Tag Archives: Apollo

Another First for The Museum – Virtual Conferences

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Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, jumps up from the lunar surface as he salutes the U.S. Flag during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA). NASA Image #GPN-2000-001131

The National Air and Space Museum is holding its first ever virtual conference for educators on Tuesday, November 10 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST.   Since we’re in the middle of the 40th anniversary commemorations of the Apollo missions, we decided to focus on this important period in American history.  Staff from our Division of Space History will discuss some fascinating topics such as the real story behind President Kennedy’s famous speech challenging Congress to send Americans to the Moon;  the role of computers—a new technology in the 1960s; the myth of presidential leadership during this time period; the intersections of Ralph Abernathy, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Moon landing; the rise of six iconic Apollo images and how they have been used over time; and the denials of the Moon landings by a small segment of the population and their evolution since the 1960s.  They will also explain the complexity behind the Saturn Rocket, the Command, Service, and Lunar Modules and the technique of Lunar-Orbital Rendezvous.   Museum educators will provide tips for helping students analyze primary source materials. The program will support the NASA History Advanced Placement and Human Geography Advanced Placement projects and is generously funded by NASA.

As an added bonus, Apollo astronaut John Young graciously agreed to record a special invitation to participate in the conference and answered some of our questions about his experiences in space.

New to virtual conferencing? A virtual or online conference is similar to other professional conferences only you access it online. Registration is free and open to everyone. And since we know people are busy and the conference schedule will not be convenient for everyone interested, all the conference sessions are recorded and archived so you can play them at any time.

Whether you’re an educator or not, we invite you to join us for this free event.  And, help us spread the word!

Visit the Smithsonian Virtual Conference web site for more information and to register.

Tim Grove is an education specialist in the National Air and Space Museum’s Education Division.

My Three Days on the Moon

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What will the astronauts who return to the Moon with NASA’s Constellation program drive? I had a chance to find out last October as a member of NASA’s Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert RATS) during the field test of the Lunar Electric Rover (LER) at Black Point lava flow in Arizona.

LER in Unpressurized Rover (UPR) Configuration. Photo courtesy of NASA.

During the first week, two crews, each consisting of one astronaut-commander and one geologist, tested the LER in the unpressurized rover (UPR) configuration, where the vehicle is driven standing up with the spacesuits locked securely into turrets. The turrets rotate 360 degrees so the crew can make observations to the side or behind them as they drive, a capability the Apollo astronauts did not have. The UPR allows crews to get in and out of the vehicle quickly at each geologic stop, but the disadvantage is that crew members remain in their spacesuits for the entire duration of the extra vehicular activity (EVA).

LER Uncompressed Rover (UPR) Configuration

LER in Small Pressurized (SPR) Configuration. Photo courtesy of NASA.

The final week was spent testing the LER in the Small Pressurized Rover (SPR) configuration, above, on a long duration lunar mission simulation. I served as the crew geologist alongside the mission commander, astronaut Mike Gernhardt. We lived and worked in the SPR for three days, with daily schedules modeled after Apollo and International Space Station missions. The crew followed routes to various geologic stations to conduct an extensive scientific survey of the area, covering a total distance of about 35 miles.

The SPR offers several advantages over the UPR such as driving and making science observations without wearing a suit, sleep stations, meal options, a bathroom, and the ability to quickly ingress and egress the spacesuit.  Crews enter the suits, which are attached to the rear of the SPR, through a hatch in the back of the suit and use manual levers to close the hatch and unlatch from the SPR. This eliminates the need for an airlock.

In September 2009, the Desert RATS team will conduct another field test at Black Point lava flow, with two crew members living inside the LER on a 14 day mission.

Dr. Brent Garry is a geologist in the Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies.

Watch this video presentation on Brent’s excellent adventures driving these futuristic Moon rovers.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrzV8q4QqdY]

Meet Brent and the Museum’s other planetary scientists in person at Countdown to the Moon Day on Thursday, July 16 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the National Mall building in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Here is a NASA video of the Desert RATS in action.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRfOlipKPDk]

See also a related NASA EDGE podcast.