Apollo 14 Moon mission

On 6 August 1969, shortly after the successful moon landing by Apollo 11, NASA crews for Apollo 13 and Apollo 14 missions known.Internally, had already been decided that the Mercury veteran Alan Shepard would command one of the next moon flights. He had been in 1961 the first American in space, although its ballistic missile with a Mercury-Redstone took 3 only 15 minutes and not be led into orbit around the Earth had, under this circumstance, the crew of Apollo 14 half-jokingly as the first crew out loud newcomers called. Shepard was due to his Meniere's syndrome, a throat disease pressure, the ability to fly has been discussed, but he could after inner ear surgery to become active again.Shepard was first intended as commander of Apollo 13, at the expense of Gordon Cooper, who was to replace the commander of Apollo 10 actually been in the series. Then, however, decided to take that Shepard Apollo 14 was to give him more time to prepare. The command of Apollo 13 went to it but not Cooper, but with Jim Lovell, who had trained with his crew up there for Apollo 14. Cooper left NASA shortly thereafter.As a pilot of the command module of Apollo 14 Stuart Roosa was divided, which was given preference over Donn Eisele. Eisele had heard how Cooper for backup crew of Apollo 10 and thus would normally have been nominated in the main crew of Apollo 14.The lunar module pilot Edgar Mitchell was after James McDivitt (who served as commander of Gemini 4 and Apollo 9 space equal to more experienced than Shepard) had turned down this position. Roosa and Mitchell were both from the fifth group of astronauts selection and had not yet completed a space flight.The backup crew were Eugene Cernan as commander, after Michael Collins had resigned the post, Ron Evans as pilot of the Apollo command module pilot, and Joe Engle as the lander.The support team (support crew) consisted of Bruce McCandless, William Pogue and Philip Chapman.Chapman was the first astronaut of the sixth selection group, which was nominated for a team. Pogue would be the last member of a support crew, which was later nominated for an Apollo flight: he started in 1973 with the aim of Skylab 4.ls Fra Mauro highlands was sighted, which was supposed to be visited by Apollo 13. Once a problem was solved with the electrics of the Antares, a very extensive scientific program was waiting for the astronauts. In addition to an advanced ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package), the team had a number of smaller gauges in the luggage. These includeda radio isotope generator (RTG)a passive seismic andan active seismic experiment, explosives fired into the moon's surfacea "Suprathermal Ion Detector" experiment to detect gasesa "Cold Cathode Gauge" experiment to measure atmospheric pressurea "Charged Particle Lunar Environment" experiment, a kind of mortara laser reflector for determining the distance between earth and moon (Satellite Laser Ranging)a "Lunar Portable Magnetometer" experiment,a solar wind experimentas well as tools to study the moon's geology and the lunar rock.The first spacewalk (EVA) lasted 5.03 hours, the astronauts lined up in the main experiments. During the subsequent rest period Shepard and Mitchell took advantage of hammocks, which they hoisted the ferry landing and, at little additional weight, the significantly improved sleep comfort. The second trip the next day was aimed at the upper edge of the lunar crater Cone, who has an impressive diameter of 300 m and 40 m deep, to take rock samples. They reached the crater is not. The first time carried "Modular Equipment Transporter" (MET), a non-powered hand truck was moving through the deep moon dust exhausting and cost more time and thought than breathing air. In addition, the two astronauts were somewhat in the south of their route. In the four hours and 23 minutes put the astronauts about three kilometers traveled back to the moon.

A prototype of the METWas determined by high-resolution images of the LROC established in August 2009 that, due to insufficient terrain information to the crater rim at only 30 m failed.