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The Apollo Experiment That Keeps on Giving

July 24, 2019



Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. moves toward a position to deploy two components of the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP) on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity. The Passive Seismic Experiments Package (PSEP) is in his left hand; and in his right hand is the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LR3). Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. Credit: NASA

Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins departed from the Moon 50 years ago, but one of the experiments they left behind continues to return fresh data to this day: arrays of prisms that reflect light back toward its source, providing plentiful insights. Along with the Apollo 11 astronauts, those of Apollo 14 and 15 left arrays behind as well: The Apollo 11 and 14 arrays have 100 quartz glass prisms (called corner cubes) each, while the array of Apollo 15 has 300.

The longevity of the experiment can be attributed at least in part to its simplicity: The arrays themselves require no power. Four telescopes at observatories in New Mexico, France, Italy and Germany fire lasers at them, measuring the time that it takes for a laser pulse to bounce off the reflectors and return to Earth. This allows the distance to be measured to within a fraction of an inch (a few millimeters), and scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory analyze the results.

The orbit, rotation and orientation of the Moon are accurately determined by lunar laser ranging. The lunar orbit and the orientation of the rotating Moon are needed by spacecraft that orbit and land on the Moon. For instance, cameras on spacecraft in lunar orbit can see the reflecting arrays, relying on them as locations accurate to less than a foot (a fraction of a meter).

Laser ranging measurements have deepened our understanding of the dance between the Moon and Earth as well. The Moon orbits Earth at an average distance of 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers), but lunar laser ranging has accurately shown that the distance between the two increases by 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) a year.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php? ... l&rst=7463

In support of your statements, see the links copied below for detailed scientific analysis of the US Apollo Space Project:

http://www.aulis.com/moonbase2015.htm The safe reentry of astronauts into the earth's atmosphere was impossible using the published parameters of the descent of the landing capsule (did not use skip landing technique developed much later) plus US lunar lander is missing (The descent-stage top deck of the LM had a continuous, firm upper surface with no routes through which the hot gases could escape when the ascent engine was fired.)

http://www.aulis.com/apollo17_ascent.htm For the rocket with the same propulsion as Apollo, its Reactive Control System (RCS) has to be much quicker than that of Apollo, and the resulting Orbit Insertion trajectory cannot be performed with Apollo's guidance logic.

http://www.aulis.com/scientific_analysis.htm Very detailed analysis of hundreds of photos of astronauts on moon showing all types of alterations were made to them.

http://www.aulis.com/illusion.htm Detailed summary of discrepancies by Soviet/Russian scientist who graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology majoring in Aerodynamics

http://www.aulis.com/photostudy.htm Detailed photostudy of an Apollo 15 image shows a host of fabrications

82_28 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 7:11 pm wrote:I guess I have to clarify lo these nine years (!!! WTF -- where does time go?) when I posted it, it had nothing to do with the Apollo project....