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Author
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Topic: Greatest item left behind on the moon by Apollo
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ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 972
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted April 25, 2012 08:17 AM
   
I have always felt that although understandable with weight and space issues, that it was a crime for certain issues 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: 2192
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted April 25, 2012 08:21 AM
Were Neil Armstrong EVA boots returned? |
Fezman92
Member Posts: 963
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted April 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: 882
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted April 25, 2012 09:49 AM
Neat topic. The moon buggies get my vote. |
Jim Behling
Member Posts: 290
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted April 25, 2012 10:37 AM
quote:
Originally posted by ASCAN1984:
I have always felt that although understandable with weight and space issues, that it was a crime for certain issues not to be returned to earth with the crews of Apollo missions. For example, 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: 24953
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted April 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: 240
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted April 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: 1274
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted April 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: 963
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted April 25, 2012 11:33 AM
Alan Shepard's golf ball. |
icarkie
Member Posts: 600
From: BURTON ON TRENT /England
Registered: Nov 2002
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posted April 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: 963
From: New Jersey, USA
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted April 25, 2012 11:54 AM
Yes they did. |
dom
Member Posts: 358
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted April 25, 2012 05:31 PM
The optimism of the 1960s! |
328KF
Member Posts: 674
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted April 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
Member Posts: 257
From: Lexington, MA, USA
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted April 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: 1966
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted May 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: 47
From: Ashland, OH USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted May 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: 4594
From: Brussels, BELGIUM
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted May 29, 2012 09:15 AM
An artwork of course..."The Fallen Astronaut" by Belgian artist Paul van Hoeydonck. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1186
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted May 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: 51
From: Colorado, USA
Registered: May 2012
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posted May 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: 24953
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted May 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: 282
From: Albany, NY USA
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted June 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: 12
From: Washington, DC USA
Registered: May 2005
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posted June 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: 33
From: New Jersey, US
Registered: May 2012
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posted June 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: 152
From: Battle Creek, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted June 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: 376
From: Olympia, WA, USA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted June 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: 152
From: Battle Creek, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted June 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: 547
From: washington dc usa
Registered: May 2004
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posted June 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: 78
From: vienna, VA. USA
Registered: Mar 2004
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posted June 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: 11
From:
Registered: Jul 2010
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posted June 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 June 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: 453
From: Ontario, Canada
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted June 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: 3483
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted June 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: 614
From: Philadelphia, PA USA
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted July 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. |
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