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  Apollo transearth EVA distances from Earth

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Author Topic:   Apollo transearth EVA distances from Earth
TLIGuy
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Posts: 207
From: Virginia
Registered: Jul 2013

posted 12-24-2017 03:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for TLIGuy   Click Here to Email TLIGuy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am looking for the most accurate distance from Earth at the start of Al Worden's transearth EVA. I have seen distances ranging between 200,000 and 196,000 miles.

Is there an exact documented distance from Earth at the start? If not, what would be the most accurate distance to use? As always and help or direction is appreciated.

randy
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Posts: 2231
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-24-2017 08:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for randy   Click Here to Email randy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Mission Report for Apollo 15 says "Worden's space walk started as Endeavour was approximately 197,000 miles from Earth traveling about 3,000 mph."

TLIGuy
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Posts: 207
From: Virginia
Registered: Jul 2013

posted 12-24-2017 09:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for TLIGuy   Click Here to Email TLIGuy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I found two PAO announcements stating miles from Earth, one before the EVA and one after spanning 68 minutes between the two. My calculation put the start of the EVA right at about 197,000. I think that is a good number to use.

Grounded!
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Posts: 382
From: Bennington, Vermont, USA
Registered: Feb 2011

posted 12-25-2017 02:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Grounded!   Click Here to Email Grounded!     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In chapter 10 of Al Worden's book "Falling To Earth" he comments that when he finally was able to leave the confines of Endeavor for his EVA, he was "more than 196,000 miles from home." What an experience it must have been to ride on the outside of that spaceship with both the earth and moon in full view.

TLIGuy
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Posts: 207
From: Virginia
Registered: Jul 2013

posted 12-25-2017 05:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for TLIGuy   Click Here to Email TLIGuy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I reviewed the chapter in his book and did see the 196,000 mile reference but I have also seen him refer to the distance at 200,000 miles as well. I think the latter was a more broad overview of the event in hindsight.

Just for fun, taking the time and the distance traveled between the two PAO announcements I put the distance at the start of the EVA at 241:57:12 GET (15:31:12 UTC) at around 197,184 miles from Earth. The 196K+ figure is probably pretty accurate once he was fully outside the capsule.

Explorer1
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Posts: 180
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Apr 2019

posted 04-11-2020 05:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Explorer1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What exact distances were the three deep spacewalks on Apollo 15, 16 and 17 made?

To be clear, I mean what exact distance from Earth or from the moon. I have heard the approximate number of 60,000 miles from the moon.

Editor's note: Threads merged.

Philip
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Posts: 6002
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 04-11-2020 05:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Apollo 15 CMP Al Worden probably made the deepest at a distance of 318400 km from Earth lasting 34 minutes.

Explorer1
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Posts: 180
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Apr 2019

posted 04-11-2020 05:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Explorer1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Can I ask you what makes you say that his was probably the deepest out?

Philip
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Posts: 6002
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 04-11-2020 05:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Philip   Click Here to Email Philip     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'll have to check, but now I wonder why Mattingly and Evans took two times longer then Worden did.

All times are CT (US)

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