Apollo Lunar Surface
Experiment Package (ALSEP)
Traverse Gravimeter Experiment
(TGE)
.
.
TGE deployed off the rover. Note slope of area where
the crew were working, probably one of the massifs at Taurus Littrow
.
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Left - TGE preflight photo. The blue thermal covering
was probably to make it easy to spot against the gray lunar regolith
Right - detailed diagram of TGE
Apollo Experiment Number: S 199
Apollo Missions: 17
Wt: 14.6 kg
Dim: 50.8 x 27.9 x 24.8 cm
The Traverse Gravimeter Experiment is the first of
this ALSEP series that was carried on Apollo 17 only. The last lunar landing
mission (ever), a special set of experiments was carried to the moon in
both the LM and the CSM SIM bay in a last ditch effort to try to answer
some of the questions still nagging the NASA Apollo scientists.
The Traverse Gravimeter was an odd looking device which
was mounted on the geopallet at the back of the A17 LRV. It was used to
measure gravity, which it was hoped could be used to imply some information
about subsurface structures at Taurus Littrow.
The instrument was operated 18 times at 12 different
sites during all 3 of the A 17 EVAs. It was used both on and off the LRV.
A related experiment which was carried on Apollo 17 only
was the Lunar Surface Gravimeter.
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