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Author
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Topic: Elevation above LM on lunar surface traverses
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-25-2015 10:51 AM
  
On the Apollo 17 traverses, what was the highest elevation above the lunar module that Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt reached?On Apollo 14, Alan Shepard and Ed Mitchell climbed almost as high as the LRV went on Apollo 15. - Apollo 14: ~278 ft elevation above LM at Station C-Prime
- Apollo 15: ~312 ft elevation above LM at Station 6A
- Apollo 16: ~499 ft elevation above LM at Station 4
- Apollo 17 - ?
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moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-25-2015 03:25 PM
Very slightly off topic but relevant.The highest landing point on the Moon was by Apollo 16 at 7,830 metres. One should note that heights on the Moon are measured relative to a sphere of radius 1,738,000 metres. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3160
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-25-2015 05:51 PM
...or for those who speak and think in English, approximately 5,691,950 feet. |
minipci
Member Posts: 373
From: London, UK
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-26-2015 07:03 AM
I believe that 1,738,000 metres is 5,702,099.74 feet (to 2 decimal places) |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-26-2015 08:08 AM
Or to be even more precise 5,702,099 feet, 8 and 61/64 inches.  |
music_space
Member Posts: 1179
From: Canada
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 02-26-2015 08:59 AM
Did the crews suffer from oxygen deprivation?  |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-26-2015 09:06 AM
Could we get back on topic here? |
Headshot
Member Posts: 891
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 02-26-2015 10:00 AM
Were any of the crews able to see and photograph their respective lunar modules from these high vantage points, or were they too far away? |
minipci
Member Posts: 373
From: London, UK
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-26-2015 10:13 AM
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
Or to be even more precise 5,702,099 feet, 8 and 61/64 inches.
According to my Excel, it should be 5,702,099 feet 8.850393701 inches, which I make closer to 5,702,099 feet 8 and 17/20 inches. I think 61/64 is a fraction too large. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-26-2015 10:22 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Headshot:
Were any of the crews able to see and photograph their respective lunar modules...
Dave Scott took this 500mm photo of the LM Falcon from Station 6 on EVA-2.
Charlie Duke took a 500mm photo of the LM Orion from Station 4 on EVA-2. |
mmmoo
Member Posts: 555
From: London, England
Registered: May 2001
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posted 02-26-2015 11:04 AM
Here is an Apollo 14 panorama showing the LM from the highest point reached on Cone Crater. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-26-2015 11:16 AM
I am not sure if John Young and Charlie Duke could see the LM from North Ray Crater on EVA-3. House Rock can be seen in the Orion photo above, so it looks like they might have been able to. |
BA002
Member Posts: 177
From: Utrecht,NL
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 02-26-2015 02:45 PM
And don't forget the most beautiful panorama of the entire Apollo progam: Station 6 of Apollo 17 where you can barely make out the LM as a speck in the distance.
I am not sure if it was the highest point of Apollo 17, but it certainly is a high point! |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-26-2015 03:10 PM
Station 6 looks like it might be the highest elevation reached on Apollo 17. Here is a contour map for EVA-3. Perhaps someone could decipher the details. |
nasamad
Member Posts: 2141
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 02-26-2015 04:21 PM
Going by those contour lines, it looks like the Apollo 17 crew went about 60 metres elevation above the LM. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-26-2015 09:08 PM
Looking at the contour map for EVA-2, it seems that Station 2 at Nansen Crater might be even higher in elevation than Station 6. Is that what you see? |
minipci
Member Posts: 373
From: London, UK
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-27-2015 05:31 AM
Looks like EVA2 Station 2 is above 4,620, while EVA3 Station 6 is below or equal to 4,580. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-27-2015 07:23 AM
The LM landing site is between 4510 and 4520 meters on the contour map. I would say that Station 2 at Nansen Crater is at around 4625 meters. So my figure for the highest elevation above the LM reached by Cernan and Schmitt would be around 110 meters (~360 feet) at Station 2 on EVA-2: - Apollo 17: ~360 ft elevation above LM at Station 2
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LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 02-27-2015 07:38 PM
Cernan and Schmitt could not see the LM from Station 2. From the transcripts: CC: Can you guys see the LM or are you down too far to see the LM?CDR-EVA: ... our walkback constraints. Oh, no. The LM is over about three rises in the Scarp before we can even see it. |
mach3valkyrie
Member Posts: 719
From: Albany, Oregon
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 03-01-2015 12:28 AM
What was the distance limit from the LM on the walkback constraints? They looked pretty far away at Tracy's Rock. (Station 6) |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-01-2015 07:24 AM
On the traverse maps, Station 2 looks about three times as far away from the LM as Station 6. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-02-2015 06:02 AM
What was the elevation of the Apollo 14 landing site? |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2458
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 03-02-2015 02:33 PM
If you can read the contours on this it might provide the answer. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-02-2015 02:55 PM
Looks like the elevation at the LM is around 6570 meters. Thanks for the map. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 03-04-2015 05:24 AM
This traverse map shows an elevation of about 5800 meters at the Apollo 12 landing site. My highest-to-lowest landing site elevation list would look like this: - Apollo 16: ~7830 meters
- Apollo 14: ~6570 meters
- Apollo 12: ~5800 meters
- Apollo 15: ~4690 meters
- Apollo 17: ~4515 meters
- Apollo 11: ~1500 meters
Those numbers are rough estimates based on contour maps. |
LM-12
Member Posts: 3324
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 04-19-2015 10:38 AM
The elevations reached on EVA-1 and EVA-2 are shown in this Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) photo of the Apollo 15 landing site. |
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