Apollo 12 The Pinpoint Mission | NASA
- 6 months ago
Apollo 12 is often referred to as "The Pinpoint Mission" because of the remarkable precision with which it achieved its lunar landing. The Apollo 12 mission was the sixth crewed mission in NASA's Apollo program and the second to land humans on the Moon. It took place from November 14 to 24, 1969.
The mission's primary objectives were to perform scientific experiments, deploy a set of instruments on the lunar surface, and collect lunar samples. The lunar module, named "Intrepid," was commanded by Charles "Pete" Conrad, while the command module, named "Yankee Clipper," was piloted by Richard F. Gordon. Alan L. Bean was the lunar module pilot.
The nickname "The Pinpoint Mission" arose from an unexpected turn of events during the mission's launch. Approximately 36 seconds after liftoff, lightning struck the Apollo 12 spacecraft, causing a temporary electrical signal loss and triggering the onboard telemetry to go haywire. The spacecraft's telemetry system was able to restore itself, but the lightning strike had caused the fuel cells to go offline. At this critical moment, flight controller John Aaron at NASA's Mission Control remembered a command called "SCE to AUX" (Signal Conditioning Equipment to Auxiliary). This was a rarely used switch, and Aaron suggested it to the flight director, Gerry Griffin.
Pete Conrad, the mission commander, acknowledged the call from Mission Control and flipped the SCE switch to AUX as instructed. This action reset the telemetry data, and the spacecraft's systems began functioning normally again. Apollo 12 continued its journey to the Moon. Without Aaron's quick thinking and the crew's precise execution, the mission might have been aborted.
Apollo 12 successfully landed on the Moon on November 19, 1969, and the pinpoint landing was crucial to the mission's success. The lunar module touched down within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, a previous unmanned lunar lander. The astronauts conducted two moonwalks, collected lunar samples, and performed a variety of experiments. The mission lasted a total of about 8 days.
The success of Apollo 12 was a testament to NASA's expertise and the astronauts' training, and it highlighted the importance of adaptability and quick thinking during space missions.
The mission's primary objectives were to perform scientific experiments, deploy a set of instruments on the lunar surface, and collect lunar samples. The lunar module, named "Intrepid," was commanded by Charles "Pete" Conrad, while the command module, named "Yankee Clipper," was piloted by Richard F. Gordon. Alan L. Bean was the lunar module pilot.
The nickname "The Pinpoint Mission" arose from an unexpected turn of events during the mission's launch. Approximately 36 seconds after liftoff, lightning struck the Apollo 12 spacecraft, causing a temporary electrical signal loss and triggering the onboard telemetry to go haywire. The spacecraft's telemetry system was able to restore itself, but the lightning strike had caused the fuel cells to go offline. At this critical moment, flight controller John Aaron at NASA's Mission Control remembered a command called "SCE to AUX" (Signal Conditioning Equipment to Auxiliary). This was a rarely used switch, and Aaron suggested it to the flight director, Gerry Griffin.
Pete Conrad, the mission commander, acknowledged the call from Mission Control and flipped the SCE switch to AUX as instructed. This action reset the telemetry data, and the spacecraft's systems began functioning normally again. Apollo 12 continued its journey to the Moon. Without Aaron's quick thinking and the crew's precise execution, the mission might have been aborted.
Apollo 12 successfully landed on the Moon on November 19, 1969, and the pinpoint landing was crucial to the mission's success. The lunar module touched down within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, a previous unmanned lunar lander. The astronauts conducted two moonwalks, collected lunar samples, and performed a variety of experiments. The mission lasted a total of about 8 days.
The success of Apollo 12 was a testament to NASA's expertise and the astronauts' training, and it highlighted the importance of adaptability and quick thinking during space missions.