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Author
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Topic: LM Contact Probe
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divemaster
Member Posts: 1376
From: ridgefield, ct
Registered: May 2002
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posted 12-04-2006 07:40 PM
   
The following is just my personal musing and speculationI was looking at the photos of the LM Contact Probe currently for sale on FarthestReaches. I find the parts tag particularly intereting. I think it's amazing that something this large can weigh under three pounds. Does anyone know what material it's made from? Would titanium bend as we know the probes would do? Or is it possibly some other material? I'm wondering if the vehicle number(s) as listed[3 9] mean that it was actually installed on the LM for Apollo 9 and then the LM that was originally intended for use on Apollo 15? The latter is the one on display at the Saturn V center at KSC - and is lacking all of the probes. The removal date is in 1970 - which leads me to believe that it wa actually installed on LM-9 As I said, just some musings.
[Edited by divemaster (December 04, 2006).] |
RocketmanRob
Member Posts: 268
From: New York City USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 12-04-2006 08:57 PM
Now that would be a great item to have in a collection! It is very possible that it is made of titanium or something along those lines. My understanding is that manufacturing of the probes we contracted out by Grumman to the EDO corporation. EDO was originally based in College Point, New York. EDO also did some extensive work for the Navy building sea sleds for submarine detection. Over the years government work dried up and EDO began to diversify. One of the first non-military items that they developed were titanium golf clubs - interesting spin off of NASA technology.An interesting side note. A number of years later (2000?) EDO Corporation moved to Long Island when it merged AIL Systems (Deer Park, New York). The new chairman coincidentally was none other than Neil Armstrong. The first man made item to touch the moon's surface is re-united with the first man to walk on the moon. Rob |
RocketmanRob
Member Posts: 268
From: New York City USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 12-04-2006 08:59 PM
P.S. - There is a similar probe in the collection of the Cradle of Aviation museum in Garden City Long Island just down the road from the old Grumman facility in Bethpage.Rob |
divemaster
Member Posts: 1376
From: ridgefield, ct
Registered: May 2002
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posted 12-04-2006 11:09 PM
And, this time of year, add a little garland and some ornaments and some lights - and you'll have your neighborhoods first Christmas contact probe!It would look great over the mantle, too! I still can't believe that something of that size weighs 2.5 lbs. The CM LIHO canisters each weigh 8 pounds and, I think, they had to carry 22 of those PLUS the LIHO canisters for the LM. What a contrast in weight! |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 12-05-2006 08:43 AM
I would think that the tube would be thin walled aluminum rather than titanium as no strength is required for the assembly. The upper section is appears to be anodized aluminum machined fittings held together by aluminum rivets. Looks like a typical Grumman construction. |
LCDR Scott Schneeweis
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
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posted 12-05-2006 09:35 PM
These were actually referred to as Lunar Surface Sensing Probes ...Fred's correct...the probe booms were manufactured from 2024 Aluminum tubing...------------------
Scott Schneeweis
URL http://www.SPACEAHOLIC.com/ |
Richard
New Member Posts: 5
From: Morrisonville, New York USA
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 12-11-2006 12:26 PM
Isn't this the same probe that was sold in a previous Aurora auction? |
space1
Member Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 12-11-2006 04:38 PM
A similar probe was listed in the Spring 2000 Superior auction, lot 217A. But in the catalog photo the Kapton film ends a few inches below the "knee" of the probe. So I think it's a different probe. I also don't see a tag in that photo, or a retainer clip near the end of the probe. ------------------
John Fongheiser
President
Historic Space Systems, http://www.space1.com [Edited by space1 (December 11, 2006).] |
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