Apollo 11 - Buzz Aldrin Deploying the SWC
by Eric Glaser
Title
Apollo 11 - Buzz Aldrin Deploying the SWC
Artist
Eric Glaser
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
"Apollo 11 - Buzz Aldrin Deploying the SWC"
Photo made by Neil Armstrong using a 70mm Hasselblad camera
From the Apollo 11 Image Library: "Buzz is deploying the Solar Wind Collector (SWC), a foil sheet which he is pointing at the Sun. Note the word 'Shade' printed on the bottom of the back side. The word 'Sun' is printed on the sunward side. At the end of the EVA, after leaving the SWC exposed to the Sun for about 1 hour and 17 minutes, Buzz will roll up the foil and pack it in a bag for analysis back on Earth. Note the considerable clearance between the bottom of the Descent Engine bell and the surface beneath it. Little West Crater is near the horizon on the lefthand side of the image. Note the pattern of scratch marks running from the MESA toward the lower left that were created by the TV cable as Neil took the camera away from the LM on the tripod. Neil's footprints are generally to the right of the cable scratches as he moved sideways out from the LM. Several potentially foot-grabbing loops remain in the cable. The rendezvous radar and various antennas on the top of the ascent stage are labeled in a detail ( 223k ). Each of the boot prints is about 33 cm long and has a greatest width of 15 cm."
"NASA's Apollo Program (1961-1972) remains the pinnacle of human exploration. Through the efforts of engineering and scientific teams and courageous astronaut crews, and the dedication of the American public, the accomplishments of the thirteen-flight Apollo program, nine of which traveled to the moon, advanced human knowledge and stirred our collective imagination. Aside from the cold war objective of "beating the Soviet Union to the Moon," the lunar samples and mission data that were returned directly helped answer the fundamental question of why Earth has a moon. The Apollo Program also inspired a generation of Americans, scarred by war and internal conflict, to choose careers in science, engineering, and technology to support future space exploration."
-- Paul Schenk
Image enhanced and adapted by Eric Glaser from NASA photo AS11-40-5872
Image Credit: NASA
Uploaded
July 4th, 2019
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