Feb 7 1971
From The Space Library
RM Radiation/Meteoroid satellite launched pickaback with Ofo satellite Nov. 9, 1970, reentered atmosphere and disintegrated. Satellite had demonstrated that advanced radiation system was feasible and accurate and had verified improved instrumentation for measuring meteoroid impact, flux, direction, and speed. (NASA Release 710)
February 7-8: U.S.S.R.'s Lunokhod I lunar rover, which landed on moon on board Luna 17 Nov. 18, 1970, traveled 597 m (653 yds) across moon during first two traverses since end of third lunar night. (SBD, 2/10/71, 182)
February 7-9: MCC-5 at 166:14 GET increased velocity by 152 mm per sec (0.5 fps). MCC-6 and MCC-7 were not required. Inflight demonstrations of composite casting, liquid transfer, and heatflow connection were televised beginning at 172:30 GET. Press briefing at 195:09 GET (6:32 pm EST Feb. 8) was of good quality. CM Kitty Hawk separated from SM at 2].6:12 GET. Parachute deployment and other reentry events occurred as planned and Kitty Hawk splashed down in mid-Pacific about 7 km (4 nm) from recovery ship U.S.S. New Orleans at 216:42 GET (4.05 pm EST Feb. 9). Astronauts, wearing flight suits and masks, were carried by helicopter from CM to recovery ship, where they entered mobile quarantine facility with recovery physicians and technician. Crew, physicians, and technician would remain inside MQF until ship neared Samoa and would then be transferred to another MQF for flight to LRL quarantine in Houston. CM was retrieved and mated to MQF transfer tunnel on board recovery ship. From inside MQF-CM containment envelope, MQF engineer removed lunar samples and equipment through decontamination lock and CM was sealed until delivery to LRL.
Sample return containers, film, and other data were flown via Pago Pago to Houston for LRL. Primary Apollo 14 objectives-to make selenological inspection, survey, and sampling of materials in preselected region of Fra Mauro; deploy and activate ALSEP; develop man's capability to work in lunar environment; and photograph candidate exploration sites-were achieved. Launch vehicle and spacecraft systems performance was near nominal except for docking problems, spurious signals, and an occasional loss of communications. Flight crew performance was excellent. Crew exhibited exceptional poise during CSM/LM docking attempts and while troubleshooting AG computer. Accomplishments included first use of MET, largest payload-32 500 kg (71 650 lbs)-placed in lunar orbit, longest distance traversed on lunar surface, largest payload returned from lunar surface, longest lunar surface stay time, longest total EVA, first use of shortened rendezvous technique, first active seismic experiment, and first inflight technology demonstrations. Apollo 14 was 11th Apollo mission to date, 8th manned Apollo mission, and 3rd successful lunar landing mission. Apollo 11 (July 16- 24, 1969) and Apollo 12 (Nov. 14-24, 1969) had proved capability to land men on moon and retrieve lunar samples for study on earth. Apollo 13 (April 11-17, 1970), aborted by SM tank explosion, had demonstrated capability to perform under emergency situation and return crew safely to earth under alternate plan. Apollo program was directed by NASA Office of Manned Space Flight; MSC was responsible for Apollo spacecraft development, MSFC for Saturn V launch vehicle, and KSC for launch operations. Tracking and data acquisition was managed by GSFC under overall direction of NASA Office of Tracking and Data Acquisition. (NASA Prof Of; NASA Release 71-245; NYT, 2/1-10/71; W Post, 2/1-10/71; Av Wk, 2/15/71, 19)
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