APOLLO LUNAR SURFACE EXPERIMENTS PACKAGE (ALSEP)
The Apollo 17 ALSEP was packed on two subpallets similar to the ones shown here. It consisted of five experiments: a Heat Flow Experiment; an Ejecta and meteorites Experiment; a Seismic Profiling Experiment; an Atmospheric Composition Experiment; and a Surface Gravimeter. Energy for the ALSEP was provided by the nuclear-powered Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. The last experiment ceased working in December 1974.
Pallet 1   Pallet 2 

SEISMIC PROFILING EXPERIMENT EXPLOSIVES PACKAGE
This pallet was part of the ALSEP Seismic Profiling Experiment and held eight separate explosive devices of varying strength. Carrying the pallet on the Lunar Roving Vehicle, astronauts deployed individual explosive devices at intervals over the lunar surface. After the astronauts departed the surface and returned to lunar orbit, they detonated the charges remotely by radio signal. A seismometer on the ALSEP then recorded the seismic behavior of the lunar surface and interior.

APOLLO LUNAR SURFACE DRILL
The astronauts used this electrically- powered tool to drill holes for subsurface instrument probes and to collect core samples to depths of 4.6 meters (15 feet) in the lunar surface.
Bore Stems

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Racing to Space
The Moon decision
To reach the moon
Apollo 11
Later Apollo missions
What we learned about the Moon
After the Apollo Program


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Created: 7/99