419 a
“The Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE) is surrounded by its thermal skirt. The skirt protects the ground underneath the instrument from temperature swings as the Sun moves across the lunar sky. The blue coloration at the top right is undoubtedly an artifact” (ALSJ caption for AS12- 47-6916).
The undeployed magnometer is at the top right.
117:30:24 Bean: That’s okay; that skirt’ll stay down enough. (Pause) Okay. That’s complete. Let me take a couple of pictures. (Pause) Okay. Houston. The passive seismic is down; the alignment is exactly 90 degrees. And I’m going to take a couple pictures of it here.
419 b
Bean took the photograph after the deployment of the Central Station at the lunar-science station. Conrad has deployment tools in his hands and the Hasselblad camera clearly visible on his chest. The yet undeployed magnetometer and Bean’s shadow are in the foreground.
“That is the Moon exploration. You’re trying to plant these little experiments, which, at the time, you don’t care whether they’re seismometers, magnetometers, solar winds; you just have to put that particular device level and pointed north or something like that,” said Bean. “And so you’re really not doing anything so, more than, like, housekeeping, almost” (Chaikin, Voices, p. 77).
117:32:44 Conrad: (Garbled) One problem (is that) the Central Station is not really level. (Long Pause)
117:33:01 Conrad: Not too bad.
117:33:04 Bean: (I’ll) get a good shot of it here, Pete.
117:33:06 Conrad: Okay. (Long Pause)
117:33:35 Bean: Okay. I’ll take out the magnetometer. (Pause) Central Station went up so nice.
419 c
Alan Bean is seen after deployment of the three-arm lunar surface magnetometer at the lunar-science station.
Bootprints left by Bean as he walked through the small crater visible in the center of picture (8 m in diameter and 1 to 2 m deep with soft fine-grained material at the slopes and bottom) are noticeable. The LM is in the background at the left edge of the picture with its footpads hidden by a very slight, intervening rise. Only a small part of the rim of Surveyor Crater, which is located behind the LM, can be seen at this distance.
117:33:47 Bean: I’m down in a little crater now, Houston. And, sure enough, right in the bottom of the crater there is a lot softer dust than up on the rim. Not much; but it’s noticeable. I don’t think the sides are slippery at all. I don’t think it’s going to bother us going over to get our Surveyor.
117:34:32 Gibson (Mission Control): Roger, Al. We copy.
117:34:33 Gibson: Are you on your way out with the LSM (Lunar Surface Magnetometer)?
117:34:38 Bean: That’s right. Got it right in hand; I’m out at the end of the line (50 ft SSE of the Central Station), and I’m deploying the legs right now.
419 d
Pete Conrad aligns the antenna on the central station which powers the experiments.
In the center background near Conrad are other components of the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Scientific Equipment Package). The smaller of two mounds located near the lunar-science station is behind Conrad. The Lunar Surface Magnetometer set up by Bean is in the foreground in front of the small crater located at the lunar-science station.
117:40:50 Bean: Okay, Pete, let me take a couple of pictures of this. Ack! I’m really...
117:40:58 Conrad: What are you mumbling about over there?
117:41:00 Bean: Well, I just don’t like all that dirt on it; don’t know what we can do, though. There’s no way to work around it. The radiator’s got a little dirt on it, and there’s no way to dust it off, there’s no way to... All you can do is tap it a little bit and hope some of it falls off and that’s about it. Don’t want to tap it too hard. (Pause) That’s the best I can do. Okay, (that’s finished). (Long Pause while he takes the pictures)
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