April 19 1967 surveyor 3 landed on the
moon in a crater of Oceanus Procellarum
the ocean of storms with surveyors
electronic eye we viewed the lunar
surface with its mechanical arm we dug a
small shallow trench in the lunar soil
now on November 14 1969 31 months after
surveyors landing men were leaving the
earth to land on the ocean of storms
Charles Pete Conrad Richard Gordon Alan
bean the crew of Apollo 12 the second
man landing on the face of the moon
their target the site of surveyor 3
ignition sequence start
five four three two one zero all engines
running commits liftoff Apollo 12 lifted
off in the driving rain Pete Conrad
reports the York program his in
thirty-six seconds later lightning
struck the spacecraft
we've had a couple of cardiac arrests
down here two people
she's gotta go or you're looking
good in space and on earth they checked
out the systems to be sure that the
Lightning had caused no damage that
would endanger the mission the time for
commitment neared the burn to send
Apollo 12 to the moon translunar
injection tli Apollo 12 Houston the good
word is your goal for tli hope you do
we're ready we didn't train for anything
else beat
we have data and thrusters go burn looks
good
with engine cutoff Apollo 12 was on its
way to the moon now they turned around
to dock with the lunar module and pull
it free of the now useless booster the
next burn would place Apollo 12 on a new
path to the moon previous missions had
followed a trajectory that would allow
them to loop around the moon and with no
further burns return to Earth but Apollo
12 in order to land at the proper site
with the proper lighting it would break
out of the free return path should a
failure occur a burn of the service or
lunar module engine would be needed to
get them home now they settle down to
the routine of the outward flight then
on November 17th they prepared for orbit
around the moon
we're beginning to going to doctor at
this time we're there hello 12 hissing
you're go for a low I graduated go
fellow I burn checklist complete - - six
minutes and we're holding at this point
LOI lunar orbit insertion the burn of
the spacecraft rocket engine that would
place Apollo 12 into orbit around the
moon with this burn occurring behind the
moon there would be no communications
with the spacecraft until it came over
the lunar horizon the command module
Yankee Clipper the lunar module intrepid
I guess like everybody else it just
arrived there all three of us you're
plastered to the with this look
the next day Pete Conrad and Alan bean
entered the lunar module leaving dick
Gordon in the command module now the
intrepid and Yankee Clipper undocked and
separated preparatory to Intrepid's
descent and landing on the moon
back off it
there he goes
okay
as with the orbit insertion burn the
burn to begin descent was made behind
the moon mission controlled again
contacted intrepid as it came over the
horizon the surveyor three target was
located in the middle of five craters
arranged like a snowman the upper crater
called Head crater the body called
surveyor crater surveyor 3 is located in
this crater the object to land as close
as possible to surveyor crater then at
50,000 feet Intrepid's engine fired and
began the landing sequence I got the
craters too but I don't know where I am
yep a free and a by 56 before ok kind of
looked out there I think I see my crater
hey baby
I'm not sure I'm in 374 feet standing 42
degrees I can't believe it amazing can
see 40 30 feet deep it is coming down in
about 99 feet a second you looking good
for 140 degrees they'll be these before
that romantic I can't believe it you're
at 2,000 feet boys on the ground you
okay 1,800 feet up 39 degrees 38 degrees
36 degrees you're 1250
they shall be covered on it first looks
good out there babe looks good
33 degrees you ain't on its feet early
previously 600 feet going right at that
trailer right we're supposed to be it is
you're beautiful do 40 coming down
inside hey you're really moving around
yep come on down hey okay ten percent
fuel 200 feet coming on its rate you can
come on down hey 180 feet nine percent
you're looking good how'd he get some
dust before long 96 feet coming guys dig
slow down the descent rate eighty six
eighty feet coming down in four you're
looking good 50 feet coming down watch
for the gut 40 tell me down is - looking
good what's good coming down a tree
species got plenty again playing that's
good hang in there coming down it - he's
got it made come on in there 20:14 got
backlight Roger copy contacts bro yes
bro okay hey halt okay
I'm cycling routes we got your finish
command override off yep the good thing
we leveled off hi yeah it came down
because I sure couldn't see what was
underneath there's one thing that is a
that done it's a nice place to land
as Conrad and bean began preparations
for their first trip of exploration men
on earth began their attempts to fix
their exact landing site they were aided
by dick Gordon orbiting an Yankee
Clipper
dick Gordon using the 28 power
sextant for these sightings a major goal
of Apollo 12 had been accomplished for
before men can engage in meaningful
lunar exploration they must be able to
select a precise site and get there but
now it was time to exit the intrepid and
begin the exploration and experiments
Conrad climbed out first
hey I'll tell you over price next - yeah
we're about 25 feet service surveyor
Croesus wanted to be I got I bet you
when I get down at the bottom of the
ladder I'd see this bird there okay
appeared and that may have business
always revealed that the Longwood
smoothie
don't ever believe it
Tippett I see fit brother side of the
cleaner further better yes sir
does that like me it can't be any
further Vickers be premiere
now Pete Conrad collected a preliminary
geological sample
but I could walk grace well seems a
little weird I'll tell you don't think
you're gonna steam around here quite as
good to give out your
yeah can work out here all day take your
time
now Albion left intrepid to join Conrad
on the surface of the Moon
and a Bible and at 20 feet behind where
I landed I landed right back in that
crater
inadvertently the television camera was
pointed directly at the Sun causing the
tube to burn out the only unsuccessful
aspect of the entire mission we're proud
of what you're doing they prepared in
experiments package to be left on the
moon an automated scientific station
called Alsip that would send information
to earth for a year
powered by a nuclear electric generator
gotta be able to move out for this thing
they moved to the site selected to set
up the station they put together the
Experiment Station alsep an acronym for
Apollo lunar surface experiments package
piece by piece they assemble the station
the solar wind experiment to measure
atomic particles thrown off by the Sun
as they strike the moon a device to
measure the moon's tenuous atmosphere a
magnetometer to measure the lunar
magnetic field which would later be
found to be 10 to 20 times stronger than
many scientists had expected a
seismometer to measure physical
properties of the crust and interior and
the data station to collect the
experimental measurements and transmit
them to earth with alsep deployed Conrad
and bean began collecting geological
samples
they drove a core tube into the surface
to collect soil from various depths we
show you're three hours and seven
minutes into it into the EBA and we like
you back to the LEM to start the
closeout in 10 minutes sets at three +17
hope to get back that lamb for a long
way
isten we're approaching the alsep headed
back to the lab
feet nail we're picking up your heavy
footprints going by the seismometer okay
and if we got it dust each other off
Julia and we are filthy
coming up the ladder you shaking the
whole note sorry about that
Clippers
flipper you were sort of a forgotten man
for a little while we're all all eyes
are on you now we're with you as Nick
Gordon circled the moon Pete Conrad and
Albion rested for their next expedition
their total time on the lunar surface
had been just under four hours twelve
and a half hours later they went out
again before they began their geological
expeditions with the surrounding craters
and two surveyor they worked around the
lunar module getting ready the tools and
containers they would need we copy that
whatever happened yesterday you know I
think everybody learned okay
as being ready the equipment Conrad went
out to the alsep station to check an
instrument about which the earth-based
scientists had shown some concern decide
I'll be 2.1 ahead crater
after Conrad checked the alsep
experiments they began the geological
traverse during which they would cover
about a mile and take samples from six
craters a big surprise when you look
into this Head crater allergenic a lot
be prison and looking and you go that's
that the crack Hey look at the pets into
that there's other people brought
Houston
okay Houston I'm coming up on that
crater right now there's a big fight
against Richard but a fantastic sight
Wow look at the bottom of that crater
here is a good example right here klutz
there we stop here look at the charred
limpet or pork
there does that lamp looks fall back
their feet now we show you're 1,200 feet
from the left okay you know what I feel
right now right Guerra see those
pictures that your ass running in slow
motion
get the decided Felix
then they arrived at surveyor their
target while the surveyor activities
were a bonus they were symbolic of the
success so they left surveyor and after
a stop at the crater called block they
were back at the lunar module collecting
the solar wind experiment stowing the
rock boxes
being re entered the lunar module first
Conrad using a transfer apparatus
similar to a clothesline real sent the
samples up to him then Conrad to left
the lunar surface
Roger we got that three hours and 50
minutes into the ev8 but there was no
time to rest the lunar module had to be
prepared for liftoff from the moon and
rendezvous with Yankee Clipper
everything looks good so they rose to
their rendezvous and from dick Gordon
and Yankee Clipper over half a mile
look it better all the time
oh Claire Beth appreciate a second
intrepid now station-keeping
what we can't keep Dipper the two
vehicles move together for docking now
Conrad and bean rejoined dick Gordon in
the command module bringing with them
the samples experiments and photographs
to be returned to earth the next step
Jefferson the lunar module then send it
crashing into the moon to help calibrate
the seismometer left on the surface this
instrument was designed to measure the
intensity of meteor impacts moon quakes
landslides and similar phenomenon
guidance and control officer reports say
that the two spacecraft if separated
the men on earth monitored the output of
the seismometer waiting for impact I
asked for the meaning I'd rather not
make an interpretation right now but it
is as though one had struck a bell say
in the in the belfry of the church a
single blow and found that the
reverberations from it continued for 30
minutes after 55 minutes the
reverberation still had not faded
completely Apollo 12 continued its
orbits of the moon gathering photography
for scientific study including the fra
mauro area the landing site for apollo
13 and then it was time to head back to
earth the burn to send them home would
take place behind the moon on earth we
waited waited for Apollo 12 once more
surely before re-entry the crew of
Apollo 12 watched the earth move to blot
out the Sun then Apollo 12 hit the
atmosphere of Earth at 25,000 miles an
hour
Frye's we concur Pete
but the log of Apollo 12 does not end
with splashdown it only begins
and I got the grapefruit Rock of all
grapefruit rocks and on the moon an
experimental station called alsep sends
back its data each experiment
representing a milestone in our
knowledge of the moon side that has been
turned on and I'm very happy to say is
functioning perfectly the Sutherland
spectrometer has been functioning of
course as since I also have been turned
on the seismic experiment is as has been
reported is functioning in all respects
properly I think it will represent a
major discovery of completely
unanticipated about the moon we're going
to have to throw the book away and begin
over again which seems to be the case
for the moon in general Apollo 12 was a
milestone in manned extraterrestrial
exploration it achieved its pinpoint
landing as close as possible to its
selected target marked by surveyor it
set a pace and a pattern of scientific
exploration that future missions will
not only follow but will go beyond
you