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Author
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Topic: Black & Decker Lunar Surface Drill
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mark plas
Member Posts: 289
From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted December 25, 2009 10:14 AM
   
I remember as a kid that my father owned a drill by Black and Decker and there was a manual with a picture of an Apollo astronaut using a drill.I never saw this picture not in any of my books or on the web. Today I searched on the web and found this. Does anyone know who this is? And if it was a training picture of any particular Apollo mission? |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 616
From: Staten Island, N.Y.
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted December 25, 2009 04:59 PM
I don't know about the picture, but protypes of the B&D drill were flown on Apollo's 15, 16, 17. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 107
From: England, U.K.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted December 26, 2009 04:02 AM
Looks like a training photgraph, possibly Apollo 15 to 17 I would say. |
mark plas
Member Posts: 289
From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted December 29, 2009 02:39 PM
The suit is a A7L so that rules out the later J missions. |
kr4mula
Member Posts: 343
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted December 30, 2009 12:34 PM
The caption says 1971, so that would suggest either Apollo 14 or 15, assuming that date is correct. However, looking at the suits (15 had the A7LB, as Mark suggested), I would've guessed Apollo 12, but I'm not sure if they had the drill or not. 13 trained with one, but obviously never used it. That otherwise leaves Apollo 14, but they had the different visor assembly with the hinged eyeshade. I would therefore think it's one of the guys from Apollo 12 (and the caption date is wrong). Of course, the picture quality is pretty poor, so I could be mistaken about the suits. |
Jeff
Member Posts: 62
From: Fayetteville, NC, USA
Registered: May 2009
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posted December 31, 2009 09:45 AM
It appears to me that the camera is taking the picture in a downward fashion. That's to say the target in the picture is lower in elevation than the camera. Mark hit it on the head, the suit in the photo is an A7L type which rules out 15 through 17. However, Lou is absolutely correct, these drills were ONLY flown on Apollos 15 through 17. Additionally, with the lack of CDR stripes it points to Charlie Duke, who was the only LMP to use the drill on the surface, but Fred Haise was the only LMP in an A7L pressure suit photographed using the drill in training. Too much conflicting data, so I would purpose that the picture was taken of a museum display. From what I've seen, it's not uncommon for museum staff to gather equipment from the "G, H, and J" missions, and put them together in a display. To the general public it goes unnoticed, but to people who know what they're looking at, it raises a red flag as soon as it's seen. Another way to look at it is you have Pete using Dave's drill.  |
kr4mula
Member Posts: 343
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted January 04, 2010 12:15 PM
I believe it is Colonel Mustard in the Observatory with the wrench! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 17434
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted January 08, 2010 05:53 AM
Via Stephane Sebile, a scan of a French advertisement for the drill and a photo of Charlie Duke using the same equipment during training. 
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