Apollo Lunar Surface
Experiment Package (ALSEP)
Lunar Seismic Profiling
Experiment (LSPE)
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Left - LSPE explosives package deployed off the rover
Right - Apollo 17 LMP Jack Schmidt climbs on board
the rover. Behind his left shoulder is the LSPE pallet, with 2 or 3 packages
still attached (red arrow)
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Left - LSP rover pallet, deployed explosives package
(EP) configuration, and weights (amount of high explosives) for each package
Right - Arming procedure for explosives packages
Apollo Experiment Number: S 203
Apollo Missions: 17
Wt: 25.1 kg, total; 7.1 kg geophones, 17.6 kg explosives
Dim: N/A
This experiment was similar to the Active
Seismic Experiment (ASE) carried out on A 14 & 16 except on a much
larger scale. Like the ASE, a set of geophones was emplaced in the regolith
at the ALSEP site, and active seismic signals were supplied with the use
of explosions. However, unlike the earlier systems, the LSPE employed
some pretty damn big bombs! 8 explosives packages, ranging in size
from 57 to 2722 grams (or, almost 7 pounds!) of high explosives
were left at sites all around the Taurus Littrow valley.
The explosives packages were carried on a rack (pallet)
on the rear of the LRV. All the crewman had to do to deploy one was remove
3 safety pins, open a telescoping antenna to its' full length, and leave
it. The packages were then detonated by a signal from the ALSEP central
station after the LM left the moon.
One very interesting note I found in the entry
for this experiment at the Catalog
of Apollo Experiment Operations was this:
"There was concern late in the A-17 mission planning
when someone raised the possibility that the larger charges could conceivably
throw debris to altitudes where the CSM was still gathering orbital data
two days later. Although it was a remote possibility, the idea of "shooting
down" the last mission after it had successfully landed and returned to
orbit did not sit well with NASA Headquarters. After a hastily convened
group of explosive (Bureau of Mines, NRL, and others) and cratering/impact
experts met it was calculated that the risk was in the range of 10^-5 to
10^-6, which was good enough to allow the experiment to proceed."
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