Technical Letter: Astrogeology-3 Preliminary Scientific Mission Profiles For The First Seven Apollo Missions
Dates
Publication Date
1964-11-12
Time Period
1964-11-12
Citation
G. A. Swann, J. Harbour, H. J. Moore, J. S. Watkins, and D. J. Milton, 19641112, Technical Letter: Astrogeology-3 Preliminary Scientific Mission Profiles For The First Seven Apollo Missions: , https://doi.org/10.5066/P9V20MGE.
Summary
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to land two astronauts on the Moon as a part of the Apollo Space Program. The questions arise: What should the astronauts do on the surface and what information should they gather? This report proposes answers to these questions by describing a possible series of scientific activities, or mission profiles, to be performed by the astronauts on the lunar surface during the first seven missions.
Summary
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to land two astronauts on the Moon as a part of the Apollo Space Program. The questions arise: What should the astronauts do on the surface and what information should they gather? This report proposes answers to these questions by describing a possible series of scientific activities, or mission profiles, to be performed by the astronauts on the lunar surface during the first seven missions.
The mission profiles in this report were designed in accordance with constraints furnished by the Office of Space Sciences and Applications, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The general constraints are as follows: 1) A total of four man-hours will be spent on the surface during the first three missions, and a total of nine man-hours will be spent on the surface during the remaining four missions, 2) no more than three hours can be spent on the surface at any one time without returning to and entering the spacecraft, 3) the maximum distance an astronaut can travel from the spacecraft will be between one-half and one mile, 4) a total of 80 pounds of samples, surface excursion records, and containers can be returned to Earth on each mission and, 5) a scientist will not be present until missions III through VII.
