55 years ago: Preparation for Apollo 13 and 14, Apollo 12 crews on the world tour

With two months before flight, Apollo 13 main crew James Lovell,, Thomas mattingly,, Fred Haiseand backups John Young,, John Swigertand Charles Duke Continued to train for a 10-day mission planning to land in Fr. Mauro Highlands Region of the Moon. The engineers continued to prepare the rocket and spacecraft of Saturn V on a launch pillow for April 11, 1970, Liftoff and completed a readiness test for flight on the vehicle. All six astronauts spent many hours in flight simulators, while the walkers of the month were practicing by landing on the lunar module and practicing their planned walks of the moon. The crew for the next month of landing of the moon, Apollo 14, participated in the field of geology as part of its flight training and then planned for October 1970. In the meantime, Nasa published Apollo 12 lunar samples scientists and Apollo 12 crews went on a tour of the goodwill of the President.

At Nasa -in Space Center Kennedy in Florida, engineers ended on February 26 Apollo 13 Saturn V. The test is ensured that all systems are ready and compatible with soil support equipment, and astronauts are simulated parts of counting and flight with by power. The successful completion of the willingness test cleared the path for trial clothing in late March.

One of the biggest challenges of astronauts he faces during the lunar mission meant completing a safe landing on the surface of the moon. In addition to the time spent in the simulators, the Apollo mission commanders and their backup have been trained in the last few hundred meters of descent using the Ellington Air Force Basin Training Vehicle Landing Vehicle near the Space Center, now NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston. Bell Aerosystems of Buffalo, New York, built coach To simulate the flying characteristics of the lunar module. Lovell and Young ended several flights in February 1970. For the schedule of restriction with the coach, the Lunar Module piloti trained for their role in landing using Lunar Landing Research facility at NASA’s research center in Hampton, Virginia. Haise and Duke ended up training at Langley’s facility in February.

The astronauts were trained for Moonwalks parabolic flights in NASA KC-135 aircraft that simulated low lunar gravity, practicing their ladder to the surface. On Earth, they rehearsed the moonlight, setting up an American flag and a large communication antenna with scope and collecting lunar samples. The engineers improved their space equipment to make the expected space tiles expected to make more comfortable for crew members by installing bags of eight ounces within a hydration helmet.

During their 35 hours on the Moon surface, Lovell and Haise planned to spend two four -hour space panels for setting up Apollo Lunar Surface’s Apollo Lunar (ALSEP) packageA package of four investigations intended for collecting data on the moon environment after the departure of astronauts and conduct geological research of the landing site. Four experiments included:

• Filled experiment with a moon environment particle designed to measure the folds of charged particles

• Cold Cathode experiment designed to measure the lunar atmosphere pressure

• Thermal flow experiment designed to make the thermal measurements of the lunar underground

• Passive seismic experiment intended to measure any moon, either naturally or caused by artificial means

As an additional investigation, astronauts planned to arrange and retrieve an experiment of the composition of the solar wind, the aluminum foil leaf for collecting particles from the solar wind for an analysis of scientists on Earth after approximately 20 hours of exposure on the surface of the moon.

With one lunar mission for only two months, NASA continued preparations for the next flight, Apollo 14, and then scheduled for October 1970. With a landing targeted for the Littrow region on the moon, scientists believed to be of volcanic origin. Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard,, Stuart Pinkand Edgar Mitchell and their backups Eugene Cernan,, Ronald Evansand Joe English learned systems of the spacecraft in the simulators. Accompanied by the Geologists, led by Richard Jahns, Shepard, Mitchell, Cernan and English, participated in the geological expedition on the Pinacate mountain chain in north of Mexico from February 14 to February 18, 1970. The astronauts practiced using modular equipment carriers, on two wheels to transport tools and samples on the surface of the moon.

On February 13, 1970, NASA began to release Apollo 12 lunar samples on 139 American and 54 international scientists in 16 countries, which is a total of £ 28.6. February 16 Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad,, Richard Gordonand Alan Beanaccompanied by their wives and officer NASA -ei State Department, they left Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base for their 38-day Bullseye Presidential World Tour Goodwill. They first traveled to Latin America, stopping in Venezuela, Peru, Chile and Panami before they continued in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Revolutionary science and discoveries made during the Apollo mission have encouraged Nasa to explore the moon more than ever through the Artemis program. Apollo astronauts set up a series of mirrors or “retroreflectors“On the moon to accurately reflect the laser light that is from the ground with minimal spray or diffusion. Retroreflectors are mirrors that reflect the incoming light back in the same incoming direction. Calculation of time needed to bounce the beams allowed scientists to accurately measure the moon shape and distance from the country, both directly under the influence of the gravity withdrawal of the country. Nasa -in crew Artemis Missions on the moon, lunar research still uses data from those Retroreflector Apollo.