The reconnaissance expedition is equipped by a group of private entrepreneurs
Enthusiasts, who call themselves PTScientists (literally translated as "Concurrent Scientists"), participate in the Google Lunar X Priz Moon Race. And we intend to win a prize of $ 30 million. To do this, they - like their rivals - need to land a lunar rover of their own design on the moon and move it at least 500 meters from the landing site.
PTScientists have scheduled a start in 2018. Two of their lunar rovers loaded onto the descent module will fly to the moon. The self-propelled crews will be delivered by Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
According to Robert Boehme, one of the leaders of the Berlin-based PTS group, the expedition took 10 years to prepare. The descent module, called the Autonomous Landing and Navigation Moduline (ALINA), was developed in collaboration with Vodafone Germany, which specializes in cellular communications. The lunar rovers were helped by the firm Audi. They are powered by solar panels that power lithium-ion batteries. Able to accelerate to almost 4 kilometers per hour.
Lunar rover, which will go to the moon in 2018, builds Audi
Lunar rovers will be carried by the lunar module (pictured), and his module - by Elon Musk's rocket
Landing is scheduled in the Taurus Littrow Valley, on the southeastern edge of the Sea of Clarity. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt were there in 1972 during the Apollo 17 expedition - the last one to our natural satellite. Astronauts rode a lunar rover or lunar rover, as it was also called (lunar roving vehicle - LRV). In total, they drove almost 36 kilometers in this four-wheeled electric carriage. The PTScientists' lunar rovers have to find it and photograph it. Or maybe make a video.
The lunar rovers should land at the Apollo 17 landing site
Promotional video:
The LRV tracing operation has no scientific value. But the interest will probably be huge. After all, if the mission of the Europeans ends successfully, then the debate about whether the Americans were or were not on the moon will end. Indeed, for the first time, reconnaissance vehicles will be sent directly to the place of work of the American expedition. And the objects left by astronauts on our natural satellites will be photographed from close range, and not from orbit, as before. Such pictures did not convince skeptics very much - they continued to accuse the Americans of a monstrous forgery. Like, all their moonlit adventures are a movie filmed in Hollywood.
A year remains to be patient before the triumph of common sense.
The goal of the European lunar rovers is to find and photograph the lunar rover that American astronauts rode in 1972
The tracks left by the Apollo 17 astronauts and the lunar rover wheels
Place of work of the Apollo 17 expedition taken from orbit
NASA identified a lunar rover in a vague trail in the photo
The location of the Apollo 17 lunar rover is known. Back in 2009 and 2011, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) probe took pictures of the landing site and its surroundings from a height of 50 kilometers. They show the lander, and the abandoned scientific equipment, and chains of astronauts' tracks, and even a flag stuck into the moon. The lunar rover is also visible - the experts were able to see it in detail.
LRV served until the last minute. From it they filmed the launch from the Moon using a camera that could be controlled by an operator from Earth. The astronauts left the rover about 150 meters from the lander. The operator caught him in the frame and accompanied the takeoff for 26 seconds.
AT THIS TIME
There are restricted areas on the moon
It is not yet known how NASA will react to the Europeans' lunar plans. Indeed, back in 2011, the agency imposed restrictions on visiting places where 12 earthlings visited from 1969 to 1972.
One of the leading NASA employees, Robert Kelso, explained: they say, the agency does not hide anything from prying eyes - the creation of restricted areas is aimed solely at preserving traces of people on the moon. According to him, the time has come to attend to this. After all, amateur astronautics are now developing so rapidly that soon tourists with excursions can often visit our natural satellite. As I looked into the water - less than ten years had passed.
Apollo 12 sat next to the American probe
Astronaut Alan Bean from Apollo 12 made it to Surveyor 3, but did not convince skeptics that he was on the Moon.
Moon rovers are just the beginning. And then the sightseers will tumble down - they will want to see where Neil Armstrong jumped off the stairs of the "Eagle" and took his first step through the moon dust - "one giant leap for mankind". Where Eugene Cernan did the last one. By the way, the first one has survived. Not a step, of course, but the trail of the first man on the moon. The last trail was most likely blown away by the jet stream of the launch module.
“In addition to traces, we left a lot of artifacts there,” Kelso explained, “from flags, scientific instruments, television cameras to moon cars, containers of urine and containers of feces.
Tourists can trample their tracks, damage equipment, steal something - in short, they can seriously disrupt the "historical picture". And NASA would like to preserve them for future generations.
Back in 2011, the agency's specialists saw the immediate threat to landing sites in the Google Lunar X Prize project. According to Kelso, not even the lunar rovers themselves are dangerous, but the jet jets of the ships on which they arrive.
At one time, "Apollo-12", which landed only 150 meters from the long-landed automatic station "Surveyor 3", severely spoiled the terrain and equipment, raising dust and small stones. NASA does not want this to happen again with the Apollo landing sites.
As a result, the agency has imposed the following restrictions on commercial and other tourist visits to the moon: all flights are prohibited over the Apollo 11 and 17 landing sites. Areas of 1200 acres are considered forbidden - this is approximately 5 square kilometers.
On foot - if someone ever gets together - you can't come closer than 82 yards - that's about 75 meters - to all landing sites.
On the moon they have already strongly stomped. Whether it will still be …
Perhaps the lunar module of the PTScientists team will have to land at a distance, and the lunar rovers will have to photograph the Apollo 17 lunar vehicle from a distance of these very 75 meters. In order not to quarrel with NASA. Although this may blur the impression of the entire expedition. Skeptics won't believe it again.
BTW
Last step
Only people who will visit the Moon again will be able to return to Earth the "souvenir" specially left by Eugene Cernan for future generations. And he left his camera on the moon - the famous Hasselblad 500, which was filmed by all the astronauts. I put it on the ground, aiming the lens at the zenith. And only recently - before his death - he explained why. It turns out that in order for the camera to be found after many years, they investigated and determined how much it was exposed to cosmic radiation. A freak man …
By the way, Eugene all his life later regretted that he did this. He said that it was still necessary to take a farewell photograph, to capture your last step on the moon. And if we left the camera, so as not to take everything on board, it was necessary at least to take out the film … And it remained there too.
Eugene Cernan is officially considered the "last man on the moon". It was he who, having climbed into the lunar module after Harrison Schmitt, took the last step. And the first, as you know, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969. Unfortunately, he is no longer on Earth.
REFERENCE
Apollo 17 (Apollo 17) is the spacecraft that delivered people to the moon for the sixth time. The Apollo 17 command and service module had the call sign America, and the lunar module Challenger.
Apollo 17 launched on December 7, 1972. On December 11, 1972, the Challenger landed with Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. The astronauts stayed on the moon for 74 hours 59 minutes 40 seconds. We left the ship three times - trampled the surface of the Moon for a total of 22 hours 3 minutes 57 seconds.
The astronauts reached Earth on December 19.
Vladimir LAGOVSKY