A tool from the surface of the Moon

On April 20, 1972, John Young and Charlie Duke landed on the Cayley Plain in the Descartes Highlands region of the Moon. Apollo 16 was the fourth lunar landing and second "J" mission which included an enhanced lunar module for an extended stay on the Moon and the Lunar Rover.

Among the many scientific experiments Young and Duke had to perform on the lunar surface during their three EVAs (Extra Vehicular Activity), they were required to take core samples at designated locations at each research station on their itinerary.

In order to obtain a core sample, it was necessary to drive a metal tube into the lunar surface, pull the tube out with the lunar soil sample in it and cap the tube for return to Earth at the end of the mission.

Charlie Duke can be seen in the above photograph hammering one of the core tubes into the lunar soil. The core tube assembly consisting of a extension handle, core tube socket assembly and the core tube that can be seen partially driven into the surface. Charlie can be seen with his geology hammer in his left hand. He has completed the sample and now must pull the assembly from the lunar surface, cap the tube and store the tube on the lunar rover.

This type of core tube was called a "Drive tube," because the moonwalker had to drive the hollow tube into the lunar soil with his geology hammer. The other type of core tube was attached to the lunar surface drill for a thinner, deeper sample and was described as a "Drill Tube."
If you look closely at Charlie's left arm, then you will also see his cuff checklist attached to his wrist just above the head of his geology hammer. This checklist provided a written and graphic record of the chores that Charlie had to perform during each of his three EVAs.

The above photograph shows page 19 of the LMP's cuff checklist. This page describes Charlie's chores at Station 10, the last station of his second EVA, as a graphic map of the experiments to be done at the site . On the right side of the page toward the middle there is a small circle labeled "DBL CORE." The term refers to the fact that Charlie has to assemble two core tubes together, attach the double core tube to the core tube socket (adaptor) and then attach it to the handle prior to hammering the core tube into the lunar soil.

A double core "drive tube" assembly is shown in this photograph from the Apollo Geology Tool Catalog written by Judith Haley Allton in 1989. Each individual tube section was approximately fourteen inches long and threaded at each end. The tubes were screwed together as shown above with one end open and the other end capped by the core tube socket.

The wire like handled device at the bottom of the photo was a ramrod used to compact the soil of the core samples while in the tubes. The device was placed in a small hole in the socket and rammed down to a plate inside the tube to press the soil into the tube to prevent movement of the soil during transport back to Earth. Charlie and John referred to this tool as the "Rammer Jammer" during their EVAs on the lunar surface.

The above photograph shows a double core "drive tube" in action. By looking closely, the entire assembly can be seen. The drive tubes are screwed into the socket and the handle has been attached on top of the socket. The only thing left to do is hammer the entire tool until it is also completely up to the core tube socket at the end of the core drive tubes.

Why am I taking the time to describe one geology experiment that was performed on the Moon? How do I segue from a lunar chore to a discussing an artifact in my collection? Well, here goes.

Any collector of space exploration related memorabilia will usually state that the "Holy Grail" of artifacts are pieces actually used or have been directly on the surface of the Moon. Lunar surface tools are some of the rarest artifacts in existence in the space collecting world.

Core tubes were used in direct contact with the lunar surface. In order to drive the tubes into the soil, you needed a handle to use the hammer on. You needed to attach the handle to the tubes. You did that by screwing an adapter called a "Core Tube Socket" (socket) onto a core tube and then snapping the extension handle onto the socket. Without this adapter, you would not be able to perform this important job of sampling below the lunar surface.

How am I doing? I am getting there.

And here I am. Recently, I was able to procure a core tube socket from the collection of Brig General Charles M. Duke, Jr., the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 16 mission to the Moon.

The above photograph shows this complex piece of equipment that connected the "drive" core tubes to the extension handle. The machined piece of Aluminum is 1.85 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall and weighs 2.5 ounces. The wider area is threaded to accept the core tubes and the narrow part of the socket attaches to the extension handle. The two small knobs in the middle of the narrow shaft help lock the extension handle in place with a twist of the handle. If you look closely at the top of the socket, then you will see a hole that runs through the shaft. This hole is where Charlie or John would place the "rammer jammer" when compacting the lunar soil inside the core tubes.

This photograph from the Apollo Tool Catalog shows a core assembly along with a core tube socket. The socket is highlighted in the picture. The other pieces are a core tube and a core tube cap used to seal the lunar soil sample into the tube for transportation back to Earth.

Here is picture of the socket with a one inch scale cube. The socket is real and the scale cube is a replica of the ones used in the Lunar Receiving Lab at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

The Apollo Tool Catalog also has a photograph of the socket attached to a core tube. The socket is highlighted at the end of the core tube.

This photograph shows the core tube socket at eye level with the one inch scale cube. The hole shown just above the thread area of the socket was used to hold a locking pin to lock the core tubes onto the socket. While the pin was used on Apollo 15, it was not used on Apollo 16.

Even with its important to the assembly of the entire core tube, the socket is barely visible in most photographs taken on the lunar surface during the Apollo 16 mission. On the photographic certification above, Charlie Duke marked a square around the socket, signed and inscribed the photograph to read, "The accompanying Core Tube Socket can be clearly seen at the end of our Utility Handle. The core tube has been driven into the lunar surface. Charles M. Duke, Jr., Apollo 16, LMP."

The photograph shows the socket about inch above the actual lunar surface. Charlie said that the socket routinely touched the lunar soil during the crew's time on the Moon.

In January of 2008, Charlie signed a complete certification and to provide further provenance agreed to be photographed with the core tube socket at his home in Texas. This artifact had been in Charlie's collection for over 35 years.

What if at Cone Crater

What if Edgar Mitchell reached the top of the rim of Cone Crater? It is a question that keeps popping up with anyone who knows about the Apollo 14 mission to Fra Mauro.

Every once and while any collector or enthusiast of any hobby plays the classic "What if" game. Space collectors are no different. Which is why I commissioned this particular painting from Ed Hengeveld.

I wanted a painting that depicted "What if" Edgar made it to the rim of Cone Crater? I did ask Edgar about the subject. I reminded Edgar that he had said that he would have rolled a rock down the slope of Cone Crater. Edgar said that he actually wanted to do just that. Now with that in mind, I asked Ed Hengeveld to paint his vision of Edgar at the summit of the rim. The above painting represents that event.

Ed Hengeveld is known to many space art affectionados for his work with several collectors. His artwork has graced the pages of books and magazines throughout the world. Ed sent me a copy of an article about his work and I have reprinted it without his permission on this site. Two of my originals are in the article as are two of Noah Bradley's commissions, so I guess we are even. Well, actually, Ed used the photograph shown below on his website too, so Ed I need another painting.

In September of 2004, Edgar came up to our home. Edgar was in town for the an event at the USS Constitution Museum. Both Edgar and Sunita Williams (ISS astronaut candidate) stayed at the house. The morning after the event, we were having breakfast in our kitchen and I brought out the painting for Edgar's signature. Sunny Williams asked about the mission and the painting and Edgar told her the story.

Edgar had a pretty good memory about the trek up Cone Crater and it's difficulties in terms of climbing in bulky spacesuits and of problems with navigation around the crater itself. He pointed to an area just below the rim and said that you could have probably seen the top of their helmets as they passed by the area of the rim depicted on the painting. It seems that they were traversing parallel to the rim.

Sunita had a lot of questions, which Edgar answered. It was very interesting to watch a peer to peer exchange. Sunny was describing her training in the Black Sea for an emergency water landing in a Soyuz descent module.

It was a fascinating morning of discussion as they compared training and discussed conditions in space and on the Moon.

Apollo Soyuz Test Project Training Manuals

I thought I would put on an artifact from the last mission to use an Apollo spacecraft. The Apollo Soyuz Test Project, which flew in 1975, was the last use of the Apollo Command/Service Module. The entire mission was to demostrate that nations could rescue each other as well as provide a platform for detente between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The photograph shown above shows the cover of the first volume of the ASTP mission plan. The eleven volumes in Russian and English languages covered the entire flight plan as well as a review of the equipment in a Soyuz capsule. These volumes are from Gene Cernan's collection. Cernan was a manager during the program. He labeled each volume with his name in the upper right hand corner of the manuals.

The Soviets used an inferior grade paper similar to "math" paper that was used in elementary schools. The pages were inserted into a hard cover and stapled together. This was 1973 technology. The staples have rusted over time and can be seen in the photograph of the cover.

I brought all the volumes to New Jersey in August of 2005 and had the Soviet crew of the ASTP sign each volume. Leonov and Kubasov signed each volume noting the spacecraft and the mission.

These books were used. Cernan hand wrote notes throughout all the volumes. Here is an example page showing a graph of the optimal launch windows for both spacecraft. Each notation on this page discuss which launches would occur during the day and which one would would occur at night to effect proper rendezvous.

Other volumes in this series of manuals have Soyuz spacecraft diagrams or schematics of individual instruments on the inside of the capsule. Again, Cernan has made notes pertaining to the fuel tanks and the propulsion system in the Soyuz vehicle.

During the trip to New Jersey I found the companion book of schematics to the ASTP manuals that I had acquired from Gene Cernan. Sy Liebergot was involved in the project as a flight controller. Sy had several volumes of the same manuals, but he also had this schematic book. I had Liebergot, Leonov and Kubasov sign the cover.

The flight was complicated by the fact that both spacecraft operated with two different pressurized atmospheres. The Apollo spacecraft used a pure O2 atmosphere at 5 psi. The Soyuz used a 80%/20% Nitrogen & Oxygen atmosphere at 14.7 psi. The problem of joining the spacecraft together was solved by constructing a docking device who's internal pressure could be equalized to that of one of the spacecraft. The pressurization technique allowed the crew of one spacecraft to visit the other crew's spacecraft.

The above photograph shows a schematic diagram of the docking adapter. Note the Russian and English language translation on the page. The use of both languages is common throughout all the manuals.

I brought the first volume to Los Angeles in September of 2004 and had Gene certify and be photographed with manual.

I also had Leonov sign the piece and be photographed with the manual. Since I was able to drive to New Jersey in 2005, I was able to bring the entire set to have Leonov and Kabusov sign each manual.

Apollo 11 Lunar Module Star Chart

I attended the 2004 Swann Gallery Space auction in New York. Besides seeing several friends and collectors, I picked up a few artifacts while at the auction. It was probably my most successful auction.

One piece that I was able to pick up was this star chart from Apollo 11. This star chart was taken to the lunar surface aboard the Lunar Module "Eagle" in July, 1969. The chart displayed in the catalog was different from the ones I have collected from both Gemini and other Apollo flights. The other charts were either circular or similar as above, but with a grid overlaying the entire chart to ease in the search for any specific star.

By using the stars and their two digit numbers, the astronauts were able to navigate during both the trans lunar coast and while on the lunar surface. Using the navigation telescope/sextant and plugging the corresponding star numbers, located on the chart next to the star, into the Apollo Guidance Computer during the voyage, the astronauts were able to check with the Manned Spaceflight Network (MSFN) to confirm their position.

This particular chart was used to check the Primary Guidance Navigation System (PGNS) in the lunar module to confirm their position while on the surface on the Moon. If you look closely at the above photograph, then you will read Buzz Aldrin's inscription, "Flown to the lunar surface on Apollo XI." Then Buzz signed it.

I won the piece at auction. Now I was pleased just to be able to procure an artifact that was used on the lunar surface during Man's first lunar landing, but imagine my thrill when I turned the chart over and found a second more conventional grid overlay star chart on the reverse side. I had managed to get two star charts in one lot.

The chart on the reverse side was very similar to all the charts carried in the G&N Dictionary. One thing that is the same on all star charts of the Apollo Era are three stars. The stars NAVI (star #3), DNOCES (star #20) and REGOR (star #17) were placed on the original design of the star chart by Gus Grissom as a gag. NAVI represents Grissom's middle name "Ivan." DNOCES represents Ed White II and stands for "Second." REGOR represents Roger Chaffee and stands for "Roger." After The Fire, NASA honored the men by maintaining the names on the chart for future voyages.

Buzz signed the reverse side of the star chart for me in Los Angeles in 2004. I have included some of those photographs taken in Los Angeles. I also included one from a visit in New Jersey in 2005.

During my trip to the annual UACC show hosted by Sims and Hankow, I visited Buzz at his table to primarily have a photograph taken of Buzz with the star chart. Buzz looked at the chart and the certification he had written for the piece. Made a few comments about it's use.

Buzz looked at the inscription on the front chart. I mentioned that this piece had a second side, so he flipped the chart over and signed the reverse for me too. It was awfully nice of him.

Although I did have some pictures of Buzz with the star chart. I did not have a photograph of just Buzz with the artifact. I drove down to the 2005 UACC show in New Jersey this year and asked him to pose with the piece. Later that night, we had a long chat about the new CEV project and spacesuit technology work that was going on up at MIT. Buzz was on his way to MIT for a visit the next day and I was taking a class there earlier in the year, so the discussion was based on what he would be seeing at MIT during his visit.

I saw Buzz briefly at breaskfast the next morning and he asked for my card. Buzz expressed some surprise at my occupation as he thought I was in the medical field based upon our discussion from the night before.

This final photograph is Buzz and me with the star chart while in Los Angeles. Buzz helped me put a better provenance on the star chart and he was extremely nice about doing the work.

Apollo 16 Charlie Duke Get Unwell Card

The "Stay Unwell" card is part of the lighthearted humor that astronauts used to relieve the tension and stress of preparing and training for their missions.

The history of the card's message relates back to Apollo 13 and Charlie Duke's involvement in the mission as a backup crewmember. Charlie was exposed to the measles by a young boy and in working with the primary crew of Apollo 13; he inadvertently transmitted the disease to them. Ken Mattingly was withdrawn from the mission due to his lack of immunity to the measles. Due to this episode, Duke was given the moniker of "Typhoid Mary."

The Apollo 16 backup crew included Fred Haise, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell. As backup crewmembers, they played the traditional role of attempting to ease the tension of the mission training by wishing the primary crew well in some unique ways. Haise, Roosa and Mitchell each signed the card, Freddo, Stu and Ed.

The "Stay Unwell" card was one of those gag gifts that wished the primary crew luck, but always let them know that the backup crew was always prepared to step into the primary crew's role should one of them "become sick."

Ironically, Charlie Duke and Ken Mattingly wound up working together as crewmembers on Apollo 16. This was part of Charlie's personal collection until he put it into the Swann auction of 2005.

Flown Apollo 17 Orbital Monitor Map #15

This map was flown to the lunar surface aboard the LM "Challenger" during the Apollo 17 mission. This map was part of a set of eighteen identically sized plates, which comprised the Lunar Orbital Monitor Chart used to help navigate while preparing to descend to the lunar surface. Each individual map plates graphically illustrates approximately 5,500 square miles of lunar surface and, when all maps are taped together for the flight, portrays about one third of the Moon circumference.

The above map plate #15 is unique, as it displays Apollo 17's landing site in the Taurus-Littrow region. The landing site is depicted at the upper middle of the plate within the oval, next to the arrow and the text which reads "17-1."

The map has been certified by Gene Cernan, the commander of the flight. The map is also signed by Harrison Schmitt, the lunar module pilot of the flight.


Last year, Gene Cernan graciously agreed to pose with the map. Thereby providing further provenance to the artifact.

Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius 3rd Edition

This is one of those pieces that does not have a direct relationship to the race to the Moon. It is the indirect relationship that makes this item so interesting. The history of Sidereus Nuncius (The Sidereal "Starry" Messenger) starts in 1609 when Galileo Galilei improved the spyglasses that were being built in Holland. Pointing his new instrument to the sky, Galileo found new sights in the heavens. Mountains on the Moon, fixed stars in the Milky Way and four moons of Jupiter revealed themselves to Galileo. Galileo wrote and published his findings in Sidereus Nuncius in 1610, which became one of the most dramatic scientific books ever published.

Galileo's discovery of mountains on the lunar surface, which had so long been traditionally thought to have a smooth surface, was pictured in his book by the use of woodcuts as pictured on the pages above. So we have the mountains on the Moon.

Galileo was also known for his scientific experiments with gravity in which he dropped two objects of different weight from a height and they hit the ground at the same time. This demonstration illustrated the effects of gravity.

How does this all relate to Apollo? David Scott commanded the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon. The Lunar Module "Falcon" landed near the Hadley Rille in the Apennine Mountains region on the lunar surface. At the end of the final EVA at his landing site on the Moon's surface, Colonel Scott paid tribute to Galileo Galilei and science, by duplicating the same experiment in an actual vacuum on the Moon. Scott dropped his geology hammer and a falcon feather and they hit the lunar surface at the same time, thus proving Galileo right.

At Burbank in 2004, I asked Colonel Scott to inscribe my 3rd edition of Sidereus Nuncius (published in 1625). He turned to the woodcut pictures of the Moon's surface in the book and wrote, "I proved Galileo right on the Moon!" He signed David Scott, Apollo 15, CDR beneath the inscription.

Sometimes unrelated pieces have something in common. The trick is to find that relationship.

Flown Apollo 10 LM Abort & Rescue Checklist

This flown Apollo 10 Abort and Rescue Rendezvous Checklist is an example of a complete checklist. Gene Cernan certified and signed the cover. The checklist has sixteen pages containing charts and timelines for various potential LM abort scenarios during Power Descent Initiation (P.D.I.).

I have been researching how this checklist would have been used in the event of an abort to lunar orbit and the CSM. I found, so far, that each tabbed section in the checklist contains an orbital chart and a mission timeline. Each chart shows the necessary orbital maneuvers for the LM to rendezvous with the CSM from a point at a certain point in the P.D.I. descent. Each timeline shows at what times and which programs either the Primary Navigation Guidance System (PNGS) or the Abort Guidance System (AGS) would initiate in the event of a real abort situation.

I am now researching to understand how each computer program would operate the LM during each abort situation. It is ironic that this checklist was on the flight that would have a maneuvering malfunction during the ascent to rendezvous with the CSM.

Liberty Bell 7 Circuit Card

These next two photographs are of a hand wired circuit card retrieved from the Liberty Bell 7 capsule after it was recovered from the ocean in 1999. Since most of the people who will read this know the story, I won't go into it here. I do recommend to anybody who is interested in the story to pickup "Lost Spacecraft, The Search for Liberty Bell 7" by Curt Newport.

In 2004, I was able to collect the circuit card you see here directly from Curt. The artifact measures 4" x 8". Curt was gifted several pieces of the capsule that could not be restored during the restoration of the capsule at the Kansas Cosmosphere. Although this is not directly from the Apollo program, this artifact is part of the race to the Moon and, more importantly, I like it, so that is why it is on this blog.

By looking closely at the front and back of the circuit card, the wire bundles are all handmade, wrapped and attached to various points on the card that contain resistors and capacitors. Looking even more closely at the front of the card in the first photograph, the damage caused by the pressure and contact with the seawater for 38 years is very evident. One of the capacitors is crushed by pressures that are known to be approximately 6,000 psi at 16,000 feet below sea level. Rust and corrosion are evident too.

In 2005, I drove down to New Jersey to meet with Curt Newport, the expedition leader of the Liberty Bell 7 recovery effort and author of "Lost Spacecraft" and photograph him with the card. The above photograph also shows a preliminary painting showing the moment the ROV shined it's lights on the Liberty Bell 7 at the bottom of the ocean. The study was used to create a painting commissioned and owned by Curt entitled "Moment of Discovery." You can also see a copy of Curt's book, "Lost Spacecraft" in the photograph too.

While I was in New Jersey with Curt, a gentleman and his family came up to meet Curt. The man was a retired engineer who worked for Bendix during the time that the company was a contractor providing components for the Mercury spacecraft being built at McDonnell. Curt pulled out the card for the engineer and he proceeded to point out how the cards were made and some of the electrical components on it. At that point, I inquired if he could located the position of the circuit card in the capsule. He said that if he had the capsule schematics, then it was possible. I had brought a Mercury MA-9 Flight Director Manual containing all the hand drawn capsule schematics. Curt and this engineer poured over the schematics and actually located the position of the card in the spacecraft. It was part of the guidance system attached to the Reaction Control System (capsule thrusters).

The Liberty Bell 7 story fascinates me as its combines two of avocations that I enjoy, wreck diving and space artifact collecting. Where else can you find an artifact that flew above Earth's atmosphere and sunk to the bottom of Earth's ocean in a matter of hours? No other recovered manned spacecraft can make that claim.

Flown Apollo 17 Circular Starchart

In 1972, Gene Cernan used this circular starchart to realign the lunar module guidance computer prior to lift off from the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission to the Taurus-Littrow region on the lunar surface of the Moon.

The chart works on the principle similar to the way a star wheel works. The transparent sheet with circles that represents the field of view from looking through the periscope in the LM. By spinning upper wheel to align with the proper time and date of the liftoff on the bottom star chart. The key stars on the bottom disk had two digit numbers that corresponded with preprogrammed numbers in the Primary Guidance and Navigation Computer (PGNS). Cernan and Schmitt keyed in the numbers given by the starchart and aligned the LM navigation system for liftoff and rendezvous with the command/service module in lunar orbit.

The above photograph shows the reverse of the Apollo 17 starchart. Cernan has written "Flown on Apollo 17 LM" and signed it. Note the Velcro attached to the back of the chart. Velcro was used extensively to keep charts, manuals and other equipment from floating away in zero gravity environments.

The certificate of authenticity written and signed by Captain Cernan states that this starchart was the one actually used to align the PGNS prior to liffoff.

Based on research conducted so far it is known that Apollo 15, 16 and 17 carried one or more of this type of chart on their missions. Apollo 15's starcharts are believed to have been left in the LM which impacted into the lunar surface after the mission. Apollo 16 carried one starchart, which has been sold and it's whereabouts is currently unknown. Apollo 17 carried two circular starcharts. One for immediate abort after landing and the one shown here. It is currently assumed that only three of this type of chart exist in the private community.

In 2004, I journeyed to Burbank, CA and met with Captain Cernan and he was gracious enough to pose with the starchart.

Flown Apollo 13 Snoopy Pin

As we know one artifact leads to another. I usually try to procure artifacts that relate to each other. In 2004, I purchased the Snoopy painting. In 2005, Fred Haise put a flown Snoopy pin up at the annual Swann auction. The relationship between the two pieces made it an excellent idea to mate the two pieces together in a display, so I picked the pin up at the auction.

The pin is Snoopy's likeness in a spacesuit and helmet. Snoopy is carrying an environmental unit designed to keep the astronaut comfortable while in the suit. The pin was designed as a lapel pin and, as such, is very small at approximately 1/2 inch in length. The pin came in a plastic presentation box. The pin would be given to a NASA employee who's effort in the workplace was deemed by the astronauts as worthly enough to be awarded the a flown "Snoopy."

Fred Haise's description helps explain what Snoopy came to symbolize as a mascot for safety in the workplace and the manufacturing of manned spacecraft for NASA in the 1960's and today. It is truly an honor to an employee who is awarded the "Snoopy."

On a more personal note, recently my wife gave me a Omega Speedmaster as a birthday gift. The wristwatch is a limited edition NASA Snoopy chronometer with the spacesuited Snoopy dancing his way to the stars in full color on the backplate.

Best Buy Online