Apollo Lunar Surface
Experiment Package (ALSEP)
Cold Cathode Gauge Experiment
(CCGE)
(See also Cold
Cathode Ion Gauge)
.
Closeup of the Apollo 13 CCGE, with cable reel in foreground.
Images below are thumbnails. Click on thumbnail for full size
image.
.
Above: Three views of CCGE system: front, rear, and top.
Note ribbon cable in center and right images. Also note the red "E"
in right image, indicating which direction to point the instrument, and
the bubble level at the base of the instrument at bottom of picture.
.
Left: ALSEP array deployment diagram, showing CCGE at lower left
Other experiments that would have flown in this array were the Heat
Flow Experiment, Passive
Seismic Experiment, and the Charged
Particle Lunar Environment Experiment
Center left: ALSEP pallet diagram, showing CCGE bottom center
Center right: Detailed diagram of the experiment
Right - Jim Lovell practicing deployment of the ALSEP Central Station.
The CCGE can be seen in the background, at the end of the ribbon cable
coming from the Central Station. (photo courtesy Kipp
Teague's Project Apollo Archive)
Apollo Experiment Number: Unknown
Apollo Missions: 13
Wt: ~ 15 lbs.
Dim: 13 X 13 X 4.5"
This ALSEP
experiment was flown on Apollos 12, 14, & 15 as the Cold
Cathode Ion Gauge, which was connected to the Superthermal
Ion Detector as a subpackage. Please click
here for info on the experiment itself. In the configuration
shown on this page, it was a stand alone experiment, connected directly
to the Central Station.
As shown here, this experiment
flew on the ill-fated mission of Apollo 13, and was never deployed on the
lunar surface. Because of this, it was almost forgotten as one of
the ALSEP components.
Note - I struggled
for a very long time to verify whether or not this
experiment actually flew on
board LM-7 Aquarius on Apollo 13.
A recent note I received reads
as follows:
"I have just checked the "final
as flown " stowage list of
the
AP13 mission.
On page 55 (LM Launch Stowage
List)
the COLD CATHODE GAGE EXPERIMENT
is mentioned:
Item number: G 4001.3
part number: 2338549
Stowage location: Pallet Assy
No 1"
Here's the proof!!!!!!
Many Thanks to Mr.
Mike Smithwick, who supplied all of the photos and size data on this
instrument
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