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At least 613 records · Page 34

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NASA NTRS1972

Space food systems - Mercury through Apollo.

Major achievements which characterized the development of food systems used by American astronauts in manned space flight are reviewed throughout a period spanning the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs up to and including the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Lists of food types are accompanied by information on packaging, storage, preparation, consumption, and quality of particular products. Experience gained from development efforts for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program is also discussed.

Roth, N. G.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Apollo quality through predictive testing.

Discussion of testing performed during the Apollo program and its relationship to the engineering, qualification, manufacturing, maintenance, and training aspects of the program. Illustrative examples of Apollo experience are used to highlight the discussion.

White, G. C., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Visibility of lunar surface features - Apollo 14 orbital observations and lunar landing.

Description of an in-flight visibility test conducted during the Apollo 14 mission for the purpose of validating and extending the mathematical visibility models used previously in the course of the Apollo program to examine the constraints on descent operations imposed by lunar visibility limitations. Following a background review of the effects on mission planning of the visibility limitations due to downsun lunar surface detail 'washout' and a discussion of the visibility prediction techniques previously used for studying lunar visibility problems, the visibility test rationale and procedures are defined and the test results presented. The results appear to confirm the validity of the visibility prediction techniques employed in lunar visibility problem studies. These results provide also a basis for improving the accuracy of the prediction techniques by appropriate modifications.

Ziedman, K.↗

NASA NTRS1972

The chemical composition of soil from the Apollo 16 and Luna 20 sites.

The concentrations of the rare earth elements K, Rb, Sr, Ba, U, Zr, and Cr for the Luna 20 soil and four different Apollo 16 soils are reported. These trace element abundances imply: (1) that the lunar highlands consist of a mixture of rocks rich in large ion lithophile (LIL) elements and LIL-element improverished anorthosites; or (2) that the bulk of the aluminum-rich crust did not originate by upward segregation of plagioclase in a primitive liquid shell. The Luna 20 soil is distinguished from the Apollo 16 soil by lower aluminum and LIL element abundances.

Bansal, B. M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Rb-Sr systematics of Luna 20 and Apollo 16 samples.

For the soils of two lunar highland sites from which samples were returned by the Luna 20 probe and the Apollo 16 mission, Rb-Sr data are presented. For comparison, the results of some additional analyses of Apollo 15 soils are also given. All these soils indicate that an early lunar differentiation process occurred in the interval of 4.3-4.6 b.y. and resulted in the formation of a crust rich in K, Rb, U, and Th.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Lunar shape via the Apollo laser altimeter.

The laser altimeter data obtained from the Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 missions provide two elevation cross sections of the moon separated by 35 degrees of latitude. The data consist of measurements of the distance from the orbiting Command and Service Module (CSM) to the lunar surface at intervals of about 20 seconds. In order to extract the lunar shape parameters from the data, the position of the CSM must be known. This was accomplished by reducing the data from earth-based radio tracking of the CSM. The most striking result obtained in the studies is the consistency of the center of gravity offset in both the X and Y directions.

Sjogren, W. L.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Apollo 15 and 16 ground-commanded television assembly.

During the Apollo 15 and 16 missions, a special camera provided the scientific community and the home viewer with real-time coverage of the lunar exploration. The lunar blast-off of the Apollo 16 ascent module was tracked by the mission controller at NASA's Manned Space Center and watched 250,000 miles away on earth. The operation of this television camera and the remote control unit are described and block diagrams given. Ground-command capability from the Mission Control Center permitted versatility and optimization of the TV coverage, without diverting the astronauts from their primary role of lunar exploration.

Soltoff, B. M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Significant results from Apollo 14 lunar orbital photography.

Apollo 14 obtained 950 photographs from lunar orbit using the Hasselblad and Hycon cameras. The photographs reveal a number of new geologic features as well as previously unrecognized details of the morphology, structure, and stratigraphy of lunar surface units. The primary result is the verification of the extensive role of volcanism in the formation and modification of the lunar highlands, especially on the far side. Terra volcanism appears to be manifest in the formation of (1) constructional units of hilly and furrowed materials of regional extent as in the Kant Plateau in the central near-side highlands and northwest of the crater Pasteur near the eastern limb of the moon; (2) somewhat viscous lava flows and pools associated with fracture systems and/or what appear to be volcanic craters; (3) craters, crater chains, and irregular depressions, particularly on the lunar far side. The first photographs of a flow channel, a leveed sinuous rille that apparently originated by lava flowage on the surface, were obtained by Apollo 14. Another first is a high-resolution photograph of the interior of what appears to be the youngest lunar crater yet photographed in the 20- 40-km size range.

El-Baz, F.↗

NASA NTRS1972

U-Th-Pb and Rb-Sr measurements on some Apollo 14 lunar samples.

The concentrations of selected elements and elemental ratios in some Apollo 14 samples are presented in a table. Another table shows the isotopic composition of lead and strontium in some Apollo 14 samples. Graphs are provided with lead isotope ratio plots and a strontium evolution diagram. Rb-Sr ages are discussed together with isochron age methods of U-Th-Pb, a primary Pb-Pb isochron, a secondary Pb-Pb isochron, U-Pb concordia age relations, and U-Th-Pb concordia relations. Breccias and some soil samples as well as a basalt sample give evidence of significant enrichment of lead relative to uranium and thorium billions of years ago at the Fra Mauro site.

Tatsumoto, M.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Ar40-Ar39 systematics in rocks and separated minerals from Apollo 14.

The Ar40-Ar39 dating technique has been applied to separated minerals (plagioclase, pyroxene, quintessence and an 'ilmenite' concentrate), and whole rock samples of Apollo 14 rocks 14310 and 14073. Plagioclase shows the best gas retention characteristics, with no evidence of anomalous behavior and only a small amount of gas loss in the initial release. Ages determined from the plagioclase of 14310 and 14073 are (3.87 plus or minus 0.05) and (3.88 plus or minus 0.05) AE respectively. Low apparent ages at low release temperatures, which are frequently observed in whole rock Ar40-Ar39 experiments on lunar basalts, are shown to be principally due to gas loss in the high-K interstitial glass (quintessence) phase, confirming earlier suggestions. The decrease in apparent ages in the high-temperature release previously observed in several total rock samples of Apollo 14 basalts has been identified with the pyroxene. Plagioclase is also found to be the most suitable mineral for the determination of cosmic ray exposure ages, and exposure ages of 280 and 113 m.y. are found for 14310 and 14073, respectively, indicating that these rocks, which are very similar in many respects, have different exposure histories.

Turner, G.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Observation of lunar radon emanation with the Apollo 15 alpha particle spectrometer.

The alpha particle spectrometer, a component of the orbital Sim Bay group of 'geochemistry' experiments on Apollo 15, was designed to detect alpha particles emitted during the decay of isotopes of radon gas and her daughter products. The purpose was to measure the gross activity of radon on the lunar surface and to find possible regions of increased local activity. Results are presented from a partial analysis of Apollo 15 data. For the moon as a whole, Rn220 was not observed and the upper limit on its decay rate above the lunar surface is 0.00038 disintegrations/sq cm-sec. Rn222 was marginally observed. Possible variations of radon activity on the lunar surface are being investigated. Po210 (a daughter product of Rn222) has been detected in a broad region from west of Mare Crisium to the Van de Graaff-Orlov region. The observed count rate is (4.6 plus or minus 1.4) x 0.001 disintegrations/sq cm-sec. The observed level of Po210 activity is in excess of the amount that would be in equilibrium with Rn222 by about an order of magnitude. This implies that larger levels of radon emanation have occurred on the moon within a time scale of 10 to 100 years.

Gorenstein, P.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Temperature-dependent magnetic properties of individual glass spherules, Apollo 11, 12, and 14 lunar samples.

Magnetic susceptibility of 11 glass spherules from the Apollo 14 lunar fines have been measured from room temperature to 4 K. Data taken at room temperature, 77 K, and 4.2 K, show that the soft saturation magnetization was temperature independent. In the temperature range 300 to 77 K the temperature-dependent component of the magnetic susceptibility obeys the Curie law. Susceptibility measurements on these same specimens and in addition 14 similar spherules from the Apollo 11 and 12 mission show a Curie-Weiss relation at temperatures less than 77 K with a Weiss temperature of 3-7 degrees in contrast to 2-3 degrees found for tektites and synthetic glasses of tektite composition. A proposed model and a theoretical expression closely predict the variation of the susceptibility of the glass spherules with temperature.

Thorpe, A. N.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Thermal conductivity of Apollo 14 fines.

The thermal conductivity of the Apollo 14 fines, sample 14163,133, was measured under vacuum conditions as a function of temperature. Measurements were made for densities of 1100 and 1300 kg/cu m. A least-squares curve of the form k = A + B(T-cubed) is fitted to each data set in accordance with elementary theory. Comparisons are made with previously published data for terrestrial basalt and Apollo 11 and 12 samples.

Cremers, C. J.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Dielectric properties of Apollo 14 lunar samples.

Laboratory characterization of dielectric properties of lunar samples 14301,41, 14310,75, 14318,30 and 14321,163 is made. Our measurements of dielectric constants and losses were made over a range of frequency from 100 Hz to 10 MHz and temperature from 77 to 473 K by two-terminal capacitance substitution methods. The dielectric behavior of these samples is generally similar to other lunar samples from Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 sites when these samples are free from absorbed moisture. As did sample 12002,58, sample 14310,75 showed a distinctive dispersion that may be associated with the presence of water, and different values of the activation energy for conduction as the temperature was varied. The activation energies range from about 0.03 to 0.5 eV.

Chung, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Apollo management: A key to the solution of the social-economical dilemma - The transferability of space-travel managerial techniques to the civil sector

An analysis has been conducted to find out whether the management techniques developed in connection with the Apollo project could be used for dealing with such urgent problems of modern society as the crisis of the cities, the increasing environmental pollution, and the steadily growing traffic. Basic concepts and definitions of program and system management are discussed together with details regarding the employment of these concepts in connection with the solution of the problems of the Apollo program. Principles and significance of a systems approach are considered, giving attention to planning, system analysis, system integration, and project management. An application of the methods of project management to the problems of the civil sector is possible if the special characteristics of each particular case are taken into account.

Puttkamer, J. V.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Lunar composition from Apollo orbital measurements.

Several spectrometers carried in the Service Module of the Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 spacecraft were employed for the compositional mapping of the lunar surface. The observations involved the measurements of secondary (fluorescent) X-rays, gamma-rays and alpha particle emissions. A large scale compositional map of over 20 percent of the lunar surface was obtained for the first time. It was possible to demonstrate interesting chemical differences between the mare and the highlands, to find specific areas of high radioactivity and to learn something about the composition of the moon's hidden side.

Adler, I.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Volatile elements in Apollo 16 samples - Possible evidence for outgassing of the moon.

Several Apollo 16 breccias, including one containing goethite, are strikingly enriched in volatile elements such as bromine, cadmium, germanium, antimony, thallium, and zinc. Similar but smaller enrichments are found in all highland soils. It appears that volcanic processes took place in the lunar highlands, involving the release of volatiles including water. The lunar thallium/uranium ratio is .0002 of the cosmic ratio, which suggests that the moon's original water content could not have exceeded the equivalent of a layer 22 meters deep. The cataclastic anorthosites at the Apollo 16 site may represent deep ejecta from the Nectaris basin.

Krahenbuhl, U.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Apollo 17 seismic profiling - Probing the lunar crust.

Apollo 17 seismic data are interpreted to determine the structure of the lunar crust to a depth of several kilometers. Seismic velocity increases in a marked stepwise manner beneath the Taurus-Littrow region at the Apollo 17 site. A thickness of about 1200 meters is indicated for the infilling mare basalts at Taurus-Littrow. The apparent velocity is high (about 4 kilometers per second) in the material immediately underlying the basalts.

Kovach, R. L.↗