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Topic: Greatest item left behind on the moon by Apollo
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ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 04-25-2012 08:17 AM
I have always felt that although understandable with weight and space issues, that it was a crime for certain items not to be returned to earth with the crews of Apollo missions. For example, the backpacks used on the lunar surface. What do others feel was the greatest piece of equipment or hardware that was never returned to Earth during Apollo? |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 04-25-2012 08:21 AM
Were Neil Armstrong EVA boots returned? |
Fezman92 Member Posts: 1031 From: New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 04-25-2012 09:02 AM
While I would not consider these "left on the moon" but I think it is a shame that the Eagle and Aquarius could not survive reentry. |
MarylandSpace Member Posts: 1336 From: Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 04-25-2012 09:49 AM
Neat topic. The moon buggies get my vote. |
Jim Behling Member Posts: 1463 From: Cape Canaveral, FL Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 04-25-2012 10:37 AM
quote: Originally posted by ASCAN1984: ...although understandable with weight and space issues... the backpacks used on the lunar surface.
Why? Anyways, it has nothing to do with weight or space, they physically could not pass through the tunnel into the CSM. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-25-2012 10:49 AM
quote: Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: Were Neil Armstrong EVA boots returned?
No, they along with Aldrin's are still sitting on the surface. If I am not mistaken, the only overshoes returned were Cernan's and Schmitt's (as below).  |
SkyMan1958 Member Posts: 867 From: CA. Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 04-25-2012 11:19 AM
Obviously a LOT of very cool stuff got left on the Moon. I agree that Armstrong's boots would have been the most historic item.For just a fun item, and one that needs to stay on the Moon, I like Alan Bean's silver astronaut pin that he tossed in Surveyor crater. What a way to upgrade to a gold astronaut pin!
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Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 04-25-2012 11:25 AM
It's a shame that Armstrong's and Aldrin's are on the moon and only the boots of Cernan and Schmitt were returned. Didn't they consider it for the first mission? |
Fezman92 Member Posts: 1031 From: New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 04-25-2012 11:33 AM
Alan Shepard's golf ball. |
icarkie Member Posts: 618 From: BURTON ON TRENT /England Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 04-25-2012 11:46 AM
quote: Originally posted by SkyMan1958: For just a fun item, and one that needs to stay on the Moon, I like Alan Bean's silver astronaut pin that he tossed in Surveyor crater.
I might be a bit vague on this but didn't the Apollo XII crew (Conrad or Bean) put CC Williams (wings/pin) on the moon as well in remembrance to him? |
Fezman92 Member Posts: 1031 From: New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 04-25-2012 11:54 AM
Yes they did. |
dom Member Posts: 855 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 04-25-2012 05:31 PM
The optimism of the 1960s! |
328KF Member Posts: 1234 From: Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 04-25-2012 09:40 PM
I'll bet Dr. Rock wishes he would have held onto his geology hammer, instead of seeing how far he could toss it.And if any of the moonwalkers could have forseen what space collectibles would be worth these days, they would have been pulling large sheets of lightweight gold mylar off of those famous LM's. At the recent events at Udvar-Hazy, the great folks from Goddard had a large display of tools and equipment used to repair Hubble, some of it the actual flown hardware. On a stand behind them was a sheet of silver insulation removed from the telescope during one of the repair missions. It must have been 3 x 4 feet in size. Just think of how many lucites they could have the ASF make! |
freshspot unregistered
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posted 04-26-2012 03:15 AM
In the grand scheme of history, these items are not lost or left somewhere. I'm sure that sometime in the future many will be retrieved or even, dare I say it, the site will be visited again, possibly even by tourists. A hundred years ago, who would have imagined that you or I could visit Ernest Shackleton antarctic expedition hut. |
Jay Chladek Member Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 05-14-2012 02:26 AM
Pete Conrad's car keys.  Lets see, to me the greatest thing left behind were no bodies. Everyone who got down made it home safe. Other than that, the footprints. |
Mr. Apollo 17 Member Posts: 55 From: Ashland, OH USA Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 05-28-2012 11:32 AM
The greatest two items left on the lunar surface to me are all of the footprints and the rovers. Those items made the most proof that we actually went there and to actually know that people walked and drove on a place that we usually regard as just something in the sky is amazing in my opinion.For shutting all of the skeptics up, the laser ranging retroflector also.  |
Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 05-29-2012 09:15 AM
An artwork of course..."The Fallen Astronaut" by Belgian artist Paul van Hoeydonck. |
Tom Member Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 05-29-2012 05:00 PM
I believe the two most important things left on the Moon were the bootprints on the surface and the U.S. flags. |
model maker Member Posts: 130 From: NEVADA , USA Registered: May 2012
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posted 05-30-2012 05:28 PM
Al Bean did bring back his lunar boots and geology hammer. He uses his hammer to sculpt and texture his paintings, uses is lunar boots to make footprint artwork and said he even ground up his Apollo 12 mission patch complete with moondust and includes a little bit of it in some of his paintings mixed into the paints themselves. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 05-30-2012 05:34 PM
The boot Bean uses to imprint his painting training spare/replica. The overshoes he used to walk on the surface are still on the moon. |
LM1 Member Posts: 667 From: New York, NY Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 06-04-2012 11:37 PM
I agree that the three LRVs from Apollo 15-17 would be great to have at the Smithsonian. Are they rotting away on the moon or will they still be like new when we return? |
Kocmoc Member Posts: 33 From: Washington, DC USA Registered: May 2005
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posted 06-21-2012 11:59 AM
quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: If I am not mistaken, the only overshoes returned were Cernan's and Schmitt's.
Yes, Rob, You are correct. Only Cernan and Schmitt brought back their overshoes. Apollo 17 had added capacity and they made the unilateral decision to bring them back. It was a good thing for suit development, too. |
MattJL Member Posts: 57 From: New Jersey, US Registered: May 2012
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posted 06-21-2012 01:50 PM
I'd say the color film left behind on 12 and 14 are some of the lesser known but greatest artifacts left on the lunar surface. Every photograph and film taken during the Apollo program was priceless, but to have lost complete canisters is truly a shame. |
Gonzo Member Posts: 596 From: Lansing, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 06-27-2012 12:56 PM
Charlie Duke's Polaroid of his family on Apollo 16. Well, that and the hopes we all shared in the 60's for the future of space exploration... |
p51 Member Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 06-27-2012 03:15 PM
Armstrong and Aldrin's overboots, no question.It makes you wonder what'll happen in the future when people eventually do go back to the moon, will the Smithsonian request future travelers return with some of these items? quote: Originally posted by Gonzo: Charlie Duke's Polaroid of his family on Apollo 16.
That's got to be a blank sheet of paper by now. All that UV on a older color photo, it would have kept developing to solid white. I'm certain if you could go the landing site today you wouldn't be able to make out anyone in that photo now... |
Gonzo Member Posts: 596 From: Lansing, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 06-27-2012 07:06 PM
Not so sure. While the colors will certainly have faded some, it was vacuum sealed for not only O2 (Polaroids needed that and warmth to develop, although there wouldn't any up there!), but also the plastic, from what I've read also blocked all UV to prevent fading. In any event, I thought it was a grand gesture for him. To recognize what his family goes through for his accomplishments. Fitting tribute, in my opinion. |
thump Member Posts: 575 From: washington dc usa Registered: May 2004
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posted 06-27-2012 10:12 PM
I believe that I had read somewhere that he had stated that he wished he had left it in the shade, because as soon as he placed it on the surface, it started curling up. Anyone else remember reading this? |
vamanboatin Member Posts: 214 From: Vienna, VA Registered: Mar 2004
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posted 06-27-2012 11:18 PM
How about the empty fuel cell and the broken arm breaker from Eagle. Dave Scott's feather would have been an easy one but I believe he didn't have time to pick it up. |
AirmanPika Member Posts: 21 From: Aurora, CO Registered: Jul 2010
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posted 06-30-2012 03:14 AM
quote: Originally posted by Fezman92: Alan Shepard's golf ball.
I would second this. It feels like the most human item that was left there. It has no attachment to any one person, but is born directly from the human desire for fun. |
lwmcallister New Member Posts: 1 From: Ogden, UT USA Registered: Jun 2012
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posted 06-30-2012 11:01 AM
I really like the Alan Shepard Golf Ball; but how about the small cloth bag with the gold olive branch, the patch from Apollo 1 and the small Silicon Disc containing the messages from 73 world leaders? This too speaks to our humanity... |
LM-12 Member Posts: 3207 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 06-30-2012 12:57 PM
Maybe Gene Cernan ran over Shepard's golf ball at Station 6 on EVA-3. From the Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal: 165:50:33 Cernan: (Reaching the gate) Yes, sir, we got a couple of dented tires!165:50:39 Schmitt: Okay. My hands have had it. 165:50:42 Parker: Okay; good enough. 165:50:43 Schmitt: You aren't going to get anything else out of me if I keep taking pictures. 165:50:46 Parker: And, Gene, what's a "dented tire"? 165:50:51 Cernan: A dented tire is a little, oh, a little golf-ball size or smaller indentation in the mesh. How does that sound to you? Doesn't hurt anything. 165:51:03 Parker: That sounds like a dented tire; that's how it sounds.
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mjanovec Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 06-30-2012 01:07 PM
quote: Originally posted by thump: I believe that I had read somewhere that he had stated that he wished he had left it in the shade, because as soon as he placed it on the surface, it started curling up. Anyone else remember reading this?
I heard the same thing too. I also recall hearing that the image started to turn black shortly afterwards. Setting that photo on the surface, in direct sunlight, was not unlike sticking it in an oven. |
Cliff Lentz Member Posts: 655 From: Philadelphia, PA USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 07-27-2012 11:42 AM
To me, the greatest items left on the Moon are the Descent stages of the LMs. They all have plaques that commemorate the mission. They all have the porch and ladder the crews used to descend to the surface. They are the reason that they landed safely and they're proof that they left safely. |
LM-12 Member Posts: 3207 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-28-2014 10:45 AM
This Catalogue of Manmade Material on the Moon is a 2012 NASA History Program Office document listing the artifacts left on the lunar surface. |
Lou Chinal Member Posts: 1306 From: Staten Island, NY Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 09-28-2014 02:27 PM
My vote is for the American flag. |
LM-12 Member Posts: 3207 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 09-28-2014 06:16 PM
The astronaut wings of Bean and Williams are in the catalog. So are the "Boots, Lunar pair" of Apollo 17. |
SpaceAholic Member Posts: 4437 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-28-2014 08:03 PM
Goodwill Disc. |
randy Member Posts: 2176 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 09-28-2014 08:12 PM
My vote is for the "Fallen Astronaut" statue and the photo of the Duke family. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-28-2014 08:16 PM
quote: Originally posted by LM-12: So are the "Boots, Lunar pair" of Apollo 17.
If that particular listing is in reference to either Harrison Schmitt's or Gene Cernan's overshoes, then it is in error (as noted earlier in this thread). |
moonguyron Member Posts: 191 From: Trinity, FL USA Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 10-03-2014 02:09 PM
Just read in the Lunar Rover Owner's Workshop Manual that Dave Scott left a Bible on the "T" handle of LRV-1 as he closed it out. |