Apollo 16 — Descartes Highlands
John Young and Charlie Duke landed in the Descartes Highlands yesterday. The terrain is older and rougher than the maria. Young jumped a perfect salute.
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Mission Log: Uncategorized
The Men Who Walked on the Moon
Before Apollo 17 launches, I want to write down all twelve men who have walked on the Moon so far. We may not add to this list for a long time.
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Mariner 9 Orbits Mars
Mariner 9 entered Martian orbit on November 13, 1971 and became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. When the global dust storm cleared, what it revealed was extraordinary.
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The Genesis Rock — How Old Is Old
The Genesis Rock from Apollo 15 has been dated: 4.5 billion years old. As old as the Moon itself. This is the oldest rock any human being has ever held.
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Why the Highlands Now
The last three Apollo missions are going to the highlands — the old, heavily cratered terrain that makes up most of the lunar surface. Here's why that matters scientifically.
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Fra Mauro — The Landing Shepard Deserved
Alan Shepard walked on the Moon today. The first American in space, fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds in 1961, just hit a golf ball on the lunar surface.
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Between Missions — The Waiting
It's been almost two months since Apollo 13 came home and two months until Apollo 14 will (hopefully) land. This is the between time.
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Apollo 14 — Fra Mauro Geologically
The Fra Mauro samples from Apollo 14 are being analyzed. The formation turns out to be exactly what the geologists hoped: Imbrium basin ejecta, telling us about the giant impact.
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Reading the Transcript
NASA has been releasing transcripts of the air-to-ground communications for Apollo missions, and I've been reading them. The language is unlike anything else.
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The Science Astronauts
NASA selected its first group of scientist-astronauts in 1965 and a second group in 1967. They've been waiting for years to fly. Their time is coming.
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