Page 9 - Apollo Moonships
P. 9
The mission profile 7
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APOLLO 17 LANDING AREA
Panorama of the Taurus-Littrow valley, the lunar region where Apollo 17 landed in December 1972. The image shows astronaut Harrison Schmitt deploying a surface experiment. The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is on the right, and the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) is in the background.
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TRANSLUNAR COAST
The CSM-LEM assembly begins its journey to the moon. Reaching the lunar orbit will take the astronauts three days, approximately.
MIDCOURSE CORRECTIONS During the trip to the moon, the Apollo mother ship makes at least one midcourse correction by firing the main engine of the Service Module.
LUNAR ORBIT INSERTION
When approaching the moon, the CSM fires its main engine to reduce its speed. The moon’s gravity captures the ship, which flies just 60 miles over the lunar surface.
LEM DESCENT AND LANDING After a final check, the LEM with two crewmen on board is undocked from the CSM by the Command Module pilot and descends to the moon. The CSM remains in lunar orbit.
TRANSEARTH COAST
The astronauts navigate towards the Earth. Usually, the return home takes between three and five days.
TRANSEARTH INJECTION
The astronauts fire the CSM main engine to put the spaceship on course to reach the Earth’s reentry corridor in the upper atmosphere of the planet.
LEM JETTISON
Once the LEM crew transfer to the CSM ship is completed, the LEM is jettisoned and deorbited to crash against the moon.
LUNAR MODULE LIFTOFF
When the mission on the moon ends, the LEM crew fires its ascent engine, lifts off from the surface, and returns to the lunar orbit at the moment when the CSM ship passes overhead.
LEM – CSM DOCKING
Using radar signals, the LEM ascent stage and the CSM spaceship match their orbits. Two hours later, the LEM rendezvouses and docks again with the CSM.
LUNAR SURFACE OPERATIONS The LEM crew exits the spacecraft and performs several experiments, takes photos, and collects samples from the lunar surface. The last three Apollo missions explored the moon with a rover vehicle.