Copyright © 2007 by Eric
M.
Jones, Ken Glover,
and Ulli
Lotzmann.
All rights reserved. Last revised 8 February 2010
Working on the Moon (WOTM) is derived largely from the Apollo Lunar
Surface
Journal
and, like its parent, is a work in progress, a "living"
document.
During the six successful landing missions, a great deal was
learned
about living and working in the lunar environment but, for those
who
have not studied the missions and/or the ALSJ in detail, it can be
difficult to find material relevant to a particular topic of
interest,
say, astronaut mobility or real-time interactions between the
crews and
ground support staff. To help make lessons learned during
Apollo
lunar surface operations more accessible, WOTM is organized by
topic. Each topic-specific section of WOTM will include a
discussion of relevant lessons learned across the six missions, a
set
of links to pertinent locations in the ALSJ, and a list of other
references.
Comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Please let us know
about errors, about the clarity and utility of the material, about
additional topics that should be addressed, or sources of relevant
information. Feedback should be
sent to the following address:
honais@gmail.com
Table of Contents
2 Environment and Equipment
2.1.1 Surface Materials: Dust and
Regolith - formation,
depth, particle characteristics, compaction,
adhesion
2.1.2 One-sixth gravity - training
methods, adaptation, reaction times
2.1.3
Thermal
environment
2.1.4 Lighting and Visibility
2.1.5
Terrain (partial version
updated
6 January 2010)
2.1.6
Radiation
environment
2.2 Apollo Extravehicular Mobility
Unit
2.2.1 Suit - construction,
flexibility,
convolutes/bellows, gloves, visor
assembly, durability
2.2.2 Portable Life Support System (PLSS) - stores and usage of
oxygen,
water and power, carbon dioxide removal, cooling, communications
2.2.3
Oxygen Purge System
2.2.4
Buddy Secondary Life Support
System
(BSLSS)
2.2.5 In-suit Food and Drink
2.3 Lunar Roving Vehicle
2.3.1 Design and construction
2.3.2 Deployment
2.3.3 Operational constraints
2.3.4 Walkback constraints
2.3.5 Navigation System
2.3.6
Operational experience
(A16 Traverse Speeds added 19 January 2010)
2.4 Lunar Module
2.4.1 Habitat Characteristics
2.4.2 Consumables
2.4.3 Internal Stowage
2.4.4 External stowage and equipment deployment
2.4.5 Waste Management
2.4.6 Up and Down the LM Ladder
2.4.7 Equipment Transfer
2.5 Communications Systems
2.5.1 Radio
2.5.2 Television
2.6 Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments
Package (ALSEP)
2.6.1 Stowage, off-loading, fueling
2.6.2 Transfer to the deployment site
2.6.3 Deployment and deployment tools
2.6.4 Training
2.6.5 Timeline development, allocation of time to tasks, making
allowances
for field conditions
2.7 Auxilliary Equipment
2.8 Geological Investigations
2.8.1 Methodology
2.8.2 Training
2.8.3 Tools and Containers
2.8.3.1
Sample
Collection Bag (SCB) Use in team sampling or solo
sampling; running
inventory of contents; design disadvantages; equivalents for
future
missions
2.8.4 Tool Stowage
2.8.4.1 Handtool Carrier (HTC)
2.8.4.2 Modular Equipment Transporter (MET)
2.8.4.3 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)
2.8.4.4 Suit and PLSS
2.8.5 Cameras and Film
2.9 Emergency Equipment and
Procedures
2.9.1 Oxygen Purge System
2.9.2 PLSS Malfunction Procedures
2.9.2 Buddy Secondary Life Support System (BSLSS)
2.9.3 Emergency Return to the LM
2.9.4 LCRU Configuration for Walkback
2.9.4 Safety Tether
2.9.5 Mission Rules related to lunar stay and EVA
2.10 Ground Support
3. Work Experience
3.1 Living in the LM
3.1.1 LM as a Habitat
3.1.2
Sleep
3.1.3 Cabin Temperature
3.1.4 Food
3.1.5 PLSS Recharge
3.2 Dust
3.2.1 Accumulation observed on
suits,
gloves, rover, tools
3.2.2 Dispersal
3.2.3
Adhesion (partial
version
added 06 January 2010)
3.2.4 Thermal effects
3.2.5 Abrasion and fouling
3.2.6 Cleaning
3.2.7 Mitigation
3.3 Astronaut mobility
3.3.1 Gaits
3.3.2
Speeds (partial version added
10
January 2010)
3.3.3
Grabbing,
kneeling,
falling,
and
getting
up
3.3.4 Picking objects off the surface
3.3.5 Traction
3.3.6 Working on slopes
3.3.7 Tripping hazards - cables, experiments, rocks,
craters.
Think
about the difference between Al Bean's attitude and Jack's
behaviour.
Did Jack go backward or sideways much?
3.4 Astronaut dexterity
3.4.1 Glove fit and flexibility
3.4.2 Finger sensitivity
3.4.3 Grip against internal pressure
3.4.4 Skin abrasion and fingernail damage
3.5 Navigation
3.5.1 Estimating distance and size
3.5.2 Terrain effects
3.5.3 Visibility of crater rims and ejecta
3.5.4 Using the Rover navigation system
3.5.5 Visibility relative to sun angle and elevation
3.6 Training
3.6.1 Crew rotation, training
cycle
3.6.2 Procedural training
3.6.3 Investigative/skill training
3.6.4 Fidelity of simulations, especially those done in 1-g
3.6.5 Differences between 1-g and 1/6th and how much 1-g helps
3.6.6 Developing the timeline, allocating time to tasks, making
allowances
for field conditions
3.7 Equipment/procedural issues
3.7.1 Cables
3.7.2 ALSEP - which experiments were easy to deploy, which
weren't and
what characteristics differentiated them. For example,
pete had
no trouble deploying the SWE but they had a lot of trouble with
the
SIDE/CCIG
3.7.3
Instability of the
erectable
S-Band antenna during alignment
(added 8 Feb 2010)
3.7.4 LRV deployment
3.7.5 Drilling Tasks
3.7.6 Tools
3.7.7 Fastenings
3.7.8 Cameras and photography
3.8 Thermal Effects
3.9 Wear and Tear - EMUs and other
equipment
3.10 Interactions with the Ground
Support
3.10.1 Mis-Communication -
when
to
use radio protocol? can technology help? The Mars problem.
3.11 Building on the experience of
prior
crews
3.11.1 Live television
3.11.2 Debriefing
3.12 Workloads, Timelines,
Checklists,
Decals
3.13 Mission-to-mission increases in productivity
3.14 Medical considerations
3.15 Fun
3.15.1 Radio Banter
3.16 Effects of Lunar Landing, Cabin
Depressurization, RCS Hot-Fire Check, and Liftoff
3.16.1 Visibility during Landing
3.16.2 Dust Scouring and Dispersal
by
the Descent Engine Exhaust -
photographic evidence, surface brightening, dark trails
3.16.3 Effects visible in LMP window Ascent Film - flag motions,
thermal
blankets and other debris motion, dust dispersal
3.16.3 Effects visible in LRV TV - flag motions, debris motion,
dust
dispersal, dust on TV lens?
3.16.4 ALSEP Observations
3.16.5 Flag and debris motion during cabin depress and RCS
hot-fire
check