Earth to the Moon: 4 of 5

On Disc 4 they move on to Apollo 15.

 

Dave Scott/ Al Worden/ and Jim Irwin.  They didn't know it when they were first assigned to this mission that they would be expected to not only be astronauts but to become Geologists as well.

On July 31, 1971 The Falcon landed on the moon at Hadley Apennine.  Because of their discoveries in this area, it was said by Nasa that this was the first place they'd like to return to. 

Thanks to the training of Lee Silver, Geologist at CalTech these men would bring home pieces of the moon that would begin to tell us the history of the moon.

  (Lee Silver Geologist)

They would be the first Astronauts to deploy and use the Lunar Rover and leave tire tracks on the moons surface. 

They would also bring home one very special rock that has become known as: The Genesis Rock.  If I remember rightly.. the first words in Genesis go something like : "In the Beginning..."  They figure this rock is as old as it gets.

(from the web)  The Genesis Rock is a sample of original lunar crust from around the time the moon was born. It was retrieved from the Moon by Apollo 15 astronauts James Irwin and David Scott.

Chemical analysis of the Genesis Rock indicates that the rock is composed of anorthosite, and was formed in the early stages of the solar system, at least four billion years ago.[1] It was recovered in a crater of the Moon, near other rocks of its kind.

 

Apollo 16...

Apollo 16 was the fifth mission to land men on the moon and return them to Earth.  Apollo 16 landed in a highlands area, a region not yet explored on the Moon. Astronauts collected samples, took photographs and conducted experiments that included the first use of an ultraviolet camera/spectrograph on the Moon.
The major objective of the mission was to investigate the lunar surface in the Descartes highlands area because it was considered to be representative of much of the Moon's surface, and an area of this type had not been previously visited.

Apollo 17: the 9th and Final Mission to the Moon

It seems no one remembers who the the last man to walk on the moon was.. do you?

It was Gene Cernan.  The last step was taken on December 13th 1972.  Some of you reading this were not even born yet.. but we are going back, and hopefully in your lifetime.

I've been giving some thought to why our space program was so well received and loved in the beginning and so matter-a-factly now.  I don't usually voice my opinion on things of real importance.  That's mainly because I know I don't know all the facts so my opinion doesn't really matter.  However.......

I think my response to our space program going down hill would be simple enough.  In the beginning, everything our Astronauts did was a first.  Not just a first, but a HUGE first.  We were doing things never done before, and no one even knew for certain that the Astronauts would live to tell about it.  

After a number of Shuttles were tested and shown to do well, interest waned.  We already figured it  had been done enough times that it was safe.  Well.. fairly safe, a lot more safe than it had ever been before.  But still there were accidents and deaths.  But even that did nothing more for the space program except to cut even more funds to Nasa.

My personal opinion (not that it counts) is that the Shuttle era has gone on far too long.  It's true that Nasa has decided to go back to the moon, but it should have been done long ago.  Before the public stopped caring. 

Sure, in the beginning it was "a race".  Kennedy wanted to "beat the Russians", and at the same time do something for "all of mankind".  And he did just that. 

In my, unknowing scientific mind, I believe space is how humanity will be saved one day.  Certainly not in my lifetime or even yours.. but it will happen.   Earth is an unstable planet, it won't last forever. Thousands of years?  Hundreds of thousands or years?  No one knows.  But if we put off space exploration the ones we are hurting are our future generations... mankind.

I can hear some now...

It's not my problem.   

Why do MY taxes pay for something like that?  

And even: I don't believe it.    

Well, (again in my no knowledge opinion) I think it is our problem, and every generation after us.  If my tax dollars can pay to find out the sex life of an Ant.. well, yeah.. spend it on space exploration please!   And yes.. I do believe Space is the only out for human beings when it's all said and done.

I hope, that when we go back to the moon , it gets people excited about the space program once again.  And that we never take so long to have more giant leaps for mankind.

The last disc I will review is a bonus disc as this was the last of the Race to the Moon explorations. The discs  have covered more than I've mentioned but did not spend as much time on Mercury and Gemini flights as they did on the Apollo Missions.

Every one of them put their life on the line... and some died for it.  Only to find the next one stepping up to take their place.  What is it in a person to do such things?  I sure don't know the answer, and I'm not sure they could answer that question either.