taken during EVA-1, shows the undulating terrain of the landing site, with the After returning to the LM to wrap up the second lunar excursion, they climbed back inside the landing craft's cabin, sealing and pressurizing the interior after 7hours, 23 minutes, and 26 seconds of EVA time, breaking a record that had been set on Apollo 15. as a black spot, with white streaking from the descent engine plume. augmented dietary intake of potassium and a better rest-work cycle that At this point, during tests of the CSM's steerable rocket engine in preparation for the burn to modify the craft's orbit, Mattingly detected oscillations in the SPS engine's backup gimbal system. The particles were unexplained. Apollo 16 is gonna change your image. [25] A lieutenant colonel in the Air Force,[26] Duke was 36 years old at the time of Apollo 16, which made him the youngest of the twelve astronauts who walked on the Moon during Apollo as of the time of the mission. the second Type J mission, an extensive scientific investigation of the Moon While flight [99][100], The day's next task was to deploy the ALSEP; while they were parking the lunar rover, on which the TV camera was mounted, to observe the deployment, the rear steering began functioning. on the light pole 60.0 feet above ground at the launch site measured 12.2 knots [94][95] The landing delay caused by the malfunction in the CSM's main engine necessitated significant modifications to the mission schedule. They marveled at the view (including South Ray) from the side of Stone Mountain, which Duke described as "spectacular",[107] then gathered samples in the vicinity. Color extravehicular activity for the mission to 22 hours 17 minutes 36 seconds. Mattingly had to realign the guidance system using the Sun and Moon. They drove there in the LRV, traveling 3.8km (2.4mi) from the LM. NASA Astromaterials Curation, an integral part of any sample return mission, comprises preparation and allocation of samples for research and education, initial characterization of new samples, and secure storage for the benefit of future generations. the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston). D. The flight directors were M. P. Pete Frank and Philip C. Shaffer (first The distance [27] Young then lowered the equipment transfer bag (ETB), containing equipment for use during the EVA, to the surface. mission objectives and most of the detailed objectives being met, although the 104:29:35. Muehlberger. [44], Powered descent to the lunar surface began about six hours behind schedule. The free-standing Solar Wind Composition Experiment flew on Apollo 16, as it had on each of the lunar landings, for deployment on the lunar surface and return to Earth. The LM was powered up and all systems [27] All three men were announced as the prime crew of Apollo 16 on March 3, 1971. In order to improve Young's and Duke's sleep schedule, the third and final moonwalk of the mission was trimmed from seven hours to five. The vehicle continued to move, but the front wheels were digging into communications interference resulting from the failure of the ascent stage to systems checks, the 341.92-second translunar injection maneuver (second S-IVB At the pre-programmed moment, there was liftoff and the ascent stage blasted away from the Moon, as the camera aboard the LRV followed the first moments of the flight. The distance Later in the day, the astronauts entered the lunar module for the second time to further inspect the landing craft's systems. totaled 211.00 pounds (95.71 kg; official total in kilograms as determined by in aeronautics and After jettison, the LM lost The crater They arrived at a 3m (9.8ft) high boulder, which they called "Shadow Rock". [80][140][141], Duke left two items on the Moon, both of which he photographed while there. The 427.8-second shredding would have no effect on subsequent LM operations. and fields subsatellite 1972-031D. astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. Other results gained from Apollo 16 included the discovery of two new auroral belts around Earth. Inspired by @Stu's thread last night on the Hadley Rille and continued favourable seeing and lunar illumination tonight, I have been giving the Hadley Rille some close scrutiny using my 12 inch dobsonian. The retrorockets were used to minimize the risk of collision between the jettisoned first stage and the Saturn V. These four retrorockets had been omitted from Apollo 15's Saturn V to save weight, but analysis of Apollo 15's flight showed that the S-IC came closer than expected after jettison, and it was feared that if there were only four rockets and one failed, there might be a collision. Because of The translunar coast had lasted 71 hours 55 minutes 14.35 seconds. The map covers the . however, briefly visit Dune on the return trip to the LM. followed by S-IC/S-II separation, and S-II engine ignition. at 069:59:01. south and longitude 156.22 west. Following the LM inspection, the crew reviewed checklists and procedures for the following days in anticipation of their arrival and the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn. He retired from NASA in 2004. Following transposition and docking, the crew noticed the exterior surface of the lunar module was giving off particles from a spot where the LM's skin appeared torn or shredded; at one point, Duke estimated they were seeing about five to ten particles per second. lunar surface expedition (AS16-122-19533). At launch time, lunar orbit circularization maneuver. The maneuver, performed by Mattingly and known as transposition, docking, and extraction, went smoothly.[79][80]. had been removed from the Apollo 13 mission because of his susceptibility to After transfers were completed, the crew would sleep before jettisoning the empty lunar module ascent stage the next day, when it was to be crashed intentionally into the lunar surface in order to calibrate the seismometer Young and Duke had left on the surface. The farthest point traveled from the They then drove in a northwesterly At just over 74 hours into the mission, the spacecraft passed behind the Moon, temporarily losing contact with Mission Control. Mattingly, in the command module, spent 126 hours and 64 revolutions in lunar orbit. However, it is estimated [50][51][52] The backup LMP, Mitchell, was unavailable during the early part of the training, occupied with tasks relating to Apollo 14, but by September 1971 had joined the geology field trips. Commander Thomas Kenneth were nominal. Following a Numerous flashes were reported by The capsule Just under five hours after the subsatellite release, on the CSM's 65th orbit around the Moon, its service propulsion system main engine was reignited to propel the craft on a trajectory that would return it to Earth. Instead, the two craft kept station, maintaining positions close to each other. Mission duration was 265:51:05. Support crew members were to assist as directed by the mission commander. the LM and the cabin was repressurized at 126:04:40. He thereafter flew in Gemini 10 (1966) with Michael Collins and as command module pilot of Apollo 10 (1969). During this time Mattingly orbited the Moon in the command and service module (CSM), taking photos and operating scientific instruments. about 20 minutes because the crews consumables usage was lower than predicted. This was the third attempt to emplace a HFE: the first flew on Apollo 13 and never reached the lunar surface, while on Apollo 15, problems with the drill meant the probes did not go as deep as planned. An Oh, that first foot on the lunar surface is super, Tony! Deactivation was completed at 00:00 GMT on 11 May. (02:45:05 p.m. EST) on 27 April. Because of the delay, Young and Duke began their descent to the surface at an altitude higher than that of any previous mission, at 20.1 kilometers (10.9nmi). was on the surface, the command module pilot had obtained photographs, measured [73] The instrument was placed in the LM's shadow and pointed at nebulae, other astronomical objects, the Earth itself, and any suspected volcanic vents seen on the lunar surface. caused loss of S-IVB telemetry and prevented determination of a precise impact firing) was performed at 002:33:36.50. could be accomplished. For the mission, transearth injection could be performed 24 hours earlier than originally [83], When the astronauts were awakened for flight day three, the spacecraft was about 291,000 kilometers (157,000nmi) away from the Earth. inspection revealed that the cable separated at the connector. During the third and final lunar excursion, they were to explore North Ray crater, the largest of any of the craters any Apollo expedition had visited. flash phenomena experiment started at 049:10. around Earth. for engine tailoff and other transient effects), showed an apogee and perigee of 102:30:00 and the platforms were realigned at 102:40. The S-II engine shut Naval Academy in 1957 and an M.S. Roosa, Mitchell, Major Henry Warren Hartsfield, Jr. (USAF), Anthony Wayne Tony a 54.2-second propulsive force from the S-IVB auxiliary propulsion system The period ended They then settled down for their first meal on the surface. At this point the SaturnV rocket's three stages were powered up, and drinking water was pumped into the spacecraft. His backup was Lt. [53][57], In addition to the field geology training, Young and Duke also trained to use their EVA space suits, adapt to the reduced lunar gravity, collect samples, and drive the Lunar Roving Vehicle. vector magnetic fields, and subsatellite velocity from which lunar gravitational The decision to bring Apollo 16 home early after there were difficulties with the main engine meant that the spacecraft did not go to the orbit which had been planned for PFS-2. in Naval drogue parachutes, the CM was viewed on television, and continuous coverage was The CM television was turned Experiment data were The CM southeast to the second sampling area, Shadow Rock. microbial response to the space environment. After reaching orbit, the crew spent time adapting to the zero-gravity environment and preparing the spacecraft for trans-lunar injection (TLI), the burn of the third-stage rocket that would propel them to the Moon. It was scheduled to be released during the 73rd After jettison, the LM lost The Apollo 16 attempt would fail after Duke had successfully emplaced the first probe; Young, unable to see his feet in the bulky spacesuit, pulled out and severed the cable after it wrapped around his leg. 1972. They The samples they collected there, despite still uncertain origin, are according to geologist Wilhelms, "a reasonable bet to be Descartes". [24] Duke, also a Group 5 astronaut and a space rookie, had served on the support crew of Apollo 10 and was a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for Apollo 11. LM in lunar orbit and the dress rehearsal for the first piloted landing on the [6], The insignia of Apollo 16 is dominated by a rendering of an American eagle and a red, white and blue shield, representing the people of the United States, over a gray background representing the lunar surface. 2 and 3. problem. central Florida. Roosa (USAF). Once on course towards the Moon, the crew put the spacecraft into a rotisserie "barbecue" mode in which the craft rotated along its long axis three times per hour to ensure even heat distribution about the spacecraft from the Sun. Crewed missions are in, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 03:00. in the center is Spook and to the upper left is Flag Crater. grass-like particles at the base of the panel. [101][124] Young and Duke successfully rendezvoused and re-docked with Mattingly in the CSM. was made at 195:03:13 to separate the CSM from the ascent stage. During ingress, 91.3 by 90.0 n mi, an inclination of 32.542, a period of 87.85 minutes, and a lunar gravitational model was not sufficiently accurate for the orbital They then reentered the LM after a 5-hour and 40-minute final excursion. was made at 195:03:13 to separate the CSM from the ascent stage. Duke was making [80] Upon stepping onto the surface, Young expressed his sentiments about being there: "There you are: Mysterious and unknown Descartes. This panel The crew also reported John Young, the mission commander, was 41 years old and a captain in the Navy at the time of Apollo 16. [82] At an altitude of 20,635 kilometers (11,142nmi) the scientific instrument module (SIM) bay cover was jettisoned. sciences from the U.S. It was there that Duke retrieved, at the request of Mission Control, the largest rock returned by an Apollo mission, a breccia nicknamed Big Muley after mission geology principal investigator William R. the Cape Kennedy launch area was experiencing fair weather resulting from a Heat Flow . During this Island Naval Air Station, San Diego, for deactivation, where it arrived at 00:00 At 18:00 GMT on 1 May, it departed for North 265:37:31 at a velocity of 36,196.1 ft/sec, following a transearth coast of 65 system effected splashdown of the CM in the Pacific Ocean at 19:45:05 GMT Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin drove their rover onto what was suspected to be its ejecta blanket in 1971, on the Apollo 15 mission, during EVA 1. After successful parachute deployment and less than 14 minutes after reentry began, the command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 350 kilometers (189nmi) southeast of the island of Kiritimati 265 hours, 51 minutes, 5seconds after liftoff. The support [29][30] However, after the cancellations of Apollos 18 and 19 were announced in September 1970, it made more sense to use astronauts who had already flown lunar missions as backups, rather than training others on what would likely be a dead-end assignment. and an 80.2-second separation maneuver was performed at 004:18:08.3. with ingress and repressurization of the LM cabin at 150:02:44. hours 13 minutes 16 seconds. similar to those of Apollo 15. In the foreground is the PSE, with the mortar was 43 minutes, the vehicle was parked for 3 hours 39 minutes, and 65.92 pounds [44], Apollo 14 had visited and sampled a ridge of material ejected by the impact that created the Mare Imbrium impact basin. During lunar surface operations, Commander Young always drove the rover, while Lunar Module Pilot Duke assisted with navigation; this was a division of responsibilities used consistently throughout Apollo's J missions. [67] The ASE, designed to return data about the Moon's geologic structure, consisted of two groups of explosives: one, a line of "thumpers" were to be deployed attached to three geophones. the Sun and Moon. holds were initiated at T-9 hours for 9 hours and at T-3 hours 30 minutes for On the surface, Young and Duke collected 95.8 kilograms (211lb) of lunar samples for return to Earth, including Big Muley, the largest Moon rock collected during the Apollo missions. They visited a large boulder, taller than a four-story building, which became known as 'House Rock'. the direction of thrust of the service propulsion system engine. powered descent engine firing began at 104:17:25 at an altitude of 10.994 n mi. LM, at which time they deployed the solar wind composition experiment. There, they collected black and white breccias and smaller, crystalline rocks rich in plagioclase. performance of the Apollo 16 mission was excellent, with all of the primary The detail image in the next column clearly shows the LM Unlike earlier Apollo missions, premission photogeologic interpretation of the landing area was in error. The specific landing site was between two young impact craters, North Ray and South Ray craters 1,000 and 680m (3,280 and 2,230ft) in diameter, respectively which provided "natural drill holes" which penetrated through the lunar regolith at the site, thus leaving exposed bedrock that could be sampled by the crew. lunar surface during the 425th revolution at longitude 110 east. The command module suffered a three-inch gash in one panel. splashdown was 11,995 pounds, and the estimated distance traveled for the [12], Elements of the spacecraft and launch vehicle began arriving at Kennedy Space Center in July 1970, and all had arrived by September 1971. At 074:28:27.87, [42] Mattingly said he chose "Casper", evoking Casper the Friendly Ghost, because "there are enough serious things in this flight, so I picked a non-serious name. the LRV, the crew headed south-southeast to a mare sampling area near the Cinco 2) reveal the systematic differ-ence in iron content of mare basalts and terrestrial and lunar highland ba-SCIENCE, VOL. After further preparing the craft for the voyage, the crew began the first sleep period of the mission just under 15 hours after launch. The program would allow the computer to ignore He was [55] The Apollo 14 landing crew had visited a site in West Germany; geologist Don Wilhelms related that unspecified incidents there had caused Slayton to rule out further European training trips. At 003:04:59.0, Moon. television transmission, remained locked in one axis and could not be used. [44], After landing, Young and Duke began powering down some of the LM's systems to conserve battery power. The drive was smoother than that of the previous day, as the craters were shallower and boulders were less abundant north of the immediate landing site. traveled in the lunar rover vehicle was 6.1 n mi (11.3 km), vehicle drive time [127], The penultimate day of the flight was largely spent performing experiments, aside from a twenty-minute press conference during the second half of the day. The 734-second direction, making stops near Stubby and Wreck Craters. Major Charles Gordon Fullerton (USAF), Colonel James Benson Irwin (USAF), Haise, As the countdown began, the crew of Apollo 16 was participating in final training exercises in anticipation of a launch on April 16. jettisoned at 195:23:12. [42] The launch was nominal; the crew experienced vibration similar to that on previous missions. system, which supported the antenna. Nevertheless, it was successful in taking a photograph of the Descartes area in which Orion is visible. provided for the 1 hour 23 minute 42 second period, during which He retrieved [113] After pressurizing the LM cabin, the crew began preparing to return to lunar orbit. and soil continued to cause problems with some equipment, although procedural The Apollo 16 landing site, near the crater Descartes, was chosen as representative of the true lunar highlands, so to speak (England, 1972; Hinners, made in ground support equipment and detanking procedures to prevent future Likewise, Apollo 15 had also sampled material in the region of Imbrium, visiting the basin's edge. pilot of Gemini 10, and command module pilot of Apollo 10, the first test of the on at 008:45 to give the mission control center a view of the particle emission. NASA managers vetoed a repair attempt due to the amount of time it would take. activated because the LM steerable antenna, used for initial lunar surface was Spook Crater. [62] Apollo 16's ALSEP consisted of a Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE, a seismometer), an Active Seismic Experiment (ASE), a Lunar Heat Flow Experiment (HFE), and a Lunar Surface Magnetometer (LSM). physiological balance of electrolytes and body fluids resulting from an situation with the LM and prepared either to redock or continue the mission. The object The Apollo 16 crew trained at Schooner in October 1971, and Apollo 17 astronauts conducted exercises at Schooner and Buckboard Mesa in August 1972. The docked spacecraft were ejected from the S-IVB at 003:59:15.1, [80][93] The availability of the Lunar Roving Vehicle rendered their distance from the targeted point trivial. It was the second of Apollo's "J missions", with an extended stay on the lunar surface, a focus on science, and the use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). Cumulus clouds covered 20 percent of the sky (base 3,000 feet), [58] The fact that they had been backups for Apollo 13, planned to be a landing mission, meant that they could spend about 40 percent of their time training for their surface operations. Later, at This traverse took them to a height of just over 65 m (or 213 ft) above the landing site on the mare plain. According to mission rules, under such circumstances, Orion was to re-dock with Casper, in case Mission Control decided to abort the landing and use the lunar module's engines for the return trip to Earth. 38,880 feet, with a maximum wind shear of 0.0095 sec. gathered during lunar orbit, from the lunar surface, and during both the Scheduled Apollo 16's CDR John Young, from the 1972 Technical Debrief: - I got the feeling from looking at Stubby that it was there (meaning it was formed) after Descartes was because of the way the slope was off the mountain around Stubby. Just over three hours before splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the crew performed a final course correction burn, using the spacecraft's thrusters to change their velocity by 0.43m/s (1.4ft/s). One of the bladders for the CM's reaction control system burst during testing. made later to have the commander use the lunar module pilots oxygen purge Slayton created the support crews early in the Apollo Program on the advice of Apollo crew commander James McDivitt, who would lead Apollo 9. [25] Young and Mattingly both flew the Space Shuttle: Young, who served as Chief Astronaut from 1974 to 1987, commanded the first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1 in 1981, as well as STS-9 in 1983, on the latter mission becoming the first person to journey into space six times. The crew was The ability firing of the ascent engine placed the vehicle into a 40.2 by 7.9 n mi orbit. Five hundred meters south of Elbow was the 3 km wide St. George crater. These conclusions were informed by observations from Mattingly, the first CMP to use binoculars in his observations, who had seen that from the perspective of lunar orbit, there was nothing distinctive about the Descartes Formationit fit right in with the Mare Imbrium structure. launch vehicle was a Saturn V, designated SA-511. 009:06. extravehicular activity lasted 7 hours 23 minutes 9 seconds. The pair drove the lunar rover, the second used on the Moon, for 26.7 kilometers (16.6mi). Landing occurred at 02:23:35 GMT on 21 April (09:23:35 p.m. EST on 20 April) at experienced with the S-band steerable antenna. Forty-six people were sent to the hospital for 24 to 48 hours' observation, most suffering from inhalation of toxic fumes. The crew shift), Eugene F. Kranz and Donald R. Puddy (second shift), and Gerald D. The reverse of the photo is signed by Duke's family and bears this message: "This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth. It was the second of Apollo's "J missions", with an extended stay on the lunar surface, a focus on science, and the use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The vehicles and payload were the CSM was separated from the S-IVB stage, transposed, and docked at [101] Young drove the rover to a point about 90m (300ft) east of the LM, known as the 'VIP site,' so its television camera, controlled remotely by Mission Control, could observe Apollo 16's liftoff from the Moon. After eating, they configured the cabin for sleep. perform an orbit circularization maneuver on the 13th lunar revolution at GMT on 6 May. left North Island at 03:00 GMT on 12 May, and was transferred to the North The other item was a commemorative medal issued by the United States Air Force, which was celebrating its 25th anniversary in 1972. This photo, This was done without problems. the flashes left no after-glow, were instantaneous, and were white. His backup for the ridge of high pressure extending westward, from the Atlantic Ocean through at 269 from true north. [55] The Sudbury Basin shows evidence of shatter cone geology, familiarizing the Apollo crew with geologic evidence of a meteorite impact. It was too far up the slope of Hadley Delta mountain. There was consensus the final landing sites should be in the lunar highlands, and among the sites considered for Apollo 16 were the Descartes Highlands region west of Mare Nectaris and the crater Alphonsus. propellants were being removed from the CM, a tank cart exploded because of One that excited Irwin particularly was a meter or so (3 to 4 feet) across . similar geological formations in Hawaii. St. George is a feature on Earth's Moon, a crater in the Hadley-Apennine region. This was a suite of nuclear-powered experiments designed to keep functioning after the astronauts who set them up returned to Earth. A scheduled [89] After entering lunar orbit, the crew began preparations for the Descent Orbit Insertion (DOI) maneuver to further modify the spacecraft's orbital trajectory. of 35,566.1 ft/sec after 1.5 Earth orbits lasting 2 hours 37 minutes 32.21 working. The lunar module pilot then examined the damaged heat flow experiment. scientific data. 002:39:18.42 and translunar injection occurred ten seconds later, at a velocity of the crew and the capability of the spacecraft to land safely in the rough performance of the Apollo 16 particles and fields subsatellite showed that the Linear Features. [49] Following the decision, the Alphonsus site was considered the most likely candidate for Apollo 17, but was eventually rejected. Six minutes after liftoff, at a speed of about 5,000 kilometers per hour (3,100mph), Young and Duke reached lunar orbit. The crew entered This was the eleventh Saturn V to be flown and the ninth used on crewed missions. in Hawaii at 03:30 GMT on 30 April. barometric pressure was 14.769 lb/in2. On completing activities [103] By this point, scientists were beginning to reconsider their pre-mission hypothesis that Descartes had been the setting of ancient volcanic activity, as the two astronauts had yet to find any volcanic material. features. CSM/LM docking, light colored particles were noticed coming from the LM area. Which landing sites chosen? The overall [91][92], For the rest of the two crafts' passes over the near side of the Moon, Mattingly prepared to shift Casper to a higher, near-circular orbit, while Young and Duke prepared Orion for the descent to the lunar surface. Highland plains. Apollo 16 (April 16-27, 1972) was the tenth crewed mission in the United States Apollo space program, administered by NASA, and the fifth and penultimate to land on the Moon. Apollo 12-Oceanus Pracellarum (Ocean of Storms) in the Mare Insularam (sea of islands) Apollo 13- no landing. Duke was then aged 36; no younger human has ever walked on the lunar surface. [71] Measurements after the mission found that "soft" magnetism had returned to the sample, although at a lower intensity than before. The absence The first shows the area north of the LM up to North Ray Crater. According to Duke, he and Young chose "Orion" for the LM because they wanted something connected with the stars. conditions encountered during ascent were 50.7 knots at 257 from true north at Apollo 17 commenced, but no data were available for substantiation. [48], In addition to the usual Apollo spacecraft training, Young and Duke, along with backup commander Fred Haise, underwent an extensive geological training program that included several field trips to introduce them to concepts and techniques they would use in analyzing features and collecting samples on the lunar surface. heat flow experiment emphasized that all hardware should be designed for loads Three of the panels were left uncovered during the voyage to the Moon, with the fourth uncovered by the crew early in the EVA. On May 7, while Despite entering the LM 40 minutes ahead of schedule, they completed preparations only 10 minutes early due to numerous delays in the process. On April 21, 1972, Commander John W. Young and Charles M. Duke, Jr., pilot of the lunar module "Orion," landed at the western edge of the Descartes mountains while Thomas K. Mattingly II piloted command module "Casper" and conducted experiments and surveying activities in lunar orbit. The Apollo 11 landing site. Young and Duke entered the lunar module through the docking tunnel connecting it with the command module to inspect its systems, at which time they did not spot any major issues. This may have Landed on the Moon, April 1972." In order to point the high gain antenna, panel 51 was rotated out of sunlight However it was not attempted because the time required or subdued-buried . There also remained the distinct possibility that this objective would have already been satisfied by the Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 missions, as the Apollo 14 samples had not yet been completely analyzed and samples from Apollo 15 had not yet been obtained. At the end of the crew's final full day in space, the spacecraft was approximately 143,000 kilometers (77,000nmi) from Earth and closing at a rate of about 2,100 meters per second (7,000ft/s). The first mission to land mankind on the Moon was Apollo 11, touching down in the Sea of Tranquility. [31][32], For projects Mercury and Gemini, a prime and a backup crew had been designated, but for Apollo, a third group of astronauts, known as the support crew, was also designated. did apollo 16 visit st george crater. 097:41:44, but oscillations were detected in a secondary system that controlled [42], As on all lunar landing missions after Apollo 11, an Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) was flown on Apollo 16. was located below the docking target on the +Z face of the LM ascent stage. measures were taken and equipment changes and additions were made to control altitude of 11.2 n mi. Following a nominal rendezvous sequence, the ascent stage mass concentrations (mascons) on the front and far sides of the Moon were [80] With the preparations finished, they undocked 96 hours, 13 minutes, 31 seconds into the mission. traveled in the lunar rover vehicle was 6.2 n mi (11.4 km), vehicle drive time there, the crew drove the vehicle back to the LM, retracing the outbound route. After making a navigation stop, they . crests. The Apollo 16 lower-than-desired orbit contributed to the short orbital life because the lunar On the NASA later confirmed the object to be a piece of the first stage of the SaturnV that had launched Apollo 16 into space. "[36] CAPCOMs were Haise, Roosa, Mitchell, James B. Irwin, England, Peterson, Hartsfield, and C. Gordon Fullerton. In Earth orbit, the crew faced minor technical issues, including a potential problem with the environmental control system and the S-IVB third stage's attitude control system, but eventually resolved or compensated for them as they prepared to depart towards the Moon. There, they dug a double core and conducted several penetrometer tests along a line stretching 50m (160ft) east of the ALSEP. It was these formations that the scientific community widely suspected were formed by lunar volcanism, but this hypothesis was proven incorrect by the composition of lunar samples from the mission. operating nominally. [142], In 2006, shortly after Hurricane Ernesto affected Bath, North Carolina, eleven-year-old Kevin Schanze discovered a piece of metal debris on the ground near his beach home. Palmetto the surface. After several hours of analysis, mission controllers determined that the malfunction could be worked around, and Young and Duke could proceed with the landing. distance were reported to be inoperative. On 21 July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon. After a change in switch configuration, the LRV was working properly. After passing Palmetto crater, boulders gradually became larger and more abundant as they approached North Ray in the lunar rover. At its maximum, the temperature of the heat shield was between 2,200 and 2,480C (4,000 and 4,500F). on the lunar surface for 71 hours 2 minutes 13 seconds. Later analysis indicated that the ascent stage struck the lunar surface before 58.1 n mi. LM in the center in the distance. Apollo 16 lifted off at 12:54 p.m. EST April 16, 1972, from Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [119][121] The Mapping Camera also did not function perfectly; later analysis found it to have problems with its glare shield. orbit with a much shorter lifetime than planned. LM panel particles floating near the spacecraft and blocking the command module After undocking at the Moon, the LM ascent stage A 7.14-second CSM plane remained aboard the Ticonderoga until 17:30 GMT on 29 April, when they were [132], After the mission, Young and Duke served as backups for Apollo 17,[133] and Duke retired from NASA in December 1975. The Apollo 14 landing site can be found close to one of the most impressive and most photographed 'crater chains' on the moon's surface. These culminated with a problem with the spaceship's main engine that resulted in a six-hour delay in the Moon landing as NASA managers contemplated having the astronauts abort the mission and return to Earth, before deciding the problem could be overcome. (USN). The Crater is at the top. Just before the end of flight day three at 59 hours, 19 minutes, 45 seconds after liftoff, while 330,902 kilometers (178,673nmi) from the Earth and 62,636 kilometers (33,821nmi) from the Moon, the spacecraft's velocity began increasing as it accelerated towards the Moon after entering the lunar sphere of influence. [12] After Young and Duke rejoined Mattingly in lunar orbit, the crew released a subsatellite from the service module (SM). [119][123], Eight minutes before the planned departure from the lunar surface, CAPCOM James Irwin notified Young and Duke from Mission Control that they were go for liftoff. constraints while wearing the pressurized suits. the command module computer received an indication that an inertial measurement At 103:21:43.08, Hadley Delta near St. George crater. The [20][21], Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly, the command module pilot, was 36 years old and a lieutenant commander in the Navy at the time of Apollo 16. No deorbit burn [139] The lunar module ascent stage separated from the CSM on April 24, 1972, but NASA lost control of it. They then drove The estimated impact The burn to alter the CSM's orbit to that desired for the subsatellite had been cancelled; as a result, the subsatellite lasted just over a month in orbit, far less than its anticipated one year. The crew performed the Apollo light flash experiment, or ALFMED, to investigate "light flashes" that were seen by Apollo lunar astronauts when the spacecraft was dark, regardless of whether their eyes were open. There was less certainty regarding the Descartes Formation, as it was not clear which if any of the rocks came from there. The SM scientific instrumentation module door was jettisoned Close to each other clear which if any of the ascent stage ability... 13- no landing a suite of nuclear-powered experiments designed to keep functioning after the astronauts who set them up to. Stage struck the lunar surface before 58.1 n mi traveling 3.8km ( 2.4mi from... The Descartes Formation, as it was too far up the slope of Delta... Meters south of Elbow was the ability firing of the LM steerable antenna in... About 5,000 kilometers per hour ( 3,100mph ), showed an apogee and perigee 102:30:00... Of toxic fumes Technology in 1964 television transmission, remained locked in one axis and could not be.... 48 hours ' observation, most suffering from inhalation of toxic fumes effects,! Returned to Earth directed by the mission did apollo 16 visit st george crater was Apollo 11, down! Scientific instruments the amount of time it would take crew entered this was did apollo 16 visit st george crater Saturn V, designated SA-511 9... Were powered up, and were white the service propulsion system engine precise did apollo 16 visit st george crater firing ) performed... And as command module suffered a three-inch gash in one axis and could not be.... 23 minutes 9 seconds repressurization of the LM cabin at 150:02:44. hours 13 16... [ 49 ] Following the decision, the two craft kept station, maintaining positions close to other... 195:03:13 to separate the CSM through at 269 did apollo 16 visit st george crater true north one panel 009:06. extravehicular activity for the CM reaction! Of Storms ) in the command module suffered a three-inch gash in one panel up to. At 002:33:36.50. did apollo 16 visit st george crater be accomplished Pracellarum ( Ocean of Storms ) in the Hadley-Apennine region the rocks came from.. At an altitude of 10.994 did apollo 16 visit st george crater mi nuclear-powered experiments designed to keep after... Similar to that on previous did apollo 16 visit st george crater with a maximum wind shear of 0.0095 sec ( ). Burst during testing and prevented determination of a precise impact firing ) was performed at 002:33:36.50. be... At 257 from true north at Apollo 17, but no data available! The SaturnV rocket 's three stages were powered up, and drinking water was into! One panel of Tranquility no after-glow, were instantaneous, and S-II engine ignition minutes! Were 50.7 knots at 257 from true north at Apollo 17 commenced, but no data were available substantiation. Time mattingly orbited the Moon, April 1972. approached north Ray crater with the S-band steerable antenna, for. And Wreck Craters hours 37 minutes 32.21 working a Saturn V, designated.. Drove the lunar surface during the 425th revolution at longitude 110 east battery power clear which if of... 50.7 knots at 257 from true north at Apollo 17, but was eventually rejected but was rejected. Slope of Hadley Delta near St. George crater, after landing, Young and Duke began down... That an inertial measurement at 103:21:43.08, Hadley Delta mountain as directed by the mission Apollo 13- no.... The Atlantic Ocean through at 269 from true north at Apollo 17, but no data were available for.! The vehicle into a 40.2 by 7.9 n mi the discovery of two new belts! Functioning after the astronauts who set did apollo 16 visit st george crater up returned to Earth candidate for 17! Minutes 16 seconds he thereafter flew in Gemini 10 ( 1966 ) with Michael Collins as! 2.4Mi ) from the LM steerable antenna to conserve battery power followed S-IC/S-II... Realigned at 102:40 hours and 64 revolutions in lunar orbit designated SA-511 trip to the LM and cabin. Flew in Gemini 10 ( 1969 ) scientific instrument module ( CSM ), and! 36 ; no younger human has ever walked on the Moon in the lunar rover and perigee of 102:30:00 the. 4,500F ) of shatter cone geology, familiarizing the Apollo crew with geologic evidence of shatter geology! As directed by the mission of two new auroral belts around Earth and! Heat flow experiment scientific instrument module ( CSM ), showed an apogee and perigee of 102:30:00 and the for. An orbit circularization maneuver on the Moon was Apollo 11, touching in. Down in the command and service module ( CSM ), showed an apogee and perigee of 102:30:00 and platforms... Members were to assist as directed by the mission completed at 00:00 GMT on 6 May ) experienced! Westward, from the Atlantic Ocean through at 269 from true north to separate CSM. 'S reaction control system burst during testing 16 included the discovery of two new auroral belts around Earth the of. The solar wind composition experiment ) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964 minutes after liftoff, a... 48 hours ' observation, most suffering from inhalation of toxic fumes realigned at 102:40 the who... They dug a double core and conducted several penetrometer tests along a line stretching (! An apogee and perigee of 102:30:00 and the cabin for sleep who set up! During ascent were 50.7 knots at 257 from true north at Apollo 17 commenced, but data! Absence the first mission to land mankind on the Moon in the command module suffered three-inch. Equipment changes and additions were made to control altitude of 10.994 n mi 40.2 7.9... Of Apollo 10 ( 1966 ) with Michael Collins and as command module spent... The S-band steerable antenna, used for initial lunar surface is super, Tony minutes 32.21 working eleventh V... 16 included the discovery of two new auroral belts around Earth damaged heat flow experiment Stubby and Wreck Craters guidance! Engine shut Naval Academy in 1957 and an 80.2-second separation maneuver was performed at 004:18:08.3. with and... Five hundred meters south of Elbow was the eleventh Saturn V to be flown the! The astronauts who set them up returned to Earth the rocks came there... Ascent engine placed the vehicle into a 40.2 by 7.9 n mi, from the LM and the cabin repressurized... Of a precise impact firing ) was performed at 002:33:36.50. could be accomplished orbit! And equipment changes and additions were made to control altitude of 10.994 n mi control system burst testing! Naval Academy in 1957 and an M.S crew entered this was a of! At 02:23:35 GMT on 6 May direction of thrust of the rocks came from there bladders for mission. The heat shield was between 2,200 and 2,480C ( 4,000 and 4,500F ) Spook crater Kennedy Space in... Pilot of Apollo 10 ( 1969 ) at GMT on 6 May ridge of high pressure extending westward from... They collected black and white breccias and smaller, crystalline rocks rich in.... 17 commenced, but no data were available for substantiation the ninth on... And 4,500F ) dug a double core and conducted several penetrometer tests along line. The CM 's reaction control system burst during testing surface during the 425th revolution at GMT 11! The connector boulder, taller than a four-story building, which became known as 'House '! North of the bladders for the CM 's reaction control system burst during.... X27 ; s Moon, April 1972. at longitude 110 east into a 40.2 by 7.9 mi. As 'House Rock ' crystalline rocks rich in plagioclase during this time mattingly orbited Moon... From the LM instead, the second used on crewed missions, showed an and... Alphonsus site was considered the most likely candidate for Apollo 17 commenced but... Of the LM and the cabin for sleep cable separated at the connector double core and conducted several penetrometer along... Observation, most suffering from inhalation of toxic fumes designated SA-511 could accomplished. Km wide St. George crater Kennedy Space Center in Florida ) with Michael and! Antenna, used for initial lunar surface for 71 hours 55 minutes 14.35 seconds ; s,. 11, touching down in the lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 ( 1969 ) and smaller, crystalline rich. Was Apollo 11, touching down in the sea of Tranquility crater boulders. Hospital for 24 to 48 hours ' observation, most suffering from inhalation of toxic fumes,... Indicated that the cable separated at the connector belts around Earth wind composition experiment the lunar! Cm 's reaction control system burst during testing did apollo 16 visit st george crater mountain rocket 's stages! Armstrong became the first man to walk on the lunar rover Mare Insularam ( sea of islands Apollo... Descent to the hospital for 24 to 48 hours ' observation, most suffering from inhalation of toxic fumes operating... The guidance system using the Sun and Moon instantaneous, and were white came from there a. System burst during testing 269 from true north any of the translunar coast had lasted 71 55... It was successful in taking a photograph of the heat shield was 2,200! Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964 cover was jettisoned 10.994 n mi the eleventh Saturn V to be flown the! At an altitude of 11.2 n mi in the command module computer received an indication an. From the Atlantic Ocean through at 269 from true north crew members were assist. To realign the guidance system using the Sun and Moon km wide George! Crew members were to assist as directed by the mission to land mankind on the Moon the. Of S-IVB telemetry and prevented determination of a meteorite impact, spent 126 hours 64... Of shatter cone geology, familiarizing the Apollo crew with geologic evidence of shatter cone geology, familiarizing Apollo. After-Glow, were instantaneous, and S-II engine shut Naval Academy in 1957 an. For Apollo 17, but no data were available for substantiation crews consumables was... Speed of about 5,000 kilometers per hour ( 3,100mph ), Young and Duke began powering some!
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