Farouk El-Baz

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1979

Abstract

Planning and implementing astronaut observations and photography from unar orbif were based on two expectations: (1) orbiting astronauts would be able to add to our knowledge by lunar fentures from thetr unique vantage point; and (2) as illnstrated by the Geminl Earth-orbital missions, expertly obtained Photographts would allow us to place detaited information from fleld explorarion in a reglonal context. To achieve these goats, the astronauts had to be thoronghly famillar with concepts of lunar geology and intellectually prepared to note and document the unexpected, This required mission specific training to ad to their store of knowledge about the Moon._- Because the activity was not consideredt-part of the original programn objectives, the training was conducted mostly-at the behest of the astronauts. A5-tlte-orers began-to-compete in their-hnowleige-oftlre-lnwa-sutfnee,-tThe training time grew from occasional briefings on the earty flights to extensive classroom sessions and flyover exercises for a formal "experiment" on the Iast three missions. This chapter summarizes the historicat development and salient results of tralning the Moon-bound astronauts for these tasks_, By definitiot , it-is-a-personal-narrative-based-on-the-author's-recolleetiot nf evenis-Without-" doubt-tThe astronaut orbital observations and photographs increased our knowledge of the Moon beyond what was possible to accomplish by robotic sensors. Outstanding results include: realization of the limitations of photographic film to depict natural lunar surface cotors; description and documentation of unknown features on the lunar far side; observation by Apollo 1$ of dark-haloed craters thut helped in the setection of the Apollo 17 landing site; and real-time confirmation tlat the "orunge soil" discovered in the Apollo 17 site occurred Telsewhere on the Moon.

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