space successes.
Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise.
The first flight-capable version of the Space Shuttle Orbiter but one designed for ground and gliding tests only; its official designation is Orbiter OV-101. NASA had originally intended to call this vehicle Constitution in honor of several United States Navy vessels of the same name, including the “Old Ironsides” frigate launched in 1797 and now on display at the Boston Navy Yard.Constitution was also appropriate in view of the American Bicentennial, which was being commemorated at the time of factory rollout in 1976. However, Star Trek fans petitioned – sending 100,000 letters to the White House – to have the first Shuttle named after the famous fictional starship. NASA relented, and changed the name from Constitution to Enterprise prior to rollout, pointing out that several Navy vessels had also carried the name Enterprise, including the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
During the summer of 1976, Enterprise underwent horizontal vibration tests at the Rockwell plant in Palmdale, California, designed to test the Shuttle structural integrity under simulated launch and landing conditions. Upon completion of these, it was outfitted to perform actual flight tests. But because the vehicle would never actually leave Earth’s atmosphere, it differed markedly from its spacefaring successors. Enterprise had no main propulsion system plumbing, fuel lines, or tankage, and its main engines were only mockups. The payload bay contained no mounting hardware for cargo packages, and the payload bay door lacked the hydraulic mechanisms to allow it to open and close. In order to save money, thermal tiles were simulated using black and white polyurethane foam. The flight deck controls were much simpler than those required for spaceflight and the crew compartment was largely empty since only a pilot and commander would be aboard for the tests. A feature not included in operational Shuttles, however, was an ejection seat escape mechanism. Enterprise also carried a battery of equipment for making crucial aerodynamic measurements and, unlike future Shuttles was fitted with a long, pointed air data probe which stuck out from its nose.
Following the successful completion of the Approach and Landing Tests, NASA certified the Shuttle as aerodynamically sound and announced that no further flight tests would be necessary. But Enterprise was not immediately retired. Beginning in March 1978, a series of mated vertical vibration tests was carried out atMarshall Space Flight Center to subject Enterprise to a series of vibrations such as the Shuttle might experience in flight. Upon their conclusion, NASA had considered returning Enterprise to Rockwell to be upgraded into an operational Shuttle. However, as several major design changes had been made to the Shuttle while Enterprisewas being built and tested, a refit was now considered too expensive. Instead, NASA opted to modify an already existing high-fidelity structural test article (STA-099) into what would become Challenger. As a result, Enterprisewas taken to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to test equipment and procedures that would be necessary to support the first Shuttle space flight. Engineers at KSC had been using a Shuttle mockup nicknamed Pathfinder but Enterprise provided a much more realistic tool. Soon after its arrival at KSC, Enterprise was transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), mated to an External Tank and inert set of Solid Rocket Boosters, and rolled out, in May 1997, to become the first Shuttle on the launch pad. For nearly three months, it supported operational tests there before being returned to the VAB for demating. In early August 1979 it was ferry flown toVandenberg Air Force Base, then on to Edwards Air Force Base, and finally transported over land to Rockwell for removal and refurbishment of certain components for use on other Shuttles. Enterprise was then taken back to Edwards in September 1981 and put in storage for almost two years. In May 1983 it became the first Shuttle to travel abroad when it was ferry flown to France for the Paris Air Show. Eventually, it came back to Vandenberg for use in further validation of Shuttle procedures. In September 1985 it was ferry flown to KSC, to be put on display next to a Saturn V outside the VAB. Finally, on November 18, 1985, Enterprise was taken to its permanent home, a facility of the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.
Guru Granth Sahib at Nasa.
Kalpana Chawla was a space shuttle mission specialist. She was the first Panjabi to travel into space. Unfortunately, she was killed on 1st February 2003 with 7 crew members in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Whilst in India, Bhai Bhagwan Singh was in Uttranchal (Haryana) where he met Kalpana Chawla's father, Banarsi Lal Chawla. As you would do, Bhai Bhagwan Singh offered his condolences and shared the grief of the loss of a fellow Punjabi sister.
Kalpana's father was a Hindu, however the family have devotion (shardaa) for the House of Guru Nanak. Bhai Sahib asked Kalpana's father to share something about Kalpana's life with him. He replied that she did Nitnem (daily prayers) every morning (as well as being a vegetarian). The family were fortunate enough to have darshan (glimpse) of the late Baba Nand Singh jee in Uttaranchal. Baba jee had an affect on the family and since then they have practised Nitnem and had love for Gurbani."Tell more," said Bhai Bhagwan Singh. The father replied, "Kalpana also recited Japji Sahib whilst she worked, and she recited Japji Sahib in space as well." Guru Nanak Sahib Ji explains in Japji Sahib:
ਪਾਤਾਲਾ ਪਾਤਾਲ ਲਖ ਆਗਾਸਾ ਆਗਾਸ ॥Pāṯālā pāṯāl lakẖ āgāsā āgās.
There are nether worlds beyond the nether worlds and lacs of skies over skies.ਓੜਕ ਓੜਕ ਭਾਲਿ ਥਕੇ ਵੇਦ ਕਹਨਿ ਇਕ ਵਾਤ ॥Oṛak oṛak bẖāl thakė vėḏ kahan ik vāṯ.
The scriptures say one thing: searching for God's limits and bounds, (without success) people have grown weary.
(Ang 5)
Not only did she read this, but she experienced this. Guru Nanak Sahib Ji was also present in space (whilst she read Japji Sahib).
Her father said that he had an opportunity to visit the NASA centre at San Jose, America (in September 2004). During his visit he was shown a volume of an English translation of Guru Granth Sahib jee kept at the NASA library. Her father was told that when scientists get tired of searching and searching the universe, when they seek inspiration and need to uplift their souls they turn to read the translations of Guru Nanak's poetry and divine-songs which magnificently describe the awe and wonder of the Universe. There is no other poetry, no other divine-song, no other Scripture, such as the Bani of Guru Nanak Sahib Ji -- Guru Granth Sahib jee.Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
The first international manned spaceflight and a symbolic end to the nearly 20-year-long Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Casting political differences temporarily aside, the two superpowers successfully completed the first joint on-orbit manned space operation. ASTP negotiations began in 1970, and an agreement for ASTP flight operations was signed at the superpower summit in May 1972.
The mission was designed primarily to establish and test space-based rescue techniques needed by both the American and Soviet manned space programs. Science experiments would be conducted, and logistics involved in carrying out joint space operations between the two nations developed and refined, paving the way for future joint ventures with the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. As the American and Soviet space capsules were incompatible, a new docking module had to be developed with a Soviet configuration on one side and an American configuration on the other. This module also acted as an airlock and transfer facility, allowing astronauts and cosmonauts to become accustomed to the atmospheres of each other’s vehicles. Should the cosmonauts have attempted an immediate transfer to the Apollo craft, they would quickly have suffered from the bends. Other differences, such as language, were not so easily resolved. The cosmonauts and astronauts agreed to communicate with their respective mission controllers in their native tongues. In-flight communications between the crews would be handled in any way deemed practical at the time. National pride also came into play: Americans referred to the mission as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Soviets as the Soyuz-Apollo Test Project.
The Soyuz 19 spacecraft was launched about seven hours ahead of the Apollo ASTP. Using techniques perfected during previous manned flights, the Apollo craft separated from its spent S-IVB booster, turned around, and docked with the ASTP docking module attached to the S-IVB. Then the Apollo spacecraft chased the Soyuz spacecraft to a rendezvous, completing a docking at 12:10 p.m. EDT on Jul. 17, 1975. Stafford andSlayton entered the docking module and adjusted the air pressure inside, and finally, in an event broadcast live on global television, the two cosmonauts entered through their side of the docking module and shook hands with the waiting astronauts. The two crews conducted experiments together, shared each other’s accommodations and meals, and took part in a variety of press conferences and other live broadcasts. Messages were relayed from the crews directly to President Ford and Premier Brezhnev. The two spacecraft remained docked for two days, then undocked and re-docked for practice purposes, before returning to Earth. Soyuz 19 landed in Russia on Jul. 21 while the Apollo craft remained in space another three days to conduct more on-orbit experiments.
At splashdown a tragedy was only narrowly averted. Difficulties with communications following reentry had distracted Brand so that he forgot to operate the two Earth landing system switches that would deploy the parachutes and deactivate the thrusters. When the drogue ’chute failed to come out, Brand manually commanded it to deploy, but the swinging of the spacecraft triggered the still-armed thrusters to fire to correct the oscillations. Stafford noticed this and shut them down, but by then the thrusters’ nitrogen tetroxide propellant was boiling off and entering the cabin via a pressure-relief valve. So much of the highly toxic gas was drawn in to the capsule that the astronauts started to choke. Then the Command Module hit the water, “like a ton of bricks” Stafford said, and turned upside-down. Stafford grabbed the oxygen masks from a locker but by the time he reached Brand, the Command Module pilot was unconscious. Later examination showed that the fast-acting gas had blistered the astronauts’ lungs and turned them white. Doctors also discovered a shadow on an X-ray of one of Slayton’s lungs and, fearing cancer, decided to operate. Fortunately, it proved to be a benign tumor; but had the shadow been found before the flight, Slayton, who had been grounded during the Mercury Project with a heart problem, would probably have prevented from going into space at all. This was the last manned spaceflight by the United States using a traditional rocket booster, and the last American manned spaceflight prior to the start of the Shuttle program. Apollo spacecraft Soyuz 19 spacecraft Launch date July 15, 1975 July 15, 1975 Launch vehicle Saturn IB Soyuz Crew Commander: Thomas Stafford
Command Module pilot: Vance Brand
Docking Module pilot: Donald SlaytonCommander: Aleskei Leonov
Flight engineer: Valeri KubasovMission duration 9 days 1 hour 5 days 23 hours Splashdown Jul. 24, 1975 Jul. 21, 1975
Apollo 17.
The eleventh and final manned mission of theApollo Project, and the sixth to land on the Moon.
Apollo 17 was also the first American manned launch in darkness. Lunar Module Challengerlanded in the Taurus-Littrow Valley of the Sea of Serenity, a location chosen because a landslide had recently (in geological terms) occurred here, bringing down material from the heights of the nearby Taurus Mountains.
As with Apollo 16, the first steps onto the Moon were not televised; however, in this case the blackout was planned – the camera gear for recording the first lunar steps having been dispensed with to save weight. During the first of three moonwalks, Eugene Cernan and Schmitt planted an American flag that had hung in Mission Control since Apollo 11. They also deployed the most advanced ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Science Experiment Package) of the Apollo program and drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) to Steno Crater.
On their second excursion – the longest on the Moon to date – the astronauts drove a round-trip of 19 km to South Massif. The final outing, and the last by an Apollo crew, took them to North Massif.
Numerous records were set on the mission, including the first flight of a scientist-astronaut – geologist Schmitt – who had been selected by NASA with no prior piloting skills. The Apollo 17 LM and crew logged the longest stay on the Moon, the Apollo 17 CSM completed the most lunar orbits at 75, setting a record manned lunar orbit stay of 147 h 48 min, and Cernan and Schmitt logged the longest total excursion time on the Moon at 22 h 5 min. The Apollo 17 LRV also logged the most distance driven on the lunar surface (a total of 35 km), and a record amount of lunar rock and soil samples was collected and returned to Earth. The last human lunar explorers – to date – left the Moon at 22:45 GMT on December 14, 1971. An economic recession and waning public interest in the Moon led to the cancellation of Apollo 18, 19, and 20, although Apollo hardware did fly again, during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the Skylab missions. Commander Eugene Cernan Lunar Module pilot Harrison Schmitt Command Module pilot Ronald Evans Call signs CM: America, LM: Challenger Launch Dec. 7, 1972; 05:33:00 UT (12:33:00 a.m. EST)
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39ALunar landing Dec. 11, 1972; 19:54:57 UT (02:54:57 p.m. EST) Landing site Taurus-Littrow (20.18N, 30.76E) EVA duration 22 hr 4 min.
EVA 1: 7 hr 12 min, EVA 2: 7 hr 37 min, EVA 3 ended at 05:40:56 GMT, Dec. 14Distance traveled on Moon 30 km Mass of lunar rocks collected 110 kg Time on lunar surface 75 hr 0 min. Mission duration 301 hr. 51 min. 59 sec. Splashdown Dec. 19, 1972; 19:24:59 UT (2:24:59p.m. EST) Retrieval site Pacific Ocean 17° 53' S, 166° 7' W
Highlights
Apollo 16.
During the first moonwalk the astronauts deployed the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Science Experiment Package) and drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) to Flag Crater. Unfortunately, Young tripped and fell over one of the leads attached to the ALSEP, rendering the experiment package useless. However, the day ended well for Young because during his excursion he learned that Congress had approved Fiscal Year 1973 funding for the Space Shuttle development, without which the program could have been canceled. Young, who later commanded the first Shuttle mission, jumped in the air – or, rather, the vacuum – when he heard the news. During the second moonwalk, the astronauts drove the LRV to Stone Mountain where they made observations and collected rock and soil samples. The third drive, to Smoky Mountain, was cut short because the water supply for cooling the LM’s instrumentation was running low – more water than expected having been used during the delay before landing. In fact, the coolant ran out just moments after the LM and CSM re-docked. Several records were broken during the mission, including the highest speed by a vehicle on the lunar surface (21 km/h) and the largest crater yet visited by man – North Ray Crater, about 200 m deep and 1.5 km wide. Commander John Young Lunar Module pilot Charles Duke, Jr. Command Module pilot Thomas Mattingly, II Call signs CM: Casper, LM: Orion Launch Apr. 16, 1972 17:54:00 UT (12:54:00 p.m. EST)
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39ALunar landing Apr. 21, 1972 02:23:35 UT (Apr. 20 9:23:35 p.m. EST) Landing site Descartes (8° 59' 29" S, 15° 30' 52" E) EVA duration 20 hr 14 min.
EVA 1: 7 hr 11 min.; EVA 2: 7 hr 23 min.; EVA 3: 5 hr 40 min.Distance traveled on Moon 27 km Mass of lunar rocks collected 95.8 kg Time on lunar surface 71 hr 2 min. Mission duration 265 hr 51 min. 5 sec. Splashdown Apr. 27, 1972; 19:45:05 UT (2:45:05 p.m. EST) Retrieval site Pacific Ocean 0° 43' S, 156° 13' W
Highlights
Apollo 15.
The ninth manned mission of the Apollo Project and the first extended-duration manned lunar mission. Falconlanded on the Moon in Hadley Rille near the base of the Apennines. Shortly after, David Scott stood in the Lunar Module (LM) upper hatch to photograph the landing area – a scheduled "standup spacewalk" to allow more detailed analysis of the surrounding terrain.
For the first time, the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was taken to the Moon and, following initial difficulties with deployment and steering, used for an excursion to St. George Crater. Scott and James Irwin drove the LRV a total of 10 km before returning to set up the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Science Experiment Package).
During their second outing the astronauts made a 12-km round-trip to Mount Hadley Delta and found a green crystalline rock, later called the "Genesis Rock" because of its presumed great age. On their third excursion, Scott and Irwin drove to Scarp Crater and Hadley Rille and became the first astronauts to venture beyond the LM's field of view. A feather was dropped during the mission alongside a hammer to illustrate in dramatic style one of Galileo’s most significant findings. Sure enough, the feather and hammer hit the Moon’s surface simultaneously.
For the first time, the liftoff of the LM was photographed by a remotely-operated TV camera on the surface. The empty LM was again crashed into the Moon following undocking to measure the impact with seismometers. Also for the first time, a scientific subsatellite was released into lunar orbit from the CSM; it transmitted data back to Earth for the next year. On the return journey, while about 275,000 km from Earth, Alfred Worden went on a 41-minute spacewalk during which he was attached to the CSM by a tether – the most distant EVA up to that time. During it, Worden used handrails and foot restraints to complete three trips to and from the Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay on the side of the SM.
During re-entry and descent, one of the three parachutes failed to open fully. As a result, descent velocity was 4.5km/h (2.8 mph) faster than planned. Commander David Scott Lunar Module pilot James Irwin Command Module pilot Alfred Worden Call signs CM: Endeavor, LM: Falcon Launch Jul. 26, 1971; 13:34:00 UT (9:34:00 a.m. EDT)
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39ALunar landing Jul. 30, 1971; 22:16:29 UT (6:16:29 p.m. EDT) Landing site Hadley Rille/Apennines (26.13 N, 3.63E) EVA duration 18 hr. 35 min.
EVA 1: 6 hr 33 min.; EVA 2: 7 hr 12 min.; EA 3: 4 hr 50 min.Distance traveled on Moon 27.9 km Mass of lunar rocks collected 76.8 kg Time on lunar surface 66 hr 54 min. Mission duration 295 hr 11 min. 53 sec. Splashdown Aug. 7, 1971; 20:45:53 UT (4:45:53 p.m. EDT) Retrieval site Pacific Ocean 26° 7' N, 18° 8' W
Highlights
Apollo 14.
The eighth manned mission of the Apollo Project and the third to reach the surface of the Moon. Launch of Apollo 14 was postponed about three months to allow changes to the flight plan and hardware following the experience of Apollo 13.
The outbound flight went to plan, although it took six attempts to successfully dock the Command and Service Module (CSM) and the Lunar Module (LM). Antares landed on the Moon just 27 meters from its target point in the Fra Mauro highlands. During two moonwalks Alan Shepardand Edgar Mitchell collected rock and soil samples, and deployed the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Science Experiment Package), a communications antenna, and a color TV camera.
For the first time, an astronaut wore a spacesuit that was color-coded. The Apollo 12 astronauts had difficulty telling who was whom when they reviewed photos taken on the Moon. NASA subsequently decided to place distinguishing marks on one of the spacesuits; Shepard wore red stripes at the knees and shoulders and on the helmet.
During the second moonwalk, the astronauts covered about 3 km traveling to and from the rim of Cone Crater. For the first time, a MET (Modularized Equipment Transporter), nicknamed the “rickshaw,” was deployed. Resembling a wheelbarrow, it was used mainly to carry tools, photographic equipment, and rock and soil samples. However, as it became more full it tended to tip over so that the astronauts resorted to carrying instead of pushing it. This was the first moonwalk during which astronauts were equipped with Buddy Life Support Systems so that they could share life-support from one pack in an emergency. Shepard had the distinction of playing the first golf shots on the Moon. With a golf club head fixed to a metal rod, he struck one ball about 180 m and another about twice as far.
While Shepard and Mitchell were on the surface, Stuart Roosa became the first CSM pilot to carry out extensive onboard experiments from lunar orbit. Concurrent with Apollo 14, the Russian Lunokhod 1 probe, operated by remote ground commands, was exploring another part of the lunar surface. The return to Earth went according to plan, and the CM splashed down just 1.5 km from its intended recovery point. See also "Moon trees". Commander Alan Shepard Lunar Module pilot Edgar Mitchell Command Module pilot Stuart Roosa Call signs CM: Kitty Hawk LM: Antares Launch Jan. 31, 1971; 21:03:02 UT (4:03:22 p.m. EST)
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39ALunar landing Feb. 5, 1971; 9:18:11 UT (04:18:11 a.m. EST) Landing site Frau Mauro (3.65 S, 17.47 W) EVA duration 9 hr. 23 min.
EVA 1: 4 hr 48 min., EVA 2: 4 hr 35 min.Mass of lunar rocks collected 44.8 kg Time on lunar surface 33 hr 31 min. Mission duration 216 hrs. 1 min. 58 sec. Splashdown Feb. 9, 1971; 21:05:00 UT (4:05:00 p.m. EST) Retrieval site Pacific Ocean 27° 1' S, 172° 39' W
Highlights
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Apollo 10
The fourth manned flight of the Apollo Projectand the final rehearsal for the first manned lunar landing. Apollo 10 Command and Service Module with Moon in the background photographed from the Lunar Module
Apollo 10’s main purpose was to test rendezvous and docking operations between the Command and Service Module (CSM) and the Lunar Module (LM) in lunar orbit. Having entered orbit around the Moon, astronautsStafford and Cernan transferred to the LM, undocked it, and flew within 15,200 meters of the Moon's surface. After the LM descent stage had been jettisoned prior to re-docking, the orientation of the ascent stage began to change unexpectedly due, it turned out, to an incorrectly placed switch. The astronauts took manual control of the LM and were able successfully to rendezvous and re-dock with the CSM. The Apollo 10 crew achieved the highest speed ever attained by human beings – 39,896 km/h. This was also the highest speed of entry into Earth's atmosphere by any spacecraft until it was surpassed by the Stardust probe. Commander Thomas Stafford Lunar Module pilot Eugene Cernan Command Module pilot John Young Call signs CM: Charlie Brown, LM: Snoopy Launch May 18, 1969; 16:49:00 UT (12:49:00 p.m. EDT)
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39BMission duration 192 hr 3 min. 23 sec. Splashdown May 26, 1969; 16:52:23 UT (12:52:23 p.m. EDT) Retrieval site Pacific Ocean 15° 2' S, 164° 39' W
Highlights
