What happened in the 70s. Miraculous Rescue

45 years ago, on December 7, 1972, the 11th and last manned US expedition as part of the legendary Apollo program launched from the Florida spaceport. This was the third so-called J-type mission, which focused on scientific research. The main difference from previous missions was that

that for the first time a professional scientist, a geologist, was included in the crew.

Schmitt received his doctorate in geology back in 1964 and worked for the US Geological Survey before joining the astronaut corps in 1965.

The expedition commander was Eugene, the pilot of the command module that remained in orbit of the Moon was Ronald Evans. Cernan had experience of two space flights. He was previously a pilot on Gemini 9A and a lunar module pilot on Apollo 10. As during previous missions, the Apollo 17 expedition had a lunar rover on board, and before the launch the crew trained in its operation at a special lunar training ground created on Earth.

The launch of the Saturn-V rocket took place at 00.33 local time - it was the first night launch in the history of American manned space exploration.

Shortly after launch, the astronauts took the famous historical photo of The Blue Marble -

a photograph of the Earth from a distance of 29 thousand kilometers, which also celebrates its 45th anniversary on this day.

This is the most popular and frequently downloaded NASA image available in the public domain.

Four days later, on December 11, 1972, the lunar module touched down on the surface of the Moon in the Taurus-Littrow Valley on the outskirts of the Mare Serenity. The area had previously been spotted from lunar orbit by astronaut Alfred Worden and attracted geologists for the opportunity to examine samples of dark soil and lava flows - it was suggested that it could contain traces of volcanic activity.

The ship landed about 250 kilometers east of the estimated location. When Cernan joyfully reported to Earth: “Okay, Houston, the Challenger landed on the moon!” “Schmitt read the instructions and flicked the switches. Later, he complained that he missed the moment of landing. “There are so many craters that no matter where you step, your foot will definitely end up in one of them!” Cernan noted.

On the last expedition, the total stay time was brought to 75 hours.

ALSEP scientific instruments and several other instruments were delivered to the lunar surface: a cosmic ray detector, a gravimeter, a neutron probe, and equipment for studying the mechanics and electrical properties of soil. A total of three exits were planned during their stay on the surface.

During the first, the main difficulty was drilling. After the samples were taken, the astronauts set off on a trip on the rover - they had to travel about 2 kilometers. The rover was stopped at a crater with a diameter of 20 meters, where a charge was installed for seismic sounding of the soil and geological samples were taken.

Before the second exit, the astronauts repaired the rover's wing, which had been damaged the day before -

on Earth they figured out how to make a replacement by gluing together cardboard maps of the landing area and securing them with clamps.

During the second exit, the astronauts loaded three seismic charges into the rover and went to the base of the Southern Mountain Range. The journey there was more than seven kilometers - the longest distance for a rover during the Apollo missions. After some time, the uphill climb began, and the rover could no longer always maintain a speed of 8 km/h.

Once at the Nansen crater, the astronauts began to look for interesting samples. One of them, noticed by Schmitt, was a white inclusion in the composition of a nondescript gray breccia, which, not the first time, was broken off with a hammer. Later analysis on Earth showed that it was pure olivine, 4.5 billion years old -

the oldest mineral brought from the Moon.

After 17 minutes, the rover approached an area with unusual orange soil, where two samples were taken. Later it was suggested that the soil acquired this color under the influence of volcanic gases.

In total, during this exit, which lasted a record 7.5 hours, the astronauts traveled more than 20 kilometers and collected 56 samples weighing 34 kilograms.

On the third day after rest, it was planned to explore the northeastern corner of the Taurus-Littrov valley. Schmitt spent 36 minutes studying a huge dark stone, split into five pieces. The samples he took were enough for several years of study under terrestrial conditions. After making several more stops to collect minerals and take photographs, Cernan noticed that after such a difficult road, some parts of the rover began to jam. In addition, the dust corroded Schmitt's gloves and wore away the rubber on the handle of the geological hammer.

The third exit made it possible to increase the total length of the routes to 35.7 kilometers, the mass of collected samples to 110 kg, and the number of photographs taken to 2100.

On December 14, Cernan, before leaving the Moon, transmitted to: “I’m on the surface, doing last step, returning home to return after a while, hopefully in the near future"

At the end of the day on December 14, the Challenger ascent stage lifted off from the Moon and approached in the command module two hours later. Until December 17, the module continued to fly in lunar orbit, after which it was transferred to the trajectory of return to Earth.

The Apollo 17 expedition was not only the last human landing on the lunar surface, but also the last time humans left Earth's orbit.

Apollo 17. On December 7, 1972, at 05:53 a.m. (hereinafter Moscow time), the Saturn V launch vehicle and the Apollo-17 spacecraft with the crew: Eugene Cernan (ship commander), Ronald Evans (command compartment pilot) and Harrison Schmitt (pilot) took off lunar spacecraft), scientist geologist.

The purpose of the flight is to land the lunar ship Appollo-17 in the Taurus-Littrov area, in the eastern part of the lunar disk, beyond the Sea of ​​​​Clarity. The program provided for three exits by Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt to the surface of the Moon, each lasting 7 hours. The installation on the Moon of a set of scientific instruments powered by a radioisotope power plant, a trip on a lunar rover along various routes with a total length of about 37 km for the purpose of exploring the Moon in the area landing, collecting samples of lunar soil, filming and photographing the Moon. The program contained 7 new experiments. One of them is the assessment of the seismic profile of the Moon, instead of the passive seismic survey used in previous missions. Eight explosive charges weighing from 0.75 to 2.73 kg are placed on the surface of the Moon at distances of 0.16 to 2.4 km from the location of the set of scientific instruments. The charges are sequentially detonated on command from the Earth, after the launch of Apollo 17 from the Moon. It was planned to record the impact when the take-off stage of the lunar ship fell on the Moon 9 km from the landing site, observe on television the explosions of 6 out of 8 charges and the fall of the take-off stage.

Another new experiment, measuring the gravitational field of the Moon along the routes of the Lunokhod, using a gravimeter installed on the Lunokhod. In addition, it was planned to conduct sounding and mapping of the Moon from the ISL orbit, using a set of instruments installed in the service compartment.

The estimated landing site of the Apollo-17 spacecraft is on the side of the Moon visible from Earth at a point with coordinates 30° 45" E and 20° 10" N. sh., in the Taurus-Littrov area. This area was chosen as the most interesting from the point of view of selenological research. Scientists believe that the layer of dark matter covering most of the surface at the landing site may be the youngest formation on the Moon, about 500 million years old, and they hope to find the oldest samples there rocks age 4.5 billion years.

Unlike previous flights to the Moon, the launch of the Saturn V with the Apollo 17 spacecraft must occur at night to ensure the required angle of elevation of the Sun above the lunar horizon at the time of the ship's arrival. For the same reason, the launch from the satellite orbit and the transition to the flight path to the Moon should be carried out over the Atlantic Ocean, on the third orbit of the satellite, instead of starting on the second orbit over the Pacific Ocean.

The landing of Apollo 17 on the Moon was more difficult than the landing of previous ships, including Apollo 15, whose landing trajectory passed over the mountainous region of Handley Rille, but it was possible to land behind the design point and on both sides of it. The landing trajectory of the Apollo 17 lunar spacecraft passes through a narrow valley between the Northern and Southern mountain ranges with a steep cliff behind the estimated landing site.

The landing site for Apollo 17, chosen in the eastern part of the lunar disk, required the adoption of special safety measures. One of the most dangerous moments in a flight to the Moon is the speed reduction maneuvers performed behind the lunar disk. Too much reduction in speed - overbraking - can cause the ship to fall to the Moon along a ballistic trajectory.

The farther east the peri-lunar descent orbit is, the less time Mission Control has to analyze the new orbit and decide on an emergency return if a collision with the Moon is expected. For this reason, the perilune of the descent orbit of the Apollo 17 lunar spacecraft was set 10° west of the landing site (for the Apollo-16 trajectory, the perilunion was 16° east of the landing site). Accordingly, the deceleration of the lunar ship before landing on the lunar surface should begin 12 km above the perilunion. And in order to reduce the altitude of the beginning of the braking stage, from which the resource of the landing propulsion system can ensure the landing of the ship, the orbital perilunion was reduced to 13 km (a place of 20.4 km in the Apoll-16 flight).

All this required the descent of Apollo-17 from the ISL orbit in two stages.

The first stage is carried out before the lunar ship and the main block are undocking; the service compartment liquid rocket engine is used for braking, and the ship is transferred to an orbit of 27.8/110 km. After undocking, at the second stage of braking with the help of the RSU liquid rocket engine, the lunar ship is transferred to the ISL orbit of 13/111 km.

After renewing communication with the lunar spacecraft, the Mission Control Center in this case has about 10 minutes to make a decision to land on the Moon or not.

NASA points out the following advantages of a two-stage ISL deorbit:

a decrease in the perilunion to 13 km reduces the altitude of the beginning of the braking stage to 17.25 km and provides 165 seconds of hovering for the lunar ship before landing (the Apollo-16 crew used 91 seconds out of the 168 seconds available for hovering). The landing weight is reduced due to the fuel consumption of the liquid rocket engine of the lunar spacecraft's control system during the second stage of braking. The likelihood of overbraking immediately before approach is reduced, since a greater change in speed is carried out during the first stage of braking the previous night.

The last expedition to the Moon is the longest and most expensive, it is designed for 304 hours 31 minutes and costs 450 million dollars, including the cost of a set of scientific equipment of 45 million dollars.

Pre-launch preparation of the Saturn V launch vehicle with the Apollo 17 spacecraft proceeded normally until the automatic pre-launch cycle began. Switching to automatic is carried out at T 0 minus 190 seconds (where T 0 is the estimated start time). During the automatic cycle, the ground computer did not issue a command to pressurize the third stage oxygen tank. The operator manually sent a command to pressurize the tank, but the computer did not register the pressurization. As a result, the automatic blocking system was activated, stopping further operations 30 seconds before the estimated start time. The astronauts, as instructed, immediately turned off the on-board pyrotechnic devices. The flight control center and specialists from various services began to look for a way to enter information about the tank pressurization into the computer.

The launch window for the Apollo 17 flight to the Moon allowed for a launch on December 7 from 05:53 to 09:31. The next window allowed for a launch on December 8, and if the launch were not carried out, then the subsequent launch date, which would allow landing in the Taurus-Littrov area, would only be January 4, 1973.

However, delaying the launch of Apollo 17 until January 4, 1973 would have caused the launch to be delayed orbital station Skylab scheduled for April 30, 1973. These delays would have entailed additional costs of $11 million.

Ground intelligence agencies have developed a way to enter information about manual tank pressurization into a ground-based computer. The Flight Control Center tested and tested the proposed method on a special stand. The final pre-launch preparation of the launch vehicle with the spacecraft resumed from 8 minutes readiness at 8 hours 25 minutes.

The Saturn V launch vehicle with the Apollo 17 spacecraft took off at 08:33 a.m., 2 hours, 40 minutes late compared to the estimated launch time. This was the first Apollo launch to take place at night.

The Apollo-17 spacecraft, together with the third stage of the launch vehicle, entered an elliptical holding orbit of 167/171 km at 08:45 (designed circular orbit with a height of 170 km).
H. Schmitt observed the Earth from the waiting orbit with great interest and commented on the observed landscape from the point of view of a geologist. In particular, he said that although he is not a supporter of the theory of continental drift, however, observing from a height of orbit and comparing the outlines of the coastlines of the “torn” continents, one cannot help but admit that they are very consistent with each other.

At 11 hours 45 minutes 34 seconds, when the ship completed its second orbit around the Earth and was over Jamaica (17 ° 28 N and 78 ° W), the third stage liquid-propellant engine was turned on again, it worked for 5 minutes 42 seconds and transferred the Apollo 17 spacecraft on its flight path to the Moon. To compensate for the delay of 2 hours 40 minutes at the start and ensure the arrival of the spacecraft to the Moon at the estimated time, the third stage rocket engine was turned on 9 minutes earlier and worked 6 seconds longer than the estimated nominal time. At 12 o'clock the reconstruction of the compartments began, and after 30 minutes the main block was docked with the lunar ship, but out of 12 locks only 9 closed automatically, so one of the astronauts had to enter the tunnel and manually close the remaining locks. At 13:20, the Apollo 17 spacecraft separated from the third stage of the launch vehicle. With the help of the RSU engines, it was moved away from the ship, upon a command from the Earth, the remaining fuel was poured through the chamber of the main liquid-propellant rocket engine, the stage received an additional impulse and switched to a collision trajectory with the Moon in the area of ​​the Fra Mauro crater.

The astronauts' rest period began at 5:30 p.m. and lasted until 11:36 p.m. They slept poorly. Y. Cernan and R. Evans for 3 hours, X. Schmitt for 4 hours and woke up often.

After finishing their rest, the astronauts checked the on-board systems and took celestial navigation measurements.

December 8, they decided to shorten the astronauts' working hours due to the fact that they slept poorly. The second rest period began at 09:33. All astronauts took the sleeping pill Seconol.

By 2:36 p.m., Apollo 17 had passed half the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

At 5:33 p.m., the astronauts were awakened by a signal from Earth. Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt slept for 6.5 hours, R. Evans 7.5 hours. The astronauts felt good, but Y. Cernan complained that his stomach was swollen. The cause appears to be a high-potassium diet prescribed to prevent cardiac arrhythmias observed in Apollo 15 astronauts.
At 20:03, at a distance of about 230 thousand km from the Earth, the first correction of the spacecraft’s flight path was made; the previous correction according to the plan was abandoned. The main engine of the service compartment worked for 1.58 seconds, increased the flight speed by 3 m/sec and transferred the ship to a trajectory that carried it at the shortest distance of 100 km from the surface of the Moon. Before the correction, the ship was flying along a collision trajectory with the Moon. X. Schmitt conducted an experiment to evaluate the influence physical activity in weightlessness on cardiac activity. To this end, working with an expander, he increased his heart rate from 60 to 140 beats per minute, then began intense running in place, but his heart rate did not rise above 140. The time required for the pulse to return to its normal level turned out to be the same as on Earth.

9th December at 00:57, astronaut H. Schmitt and Y. Cernan went into the lunar ship and carried 18 film cassettes, scissors, headphones, blankets and other items they needed during their stay on the Moon. A check of the lunar spacecraft's onboard systems showed that the systems were operating normally, with the exception of a minor malfunction in the alignment of the highly directional antenna for radio communication with the Earth. Upon returning to the command compartment at 02:33, the astronauts noticed that one of the 12 automatic docking port locks was not closed. R. Evans wanted to manually close the lock, but the Mission Control Center forbade this so that a faulty lock would not create difficulties during undocking, and for reliable sealing it is enough that out of 12 locks only 3 were closed. At 03:33, the astronauts began an experiment to study heat flows in liquids under weightless conditions. A similar experiment was carried out during the flight of Apollo 14, but on Apollo 17 the equipment and methodology were improved.

At 09:33 a.m., the third rest period for the astronauts began, lasting until 17:33 p.m. After rest, Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt again went to the lunar ship to check its onboard systems.

The third correction of the flight path, planned according to the plan at 22:48, was abandoned.

December 10. The Apollo 17 flight is going well. The fourth correction of the flight trajectory, scheduled for 17:48, was considered possible at the Flight Control Center, since the trajectory was close to the calculated one. Thus, on the Earth-Moon path, out of four planned corrections, only one was made. In connection with the cancellation of the trajectory correction, the next rest period for the astronauts was extended and they were woken up at 15:25.

At the estimated time of 18 hours 19 minutes, the astronauts dropped a panel from the service compartment that covered the compartment with instruments and cameras for mapping and sounding the Moon from selenocentric orbit.

At 22:47, when the ship was above the far side of the Moon, the astronauts turned on the service compartment rocket engine to transfer Apollo 17 to the initial selenocentric orbit. The engine worked for 6.5 minutes and reduced the flight speed by 900 m/sec. 23 minutes later, when the spacecraft emerged from behind the Moon, trajectory measurements showed that the altitude of the peri-population above the lunar surface was 97 km, and the altitude of the apopulation was 315 km (calculated elliptical orbit 96.5/317 km).

At 11:33 p.m., the third stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle fell onto the Moon.

When colliding with the Moon, it had a speed of about 2.5 km/sec, the impact point is 150 km west of the calculated one, 80 km east of the Apollo-14 landing site and 500 km west of the Apollo-16 landing site . Fluctuations of the lunar surface caused by the fall of the stage were recorded for 2 hours 40 minutes by four seismometers installed on the Moon by astronauts from previous lunar expeditions.

December 11th at 03:06 am the initial selenocentric orbit was corrected. The service compartment rocket engine operated for 22 seconds and transferred the ship to an elliptical orbit of 24/106 km. X. Schmitt began to comment on the observed landscape. He noticed a flash near the dark horizon of the Moon, which, in his opinion, was caused by a meteorite falling in the area of ​​​​the Himaldi crater. It was impossible to verify this assumption, since seismometers recorded strong vibrations caused by the fall of the third stage of the launch vehicle. On the second orbit in a selenocentric orbit, the astronauts examined the estimated landing site of the Apollo 17 lunar spacecraft. On the third orbit, X. Schmitt, observing the Earth through binoculars, recorded cloudiness in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and the northwestern part of the USA.

Y. Cernan again complains of pain caused by the accumulation of gases in the intestines. The pain intensifies while eating. Doctors believe that pain is a consequence of enriching food with potassium, but astronauts need potassium to avoid cardiac arrhythmia, which is more dangerous than stomach pain. Y. Cernan was asked to take two laxative tablets before each meal, not chew gum, not eat oatmeal, fruit and muffins, drink more water. A council of five doctors and astronaut D. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 spacecraft, was convened. D. Young also suffered from such pain and assured Yu. Cernan, knowing from his own experience that the pain would go away on the Moon with intense movements and under the influence of lunar gravity. Later, negotiations were organized between Yu. Cernan and a council of doctors over a closed radio line that was not monitored by the press.

The onboard systems of the Apollo 17 spacecraft are operating normally, with the exception of a slight overheating of the liquid hydrogen tank, which is easily eliminated by astronauts by manually adjusting the current strength in the heater. The mechanism for extending and retracting the topographic camera does not work well.

At 07:38, the next rest period for the astronauts began, lasting 8 hours.

All three astronauts slept for 7.5 hours. At the estimated time of 17:50, Yu. Cernan and H. Schmitt entered the lunar spacecraft and released the landing gear. On the twelfth orbit along the selenocentric orbit, permission was given to separate the lunar spacecraft from the main block. The astronauts examined the area of ​​the estimated landing site. They identified the craters Camelot and Sherlock, which serve as navigational landmarks for the landing approach, and the Pappy crater near the estimated landing point (the names of all craters are unofficial).

At 20:20, when Apollo-17 was behind the Moon, the lunar spacecraft was separated from the main block. Then R. Evans, using the RSU rocket engine, moved the main block away from the lunar ship. When both devices appeared from behind the Moon, they were at a distance of several meters from each other.

At 21:48, on the thirteenth orbit along the selenocentric orbit, the service compartment liquid-propellant rocket engine was turned on for 4 seconds, and transferred the main unit to the rendezvous orbit, its displacement was equal to the calculated value of 100 km.

At 21:54, with the help of the RSU liquid rocket engine, the lunar spacecraft was transferred into an orbit with an altitude of 13 km above the lunar surface.

At 22:43, the liquid propellant rocket engine of the landing stage of the lunar ship was turned on, at an altitude of 16 km and a distance of 590 km to the calculated landing point. The digital autopilot guided the lunar spacecraft to the estimated landing site. At the beginning of the deceleration, when the windows of the lunar ship were facing upward, X. Schmitt said that he saw the Earth. Later, when H. Schmitt and Y. Cernan were asked what the estimated landing site looked like when approaching it, the astronauts replied that they had no time to admire the beauty of the landscape, H. Schmitt said: “The commander did not allow me to look out the window because I I had to constantly monitor the instruments.”

According to Yu. Cernan, the estimated landing site turned out to be cluttered with stones to a much greater extent than expected and he had to focus all his attention on not landing the lunar ship on a stone. He also said: “There are so many craters here that wherever you step, one foot is sure to end up in a crater.”

When approaching the landing site, the lunar ship passed over mountains approximately 3 km high. The landing area itself is a narrow valley (10 km wide) between two mountain ranges up to 2.5 km high. A few kilometers west of the landing site, Mount Family rises; on the way to it there is a ridge of cliffs about 80 m high. The landing site is replete with craters, some reaching almost a kilometer in diameter.

According to updated data reported by the Mission Control Center, the Apollo-17 lunar spacecraft landed at 22:55 at a point with coordinates: 20°9"41" N. w. and 30°45"25.9" E. d., 80 m south and 200 m east of the calculated point. The ship descended onto the slope of a small shallow crater in the shape of a saucer, and stood on the ground with a slight inclination that did not create any difficulties for launching from the Moon.

On December 12 at 03:03, with a delay of 20 m for technical reasons, the first ascent to the lunar surface began for the purpose of exploring the Taurus - Littrov region. The astronauts reported that there was practically no dust in the landing area, which confirms the assumption that the soil is of volcanic origin. The top layer of soil is very loose, your feet get stuck in it by 20-25 cm.

At first, due to lack of experience, the astronauts moved on the surface with some difficulty and slid a lot. Later, Y. Cernan said: “One-sixth of gravity is a real gift if you know how to use it.” H. Schmitt and Y. Cernan, bending down to collect samples, often fell and stained their spacesuits in loose, sticky soil. H. Schmitt continuously commented on the features of the soil and landscape and said: “If there is a paradise for a geologist, then I have found myself in this paradise.” The astronauts assembled and prepared the lunar rover. At 04:17 The television camera on the Lunokhod was turned on and Yu. Cernan made a test ride. The rear wing fell off due to the shaking. An attempt to glue the wing with adhesive tape failed. The Apollo-17 lunar rover is equipped with a special soil sampler, which allows you to take soil samples without leaving the lunar rover.

100 m from the lunar ship, the astronauts installed a set of scientific instruments: A stationary gravimeter for recording tidal phenomena on the Moon and detecting gravitational waves in outer space; mass spectrometer to study the composition of the lunar atmosphere; a device that records the frequency of meteorite falls; geophones for recording seismic vibrations caused by explosions of pyrotechnic charges; sensors for measurement heat flow from the bowels of the Moon were lowered to a depth of 2.5 m into wells drilled by astronauts. Then Y. Cernan drilled a third hole to take a core of soil to a depth of 2.5 m, but could not pull the core out of the ground. From Earth he was advised to rest and call for help from H. Schmitt. Together, the astronauts pulled out the core, disassembled it into sections and placed it in the Lunokhod. At a command from Earth, the set of scientific instruments installed by the astronauts was turned on and all instruments worked normally. The astronauts detonated the pyrotechnic charges with a drummer, and the resulting seismic vibrations were recorded by geophones.

According to the program, the astronauts were to travel on a lunar rover to the southeast to the Steno, Emory and Faust crankcases. The most distant crater, Faust, is located 2.2 km from the lunar lander landing site. Due to the fact that the astronauts were behind schedule and were about 30-40 minutes late, the route was shortened and they were asked to get to the Steno crater, located 1.5 km from the landing site. The trip to the Steno crater turned out to be difficult; Yu. Cernan had difficulty navigating with navigation instruments and reached the crater inaccurately. Soil samples were collected from the crater, and a short-wave radiosonde transmitting device was installed for research electrical characteristics lunar surface. On the way to the crater and upon returning, the astronauts placed charges explosive, which will later be blown up for seismic sounding of the Moon.

At 09:58, Yu. Cernan and X. Schmitt returned to the lunar ship. The total duration of the first exit was 7 hours 10 minutes. The astronauts spent 6 hours and 55 minutes on the lunar surface, traveled 2.8 km on the lunar rover, and collected 17 samples of lunar soil with a total weight of 13 kg.

The average pulse rate was 120, and at the time of taking; the soil column reached 140-150 beats per minute.

According to the program, after the first exit to the surface of the Moon, the rest period of Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt was supposed to begin at 13:48.

The astronauts asked to be given an hour to put in order all the materials brought into the lunar ship from the surface of the Moon. In this regard, the start of the second exit was postponed an hour later. The astronauts' rest period began at 15:00.

The main block, which was controlled by astronaut R. Evans, moved in a selenocentric orbit with an altitude of 100 km above the lunar surface. 5 minutes before the landing of the lunar ship, R. Evans, passing over the landing site, photographed the approaches and the landing site. R. Evans observed a flash at the Vostochny crater similar to the one that H. Schmitt saw at the Gimaldi crater.

R. Evans carried out cartographic surveys and sounding of the Moon from the ISL orbit using a set of instruments installed in the service compartment. The mechanism for extending and retracting topographic devices worked worse and worse. The mechanism for retracting the antennas of the pulse radar used to determine physical characteristics Moons.

The antenna beams, 24 m long, are formed from a pre-stressed tape; when extended, they are unwound from the drum and, passing through the guide holes, are twisted into tubes. After the experiment, the antennas must be removed; they are retracted, wound around the drum. Due to poor operation of the mechanism, the antennas cannot be fully retracted. Before turning on the rocket engine of the service compartment to correct the orbit, the antennas must be completely retracted; if this fails, then the antennas must be shot off, otherwise they will bend under acceleration and may damage the engine nozzle.

The schedule for sounding the Moon using a pulse radar has been revised and ensures that 99% of the planned measurements are completed before the estimated moment of switching on the service compartment rocket engine. Using an infrared scanning radiometer included in the set of instruments in the service compartment, it was possible to find “hot spots” on the Moon.

R. Evans' rest period began at 09:13 and continued until 17:13.

At 22:48, astronauts Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt were awakened by transmitting Wagner’s melody “Ride of the Valkyrie” from Earth. The astronauts slept in hammocks, having removed their spacesuits, and did not take sleeping pills. Both slept for 6 hours, but X. Schmitt woke up often. Doctors note that astronauts eat well and drink a lot of fruit juice. "How's Evans doing in orbit?" was the first question that interested Y. Cernan.

During the first trip to the surface of the Moon while traveling on the Lunokhod, we lost the rear wheel wing that came off. The astronauts and instruments on the Lunokhod control panel were so covered in dust that it was difficult to read the readings. Y. Cernan asked to come up with a way to protect against dust. While the astronauts were resting, specialists from the Boeing company that produces lunar rovers, together with D. Young, who was involved in repairing the lunar rover during the expedition on the Apollo-16 spacecraft, decided to make a wing from map sheets made of cardboard covered with plastic; You can attach the sheets with staples available on the portable lamp in the lunar ship.

At the mission control center, an experiment was carried out in which an operator in a spacesuit attached the rear wing to a mock-up of the lunar rover. The operation took 1 minute 45 seconds. On the Moon, the operation should take longer, so the astronauts were given 5 minutes to slightly change the program for the second exit. In addition, several minutes were provided for leveling the stationary gravimeter installed on the Moon the day before.

December 13th at 02:27 a.m. the crew cabin of the lunar spacecraft was depressurized, and at 02:36 a.m. Yu. Cernan reached the lunar surface. After 4 minutes, X. Schmitt left the lunar spacecraft. At 02:40 the television camera was turned on and the Mission Control Center watched as the astronauts repaired the wing of the lunar rover. X. Schmitt went on foot to the installation site of a set of scientific instruments and installed a gravimeter horizontally. After cleaning the television camera lens from dust, the quality of the television image became so clear that it was possible to read the inscriptions on the astronauts' spacesuits.

At 03:57, the astronauts rode on the lunar rover to the South, to the mountains called the Southern Massif. At the beginning, the lunar rover moved at a speed of 11 km per hour, then in a section strewn with stones the speed had to be reduced.

On the way, the lunar rover was stopped and explosive charges were placed. Having passed the Comelot and Horatio craters (unofficial name), the astronauts reached the dump near the Southern Massif, located at a distance of 7 km from the landing site of the lunar ship. The trip lasted 1 hour 04 minutes. Soil samples were taken from the fault, which, according to H. Schmitt, may turn out to be very ancient.

But this can be said with certainty only after a thorough laboratory analysis. The stop at the drop was extended by 10 minutes, since this area turned out to be very interesting for studying the Moon. Scientists believe that samples from the fault that slid down the mountain may be up to 4.6 billion years old. Samples of lunar rocks delivered by previous expeditions on Apollo spacecraft are no more than 4.1-4.2 billion years old.

After an hour allotted for collecting samples from the dump, the astronauts drove to Scarp Hill, rising to a height of 90 m, 5 km west of the landing site of the lunar ship, and along the road they placed explosive charges that were to be detonated after the astronauts departed from the Moon. Climbing up the slope of Scarp X. Schmitt packed a bag in which he put samples of lunar soil. Trying to pick it up, he fell several times and rolled down the slope again injuring the bag. When he was offered from Earth to climb up the slope higher and take samples there, he refused, saying that those samples were not of interest. Y. Cernan was also against climbing to great heights, because climbing the slope is dangerous.

Later, at the Shorty crater, Y. Cernan discovered large plot orange color. “Just don’t touch anything until I come!” shouted X. Schmitt. In his opinion, this is the result of the impact on the lunar soil of gases released before the end of the volcanic eruption. This find is considered the most interesting of those so far made by the Apollo 17 astronauts on the Moon. The depth of the orange layer is 5-8 cm. X. Schmitt took a soil sample from the trench.

The orange soil near Shorty Crater was of particular interest. A strip of such soil about one meter wide runs along the edge of the crater for about half of its perimeter and was apparently formed under the influence of volcanic gases. The volcanic origin of the crater is also indicated by its oval shape. Impact craters are round in shape. If the volcanic origin of the Shorty crater is confirmed, this will force us to abandon the widespread hypothesis that the Moon has been “dead” for the last 3 billion years.

Scientists believe that the black fine-grained loose surface layer in the landing area of ​​the lunar ship is similar to volcanic ash and its age may be only one billion years.

H. Schmitt and Y. Cernan wanted to stay at the Shorty crater, and scientists monitoring the special room at the Mission Control Center. However, this had no effect on the flight director, who ordered the astronauts to quickly take samples, take pictures and immediately return to the lunar ship. The supply of oxygen was approaching a critical value; if there was a delay at the Shorty crater in the event of a breakdown of the lunar rover, and the need to return to the lunar ship on foot, there might not be enough oxygen.

H. Schmitt complained: “What a pity that we were not given time to prove the volcanic nature of the Shorty crater.” The flight director replied: “Well, well, these are the rules of the game and we must take them into account.”

The possibility of returning to Shorty Crater during the third lunar walk was considered. However, this opportunity was abandoned, deciding that during the trip to the Northern Massif as planned, the astronauts would be able to make new discoveries no less interesting than the orange soil. In addition, the Northern Massif, as determined from photographs taken from the ISL orbit, has a Van Serge crater, shaped like the Shorty crater, and there may also be orange soil near it.

Before returning to the lunar lander, the astronauts rolled a large rock into Shorty Crater. He rolled a few meters down the slope and stopped. On the way back, X. Schmitt discovered a crater in which the soil was black. He suggested that the crater is not of impact origin, but is a volcanic vent.

At 08:58, the astronauts returned to the lunar spacecraft; at 10:02, both were in the ship; at 10:04, when the cabin was sealed, the astronauts discovered that the pressure, instead of the calculated 0.35 ata, had risen to 0.5 ata. An inspection of the oxygen supply and regulation system showed that one of the valves had a leak. The faulty valve was closed and the backup valve was turned on; by 13:05, the design pressure was restored in the pressurized cabin.

The second exit to the lunar surface lasted 7 hours 37 minutes. The astronauts traveled 19.8 km on the lunar rover and collected 56 samples of lunar rocks, weighing a total of 36 kg. The age of the youngest samples is estimated at 1 billion years, and the oldest at 4.5 billion years. The oldest are considered to be grey-green samples, which apparently contain pyroxene.

Astronaut R. Evans was awakened on December 12 at 14:16. He continued probing and mapping the Moon from the ISL orbit, and noticed another flare in the area of ​​the Copernicus crater. It was assumed that the flares occur when meteorites collide with the Moon. However, seismometers on the Moon do not register any tremors that coincide in time with the observed flare. Scientists and supporters of the “active” Moon believe that flares are the result of the release of gases from the bowels of the Moon. There is a third explanation for this phenomenon, which states that no flashes occur and the optic nerve of astronauts is excited by the influence of phosphenes - from particles of cosmic radiation as a result of the Cherenkov effect.

Astronauts Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt were woken up at 22:18 and they began preparations for the third and final walk to the lunar surface.

December 14 at 01:26 a.m. the cabin was depressurized, the hatch was opened, and at 01:34 a.m. Yu. Cernan descended to the lunar surface. After 4 minutes, X. Schmitt descended to the surface.

Y. Cernan went out to the Moon and complained that his nose was itchy and he couldn’t scratch it. The Apollo 16 astronauts also complained that while walking on the surface of the Moon, their noses often itched; this irritated them very much, and there was no way to scratch it. In the helmets for the Apollo 17 astronauts, in addition to a toroidal spray can with drinking water and an edible stick to quench thirst and hunger during walks to the surface of the Moon, placed a piece of fleecy cloth to scratch the nose. Y. Cernan's nose itched in such a place that it was impossible to scratch it on a fleecy cloth.

At 01:40 the astronauts turned on the television camera. The sun rose above the lunar horizon much higher than during the previous exit and the figures of the astronauts cast shorter shadows (about 2.5 m).

On previous missions, the Sun was so low on the horizon that it blinded the astronauts when they looked east.

At the beginning of reaching the lunar surface, the astronauts were asked to roll up a trap for heavy solar wind particles. According to the program, the trap is rolled up at the end of the exit before returning to the lunar ship.

But, according to forecasts, a small solar storm was expected, which did not pose any danger to the astronauts, but could distort the results of the solar wind study.

At 02:16, the astronauts rode the lunar rover to the northeast and 28 minutes later they reached the foot of the Northern Massif at a distance of 3.6 km from the landing site of the lunar spacecraft. There were many very large stones. The astronauts were asked to take large samples, since they had taken almost none on previous missions. H. Schmitt, with great difficulty, broke off a sample from a stone, which, in his opinion, consists of very ancient rocks. The astronauts moved on a lunar rover along a slope with a steepness of up to 20° and on foot along a slope with a steepness of up to 45°. On such a slope, X. Schmitt simulated a ski descent with a large turn. The slope is replete with small craters with a diameter of up to 10 m. In the places that the astronauts visited in the two previous exits, there were not such a number of craters. By appearance rocks in the Northern Massif region, it can be concluded that they solidified from a molten state. The rocks in the Southern Massif region have the appearance of a substance compressed under pressure.

The astronauts traveled to the East along the foothills of the mountains and then headed to the Van Surj crater. Disappointment awaited them there. Van Serj crater turned out to be a classic impact crater; according to the conclusion of H. Schmitt “Dry hole”. The astronauts immediately wanted to leave this crater, but H. Schmitt discovered a light rock at a depth of 10 cm, they stayed for 5 minutes and took a sample of it.

Y. Cernan complained that everything was clogged with dust and many parts that should rotate were jammed. From the abrasive action of the dust, X. Schmitt’s gloves began to wear out, and the layer of rubber on the handle of the geological hammer was worn away until metal was revealed

Returning to the lunar lander, the astronauts removed the cover from the memorial plate mounted on one of the landing gear. The plate is engraved with the inscription: “Here people completed the first exploration of the Moon in December 1972.” Yes, the spirit of peace that guided us will remain in the life of all mankind.” Under these words are the signatures of: Y. Cernan, R. Evans, X. Schmitt and US President R. Nixon.

The astronauts entered the lunar spacecraft at 08:36 a.m. and sealed the cabin at 08:41 a.m.

The third exit of Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt to the surface of the Moon lasted 7 hours 15 minutes. The astronauts traveled 13.5 km on a lunar rover and collected various samples of lunar rocks; total weight more than 70 kg.

09 hours 35 minutes Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt opened the hatch of the pressurized cabin and threw out the used items that had become unnecessary. After 10 minutes, the hatch was closed and the cabin was again filled with oxygen. The next 8-hour rest period for the astronauts actually began at 13:14 (according to the program it was supposed to start at 12:33).

The main block of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, controlled by astronaut R. Evans, continued to move in a selenocentric orbit. For the first time in the Apollo flights, the room in the Mission Control Center reserved for scientists had direct radio communication with the main unit. R. Evans told scientists that he saw a rainbow with iridescent blue, dark green and other colors over several craters on the far side of the Moon. He discovered three areas of pronounced volcanic character.

While specifically observing Shorty Crater, he noticed an orange tint to the soil.

It was reported that the laser altimeter on the main unit is working normally, with its help they hope to obtain valuable information (on the Apollo-15 and Apollo-16 ships the laser altimeter failed shortly after starting work). Difficulties have arisen with the ultraviolet spectrometer, but they continue to receive information from it. The stationary gravimeter installed on the Moon does not work. Repeated attempts to turn it on by command from Earth were unsuccessful. X. Schmitt shook it trying to turn it on, but that didn’t help either.

The short-wave radio probe does not work due to overheating of the receiver on the Lunokhod. The rest of the instruments installed on the Moon are working normally. On December 14, the next period of rest for astronaut R. Evans began at 09:08. He was woken up at 17:39. It was necessary to carry out two corrections to the orbit of the main unit in order to create the most favorable conditions meetings with the lunar spacecraft in ISL orbit.

The first correction was carried out with the aim of reducing the orbital altitude, since the altitude was decreasing at a much lower rate than expected. The liquid propellant rocket engines of the DCS were turned on for 30 seconds; as a result, the main unit moved to an orbit of 116/124 km.

For this correlation, those LREs were used, the exhaust plume of which could not damage the set of instruments installed in the service compartment. The second correction, in order to change the inclination of the selenocentric orbit of the main unit, was carried out using the main engine, which was turned on at 20:00 and worked for 18 seconds.

To wake up the vacationers in the lunar ship of Yu. Cernan and X. Schmitt, at 21:00 a melody from the movie “2001 - a space odyssey” was transmitted from Earth. It turned out that the astronauts had already woken up; Y. Cernan slept for 5 hours, and X. Schmitt for 6 hours. Hearing the wake-up call, the astronauts sang the song “Good Morning” in chorus, and then X. Schmitt read his poems dedicated to his stay on the Moon.

In form, his poems are a parody of famous poem Clement Moore's "The Night Before Christmas" Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt began cleaning the cabin and preparing the lunar spacecraft for launch from the Moon. They opened the hatch, threw out unnecessary items, closed the hatch, sealed the cabin and filled it with oxygen at 23:31.

After determining the parameters of the adjusted orbit of the main block, Y. Cernan and X. Schmitt were informed of the new launch time from the Moon; 01 h 54 min 50 sec. December 15 (former estimated time 01:56). The take-off stage of the lunar spacecraft weighed 4976 kg before launch, and was heavier than the calculated weight, since the astronauts took on board more samples of lunar rocks than expected.

December 15 at 01:41, before launch from the Moon, on command from the Earth, they turned on the television camera of the lunar rover, which was installed by Yu. Cernan 150 m from the lunar ship.

At 01:54:50, the take-off stage of the Apollo 17 lunar spacecraft launched from the Moon.

The launch was broadcast on television, the take-off of the stage was visible for 35 seconds. When the take-off stage left the field of view of the lunar rover's television camera, on a command from the Earth, the camera was directed to the landing stage of the lunar ship, then a panorama of the landing site was shown.

10 seconds after the start of the take-off stage, the Earth stopped receiving signals allowing trajectory measurements to be made. After 3 minutes, signal reception resumed. Later, it was not possible to establish direct radio communication between the take-off stage of the lunar ship and the Earth, so the radio station of the main unit of the ship was used as a repeater. The take-off stage entered an initial selenocentric orbit with an altitude above the lunar surface of 17 km and apoplation of 91 km. The estimated orbital altitude at the aposettlement is 88 km. With the help of the RSU liquid rocket engine, the orbit of the take-off stage was corrected.

20 minutes after the start of the take-off stage, Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt saw the flashing lights of the main unit, which was located 180 km away from them. When the take-off stage and the main block approached each other, before docking, two television sessions were made showing how Yu. Cernan turned the take-off stage so that R. Evans could inspect it from all sides. Then Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt examined the rotating main block and the location in the service compartment of instruments for studying the Moon from ISL orbit. The first docking attempt was unsuccessful.

R. Evans, performing the docking maneuver, missed, and the pin of the docked assembly did not hit the receiving cone of the take-off stage. On the second attempt, the pin hit the cone, but the grips did not work. The docking was made on the third attempt at 04:10, with a delay of 12 minutes compared to the estimated time. The docking took place at an altitude of about 116 km above the lunar surface.

Of the 12 docking port locks, only 10 were closed. The transition of Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt from the take-off stage to the command compartment, the transfer of samples of lunar rocks and all necessary items lasted 3 hours. R. Evans cleaned the spacesuits of Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt with a vacuum cleaner all objects delivered from the Moon.

At 07:51 the take-off stage was separated from the main block. At a command from the Earth, the engine was turned on and the stage switched to a collision trajectory with the Moon, at a point with coordinates 19° N. w. and 35° 57" E in the mountains of the Southern Massif and 9 km from the Apollo-17 landing site.

The impact of a stage falling at a speed of 1.64 km/sec on the surface of the Moon is equivalent to the explosion of 680 kg of trinitrotoluene. Seismic vibrations of the Moon were recorded by seismometers installed by previous expeditions.

The main block of the Apollo 17 spacecraft continued to fly in ISL orbits. The astronauts woke up at 21:35. Continuing their exploration and observation of the Moon from ISL orbit, they discovered another orange-colored area near the crater Sulpicius Gallus in the southwestern part of the Mare Serenity, approximately 560 km west of the Apollo 17 landing site.

On December 15, according to the program, the clock mechanism of the first of 8 explosive charges weighing 0.45 kg, placed by astronauts on the Moon, was activated. The charge was located at the Steno crater, one kilometer from the Apollo 17 landing site. Seismic vibrations were recorded by four geophones.

It is believed that in this way it is possible to probe the Moon to a depth of 1.5 km. It was noted that highly sensitive geophones often confuse scientists by recording seismic vibrations caused by the release of gases from the landing stage of the lunar ship remaining on the Moon.

On December 16, at 10:23 a.m., the next 8-hour rest period for the astronauts began. They woke up at 6:13 p.m. and continued surveying, mapping, sounding, and visually observing the Moon. Several more areas of orange color have been discovered on the surface of the Moon.

It was seen as a bright white flash by the lunar rover's television camera. The set of instruments installed by astronauts on the Moon works normally, with the exception of a stationary gravimeter. From a device measuring heat flow from the depths of the Moon to the surface, data were obtained that coincided with measurements from similar devices installed by the Apollo-15 astronauts. At a temperature on the surface of the Moon +77°, in a well at a depth of 65 cm minus 19° and at a maximum depth of 2.4 m minus 16°C.

December 17 At 02:35, on the 76th orbit of the selenocentric orbit, when the ship was behind the Moon, the service compartment rocket engine was turned on, it worked for 144 seconds and ensured the transition to the trajectory of return to Earth.

Immediately after the spacecraft emerged from behind the lunar disk, the astronauts began television transmission of views of the lunar surface. The first images were transmitted when the ship was 650 km from the lunar surface. It was possible to show the far side of the Moon, in particular, the huge Tsiolkovsky crater. Then the South Pole of the Moon, the Taurus-Littrov area, the Sea of ​​Tranquility area, where the first lunar expedition landed on the Apollo-11 spacecraft, and other areas were shown.

At 09:00 the next 8-hour rest period for the astronauts began. Y. Cernan and H. Schmitt took sleeping pills; R. Evans was not recommended to take them because he complained of pain due to the accumulation of gases in the intestines.

A press conference was held at the Mission Control Center in Houston by scientists leading scientific research Moons. They expressed some preliminary considerations based on data obtained during the flight of the Apollo 17 spacecraft.

In their opinion, the discovery of orange soil may indicate that after the cessation of activity of large volcanoes, residual activity remained and volcanic gases were released recently, and maybe they are still coming out now. Scientists recalled the flares that were observed by astronomers from Earth at the Aristarchus crater, as well as the “hot areas” of the Moon discovered from selenocentric orbit by the infrared radiometer of the Apollo 17 spacecraft.

If gases escape, then the interior of the Moon has a fairly high temperature. “This may support the hypothesis that the Moon has a partially molten core. Head of seismic Research Dr. Latham spoke of the very great value of the data obtained by recording vibrations of the lunar surface caused by the fall of the last stage of the Apollo 17 launch vehicle. The particular value of this data is that the location of the stage fall this time is known with high accuracy.

Soundings have shown that the thickness of the lunar crust is not 65 km, as previously thought, based on the results of previous soundings, but only 25 km. The thickness of the mantle is also much less than expected.

New data forces us to reconsider the entire model of the Moon, compiled on the basis of previous measurements.

The head of geological research, Dr. Mühlberger, said that much was expected from the site chosen for landing of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, and it did not disappoint expectations.

Now, for the first time, analysis can be carried out without the hassle of getting data ready for the next flight.

Mühlberger said that due to lack of time, 4,300 images of the Moon and 2 km of film from mapping cameras brought by previous expeditions have not yet been properly processed.

The astronauts were awakened at 16:21. The diet of the crew of the Apollo 17 ship included ham sandwiches treated with radiation from a radioisotope source using the method of the US Army Laboratory in Natick (Massachusetts).

After this treatment, the bread does not go stale, and the ham does not spoil for three to five years, even if the sandwiches are not refrigerated. The same laboratory developed a super-calorie fruit pie for astronauts, containing 2500 large calories in a piece weighing 200 g, that is, a third of the daily nutritional requirement. After breakfast, R. Evans, on the advice of doctors, took two tablets of a fixative, as he complained of an upset stomach. Before this, he had no bowel movements for three days. It is known that many astronauts had very rare bowel movements during flight. This is explained by the inconvenience of using colostomy bags in a cramped cabin. At first, the astronauts themselves restrain themselves, and then many become constipated. R. Evans was worried that an upset stomach would prevent him from performing a spacewalk. For 37 minutes he negotiated, over a closed radio line, not monitored by the press, with doctors from the Mission Control Center.

The commander of the ship, Yu. Cernan, took part in the negotiations. Experts recommended that R. Evans take two strengthening tablets before bed and after breakfast not take sleeping pills and switch to a diet menu. Y. Cernan reported that all three astronauts experienced pain caused by the accumulation of gases in the intestines. Now they began to explain this by the presence of hydrogen bubbles in drinking water, which is the product of the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel cells that are the main source of electricity aboard the Apollo spacecraft.

This phenomenon was observed on previous flights, but later quite effective filters were installed.

At 16:32 the main block of the Apollo 17 spacecraft entered the Earth's sphere of gravity. Thanks to the measures taken, R. Evans' stomach upset stopped and he was allowed to go into outer space at the estimated time. In preparation for the exit, it turned out that R. Evans' headset was faulty; he swapped headsets with X. Schmitt.

23 hours 25 minutes the command compartment was depressurized; at 23:33 a television broadcast began using a camera installed on the ship’s hull; at 23:35 R. Evans came out of the command compartment hatch.

Oxygen was supplied to R. Evans's suit via a 7.6 m long halyard, with which it was connected to the command compartment. Holding onto the railings mounted on the service compartment and the leg clamps (made of fiberglass with gold coating), he covered the distance of 5.5 m separating the command compartment hatch from the location of the instruments in the service compartment, removed film cassettes (1980 m) from the panoramic camera and moved it to the command compartment. R. Evans was in a hurry to complete all the operations. Therefore, Yu. Cernan told him: “Don’t rush, you have the whole day ahead of you. We wouldn’t want you to stay here, because home is still very far away.” At this time, the ship was at a distance of 296,000 km from Earth.

In the following exits, R. Evans transferred to the command compartment film cassettes (403 m) from the topographic chamber, a roll of magnetic film (206 m) with recording pulse radar readings, and a container with 5 mice that were exposed to cosmic radiation. R. Evans was in outer space outside the command compartment for 45 minutes.

December 18 The astronauts began to complain that it was cold in the cabin. A remote check from Earth of the life support system showed that it was working. The astronauts were advised to open the curtains on the windows to allow entry into the cabin. Sun rays. After this, the temperature in the cabin increased to normal levels.

At 09:53, an hour later than in the program, the next rest period for the astronauts began. After resting, they checked the on-board equipment, placed items in storage, and did general cleaning of the cabin in preparation for landing.

At 21:43, scientific experiments began. Phosphenes were observed and recorded; Using an ultraviolet spectrometer, they studied the star Spak in the constellation Virgo, for this it was necessary to maintain the exact orientation of the ship in space. The main purpose of the ultraviolet spectrometer is to study the lunar atmosphere. It turned out to be 100 times discharged than expected.

By 23:56, the Apollo 17 spacecraft was halfway along the Moon-Earth route.

On December 19 at 02:00 a television press conference of the astronauts began and lasted 30 minutes. The ship at that time was at a distance of 180,000 km from Earth.

Y. Cernan, when asked about his attitude to the fact that flights under the Apollo program are being stopped, replied: “The cessation of flights under the Apollo program is an abnormal curb on the human desire for knowledge. It has already been proven that Man can use the opportunities that technology presents to him. He will continue to prove this in the future. The Apollo flights are just the beginning, and where there is a beginning, there must be a continuation. I believe that there will be more expeditions to the Moon, to Mars and further into the vastness of the Universe.”

X. Schmitt, in response to the same question asked of him, said: “The United States took too long to start flights into outer space, and now I am afraid that resuming them will be a very long process.”

At 08:39 the start of the next rest period for the astronauts. “The earth is growing before our eyes,” said Yu. Cernan. At this moment, the distance to Earth was 167,000 km.

At 16:03, the astronauts were awakened with difficulty by playing the US anthem and the Navy march twice.

At 19:11, when the ship was at a distance of 47,000 km from the Earth, a single correction was made on the Moon-Earth path to ensure flight along the axis of the atmospheric entry corridor. After correcting the trajectory, the astronauts made final preparations for landing and took their places in the chairs.

At 21:57 the command and service compartment was separated. At 22:11 the command compartment entered the atmosphere at an altitude of 120 km.

At 22:25 on December 19, the command compartment of the Apollo 17 ship made a parachute landing in the Pacific Ocean 4-5 km from the Ticonderoga aircraft carrier, approximately 500 km south of the island of Samoa ( design point landings 17°54" S and 166° W).

According to updated data, the Apollo-17 crew delivered 113 kg of various samples of lunar rocks to Earth.
The Apollo 17 flight will mark the end of US expeditions to the Moon for the foreseeable future. Now the United States is preparing to launch the Skylab orbital station in the spring of 1973.

Large NCS in orbits artificial satellites The lands will allow you to gain experience and knowledge in using space technology to improve life on Earth.

In the near future, a joint space flight organized by Soviet Union and the USA.

A person takes the first steps in research, which, apparently, will allow him to find meaning and outline promising goals human existence on the ground.

Figure 44.11 Apollo 17 lunar lander landing site and three rover routes

Rice. 44.12 Apollo-17 lunar landing site area

Rice. 44.13. Astronaut Schmidt in the Taurus-Littrov area


Rice. 44.14. Exploration of the Moon near the Northern Massif

[:RU]40 years have passed since the last manned flight to the Moon took place. Mission Apollo 17 in 1972 was the last expedition to the Moon of the American Apollo program. The mission commander was Gene Cernan (seated), who had previously flown in space on Gemini-9A and Apollo 10. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt (standing left) was the lunar module pilot, and Ronald Evans (right) was the command module pilot. Crew members were photographed with the lunar roving vehicle. In the background is the Apollo 17 lander on the Saturn 5 rocket at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In the upper left corner is the Apollo lunar program emblem featuring the god Apollo, the Greek sun god.

Apollo 17. The crew photographed the receding Earth during its journey to the Moon in December 1972. This was the first time Apollo's trajectory had photographed the south polar ice cap. "Blue Marble" - this photograph is one of the most famous paintings full disk Earth.

Clumsy and angular, the Apollo 17 lunar module, called Challenger, was designed to fly in airless space. This photograph was taken from the spacecraft's command module, immediately after the modules had undocked and the Challenger ascent stage had begun its descent toward lunar orbit. This spaceship made a soft landing on the Moon on December 11, 1972. The take-off stage, after the astronauts returned from the Moon to the command module, was undocked and fell onto the lunar surface.

Apollo 17 crew commander Gene Cernan walks toward the rover during a lunar walk through the Taurus-Littrow Valley in the Sea of ​​Serenity. Cernan and Harrison Schmitt explored the lunar surface while Ronald Evans remained in lunar orbit aboard the Apollo 17 command module.

Near the boulder. Astronaut Harrison Schmitt poses for a photo standing next to a huge lunar boulder during the Apollo 17 mission during the third lunar walk through the Taurus-Littrow Valley. The lunar rover that carried Schmitt and commander Gene Cernan can be seen a little further to the right in this photo.

Driving on the Moon. Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan takes a short ride on the lunar rover during the start of the first lunar walk on Taurus-Littrow. Mountains with right side- This East End Southern massif.

Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan holds the American flag during the first lunar walk on December 12, 1972. NASA suggests that the flag is still standing today.

Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, a lunar module pilot, did not shave for several days aboard the Challenger lunar module. December 11, 1972. The photo was taken by Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan.

Apollo 17 crew commander Gene Cernan is photographed inside the lunar module on the surface of the Moon after the second lunar walk. His spacesuit is dirty and full of lunar dust. The photo was taken by astronaut Harrison Schmitt, lunar module pilot, using a Hasselblad handheld camera with a 70mm lens.

The Earth rises above the lunar horizon. This photo was taken from Apollo 17 in lunar orbit. While astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt traveled to the lunar surface, astronaut Ronald Evans remained in the command module orbiting the Moon.

The Apollo 17 spacecraft, carrying astronauts Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt, makes a safe splashdown at 2:25 pm on December 19, 1972, approximately 350 nautical miles southeast of American Samoa.

This December marks 50 years since man last set foot on the moon. This was the crew of the Apollo 17 mission, leaving Earth on December 7, 1972 and returning 12 days later.

Of the trio of crew, the most experienced was commander Eugene Cernan, who had already been to the moon three years earlier. In general, this was his third flight.

For command module pilot Ronald Evans, this flight was not only his first, but also his only.

The third crew member was astronaut scientist and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt. He turned out to be the only astronaut from all the Apollo missions who was not a pilot by profession.

The mission's trajectory made it possible for the first time to photograph the southern glacial part of the planet. One of the most famous photographs of the planet, called “Blue Marble”.

A photograph of the lunar module taken from the command module.

Only Cernan and Schmitt landed on the moon.

The landing took place on the southeastern shore of the Sea of ​​Clarity, in the Taurus-Littrov valley.

During three exits, the astronauts not only explored the seismic activity of the Moon and the soil. The mission included approximately 15 experiments on the Moon and in orbit.

In total, the astronauts collected about 110 tons of rock for research. To do this, they had to cover a distance of 34 kilometers on the lunar surface in a lunar vehicle.

The Earth rises above the lunar surface.

The last person whose foot touched the surface of the Moon was Commander Eugene Cernan.

He, as a souvenir, wrote his daughter’s initials on the surface of the Earth’s satellite. In addition, the astronauts left a plate on the Moon with a historical record and their own autographs.

Today, December 14, 2012, marks 50 years since the moment when man took his last step on the surface of the Moon.

On December 19, 1972, the astronauts were safely picked up by a US Air Force helicopter in the Pacific Ocean.

Apollo 17 - The Last Men on the Moon

The ambitious Apollo project was needed by the United States as revenge for Gagarin's flight into space. Ten years of preparation, four days on the road, three days on the Moon - thousands of sensational shots, samples of lunar rocks, unique scientific equipment... 1 minute on the lunar surface for 1 astronaut cost 1 million dollars. Apollo 17 was the last launch of the program. The American Dream couldn't bear the cost...