|
The Launch of Apollo 15
|
The "ORIGINAL" Apollo Time-Table (from Apollo 13)
APOLLO 13. March, 1970. Land in Fra Mauro formation of flat highlands, stay about 22 hours. Collect soil and rock from an old area relatively untouched by what many believed were ancient floods or volcanoes.
APOLLO 14. July, 1970. Land in Censorinus Crater area for a stay of about 22 hours. Investigate craters, possibly carved in Moon's surface by meteors.
APOLLO 15. November, 1970. Land in Littrow area of volcano-like projections, remain about 22 hours. Attempt a pinpoint landing on an exact, pre-selected target.
APOLLO 16. March, 1971. Descend to Crater Copernicus, remaining for about 70 hours. Extract from crater and high-rising column within formation rocks believed to be from far below the lunar surface.
APOLLO 17. Late in 1971. Land near rugged highland crater Tycho for stay of about 70 hours. Test first moon "rover" vehicle.
APOLLO 18. Early 1972. Land in Marius Hills, remain about 70 hours. Collect soil and rock samples from volcanic-like domes and valleys between.
APOLLO 19. Middle or late 1972. Land deep in Schroeter's Valley, with about 70 hours on the surface. Attempt a descent into a deep crater to determine cause of mysterious "red flashes" seen there by astronomers.
APOLLO 20. Late 1972 or early 1973. Land near the Hyginus Rill, a long, major canyon, for stay of about 70 hours. Investigate canyon for possible lunar core material.
This timeline had been altered slightly even before the Apollo 13 mission, when in January, 1970, Apollo 20 was cancelled in order to reserve the last production Saturn V for use in launching the planned Skylab orbiting laboratory a few years later. This change shifted the planned Apollo 18 and 19 lunar missions to 1974 to follow Skylab, but further budget-cutting in late 1970 also resulted in the cancellation of Apollo 18 and 19.
|
|