Apollo Lunar Science
Experiment Package (ALSEP)
Solar-Wind Composition (SWC)
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Apollo 15 SWC. Note the LRV and the rest of the ALSEP
in background, as well as the angle of the SWC to the sun, with the foil
faced full into the solar wind. Also note where the soil has been darkened
by the crewmen's footsteps and the LRV tracks.
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Diagram of SWC, essentially a fancy roll of aluminum
foil. Interestingly, this diagram matches almost exactly to the Apollo
15 photo at the top of this page!
Apollo Experiment Number: S 080
Apollo Missions: 11, 12, 14, 15,
16
Wt: 430 - 450 gm (foil 130 gm)
Dim: foil sheet 30 x 140 cm; pole
1.5 m long deployed
"The SWC experiment consisted
of an aluminum metal foil which was deployed to trap the solar wind so
as to measure the ion types and energies of the solar wind on the lunar
surface. The area of the foil was 4000 cm2. It was deployed on a five-section
telescopic pole and unrolled. The reel of foil was stored inside the collapsed
pole. Purity of the foil was critical to avoid contamination of the lunar
samples and background contamination of the experiment itself. The A-16
experiment was composed of both aluminum and platinum foils. The platinum
foil allowed for treatment with dilute hydrofluoric acid before sample
analysis on Earth to remove dust contamination and the resulting uncertainties."
(from: Catalog
of Apollo Experiment Operations, NASA RP -1317, JSC)
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