Feb 24 1976
From The Space Library
The Apollo lunar scientific experiments package (ALSEP) left on the moon's surface during Apollo 14, reported dead [see 18 Jan.] when transmission ceased last month from unknown causes, came to life just as unexpectedly 19 Feb. with transmitter, receiver, and experiments functioning very well. One experiment-the charged-particle lunar environment experiment-had previously been unable to perform during lunar daylight because temperature variations had degraded its power supply; since the revival, the experiment had been sending good data during lunar daylight. JSC scientists and Bendix engineers who designed the ALSEPs had no idea what happened to the Apollo 14 station, one of 5 transmitting data from the moon; one possibility cited was a relay in the power system that had stuck and then became unstuck. Estimated remaining life of the Apollo 14 station was once again 2 to 3 yr; all the stations had performed well, with the oldest-from Apollo 12-nearing its 7th year. ALSEP experiments were still providing data on conditions inside the moon and on moonquakes; scientists were still hoping for seismic signals from a large meteor impact that would identify the moon's core. (NASA Release 76-34; JSC Release 76-17)
Pure carbon materials originally developed as ablative heatshields on the Apollo spacecraft were being used at medical centers across the U.S. in research on artificial limbs and implants in human tissue. The inert tendencies and high degree of purity exhibited by the carbon materials made them suitable for implantation without causing infection or rejection. Northwestern Univ. in Ill. and the Rancho Los Amigos hospital center run by the Univ. of Southern Calif. at Los Angeles had studied the materials in skeletal fixation devices that used carbon-button implants to connect the devices to nerves. Other projects included carbon implants to control pain (especially in the lower back) and neuroelectric stimulators to relax contracted muscles in paralyzed patients. Much of the technology used in purifying the carbon materials originated at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. (MSFC Release 76-45)
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