Apollo Sites from LRO Options

[Phil Stooke]

Luna 15's the least well known of the lot... but I can assure Philco that it's nowhere near Apollo 11. It is in Mare Crisium. There's almost no chance LRO can find it.

Phil

[Geert]

and don't forget 9 and 13 as well, the only ones for which we have decent images!

Yep, but probably also the one's which we are least certain of the location (except L15 crash side).
Finding Luna 9 will be the big price I guess, but it is almost certainly not on the stated location and then it will be very hard to find..

[Phil Stooke]

A new very high sun Apollo 12 image... does it show the elusive Surveyor 3 descent rocket thingy?

Phil

[PDP8E]

Here is the new low orbit Apollo 12 site, with an almost overhead sun!
(destriped and enhanced)
Check out the annotated image on the LROC site.

The black splotch that is Surveyor is a mystery (to me)

My only other observation is the the dark spot with rays to the north east of lander, and almost in-line with Surveyor ... could this be the spent descent motor from Surveyor? ( a blink with the other image may be interesting...)



Cheers

[PDP8E]

Phil Stooke!
you and I posted the exact same picture the exact same minute with the exact same observation!
(I knew I shouldn't have taken my dog out a few minutes before hitting return!)
Cheers

[Phil Stooke]

Hah! And I was fuming because just as I made that image but before I could post it, my wife needed the computer. But I just managed to get it back a millisecond before you!

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

This is the object in question:



Phil

[djellison]

Looks much like the fresh impacts we've seen with HiRISE - could very well be just what you say.

[kenny]

Surely that is it..... the direction of travel on impact, however, appears to be eastwards, whereas the Mission Reports (according to Dave Harland's latest book, Paving the Way for Apollo 11, which sumarises them) suggest the spent casing was travelling with a small westwards component. However if it was tumbling on impact the disturbed material could have sprayed out in any direction, I suppose.

I just reviewed the surface panoramas taken by the astronauts around the LM and the ground level in that direction is undulating, with no sign of anything man-made evident.

[Phil Stooke]

Unfortunately there is a subdued crater rim just north of the landing site, with the location of this dark spot hidden behind it, so I don't think it will be visible from the LM area.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

How about this before and after comparison? The Lunar Orbiter image was taken before Surveyor 3 landed. The LROC image shows our dark spot - even with the difference in illumination, it looks like it was not there in the older image.

Phil

[djellison]

I'd consider that a positive result - good work

[kenny]

Now THAT is good..... !

Your're right, Phil, the lunar surface shots taken from astronaut chest height are too low to see over the surface bumps. BUT, they also took shots out of the LM window in that direction, from about 5 metres off the ground. Some are blurry, but at least one is cranked right round to peer over the right thruster and out in a partly backwards direction. And the LM was yawed 10 degrees to the right on landing, which helps see further round in that direction.

I think this is the best of the bunch, taken after EVA2. If the general location is in view, it's at the far right side of this frame. I see a few things out there, but nothing conclusive...?

Apollo 12 photo out right-hand LM window

[Phil Stooke]

Good sleuthing... but based on a reprojection of that lovely image, I don't think it gets quite far enough around. It would be perfect if it did. Too bad there was no SEVA as on Apollo 15!

Phil

[As old as Voyage...]

A new very high sun Apollo 12 image... does it show the elusive Surveyor 3 descent rocket thingy?

Phil

That's fantastic!

Am I right in thinking you have just discovered the smallest artificial impact site seen on the Moon so far?