 | Launch: 11/14/69, 11:22 a.m EST Landing (Moon): 11/19/69 Lunar Location: Ocean of Storms Landing (Earth): 11/24/69, 3:58 p.m. EST Duration: 10 days, 4 hrs, 36 min Orbits (Moon): 45 (3 days, 17 hrs, 2 min) Surface time: 1 day, 7 hrs, 31 min
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The primary objectives of Apollo 12 were:
- To prove a pinpoint landing was possible, (Apollo 11 had landed 4 miles from
their intended target, and geologists needed a pinpoint landing for detailed
studies of specific areas)
- To set up an autonomous scientific station called "The Apollo Lunar Surface
Experiment Package" (ALSEP). This consisted of a seismometer to measure
moonquakes, a magnetometer to look for a lunar magnetic field, a sensor to
sniff out the moon's tenuous atmosphere and another sensor to search for ions
and analyze high-energy subatomic particles
- To visit the Surveyor III spacecraft and return pieces of the probe for
study.
November 14th, 1969, the day of Apollo 12's launch, it was cold, cloudy and
wet. Despite the light rain showers and overcast skies, a large crowd was on
hand to witness the launch, including President and Mrs. Nixon, marking the
first and only appearance of an incumbent chief executive to witness an Apollo
launch. |