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FLOWN Apollo 11 Navigational Chart with Lunar Dust. An 8.5x10.5 inch photographic film section chart with a 25 nautical mile scale and descent
FLOWN Apollo 11 Navigational Chart with Lunar Dust. An 8.5x10.5 inch photographic film section chart with a 25 nautical mile scale and descent engine burn time marks starting at minus 1+00 to just past + 20 seconds into the burn. The descent center ground track line is plotted near the center of the chart. The surface area coverage is from approximately 38 to 43 degrees E longitude and 1 degree S to 3 degrees N latitude. Prominent craters Secchi, Lubbock, and Censorinus are individually labeled. NASA/MSC, nd
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Notes: rare and important artifact of exploration and cartography that assisted the Apollo 11 LM crew as they began their descent to the lunar surface.
This chart accompanied Armstrong and Aldrin down to the lunar surface inside Lunar Module "Eagle." This section covers the period when "Eagle" is falling unpowered one minute before reaching the 50,000 foot pericynthion point of its orbit, labeled "+00." At that point, PDI (Power Descent Initiation) would occur, the engine burn that would begin lowering the spacecraft to the landing area.
Mission Control had just radioed to Armstrong and Aldrin that they were "GO" for PDI, but got no response. After some tense moments, and with assistance from Michael Collins in "Columbia," the LM crew finally heard the radio call. Aldrin then called off items from the LM Activation Checklist and said: "Hit VERB 77, Okay, sequence camera coming on."
If the PDI burn did not occur as planned, the LM crew could wait one more orbit, but once the burn started, there was just enough fuel to make one attempt at the lunar landing. As Armstrong and Aldrin were looking straight down at the lunar surface through the LM windows, and could verify that they just pasted Secchi (theta) and Lubbock R craters. The chart provided a critical verification that "Eagle" was on course before the PDI burn was to occur.
The chart was one of a series taped together to provide a continuous map of the flight path to the lunar surface. Since this one was one of the outer most charts when folded, it became partly separated after the lunar landing. Thus the exposed tape adhesive on the reverse side collected a small amount of lunar dust after the crew returned from their moon walk, making it a significant lunar artifact containing actual part of the Moon from the first manned landing.
The chart is boldly inscribed and signed by Aldrin with: "Flown to the Lunar Surface on Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin". With a Typed Letter Signed by Aldrin providing comments quoted above plus additional details about the use of this chart during the mission.
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April 2, 2005 12:00 AM EST
New York, NY, US
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