APOD: Apollo 14 Heads for Home (2021 Feb 05)

[APOD Robot]

[img]https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_210205.jpg[/img] Apollo 14 Heads for Home

Explanation: Fifty years ago this Sunday (February 7, 1971), the crew of Apollo 14 left lunar orbit and headed for home. They watched this Earthrise from their command module Kittyhawk. With Earth's sunlit crescent just peeking over the lunar horizon, the cratered terrain in the foreground is along the lunar farside. Of course, while orbiting the Moon, the crew could watch Earth rise and set, but from the lunar surface the Earth hung stationary in the sky over their landing site at Fra Mauro Base. Rock samples returned from Fra Mauro included a 20 pound rock nicknamed Big Bertha, determined to contain a likely fragment of a meteorite from planet Earth. Kept on board the Kittyhawk during the Apollo 14 mission was a cannister of 400-500 seeds that were later grown into Moon Trees.

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[Ann]

Nice, but it's a pity that the picture is in black and white.

The color contrast between the Moon and Earth is always breathtaking.

Ann

[De58te]

Fifty years ago this Sunday, February 7,1971. Just curious but doesn't that mean that 50 years ago today, February 5, 1971, that the Apollo 14 Antares landed on the moon? Couldn't you find a picture of the landing instead of the picture yet to come in 2 days?

[bkelly38@gmail.com]

I'm confused. How could the Earth have "hung stationary in the sky over their landing site", while they were on the surface, but then they watched the earth-rise during ascent?

[orin stepanek]

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210205.html

[Chris Peterson]

I'm confused. How could the Earth have "hung stationary in the sky over their landing site", while they were on the surface, but then they watched the earth-rise during ascent?

Because "ascent" means "ascent into orbit".
_

[bkelly38@gmail.com]

No, that doesn't explain it. If the earth was visible in the sky from the lander position, how can the earth rise above the horizon when it's already in the sky?

I see my real mistake. The picture wasn't taken during ascent of the lunar lander, it was taken after they entered the command module, which is orbiting and offered this earth-rise photo op.

[Chris Peterson]

No, that doesn't explain it. If the earth was visible in the sky from the lander position, how can the earth rise above the horizon when it's already in the sky?

I see my real mistake. The picture wasn't taken during ascent of the lunar lander, it was taken after they entered the command module, which is orbiting and offered this earth-rise photo op.

Even so, it could have been taken from the lunar lander during its ascent phase as it came back around from the lunar farside.

[johnnydeep]

No, that doesn't explain it. If the earth was visible in the sky from the lander position, how can the earth rise above the horizon when it's already in the sky?

I see my real mistake. The picture wasn't taken during ascent of the lunar lander, it was taken after they entered the command module, which is orbiting and offered this earth-rise photo op.

Even so, it could have been taken from the lunar lander during its ascent phase as it came back around from the lunar farside.

Just trying to clarify the significance of saying "the earth hung stationary in the sky". Is that true no matter where you are on the lunar surface since it keeps the same side to the earth at all times (provided the earth is visible at all of course)?

And second, once you've taken off from the moon and are in orbit, the earth will rise and set again due solely to the motion of your ship?

[Chris Peterson]

No, that doesn't explain it. If the earth was visible in the sky from the lander position, how can the earth rise above the horizon when it's already in the sky?

I see my real mistake. The picture wasn't taken during ascent of the lunar lander, it was taken after they entered the command module, which is orbiting and offered this earth-rise photo op.

Even so, it could have been taken from the lunar lander during its ascent phase as it came back around from the lunar farside.

Just trying to clarify the significance of saying "the earth hung stationary in the sky". Is that true no matter where you are on the lunar surface since it keeps the same side to the earth at all times (provided the earth is visible at all of course)?

Yes, outside of perhaps some tiny shifts related to libration effects (most of the causes of lunar libration as seen from the Earth would not be apparent to a lunar observer of the Earth).

And second, once you've taken off from the moon and are in orbit, the earth will rise and set again due solely to the motion of your ship?

Yes, with about a two hour period.

[neufer]

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Nice, but it's a pity that the picture is in black and white.

The color contrast between the Moon and Earth is always breathtaking.

<<"Orson Welles says every performance looks better in black and white. It's the fact that you don't see blue eyes and blond hair. You focus on the performance, not the look of the people. And it enables you to capture the period better.">>

[Ann]

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Nice, but it's a pity that the picture is in black and white.

The color contrast between the Moon and Earth is always breathtaking.

<<"Orson Welles says every performance looks better in black and white. It's the fact that you don't see blue eyes and blond hair. You focus on the performance, not the look of the people. And it enables you to capture the period better.">>

Still from 'The Seventh Seal' by Ingmar Bergman.

---

Ingmar Bergman made fine use of ambient and artificial light for dramatic effects in his classic movie, The Seventh Seal. I like that movie.

I apologize for veering off topic.

Ann

P.S. By the way, Art, that's a nice mirror symmetric number of posts you've got as I'm writing this. 17771 posts. I like it. Is it a prime number?

Please don't answer, because you'll ruin your beautiful score.

[Chris Peterson]

P.S. By the way, Art, that's a nice mirror symmetric number of posts you've got as I'm writing this. 17771 posts. I like it. Is it a prime number?

Please don't answer, because you'll ruin your beautiful score.

I'll answer for him. 17771 = 1367 x 13.

[canopia]

When this picture was taken, the Earth was a narrow crescent, so it was close to a full Moon. I wondered if there was an eclipse around that time, and yes, there was a total Lunar eclipse 3 days after the picture was taken, on 10th Fabruary 1971:
http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprim ... prime.html

It would have been really interesting to have people on the Moon during the eclipse, but it would probably be seen as a problem, having a manned Lunar mission during a total eclipse.

Tunç Tezel

[johnnydeep]

Even so, it could have been taken from the lunar lander during its ascent phase as it came back around from the lunar farside.

Just trying to clarify the significance of saying "the earth hung stationary in the sky". Is that true no matter where you are on the lunar surface since it keeps the same side to the earth at all times (provided the earth is visible at all of course)?

Yes, outside of perhaps some tiny shifts related to libration effects (most of the causes of lunar libration as seen from the Earth would not be apparent to a lunar observer of the Earth).

And second, once you've taken off from the moon and are in orbit, the earth will rise and set again due solely to the motion of your ship?

Yes, with about a two hour period.

Great. Thanks for confirming my understanding!

[orin stepanek]

th.jpg (18.17 KiB) Viewed 9888 times

Apollo 14 on the moon! What an amazing time that was!

[neufer]

When this picture was taken, the Earth was a narrow crescent, so it was close to a full Moon. I wondered if there was an eclipse around that time, and yes, there was a total Lunar eclipse 3 days after the picture was taken, on 10th Fabruary 1971:
http://www.eclipsewise.com/lunar/LEprim ... prime.html

It would have been really interesting to have people on the Moon during the eclipse, but it would probably be seen as a problem, having a manned Lunar mission during a total eclipse.Tunç Tezel

The mid-infrared image of the Moon was taken during a September 1996 lunar eclipse by the SPIRIT-III instrument aboard the orbiting Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite.

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<<During total eclipses on the Moon, the center of the Earth's shadow covers the whole near side of the Moon and lasts much longer than on Earth, up to 1.8 hours. Some total-partial eclipses have at most half or a part of the Moon being in the center of the Earth's shadow. During eclipses with long totality, temperatures plunge on the moon but not in many of its seas. However, in some areas, the temperatures remain high. This especially applies to Oceanus Procellarum and Mare Tranquillitatis and mid to large craters, especially those with basalt floors and mostly in the middle portion of the Moon, some young craters, and a few distant large craters, notably Tycho. Some craters are slightly cooler but as warm as the surface and warmer than areas outside the basins such as Copernicus and Langrenus.

At these mid-infrared wavelengths, MSX was able to characterize the thermal (heat) distribution of the lunar surface during the eclipse. The brightest regions are the warmest, and the darkest areas are the coolest. The well-known crater Tycho is the bright object to the south of the center. Numerous other craters are also seen as bright spots, indicating that their temperature is higher than in the surrounding dark mare.>>

[Cleofus]

And of the 400-500 seeds: they were planted all over, even in Brazil, BUT they left out 26 states! The chosen seeds clearly left out a large portion of the US and as such, the information about space effects on seeds is lacking in information. The 26 states cover more land than was COVERED by the seeds used! Per their own drawing: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, West Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky, New York, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Alaska, and Hawaii, ALL were left out.The chosen seeds DID not include seed from OTHER PARTS OF EARTH, which leaves out a HUGE diversity of plants that will be useful to the future of plants on other worlds. The information of the 500 seeds is lacking significantly!

[neufer]

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

And of the 400-500 seeds: they were planted all over, even in Brazil, BUT they left out 26 states! Per their own drawing: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, West Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky, New York, Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Alaska, and Hawaii, ALL were left out.

[sillyworm 2]

Moon trees? My vote would have been for Moon kittens!

[bystander]

Moon trees? My vote would have been for Moon kittens!

You can't plant kittens.

[Chris Peterson]

Moon trees? My vote would have been for Moon kittens!

You can't plant kittens.

Let's not go there...

[neufer]

Moon trees? My vote would have been for Moon kittens!

You can't plant kittens.

Let's not go there...

Ripley & Jonesy remained in cryostasis for 57 years.

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<<Jones, (nicknamed "Claude" by members of the Nostromo and "Kitteh" by The People's Admin ILJ69) was a cat, more specifically a ginger tom, kept aboard the USCSS Nostromo. Jones may have been owned by Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, with whom he shared a cryotube, although Brett was the one who cared for it at first. Jones and Ripley were the only two creatures to survive the Nostromo's invasion by a Xenomorph and the ship's subsequent destruction.

Jones was nearly killed by the Alien who had erupted violently from Officer Kane's body after being impregnated by a Facehugger. Jones later came up on the motion tracker made by Ash. Ripley and Parker sent Brett to catch Jones. When Brett finally caught up with Jones in a cargo room, he started to try to coax the cat out to make sure it didn't set off the motion tracker again. Jones noticed the strange silhouette behind Brett and began to hiss. By the time Brett turned around, the creature attacked him and carried him up into the air ducts with Jones witnessing the ordeal. Jones was attacked by the alien when Ripley left him in his cage, but the alien left him alone because he was too small to sustain a host. He was put in cryo-sleep after escaping the Nostromo with Ripley.

Ripley and Jones remained in cryostasis for 57 years. The salvage crew that picked them up initially thought the unusual readings from the cryotube was that of an alien life form, but visual inspection revealed to them that they were simply reading the human and feline sets of DNA as one organism. After their recovery, they were reunited in the hospital of Gateway Station by Carter Burke. Jones then went to stay with Ripley at her new apartment. It is unclear what became of Jones after Ripley's assignment to the USS Sulaco.>>

[sillyworm 2]

A pregnant cat in orbit...comes back and has kittens.Moon kittens...Who said anything about planting? Geez Louise..