Space Rocket History Podcast

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. The post Space Rocket History #317 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 2 – Part 1 – The Rim of Cone Crater first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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 … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #316 – Apollo 14 – Solo Flight Over the Moon & Lunar Geology first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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. The post Space Rocket History #315 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 3 – ALSEP Deployment first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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. The post Space Rocket History #314 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 2 – Fueling the Nuke first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

“Al is on the surface. And it’s been a long way, but we’re here.” Alan Shepard The post Space Rocket History #313 – Apollo 14 – Moonwalk 1 – Part 1 – Color TV From the Moon first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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!” The post Space Rocket History #312 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Landing – Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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. The post Space Rocket History #311 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Landing – Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

The first extended use of the Service Propulsion System engine on the Command and Service module was for the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn. The post Space Rocket History #310 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Orbit first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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. The post Space Rocket History #309 – Apollo 14 – The Long Coast first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

“Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed.” The post 50th Anniversary Special – An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #221 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Landing – Part 3 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

Suddenly, Buzz and Neil heard the high-pitched sound of the Master Alarm. On the computer display the “PROG” light glowed amber. “Program alarm,” Armstrong radioed. Quickly, Aldrin queried the computer for the alarm code, and “1202” flashed on the display. The post 50th Anniversary Special – An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #220 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Landing – Part 2 first appeared on...

The machine-like performance of flight crew and ground controllers continued. Each participant was in perfect harmony with the other, moving to a cadence dictated by the laws of physics and the clock. The post 50th Anniversary Special – An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #219 – Apollo 11 – Lunar Landing – Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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 flights, … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #308 – Apollo 14 – Transposition, Docking & Extraction first appeared on Space Rocket History P...

“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 … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #307 – Apollo 14 – The Climb to Orbit & TLI first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

The first launch window for Apollo 14 began at 15:23, Eastern Standard Time, 31 January 1971, and lasted almost four hours. The post Space Rocket History #306 – Apollo 14 – The Launch first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

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. The post Space Rocket History #305 – Apollo 14 – Pre-launch first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

Even with all the problems, Shepard piloted the Lunar Module Antares to the most accurate landing of the entire Apollo program. Shepard became the fifth and, at the age of 47, the oldest man to walk on the Moon, and … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #304 – Apollo 14 – Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. – Part 4 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

After the Mercury-Atlas 10 mission was canceled, Shepard was designated as the Commander of the first crewed Gemini mission, with Thomas P. Stafford chosen as his pilot. The post Space Rocket History #303 – Apollo 14 – Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. – Part 3 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

On January 19, 1961, Robert R. Gilruth, the director of NASA’s Space Task Group, informed the seven astronauts that Shepard had been chosen for the first American crewed mission into space. The post Space Rocket History #302 – Apollo 14 – Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. – Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

Although the Shepards were well off, the children were not coddled. Their father valued work and made sure each child performed their share of domestic chores. Alan’s father was a stern and serious disciplinarian, Alan inherited a stoicism and toughness … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #301 – Apollo 14 – Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. – Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket Histor...

In the Astronaut Office, it was his intellectual bent that set him apart from some of the other pilots, along with a certain hard edge. The post Space Rocket History #300 – Apollo 14 – Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell – Tang Ceremony first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

A Saturn V liftoff is spectacular, and the launch of Apollo 11 was no exception. But it didn’t give the audience any surprises. To the three Gemini-experienced pilots, who likened the sensation to the boost of a Titan II, it was a … Continue reading → The post 50th Anniversary Special – An Encore Presentation of Space Rocket History #214 – Apollo 11 – The Climb to Orbit first appeared on Space Roc...

As a Smoke Jumper, Roosa parachuted into at least four active fires in Oregon and California during the 1953 fire season. The post Space Rocket History #299 – Apollo 14 – Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

There were some people who wondered why America’s first man in space Alan Shepard, at age forty-seven, having acquired fame, wealth, and status as an American hero, would risk his life to go to the moon. The post Space Rocket History #298 – Apollo 14 – Crew Selection first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .

The Apollo 14 crew were constantly aware that if their mission failed—if they had to turn back—it was probably the end of the Apollo program. The post Space Rocket History #297 – Apollo 14 – Introduction first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast .