Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Mounting Assembly RTG Fuel Cask |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: The Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) furnishes power for the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) which the Apollo 12 astronauts deployed on the moon. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Information needed.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Fuel Cask |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: The Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) furnishes power for the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) which the Apollo 12 astronauts deployed on the moon. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Information needed.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Fuel Capsule Assembly |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: N/A |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: The Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) furnishes power for the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) which the Apollo 12 astronauts deployed on the moon. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Information needed.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Prime ALSEP Pallet assembly #1 |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) consisted of a set of scientific instruments emplaced at the landing site by the astronauts. The instruments were arrayed around a central station which supplied power to run the instruments and communications so data collected by the experiments could be relayed to Earth. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
The Apollo 12 ALSEP included a cold cathode gauge, a lunar surface magnetometer, a passive seismometer, a solar wind spectrometer, a dust detector, and a suprathermal ion detector. The experiments were deployed at a distance of about 425 feet from the LM. Finding a suitable deployment site was much easier than on the Apollo 11 mission. Several minor problems arose during the deployment of the ALSEP, but they were eventually resolved.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Prime ALSEP pallet assembly #2 |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) consisted of a set of scientific instruments emplaced at the landing site by the astronauts. The instruments were arrayed around a central station which supplied power to run the instruments and communications so data collected by the experiments could be relayed to Earth. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
The Apollo 12 ALSEP included a cold cathode gauge, a lunar surface magnetometer, a passive seismometer, a solar wind spectrometer, a dust detector, and a suprathermal ion detector. The experiments were deployed at a distance of about 425 feet from the LM. Finding a suitable deployment site was much easier than on the Apollo 11 mission. Several minor problems arose during the deployment of the ALSEP, but they were eventually resolved.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Hammer |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Used to chip samples and drive core tubes into the lunar soil. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Lighter weight lunar hammer designed to chip a sample of rock off a larger rock or to drive core tubes into the lunar soil. When attached to an extension handle, the hammer could also be used to dig surface furrows. Hammers of this style were used on Apollo 11 and 12.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Lunar Sample Scoop |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Used to collect soil samples. |
| Image Sources: NASA and Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institute |
Description
The head of the scoop was rigidly mounted to a shaft, which could be attached to an extension handle. A rotating motion was used with this model of scoop to prevent soil from flying out of the pan. Although the primary purpose of Apollo 11 was to perform a crewed lunar landing and return, subordinate objectives were also included, such as survey, photography, and soil sampling.
Of the three potential soil sample objectives—contingency, bulk, and documented—the large box scoop was a required tool for the latter two: the bulk sample required at least 10 kilograms of unsorted surface soil and selected rock chunks, while the documented sample involved a detailed and thorough documentation of the individual samples and collection area. The box scoop, in addition to the lunar tongs, served as the main instruments for large-scale soil sampling.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Extension Handle |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Increase the utility of the tools. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Extension handles were designed to be compatible with a variety of lunar tools, such as the hammer, scoop, and rake. Two types of extension handles were employed during the Apollo era; a shorter version (23.75 in) was flown on Apollo 11 and 12, and a longer one (35.5 in) was used on subsequent missions.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Tongs |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Tongs were used for collecting small rocks (less than 6-10 in. in diameter). Their reach compensated for the difficulty posed by the inflexibility of the astronauts’ space suit in bending over to pick up samples. |
| Image Sources: NASA and Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institute |
Description
These so-called “short” tongs were used on the early Apollo missions (11-14) and were carried by the astronauts on fasteners attached to the waist of the lunar space suit. Later missions used longer, 32-inch tongs. This artifact was used during simulations and training.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Gnomon |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: A gnomon is used to indicate time. |
| Image Sources: NASA and Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institute |
Description
A gnomon is a gimbaled stadia rod mounted on a tripod so that the rod was free to point vertically. When deployed on the lunar surface, the shadow cast by the staff indicated sun angle and, therefore, direction. The rod length and the painted scale provided a reference for estimating the sizes of nearby objects. Shades of gray on the rod ranged in reflectivity from 5% to 35% and a color scale enabled more accurate determination of rock and soil colors by comparison.
Read more:
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/gnomon-lunar-apollo-0
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Hook, Tether |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Information needed. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Information needed.
Object on or Related to Site
| Object Name: Camera, Close-up stereo |
| Cospar: N/A |
| Norad: N/A |
| Location: Precise location unknown or undisclosed. |
| Launch Date: 14 November 1969, 16:22:00 UT |
| Landing Date: 19 November 1969, 06:54:35 UT |
| Deployment: 19 November 1969, [time to be inserted] |
| End Date: N/A |
| Function: Information needed. |
| Image Source: NASA |
Description
Information needed.
