Spacelog Apollo 11

Isn't that something! Magnificent sight out here.

Magnificent desolation.

Looks like the secondary strut *** little thermal effects on it right here, Neil.

Yes. I noticed that. That seems to be the worst, although similar effects are on—all around.

… powder, isn't it?

Isn't it fine?

Right in this area I don't think there's much of any *** fine powder *** clods together, and it's hard to tell whether it's a clod or a rock.

Notice how you can kick it out.

Yes. And it bounces and then -

Reaching down is fairly easy. I got my suit dirty at this stage.

The mass of the backpack does have some effect in inertia.

There's a slight tendency, I can see now, to *** backwards *** due to the soft, very soft texture.

You're standing on a rock, a big rock there now.

This pad sure didn't ***

No. It didn't.

There's absolutely no crater there at all from the engine.

No.

I wonder if about right under the engine is where the probe might have hit.

I'd like that.

Yes. I think that's a good representation of our sideward velocity at touchdown there—hole at the probe.

I see that probe over on the minus-Y strut. It's broken off and bent back up.

It did, didn't it? The other two both bent over.

Can't say too much for the visibility right here without the visor up. It's dark. It looks like there is a *** surface of it is *** pounded rock *** And incidentally, these rocks *** very powdery surface ***

Say again, please, Buzz; you're cutting out.

I say that the rocks are rather slippery.

Roger.

A powdery surface when the sun hits. *** they split up all the very little fine porouses *** Will tend to slide over it rather easily.

Traction *** seems quite good. ***

*** About to lose my balance in one direction and recovery is a quite natural and very easy *** And, moving your arms around, Jack, doesn't *** off the surface *** not quite that light-footed.

And, I have the insulation off the MESA now and MESA seems to be in good shape.

Got to be careful that you are leaning in the direction you want to go, otherwise you *** slightly inebriated. In other words, you have to cross your foot over to stay underneath where your center-of-mass is.

And, Neil, didn't I say we might see some purple rocks?

Find a purple rock?

Yes. They are small, sparkly *** fragments *** places *** would make a first guess that some sort of biotite *** We'll leave that to further analysis ***

*** compact underneath *** completely no *** you don't sink down more than … a quarter of an inch.

Okay, Houston. I'm going to change lenses on you.

Roger, Neil.

Okay, Houston. Tell me if you're getting a new picture.

Neil, this is Houston. That's affirmative. We're getting a new picture. You can tell it's a longer focal length lens. And for your information, all LM systems are GO. Over.

We appreciate that. Thank you.

Neil is now unveiling the plaque *** gear.

Roger. We got you boresighted, but back under one track.

For those who haven't read the plaque, we'll read the plaque that's on the front landing gear of this LM. First there's two hemispheres, one showing each of the two hemispheres of the Earth. Underneath it says “Here Man from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.” It has the crew members' signatures and the signature of the President of the United States.

Ready for the camera?

No. I'll get it. No, you take this TV on out.

Watch the LEC, there.

Now I'm afraid these … materials are going to get dusty ***

The surface material is powdery. *** How good your lens is, but if you can *** smudges … very much like a very finely powdered carbon, but it's very pretty looking.

Houston. Roger. Out.

And, we'll probably need a little *** distance *** back location *** television camera.

Neil, look at the minus Y-strut, the direction of travel there *** travel from right to left.

Right.

This one over here underneath the ascent engine where the probe first hit—the minus-Y probe first hit.

I got plenty of cable?

You've got plenty. Plenty more.

Okay. I think I've got the end of it.

Something interesting: in the bottom of this little crater here—It may be -

Now keep going. We've got a lot more.

Okay.

Getting a little harder to pull out, here.

How far would you say I am, Buzz?

Forty, 50 feet. Why don't you turn around and let them get a view from there and see what the field of view looks like?

Okay.

You're backing into the cable.

Okay.

Turn around to your right, would be better.

I don't want to go into the Sun if I can avoid it.

That's right. Yes.

I'll just leave it —

— All right.

— sit like that and walk around it.

Houston. How's that field of view going to pick up the MESA? *** far away?

Roger.

Neil, this is Houston. The field of view is okay. We'd like you to aim it a little bit more to the right. Over.

Okay.

Okay. That's all the cable we have. *** not going out. I'll start working on the solar wind —

A little bit too much to the right. Can you bring it back left about 4 or 5 Degrees?

Okay. That looks good Neil.

Okay, now. Do you think I ought to be farther away, or closer?

Can't get too much further away.

Let's try it like that for a while. I'll get a couple of panoramas with it, here.

Roger. You look okay as far as distance goes, Neil. And we'll line you up again when you finish the panorama. Now you're going too fast on the panorama sweep. You're going to have to stop, or -

I haven't stopped—I haven't set it down yet. That's the first picture in the panorama. Right there.

Roger.

It's taken just a little—about north, north east.

Tell me if you've got a picture, Houston.

We've got a beautiful picture, Neil.

Okay. I'm going to move it.

Okay. Here's another good one.

Okay, we got that one.

Okay. Now, this one is right down front, straight west. And I want to know if you can see an angular rock in the foreground.

Roger. We have a large angular rock in the foreground, and it looks like a much smaller rock a couple of inches to the left of it. Over.

All right. And then on beyond it about 10 feet is an even larger rock that's very rounded. That rock is about—The closest one to you is about sticking out of the sand about 1 foot. And it's about a foot and one half long, and it's about 6 inches thick, but it's standing on edge.