Feb 4 1971
From The Space Library
February 4-6: Apollo 14 entered lunar orbit with 314.1-km (195.2- mi) apolune and 108.2-km (67.2-mi) perilune after Lot burn at 82:37 GET, including 40-min update (1:55 am EST Feb. 4). Roosa called to Mission Control: "... you're not going to believe this-it looks just like the map." Shepard described the moon and near-moon space as "really quite a sight. No atmosphere at all. Everything is clear up here. Really fantastic." Mitchell said moon looked like "a plaster mold that somebody has dusted with grays and browns." Region where daylight stopped and darkness began had "some fairly high crater walls and high country, with those long shadows, it really looks rugged. It looks like you could walk along that surface into the darkness and fall into nothing." Shepard and Mitchell reentered LM and checked out systems before firing RCS thrusters at 104:28 GET to separate CSM and LM. Spurious bit in LM guidance computer was corrected to preclude inadvertent abort during powered descent, and Shepard controlled descent manually. LM Antares landed on moon's Fra Mauro at 108:54 GET (4:17 am EST Feb. 5) on 8° slope 9-18 m (30-60 ft) short of planned landing point. "We seem to be sitting in a bowl," Mitchell said. "It's choppy, undulating. There is a large depression to our right to the north of us, which forms another bowl. And I can see several ridges and rolling hills of perhaps 35 to 40 feet (10 to 12 meters) in height." First EVA began 49 min later than planned because of intermittent PLSS communications. Shepard started down ladder, deployed MESA containing camera which recorded descent, and stepped on lunar surface at 114:30 GET (9:53 am EST Feb. 5). Mitchell stepped down six minutes later. "Not bad for an old man," Mission Control told Shepard as he touched surface. "You're right," Shepard replied "I'm on the surface. It's been a long way and I'm here. The surface on which the forward footpad landed is extremely soft. ... it's in a small depression. The soil is so soft that it comes all the way to the top of the footpads, it even folded over the sides to some degree. . . we can see the boulders on the rim. It looks as though we have a good traverse route up to the top of the Cone."
Crew collected 19.5-kg (43-lb) contingency sample; deployed TV, S- band antenna, American flag, and solar wind composition experiment; and photographed LM, lunar surface, and experiments. ALSEP was deployed about 152 m (500 ft) west of LM and laser-ranging retroreflector was deployed about 30 m (100 ft) west of ALSEP. Mitchell conducted active seismic experiment, firing 13 thumper shots into lunar surface. Signals were recorded by geophones and transmitted to earth. Eight of the 21 cartridges misfired, but the 13 fired sent vibrations 18-21 m (60-70 ft) into moon. Crew was granted 30-min extension on EVA and reentered LM after 4 hrs 49 min.
After resting inside LM and checking plans for second EVA period, astronauts left LM at 131:48 GET (3:11 am EST Feb. 6)-2 hrs 27 min earlier than planned. Astronauts loaded MET with photographic equipment and lunar portable magnetometer (LPM) and proceeded toward Cone Crater. MET bounced slightly during traverse but appeared stable. Astronauts' main problem was lunar dust which stuck to their space suits up to their knees. "We're filthy as pigs," Mitchell said. "Everything's going to be covered with dust before long." LPM site measurement was made at first stop and LPM traverse measurement was later made near Cone Crater. Geological features were described and materials collected. Crew was unable to reach rim of Cone Crater because slopes were steeper than expected and climb would have required running behind time line by about 30 min. Samples were collected in blocky field near rim. On return leg of traverse crew dug 0.5-m (1.5-ft) trench and collected samples. Unsuccessful triple-core-tube attempt was made and other containerized samples were collected. Alignment adjustment was made to ALSEP central station's antenna to improve signal strength being received at MSFN ground stations. Crew was unable to perform a number of secondary tasks because of time-line and minor problems.
Just before reentering the LM Shepard made surprise announcement: "You might recognize what I have in my hand as the handle for the contingency sample return and it just so happens to have a genuine six iron on the bottom of it." Shepard dropped golf ball on lunar surface and on third attempt drove ball about 366 m (400 yds). Astronauts reentered LM at 136:26 GET, after 4 hrs 35 min, bringing total EVA time to 9 hrs 24 min. While LM was on moon, Roosa, orbiting moon in CSM, completed bootstrap photography of Descartes landing site and astronomic photography, including Gegenschein experiment, and prepared for shortened rendezvous technique. Shepard and Mitchell depressurized LM, discarded excess equipment, repressurized LM, and lifted off lunar surface with 43 kg (94.8 lbs) of samples at 142:25 GET-33 hrs 31 min after landing on moon. During braking phase for docking, telemetry indicated that abort guidance system had failed, but no caution and warning signals were on. Docking was accomplished successfully at 144:13 GET (3:36 pm Feb. 6) with no probe-drogue problems. Probe was returned to earth for postflight analysis. Excellent TV during rendezvous and docking showed docking maneuver clearly. Crew transferred from LM to CSM with samples, equipment, and film. LM ascent stage was jettisoned and intentionally crashed onto lunar surface at 148:22 GET (7:05 pm EST Feb. 6) at 3° 35' south latitude and 19° 40' west longitude. Impact was recorded by Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 ALSEPS. Trans-earth injection maneuver, on schedule at 149:16 GET, injected CSM into transearth trajectory after 66 hrs 40 min (34 revolutions) in lunar orbit.
