Another A.L.I.C.E. Found!

This crater is from the Apollo 13 mission's Saturn S-IVb stage impact. I have discussed these lunar impact events in several earlier posts (Still hoping the "ALICE" label catches on somewhere). The crater appears to be similar in appearance and size to the Apollo 14 impact site.

From Lunar Networks:

On April 14, 1970 the Apollo 13 Saturn IVB (Saturn V Third Stage) impacted the Moon north of Mare Cognitum (-2.55°S, 332.12°E). The impact crater, roughly 30 meters in diameter, is clearly visible in LROC NAC image M109420042LE. Study of the rare impacts that can be definitively dated helps in determining rates of space weathering on every scale. The Apollo 13 SIVB impact shows a relatively wide ranging ray system, part of which may have resulted from hot plasma pressure waves.

I'll keep an eye out for any news on the remaining three big ALICE sites (Apollo 15, 16 and 17) and hopefully the smaller impact sites for the discarded Lunar Module accent stages.

Where's Snoopy?

"Snoopy" then lunar module from the Apollo 10 mission has not been seen for over 40 years. A dress rehearsal for a Moon landing brought astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan within 8.4 nautical miles (15.6 km) from the lunar surface. After returning it's crew back to "Charlie Brown", the Apollo 10 Command Module, the ascent stage of "Snoopy" was launched into heliocentric orbit making it the sole intact lunar module ascent stage remaining out of the Lunar Modules sent into space. The Apollo 5, 9 and 13 LM ascent stages burned up in Earth's atmosphere, the Apollo 11,12,14,15, 16 and 16 LM ascent stages crashed onto the Moon.

Maybe some day, Snoopy will be found again. It's orbit around they Sun occasionally brings it back into the vicinity of the Earth-Moon system (perhaps every 11-12 years), but it will be very difficult to spot. At least one of the much larger Saturn S-IVb third stages from the Apollo Lunar missions may have paid us a visit in 2002 (Apollo 12 - J002E3).

A.L.I.C.E. Found!

Recently, I posted my interest in seeing images of craters left by the impact of the Saturn S-IVb stages from the Lunar Apollo missions. A few days ago, NASA released this image.

A distinctive crater about 35 meters (115 feet) in diameter was formed when the Apollo 14 Saturn IVB (upper stage) was intentionally impacted into the moon. The energy of the impact created small tremors that were measured by the seismometer placed on the Moon by Apollo 12 astronauts in 1969.

Since NASA did not seem to have a name for this experiment, I came up with Apollo Lunar Impact Crater Experiment (ALICE). Also in honor of Alice Kramden from The Honeymooners.

Where's the Kaboom?

There was supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!

Looking for A.L.I.C.E.

During Apollo 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, the Saturn S-IVB stages of these five missions impacted on the moon, to create artificial "moonquakes" which were measured by equipment left on the Moon in earlier missions.

Illustration from Popular Science (March, 1970)

Now that the LRO has returned images of the Apollo Lunar landing sites, I'm interested in seeing some detailed images of the S-IVb impact sites. Depending on a number of variables, I would estimate that the craters are probably 30-50 meters wide and 8 meters deep with a debris field many times larger. While researching this post, I did in fact learn that a few of the impact sites have been photographed before. For example, this image of the Apollo 14 S-IVb impact site was taken during the Apollo 16 mission:

I have not found a name for these experiments, so I have come up with my own: Apollo Lunar Impact Crater Experiment (ALICE). Also named in honor of Alice Kramden from The Honeymooners.

Bang, zoom - to the moon, Alice! to the moon!

Moon Hoax Conspiracy

It should be fairly obvious that the special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey were too advanced for 1967. Comparing the movie to other science fiction films of the era makes this very clear. It is also suspicious that Kubrick had all of the "Models" used in the movie destroyed after filming.

The movie was actually made on location in Earth orbit and on the Lunar surface. Rather than admit that Stanley Kubrick not only beat NASA to the Moon, but constructed a studio there, the C.I.A. forced him to claim that the space scenes were filmed at Shepperton Studios in England using "Special Effects". All of the real sets were deliberately buried in Tycho Crater.