Apollo 12 - Flight Log

For history buffs - something you won't find anywhere else - a series describing the main events of the Apollo flights to the moon. And this time - Apollo 12 which took place in November 1969

For the first episode in the series - Apollo 11

introduction
The Apollo 11 flight came to prove that manned landings on the moon were possible. The Apollo 12 flight was more than just a landing. Apollo 12 set itself the goal of a thorough study of the moon. The astronauts of Apollo 12 established an unmanned geophysical laboratory on the surface of the moon to discover the secrets of the moon as an end in itself and as a means to discover the secret of the formation of the earth and the solar system.

The names given to the spacecraft were different from those given to Apollo 11. The command cabin was this time called "Yankee Clipper" after the type of large sailing ships of the 19th century. Landing "Interfrid" - Amiz. This name is the name of a series of warships, the last of which was an aircraft carrier that weighed 27,000 tons that was built during World War II, went through a series of overhauls and headed the rescue team of the astronauts when they returned from the first manned journey to the moon. The crew that participated in the flight included Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean. The spacecraft was launched for a 10-day journey that began on November 14.11.1969, 24.11 and ended on November XNUMX.

14.11-the first day of the flight

The launch of the spaceship on this day was called into question because two days before on 12.11 a malfunction was discovered while filling the spaceship's tanks with oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The hydrogen has to be kept at a temperature of 2530 below zero and for that the tanks are equipped with a double wall like a thermos bottle. In the space between the sides there is a high void. It turned out that in one of the tanks the vacuum was too weak and the liquid hydrogen began to heat up. It was therefore necessary to overcome the problem quickly. The best solution is to replace this tank with the tank of Apollo 13. The spaceship can take off even with one tank, if this malfunction were to arise during the flight itself, if additional malfunctions were discovered, the flight would be postponed a month to 14.12.

The space scientists set another launch time for that day. The difference between the planned launch time and the second launch time was 4.5 hours. This interval of time was necessary. If there were any last-minute glitches. The technicians overcame the fault and there was no need to use the planned time interval. The spacecraft was launched on time.

Apollo 12 was launched in stormy and rainy weather. This weather caused the spacecraft to be jolted by two electrical breakdowns, one 36 seconds after launch and the other 52 seconds later and not by a single electrical breakdown as initially thought. The electrical system was temporarily cut off, the navigation system was disrupted and several warning lights were lit until the astronauts were at a loss at the first moment of the malfunctions. The damaged systems were soon repaired. The repairs were done without panic and quickly. All the while the spacecraft received power from a central system powered by batteries.

11 minutes after the launch, the spacecraft entered an earth orbit at an altitude of 190 km and after a half hour it was launched towards the moon. The lightning strike required the most rigorous tests of all the spacecraft's systems. The lander was tested by Conrad and Bean (of course after connecting with it).

When the spacecraft's systems were found to be in good condition, the astronauts gave up the extra ground coffee. The spaceship detached itself from its earthly orbit and moved to a flight path to the moon. It then connected with the lander. The third stage of the Saturn launch vehicle was launched into solar orbit. The entire maneuver was televised. On the flight path towards the moon, the astronauts engaged in navigational maneuvers using the stars as reference points and photographing the Earth.

A layer of ice had condensed on the inner window of the spacecraft's outer window, but there was no disturbance. Conrad, Gordon and Bean's heart rate reached 120 compared to 80-90 before the launch. In the last stages, their heartbeats were recorded between 130-140 per minute.

15.11.- The second day of the flight
The Nebedek-Conrad and Bin spacecraft systems checked the lander and these were found to be in good condition. The lander was later inspected once more by Conrad and Bean and found to be flawless. The astronauts engaged in navigation exercises, broadcast a television broadcast and rested for several hours. In the first two days, the astronauts worked continuously for about 23 hours.

16.11 - the third day of the flight
31 hours after the launch, the spacecraft moved to a new path, which took it out of the "free return" orbit. This maneuver was necessary for a precise landing on the moon, while saving fuel. If there was an engine failure while entering the lunar orbit, the spacecraft would crash on the surface of the moon or disappear into space. The astronauts had one option to be saved and that was to enter the "free return" orbit that would return them safely to Earth. In that case, they would activate the lander's braking engine, or they would use the small navigation engines. This maneuver can be performed within two hours from the moment of the malfunction. The entire maneuver was televised. Since one of the countdown clocks in the spacecraft was not working correctly, the times for the maneuver were broadcast from the control center.

After performing the maneuver, the astronauts engaged in "tidying up the household" in all of this, draining the sewer water into space through a special valve in the spacecraft. This action disrupted the slow rotational movement of the spacecraft around an axis. The astronauts were asked to reset its rotational movement at the proper rate to prevent overheating of the sides. The rest of the day was spent resting a lot - including sleeping for 6 hours, looking at the earth and the moon and exercising.

17.11- the fourth day of the flight

Before entering the lunar orbit, the spacecraft was tested once more. The lander was inspected by Conrad and Bean and found to be in good condition. A television broadcast was later held.
The flight path was found to be accurate and due to this the planned maneuver was cancelled. Thanks to this, the astronauts were given the opportunity to extend their planned sleep from 8 hours to 10 hours. A slight correction in the speed of the spacecraft's rotational movement deprived them of some of their sleep. The control center woke them up for this purpose after sleeping for an hour and a half. The astronauts woke up only after another signal after not hearing the first signal, they did not wake up. It turned out that there was a malfunction in any switch.
A "mysterious" object is seen following the spacecraft. It has been hypothesized that this is the third stage of the launcher or a bundle of shield plates that cover the lander during launch until it is extracted from its sheath.

18.11 - the fifth day for the flight

On this day the astronauts entered lunar orbit. Before starting the main engine, new data was transmitted to the astronauts. It turned out that the spaceship was on a flight path that deviated somewhat from the planned one. This deviation was of no importance, except in case the main engine was not working properly. In that case the astronauts would need secondary engines to return to Earth. For this purpose, they would receive new instructions regarding the time of activation of the engines and the duration of their operation.

The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on the far side of the moon. The spacecraft engine was fired twice. The first operation put the spacecraft into an elliptical orbit whose distance from the surface of the moon varies between 100-120 km. In the second operation, the spacecraft moved into a circular orbit. This time the engine ran for 17 seconds.
A few hours before entering the lunar orbit, the astronauts were asked not to remove debris from the spacecraft, to prevent even the slightest deviation of the spacecraft. The astronauts reported gray and white muzzles with brown spots found on the lunar surface. Konrad said that even from an altitude of 112 km he can distinguish the rocks inside the giant craters.

The astronauts had to cancel a TV broadcast that was meant to be held about two hours before entering the lunar orbit. Since the outer windows of the spaceship were covered with dirt from the outside by the rain during the launch, due to the need to point the spaceship at a certain angle towards the Earth and allow the reception of a live broadcast, the windows were directed towards the sun at such an angle that a sharp glare was created due to the dust on them and it was impossible to receive images of the moon. Conrad and Bean checked the lander for about 2.5 hours. After the test the three astronauts slept for 8.5 hours.

19.11 - the sixth day of the flight - the first day on the moon

Conrad and Bean have been suffering from minor medical problems in recent days. The electrodes attached to Conrad's body - for transmitting data on the activity of the body's organs - caused him to have a severe rash. Conrad had to move the electrode attached to his chest to another place. He did not move the other electrodes so as not to interfere with the measurements. Conrad suffered from them and promised to get rid of them after he returned from the moon. and there were difficulties in transferring the measurement data. It turned out that the electrodes were not properly attached to his body. After reattaching them. Data transfer has become more accurate.

Conrad and Bean entered the lander and inspected it for about 4 hours. After the lander was found to be safe, they disconnected themselves from the control room and Gordon was left alone. This maneuver was televised. Difficulties were discovered in the transmission as Gordon had some difficulty in pointing the moving antenna of the command booth in the right direction. After a few moments the antenna stabilized and the transmission became continuous. The gray-white face of the moon was clearly visible on the television screens.

On this day, two large eruptions were discovered on the surface of the sun that emitted huge amounts of radiation into space. Concern arose for the fate of the astronauts during their stay on the surface of the moon. It turned out that the amount of radiation that will reach the astronauts is less than 1/15 of the amount of radiation that a person receives during an X-ray. The fear for the astronauts' lives from radiation has been removed.

After the two spaceships were separated from it, they flew in formation flight for about an hour and a half with the distance between them being 12 meters. The control room circled the lander several times to make sure it was not struck externally by the lightning. The control cabin moved away from the lander to allow it to fire the braking engine. The control center informed Conrad that the lander was 8 km north of the correct path.

In light of the experience in Apollo 11, when the computer gave an overload alarm, that is, it warned that it was receiving more information than it could process. The latest data on the location of the lander was received one hour before the descent began. The lander performed many maneuvers with disconnection from the command cabin and the beginning of the descent to the lunar surface. These were some of the reasons that led to the fouling of the target. The Apollo 12 pilots did not perform all the same maneuvers that Armstrong and Aldrin did. Conrad and Bean activated a device that stopped the radar operation during the crucial period of the landing, so that the computer could concentrate only on the landing task. The data on the lander's position were received up to a few minutes before the ignition of the landing engine. These lessons, learned from the Apollo 11 flight, resulted in a more accurate landing. Conrad and Bean missed the target by only 6 meters. It should be taken into account that the landing site was not properly mapped during this period.

Konrad took over the navigation at a height of 200 meters. The lander descended to the ground in a long and dangerous curve. At a height of 40 meters, 9% of the braking fuel still remained in the lander. The landing was made more easily than the Apollo 11 landing. The landing was on the same dark side of the crater where Surveyor 3 landed in the eastern Ocean of Storms. The distance between the lander and Surveyor 3 was 180 meters. The landing was made at dusk when the sun is low. Therefore the lander cast a long shadow while the containment jet raised clouds of dust bigger than Apollo 11. On their way to landing Conrad and Bean passed over the crater Plathumus.

4.5 hours passed from the moment of landing until Conrad's foot stepped on the moon. The stay in the lander was half an hour longer than planned. This delay in the schedule was due to the search for topographic points, as landmarks for the lander pilots and scientists to determine the exact landing place of the lander. The rest of the time was devoted to inspecting the lander and preparing it for immediate takeoff if unexpected dangers were discovered.

During their stay on the moon, Conrad and Bean performed a long series of operations. The work plan was so crowded and complicated that they were not allowed to rely on their memory. The astronauts were helped by a card attached to the sleeve of their space suits detailing the order of operations.

11 minutes before going to the surface Conrad and Bean opened the exit door, depressurized the lander and activated the color television camera. Konrad came down first and half an hour later came down Bin. As a first action, Conrad placed the US flag. Placing the flag lasted 6 minutes. After that he collected samples from the lunar soil, put them in the sample bag attached to a strap where possible and immediately put them in the lander. The color television camera was moved from the lander and placed on the ground. Putting it on took about 8 minutes.

When Conrad was asked to report how deep his feet sank, he said that it was not the same depth as Armstrong's and Aldrin's. Conrad and Bean reported difficulty walking. After that they found out that it's easy baby to jump a little. Conrad said: "I have to act carefully and watch what I'm doing... If you don't lift your feet you bring a load of dirt on your head... When I bend forward it seems like I'm falling in every direction." He hastened to warn Bin lest he be reckless: "Bin watch your steps carefully here."

Their impression of the lunar dust that covers the area and flies everywhere easily due to the low gravity, was great. On his first trip to the moon, Conrad had fun throwing blocks of foam rubber and noted with great pleasure::"When you throw a bone up here, it stays above the ground for about 10 seconds. In addition to that, I have never been able to throw a bone to a height of 90 meters" Bin expressed his admiration for what appeared to him to be beads, made of glittering glass on the ground.

Bean accidentally pointed the TV camera at the sun. The camera broke down and stopped working about 45 minutes after it was turned on. Conrad and Bean were advised to fix the camera but were unable to do so.

Conrad and Bean placed several devices on the lunar surface:
1. A magnetometer for measuring the magnetic field of the moon - interesting results were obtained from the first tests of the magnetometer. It was found that the moon's magnetic field in the equatorial region has a strength of 30 gammas, while previously it was assumed that the strength was between 2-8.
2. A seismograph for receiving shocks occurring on the surface of the moon as a result of earthquakes, meteorites, etc. and transmitting them to the earth.
3. Ion detector - the function of this device was to study charged particles reaching the moon. It is therefore clear that one of the important functions of this instrument is the study of the solar wind. The detector picked up the same particles of the solar wind that hit the moon.
4. A pile of pomegranates with which the scientists hoped to determine the elastic properties of the moon.
5. Instrument for atmospheric research. Konrad announced that it is provided if the device is standing straight.
All devices were powered by a nuclear battery. This battery utilizes the energy created by the decay of plutonium 238 and turns it into electrical energy that is used to operate the measuring instruments and the radio transmitter for years. The nuclear battery was contained in a graphite box for protection against the radioactive radiation emitted from it.

Removing the plutonium tube from the container and inserting it into the generator required the use of special tongs. Conrad who performed this task worked carefully so as not to be harmed by the strong radiation. All devices began to operate after the placement and activation of the nuclear battery.

The collection of lunar soil samples was extremely systematic. The selection of the rocks was done in coordination with geologists who were in continuous contact with them. The mission of collecting the samples was so important to the space agency that the astronauts carried with them a special bag in which they could put interesting rock samples that they would come across while performing other missions. To collect the samples, the astronauts dug to a depth of 80 cm. Conrad and Bean studied geology for two years and trained for 250 hours collecting samples.

This tour lasted about 4 hours. Towards the end of their first tour, their oxygen supplies ran out and the control center urged them to return to the lander. Bean could be heard breathing in and out as he quickly boarded the lander. When they entered the Acalo Landing, they slept 5 hours an hour longer than planned and prepared for their second tour. Sleep passed them more comfortably than Armstrong and Aldrin. They did not feel the intense cold because they were equipped with blankets. Instead of sleeping on the floor, they slept in hammocks.

20.11- The seventh day of flight, the second day on the moon

Since Konrad and Bean woke up early, they were ahead of their second tour by an hour and a half. Conraded went out first and - 9 minutes later, Bin went out. They photographed the devices they placed and tested the atmospheric device. This device transmitted to the control center data according to which the moon has an atmosphere that is one millionth denser than the Earth's. The space scientists feared that the device had malfunctioned. His examination allayed the fear since he was found to be normal.

As in their first tour, so also in this tour they collected samples from the lunar soil. Most of the work was done with long forceps. Conrad also dug several times with his heavily gloved hands into the dirt to collect particularly interesting samples. Conrad and Bean reported that the dirt below the surface is much lighter, like the color of cement, while the ground near the lander looks brown and fertile in the sunlight. On their way to Surveyor 3, they dug a groove with their foot on the slope and discovered that the depth of the ground was brighter than the surface of the ground. The astronauts photographed these differences. Among other things, they discovered rocks strewn with crystals and collected marbles that appear to be made of glass.

Unlike their previous tour, this time Conrad and Bean photographed the samples before they were lifted from the ground and then photographed the place from where the samples were taken. The geologists hoped that among the samples around the landing site, about 400 km from the Copernicus Crater, they would find remains of soil ejected from the crater and possibly also remains of the meteorite that formed this crater.

In the area near Surveyor 3, the astronauts found a rock made of fairly large grains. The geologists speculated that it originated deep underground. It reached the surface probably as a result of volcanic activity or a collision with a large meteorite during the formation of the Copernicus Crater.

Among all the soil samples that were brought to Israel, the geologists found a stone with feldspar crystals in it. In general, it can be said that this type of rocks in the landing area of ​​Apollo 12 is different from the rocks found in the landing area of ​​Apollo 11. This time mainly crystalline stones were brought from the moon and only a small number of glass spherules were found, which differs from the common type in the samples brought by the Apollo 11 pilots.

The astronauts were instructed to try to roll a large stone into one of the small craters around them and take a stereoscopic photograph of the stone and its trajectory. This experiment was also designed to find out if the scientific instruments could absorb the shocks from the rolling of the stone. The control center announced that the shocks of the stone were picked up just as they were picked up by the footsteps of the astronauts.

Konrad and Bean approached Serviar 3. The distance they had to go is 180 meters. The astronauts had to travel a 360 meter round trip. In fact they traveled more than 360 meters. They made a way of 1.3. km because they did not walk in a straight line. On their way they passed 6 craters, collected 20 kg of soil from a depth of 30 cm. When they arrived at the spaceship, they said that the spaceship was standing on a much less steep slope than it seemed before. The spacecraft was photographed looking inside a crater.

In order to reach Surveyor 3, Conrad and Bin had to walk about 50 meters along the slope of the crater. A few minutes before Bean began his slow descent tethered to his friend Konrad, they both received an order from the control center to extend this tour from 3.5. hours to 4 hours. This instruction came out of fear that they would stumble on the slope of the crater, the depth of the dust covering it was unknown. The control center ordered maximum precautions. They were asked to walk slowly and rest for breath while walking. Bean went down step by step followed by Conrad who carried the tools.

The probe of the spaceship showed that it is slightly curved in different places, apparently due to shocks created during the landing. The mirror at the top of the spaceship was cleaned of dust and found to be in good condition. The television camera was disassembled by cutting its cables with metal scissors. The aluminum spoon and the aluminum tube were also disassembled. By examining these parts, the engineers hoped to find out the effect of the lunar environment on processed metals, plastic materials, fuel materials, glass and whether it is possible that bacteria that arrived via the spacecraft to the moon can exist there. The spacecraft was found to be light brown, although it was white at launch. The color change comes from the dust of the moon that has stuck to it. The space observatory in Bochum. Germany suggested that the brown dust that Conrad and Bean noticed on the Surveyor might be the result of an accumulation of cosmic dust particles. The Surveyor spacecraft was also photographed up close. On one of the parts of the savior that was returned to Israel, the researchers found a live bacteria that was "imported" to the moon.

If the landing was carried out at a distance of more than 1 km from the surveyor. The journey to her would not have taken place at all. On this tour, Konrad and Bean gave a very detailed report on their actions and their location in the field, and this is because the TV camera was not working. After recovering, they arranged the "loot" they had collected and wiped off each other the dust that had stuck to the space suits by vacuum cleaners and removed their boots

After a 32-hour stay on the surface of the moon, the lander took off without incident. The takeoff was too fast. A warning light came on and the speed was reduced. 7 minutes after takeoff the lander entered lunar orbit, circled the moon almost two and a half times in 3.5 hours while performing complicated maneuvers that brought it closer to the command cabin. The spaceships approached each other, flew for a while in formation flight and then connected. The connection was on the hidden side of the moon and at an altitude of 100 km from the ground. The entire maneuver was televised. Konrad and Bean said that while they were approaching the control room, they noticed the spot where the lightning strike was. They also saw a sign of fire near the cover of the cable connecting the command cabin to the service cabin.

Conrad and Bean entered the control room and transferred all their "loot" into it. The lander's engine was activated by a wireless signal. who directed it to crash on the moon. The lander crashed 80 km from the landing site. The shock waves picked up by the zymograph were clearly recorded on Earth. The crash of the lander on the surface of the moon caused a series of shocks for 55 minutes, similar to the echoes heard when a bell is struck. Since the landing had more fuel, an explosion occurred that cut a hole 6 meters by 12 meters and half a meter deep.

The command cabin circled the moon 12 more times for photography purposes. Some of these tasks required the use of special materials to make images with radiations that are not visible to the eye. These missions were a continuation of the missions that Gordon performed when he was alone in the control room. These missions included observations, mapping and coverage of the lunar surface [photographing future landing sites and especially the landing site intended for Apollo 13. Gathering information whose role was to assist later manned launches and the development of precise landing techniques. Some concern arose when contact with the spacecraft was lost for an hour. It turned out that the astronauts were sleeping. They broke off the relationship because they wanted some peace.

21.11 – the eighth day of the flight

The spacecraft was detached from lunar orbit and began its journey back to Earth. The astronauts' request to shorten their return to Earth was met with the opposition of space scientists. Half an hour after the disconnection, a party of scientists was held. The astronauts reported that their suits were heavily dusted with moon dust. The accumulated moon dust floated inside the spaceship and the three astronauts swallowed pills against the irritation this dust caused them. Yes, a considerable amount accumulated in the spacecraft. The astronauts reported that the moon is covered in gray dust that makes geological tests difficult and the colors change from time to time as the angle of the sun changes.

22.11 - the ninth day of the flight
The spacecraft engine was fired for 2 seconds to make a small correction to the flight path. After the repair, the astronauts engaged in space navigation experiments to determine the exact position of the spacecraft in space.

23.11 - the tenth day of the flight
The astronauts were engaged in navigation experiments according to the stars. and observations and sleep for 12 hours.

24.11 - the eleventh day of the flight

On this day, a half-hour long press conference was held. The press conference was postponed for 55 minutes due to a malfunction in the antenna of the receiving station in the control center. The astronauts complained about excessive humidity, about the moon dust, about the quality of especially small items of the work tools. Some of these tools were too weak and broke. It was necessary to perfect them. Konrad's suit was too short and disturbed his sleep. Gordon was busy with work and hardly had time to rest.

During the activity on the surface of the moon, Conrad fell to his feet and got up without difficulty, thereby eliminating previous fears that astronauts who fall on the lunar surface would not be able to get up. Since the low gravity of the moon is weak, it is possible to straighten up before falling.

A correction was made to the flight path and the astronauts fell asleep for 10 hours. The spacecraft landed 4 km from the rescue ship in the Pacific Ocean about 750 km south of the Pago Pago Islands. The spacecraft landed on the surface of the water upside down. The rubber buoys attached to her from the outside automatically inflated and leveled her as she skipped the waves.

The astronauts said that as they approached the landing site while outside the atmosphere they saw the lightning of a thunderstorm that occurred near the landing area. The storm passed shortly before landing. They also saw a rare spectacle: a solar eclipse formed when the sun was hidden behind the earth as they approached the landing site. The Apollo flight lasted 244 hours and 35 minutes.

after landing
Conrad, Gordon and Bean were transferred upon their landing to 21 days of isolation in the Lunar Reception Laboratory. They too, like the Apollo 11 pilots, underwent a series of very strict and thorough medical tests. When they were found healthy and intact, they were released on August 11.8. They were released 18 hours ahead of time.
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