![]() ![]() The ascent stage housed the astronauts in a pressurized crew compartment with a volume of 6.65 cubic meters. The ascent stage was an irregularly shaped unit approximately 2.8 m high and 4.0 by 4.3 meters in width mounted on top of the descent stage. The descent stage served as a platform for launching the ascent stage and was left behind on the Moon. The descent stage contained the landing rocket, two tanks of aerozine 50 fuel, two tanks of nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer, water, oxygen and helium tanks and storage space for the lunar equipment and experiments, and in the case of Apollo 15, 16, and 17, the lunar rover. A one meter long conical descent engine skirt protruded from the bottom of the stage. One of the legs had a small astronaut egress platform and ladder. ![]() The distance between the ends of the footpads on opposite landing legs was 9.4 m. Four landing legs with round footpads were mounted on the sides of the descent stage and held the bottom of the stage 1.5 m above the surface. The descent stage comprised the lower part of the spacecraft and was an octagonal prism 4.2 meters across and 1.7 m thick. The ascent and descent stages of the LM operated as a unit until staging, when the ascent stage functioned as a single spacecraft for rendezvous and docking with the command and service module (CSM). The descent stage dry mass (including stowed surface equipment) was 2935 kg and 8874 kg of propellant were onboard initially. The dry mass of the ascent stage was 2260 kg and it held 2387 kg of propellant. The spacecraft mass of 16456 kg was the total mass of the LM ascent and descent stages including propellants (fuel and oxidizer). The lunar module was a two-stage vehicle designed for space operations near and on the Moon. At 04:51:31 UT on 15 December 1972 the LM was jettisoned from the CM and later fired into the Moon. The LM docked with the CSM (piloted by Ronald E. The LM lifted off from the Moon on 14 December at 22:54:37 UT after 75 hours on the lunar surface. During these EVAs the astronauts set up the ALSEP and performed other scientific experiments. May the spirit of peace in which he came be reflected in the lives of all mankind." The EVA ended with Gene Cernan taking the final step off the lunar surface. At the end of the final EVA the astronauts unveiled the plaque on the LM and read it on TV, "Here man completed his first exploration of the Moon, December 1972 A.D. The third EVA involved more traverses and sample collection and lasted from 22:25:48 UT on 13 December to 05:40:56 UT on 14 December. During the second EVA, which began at 23:28:06 UT on 12 December and ended at 07:05:02 UT on 13 December, the astronauts deployed explosive packages for the active seismic experiment and Schmitt discovered a patch of orange soil. The first EVA was from 23:54:49 UT on 11 December to 07:06:42 UT on 12 December, during which the LRV was deployed and driven and the ALSEP was set up. The LRV was used during EVAs to extend the range of manned lunar exploration. During this time they covered 30 km and collected 110.52 kg of lunar samples. Cernan and Schmitt made three moonwalk extra-vehicular activities (EVAs) totaling 22 hours, 4 minutes. EST) on the southeastern rim of Mare Serenitatis (the Sea of Serenity) in a dark deposit between massive units of the southwestern Taurus Mountains south of Littrow Crater, at 20.1911 N latitude, 30.7723 E longitude (as determined from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images, DE 421 mean Earth/polar rotation axis reference frame). The LM separated from the Command/Service Module (CSM) at 17:20:56 UT on 11 December 1972 and landed at 19:54:57 UT (2:54:57 p.m. The LM also carried a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), an Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) that contained scientific experiments to be deployed and left on the lunar surface, and other scientific and sample collection apparatus. Schmitt was the first scientist-astronaut to walk on the Moon. Schmitt, the eleventh and twelfth men to walk on the Moon. It carried two astronauts, Commander Eugene A. The Apollo 17 Lunar Module (LM) "Challenger" was the sixth and last lunar lander in the Apollo program.
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