Copyright © 2007-14 by Eric
M. Jones, Ken Glover,
and Ulli Lotzmann.
All rights reserved. Last revised 20 March 2014
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 24 February 2014)
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
2.4.8 Handholds and Tethers
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 Procedures
3.6.1 Drilling Tasks
3.6.2 Geologic Sampling
3.7 Training
3.7.1 Crew rotation, training
cycle
3.7.2 Procedural training
3.7.3 Investigative/skill training
3.7.4 Fidelity of simulations, especially those done in 1-g
3.7.5 Differences between 1-g and 1/6th and how much 1-g helps
3.7.6 Developing the timeline, allocating time to tasks, making
allowances for field conditions
3.7.7 Nomenclature, deciding on a name for each item to avoid
confusion
3.8 Equipment/procedural issues
3.8.1 Cables
3.8.2 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
3.8.3
Instability of the
erectable S-Band antenna during alignment (added 8 Feb
2010)
3.8.4 LRV deployment
3.8.5 Apollo 15 drilling problems
3.8.6 Tools
3.8.7 Fastenings
3.8.8 Cameras and photography
3.9 Thermal Effects
3.10 Wear and Tear - EMUs and other equipment
3.11 Interactions with the Ground Support
3.10.1 Mis-Communication -
when to use radio protocol? can technology help? The Mars
problem.
3.12 Building on the experience of
prior crews
3.11.1 Live television
3.11.2 Debriefing
3.13 Workloads, Timelines,
Checklists, Decals
3.14 Mission-to-mission increases in productivity
3.15 Medical considerations
3.16 Fun
3.16.1 Radio Banter
3.17 Effects of Lunar Landing, Cabin
Depressurization, RCS Hot-Fire Check, and Liftoff
3.17.1 Visibility during Landing
3.17.2 Dust Scouring and Dispersal
by the Descent Engine Exhaust - photographic evidence, surface
brightening, dark trails
3.17.3 Effects visible in LMP window Ascent Film - flag motions,
thermal blankets and other debris motion, dust dispersal
3.17.3 Effects visible in LRV TV - flag motions, debris motion,
dust dispersal, dust on TV lens?
3.17.4 ALSEP Observations
3.17.5 Flag and debris motion during cabin depress and RCS
hot-fire check