Jun 19

Space Rocket History #305 – Apollo 14 – Pre-launch

Posted on June 19, 2019

On November 9, 1970, the Apollo 14/Saturn V assembly, as tall as a 36-story building, rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building on the proportionally huge crawler transporter. TrainingRollout – Mitchell, Shepard, RoosaInsigna

P3-insigna

P2-Nov-pic

P1-training

Tagged:Gene Cernan, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Jun 26

Space Rocket History #306 – Apollo 14 – The Launch

Posted on June 26, 2019

The first launch window for Apollo 14 began at 15:23, Eastern Standard Time, 31 January 1971, and lasted almost four hours. Stu RoosaApollo 14, Liftoff

P2-liftoff

P3-liftoff-from-top

P1-Roosa-Suit-up

Tagged:Apollo 14, Cape Canaveral, Cape Kennedy, Louise Shepard, Mitchell, Roosa

Jul 3

Space Rocket History #307 – Apollo 14 – The Climb to Orbit & TLI

Posted on July 3, 2019

“The approaching dusk and the damp mistiness left by the now-departed rainstorm only enhanced the spectacular sight and the sound of the launch. Tentacles of flame erupted on either side of the bottom of the Saturn V, which seemed to sit in its own c...

P3-hqdefault

P2-A14-lifts-off-from-39a

P1-Apollo-14-launch-day

Tagged:Mitchell, Roosa, S Ii, Shepard, Si C, Siv B

Jul 10

Space Rocket History #308 – Apollo 14 – Transposition, Docking & Extraction

Posted on July 10, 2019

Docking was a delicate maneuver, since both ships were traveling at nearly five miles per second, but the docking mechanism itself was one of the simplest on the entire spacecraft, and the docking procedure had been perfected on previous Apollo fligh...

P2-docking-probe

P1-SIVB-venting-hydrogen

P3-Exploded-diagram-of-the-Apollo-docking-hardware-with-the-LM-to-the-left-and-the-CSM-to-the-right

Tagged:Capture Latches, Csm, Docking Probe, Lm, Mitchell, Stu Roosa

Jul 24

Space Rocket History #309 – Apollo 14 – The Long Coast

Posted on July 24, 2019

Mitchell kept his plan a secret from NASA, knowing that the agency would be completely unreceptive to the idea. He said nothing about it to his crewmates. The test subjects had also agreed to keep quiet. Rendezvous with the MoonBackup Crew PatchApol...

p2-apollo-14_backup

P3-32402193408_46c5cbbfa9_z

p2-apollo-14_backup

p1-rendezvous with the moon

P3-32402193408_46c5cbbfa9_z

p1-rendezvous-with-the-moon

Tagged:Cernan, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Aug 7

Space Rocket History #311 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Landing – Part 1

Posted on August 7, 2019

While checking the lander’s guidance software, during a final practice run for the landing, engineers in mission control detected that the computer was receiving an errant signal from the abort pushbutton. LM Abort PushbuttonLM DSKYLM Throttle

P1-lm-abort-button-1

P3-LM-throttle

P2-dsky_lm-1

P3-ApolloGuidCompP46Noun62

P2-dsky_lm

P1-lm-abort-button

Tagged:Abort Pushbutton, Anrtares, Donald Elyes, Fred Haise, Mitchell, Shepard

Aug 14

Space Rocket History #312 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Landing – Part 2

Posted on August 14, 2019

Suddenly the caution lights went out and the radar signals began to transmit. Within seconds the astronauts could see that its data was good. Seconds later in mission control, a jubilant Will Presley shouted, “Flight, we got radar lockup!” Landing P...

P1-landing-point-designator

P3a14mr14-36

P2-North-triplet-cratera14.triplet2

Tagged:Anrtares, Dick Thorson, Fred Haise, Mitchell, Shepard, Will Presley

Aug 21

Space Rocket History #313 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 1 – Color TV From the Moon

Posted on August 21, 2019

“Al is on the surface. And it’s been a long way, but we’re here.” Alan Shepard Modularized Equip. Stow. Assy. (MESA)Mobile Equip. Transporter (MET)Shepard on the Moon

P3-Al-on-the-Surface

P2-Rickshaw-ap14

P1-Mesa-ap_g-h_mesa

Tagged:Anrtares, Mesa, Met, Mitchell, Shepard

Aug 28

Space Rocket History #314 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 2 – Fueling the Nuke

Posted on August 28, 2019

A small plutonium source was used to power the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) that would provide electric power for the ALSEP experiments. Ed Mitchell performed the delicate maneuver of inserting the fuel capsule into the RTG. Ed Mitch...

P5-ap14-KSC-70P-508

P6-MET-ap14-KSC-70C-165BW-1

P4-Alsep-Package-2-a14mrfA-4

P6-MET-ap14-KSC-70C-165BW

P5-Alsep-Package-2-a14mrfA-4

P4-ap14-KSC-70P-508

P3-Alsep-1-a14mrfA-3

P2-a11.lec_

P1-AS14-66-9233

Tagged:Alsep, Anrtares, Mesa, Met, Mitchell, Rtg, Shepard

Sep 4

Space Rocket History #315 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 3 – ALSEP Deployment

Posted on September 4, 2019

The mortar package contained a set of grenades which were planned to be fired to distances of 500, 1000, 3000, and 5000 feet to the north of the ALSEP site. ALSEP ExperimentsCentral Station & RTGMitchell Deploys ASEALSEP Subpackage 1CPLEE & Central ...

P2-ALSEP_Apollo_14_RTG

P6-Laser_Ranging_Retroreflector

P5-CPLEE-AS14-67-9365_21471630610

P4-Experiment-subpackage-no.-1

P3-Mitchell-deploys-ASE

P1-Apollo_14_ALSEP

Tagged:Alsep, Ase, Central Station, Cplee, Mitchell, Pse, Rtg, Shepard

Sep 11

Space Rocket History #316 – Apollo 14 – Solo Flight Over the Moon & Lunar Geology

Posted on September 11, 2019

With the Hycon camera down, Roosa would have to step in and use a Hasselblad with a 500 mm lens, to take detailed photos of the Apollo 16 potential landing site. If Roosa did nothing else, he had to return to earth with pictures of Descartes that wo...

P3-Antares-on-a-Slope-21672156762_9d30cecefb_z

P2-Hycon-Camera-A14

P1-eye-patch-stuart-roosa-apollo-14-commando-module

Tagged:Decartes, Hycon, Kitty Hawk, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Sep 18

Space Rocket History #317 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 1 – The Rim of Cone Crater

Posted on September 18, 2019

The majority of the second moonwalk was dedicated to reaching the rim of Cone Crater. The wide, deep geological gold mine, which scientists believed was actually the remains of an ancient volcano. Traverse MapShepard with the METThe Ascent to Cone ...

P1-a14_lpi_trvrsmap

P3-21466913890_184f86478e_k

P2-21468042259_568fb8cb82_z

Tagged:Cone Crater, Fred Haise, Gordon Swann, Mitchell, Shepard

Oct 2

Space Rocket History #318 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 2 – How about a round of golf?

Posted on October 2, 2019

“It was terribly, terribly frustrating; coming up over that ridge that we were going up, and thinking, finally, that was it; and it wasn’t – suddenly recognizing that, really, you just don’t know where you are.” Ed Mitchell Apollo Moon WalkersEVA 2S...

P3-Alan-Shepard-Lunar-Golf-1200×720

P2-a14eva2part08_c1_c2

P1-Apollo-moonwalkers_eh

Tagged:Cone Crater, Fred Haise, Golf, Mitchell, Shepard

Oct 9

Space Rocket History #319 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Lift-off

Posted on October 9, 2019

141:45:30 Shepard: Okay. The abort stage is set. Ascent Engine is Armed. 6, 5, 4… 141:45:38 Mitchell: Proceed with the ignition program 141:45:38 Shepard: …3, 2, 1, 0… 141:45:42 Mitchell: Ignition. 141:45:43 Shepard: We have ignition… 141:45:44 ...

P3-Ed-Window-ap14-S71-19500

P2-View-of-Alsep-from-Als-window

P1-Moon-scale

Tagged:Cone Crater, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Oct 16

Space Rocket History #320 – Apollo 14 – Docking & Alexei Leonov

Posted on October 16, 2019

Would the docking probe that caused so much difficulty a week ago during the first docking work now or would Shepard and Mitchell be forced into a space walk in Lunar orbit? Antares ReturnsCommand ModuleAlexei Leonov

P3-alexei-leonov-spacewalk

P2-apollo14-csm

P1-a14-lm-ascent-stage

Tagged:Leonov, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Oct 23

Space Rocket History #321 – Apollo 14 – Splashdown

Posted on October 23, 2019

Gradually, as Mitchell worked and glanced at the bright crescent, he was filled with a quiet euphoria, great tranquillity, and an overpowering sense of understanding. It was as if he had suddenly begun to hear a new language, one being spoken by the ...

P3-Apollo-moonwalkers_eh

P2-IMG_0033

P1-IMG_0034

Tagged:Mccandless, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Oct 30

Space Rocket History #322 – Apollo 14 – Recovery & Conclusion

Posted on October 30, 2019

Alan Shepard’s wife Louise was elated after watching on TV as Shepard boarded a Navy ship bound for Houston, where he would be safe behind the glass windows of the post-flight quarantine room. Ed MitchellExiting the HelicopterQuarantine

P1-IMG_0036

P3-IMG_0039

P2-IMG_0038

Tagged:Mccandless, Mitchell, Roosa, Shepard

Episodes Tagged with "Mitchell"