Apollo 14 Mission insignia Mission statistics1 Mission name Apollo 14 Spacecraft name CSM: Kitty Hawk LM: Antares Command Module CM-110 mass 29240 kg Service Module SM-110 Lunar Module LM-8 mass 15264 kg Crew size 3 Call sign CSM: Kitty Hawk LM: Antares Booster Saturn V SA-509 Launch pad LC 39A Kennedy Space Center Florida USA Launch date January 31 1971 21:03:02 UTC Lunar landing February 5 1971   09:18:11 UTC Fra Mauro 33843.08S 172816.90W / 3.6453S 17.471361W / -3.6453; -17.471361 (based on the IAU Mean Earth Polar Axis coordinate system) Lunar EVA duration First 04:47:50 Second   04:34:41 Total 09:22:31 Lunar surface time 1 d 09 h 30 m 29 s Lunar sample mass 42.28 kg (93.21 lb) Total CSM time in lunar orbit 2 d 18 h 35 m 39 s Landing February 9 1971 21:05:00 UTC 271S 17239W / 27.017S 172.65W / -27.017; -172.65 Mission duration 9 d 00 h 01 m 58 s Crew photo Left to right: Roosa Shepard Mitchell Related missions Previous mission Subsequent mission Apollo 13 Apollo 15

Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the American Apollo program and the third to land on the Moon. It was the last of the "H missions" targeted landings with two-day stays on the Moon with two lunar EVAs or moonwalks.

Commander Alan Shepard Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa and Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell launched on their nine-day mission on January 31 1971 at 4:04:02 pm local time after a 40 minute 2 second delay due to launch site weather restrictions the first such delay in the Apollo program.2. Shepard and Mitchell made their lunar landing on February 5 in the Fra Mauro formation; this had originally been the target of the aborted Apollo 13 mission. During the two lunar EVAs 42 kilograms (93 lb) of Moon rocks were collected and several surface experiments including seismic studies were performed. Shepard famously hit two golf balls on the lunar surface with a make-shift club he had brought from Earth. Shepard and Mitchell spent about 33 hours on the Moon with about 9 hours on EVA.

While Shepard and Mitchell were on the surface Roosa remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command/Service Module performing scientific experiments and photographing the Moon. He took several hundred seeds on the mission many of which were germinated on return resulting in the so-called Moon trees. Shepard Roosa and Mitchell landed in the Pacific Ocean on February 9. Contents 1 Crew 1.1 Backup crew 1.2 Support crew 1.3 Flight directors 2 Mission parameters 2.1 LM CSM docking 2.2 EVAs 2.2.1 EVA 1 start: February 5 1971 14:42:13 UTC 2.2.2 EVA 2 start: February 6 1971 08:11:15 UTC 3 Mission highlights 3.1 Transfer and descent 3.2 EVAs 3.3 Return 4 Mission insignia 5 Spacecraft location 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Crew Position Astronaut Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr Second spaceflight Command Module Pilot Stuart A. Roosa Only spaceflight Lunar Module Pilot Edgar D. Mitchell Only spaceflight

Shepard was the oldest U.S. astronaut when he made his trip aboard Apollo 14.34 He is the only astronaut from Project Mercury (the original Mercury Seven astronauts) to reach the Moon. Another of the original seven L. Gordon Cooper had originally been scheduled to command the mission but according to author Andrew Chaikin his casual attitude toward training along with problems with NASA hierarchy (reaching all the way back to the Mercury-Atlas 9 flight) resulted in his removal.

The mission was a personal triumph for Shepard who had battled back from Mnires disease which grounded him from 1964 to 1968. He and his crew were originally scheduled to fly on Apollo 13 but in 1969 NASA Administrators switched the scheduled crews for Apollo 13 and 14. This was done to place the more experienced Apollo 8 veteran Jim Lovell in command of what would have been the first lunar landing mission if both Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 had failed to successfully land.

As of 2011 Mitchell is the only surviving member of the crew; Roosa died in 1994 from pancreatitis and Shepard in 1998 from leukemia. Backup crew Position Astronaut Commander Eugene A. Cernan Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans Jr Lunar Module Pilot Joseph H. Engle

James McDivitt the commander of Apollo 9 who would have been either the prime crew Lunar Module Pilot or the backup crew commander was unwilling to take a secondary role in the mission. Support crew Philip K. Chapman Bruce McCandless II William R. Pogue C. Gordon Fullerton Flight directors Pete Frank Orange team Glynn Lunney Black team Milton Windler Maroon team Gerry Griffin Gold team Mission parameters Mass: CSM 29240 kg; LM 15264 kg Perigee: 183.2 km Apogee: 188.9 km Inclination: 31.12 Period: 88.18 min Perilune: 108.2 km Apolune: 314.1 km Inclination: Period: 120 min Landing Site: 3.64530 S 17.47136 W or 3 38' 43.08" S 17 28' 16.90" W LM CSM docking Undocked: February 5 1971 04:50:43 UTC Docked: February 6 1971 20:35:42 UTC EVAs EVA 1 start: February 5 1971 14:42:13 UTC Shepard EVA 1 Stepped onto moon: 14:54 UTC LM ingress: 19:22 UTC Mitchell EVA 1 Stepped onto moon: 14:58 UTC LM ingress: 19:18 UTC EVA 1 end: February 5 19:30:50 UTC Duration: 4 hours 47 minutes 50 seconds EVA 2 start: February 6 1971 08:11:15 UTC Shepard EVA 2 Stepped onto moon: 08:16 UTC LM ingress: 12:38 UTC Mitchell EVA 2 Stepped onto moon: 08:23 UTC LM ingress: 12:28 UTC EVA 2 end: February 6 12:45:56 UTC Duration: 4 hours 34 minutes 41 seconds Mission highlights Transfer and descent Launch of Apollo 14

At the beginning of the mission the CSM Kitty Hawk had difficulty achieving capture and docking with the LM Antares. Repeated attempts to dock went on for 1 hour and 42 minutes until it was suggested that pilot Roosa hold Kitty Hawk against Antares using its thrusters then the docking probe would be retracted out of the way hopefully triggering the docking latches. This attempt was successful and no further docking problems were encountered during the mission.

After separating from the command module in lunar orbit the LM Antares also had two serious problems. First the LM computer began getting an ABORT signal from a faulty switch. NASA believed that the computer might be getting erroneous readings like this if a tiny ball of solder had shaken loose and was floating between the switch and the contact closing the circuit. The immediate solutiontapping on the panel next to the switchdid work briefly but the circuit soon closed again. If the problem recurred after the descent engine fired the computer would think the signal was real and would initiate an auto-abort causing the Ascent Stage to separate from the Descent Stage and climb back into orbit. NASA and the software teams at MIT scrambled to find a solution and determined the fix would involve reprogramming the flight software to ignore the false signal. The software modifications were transmitted to the crew via voice communication and Mitchell manually entered the changes (amounting to over 80 keystrokes on the LM computer pad) just in time. A second problem occurred during the powered descent when the LM radar altimeter failed to lock automatically onto the moon's surface depriving the navigation computer of vital information on the vehicle altitude and groundspeed. This was later determined to be an unintended consequence of the software patch. After the astronauts cycled the landing radar breaker the unit successfully acquired a signal near 18000 feet (5500 m) again just in the nick of time. Shepard then manually landed the LM closer to its intended target than any of the other six moon landing missions. Mitchell believes that Shepard would have continued with the landing attempt without the radar using the LM inertial guidance system and visual cues. But a post-flight review of the descent data showed the inertial system alone would have been inadequate and the astronauts probably would have been forced to abort the landing as they approached the surface. EVAs Shepard and Mitchell named their landing site Fra Mauro Base and this designation is recognized by the International Astronomical Union (depicted in Latin on lunar maps as Statio Fra Mauro). Shepard's first words after taking his first step onto the lunar surface were "And it's been a long way but we're here." Unlike Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Apollo 12's Pete Conrad Shepard had already gotten off the ladder and was a few meters from the LM before he spoke. This TV image shows Alan Shepard golfing on the Moon Shepard's moonwalking suit was the first to utilize red bands on the arms and legs and a red stripe on the top of the lunar EVA sunshade "hood" so as to allow easy identification of the commander while on the surface;5 on the Apollo 12 pictures it had been almost impossible to distinguish between the two crewmen causing a great deal of confusion. This feature was included on Jim Lovell's Apollo 13 suit but because of the accident on that mission it was not used. It was used on the remaining three Apollo flights and is used on both the U.S. and Russian spacesuits on both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. After landing in the Fra Mauro formationthe destination for Apollo 13Shepard and Mitchell took two moon walks adding new seismic studies to the by now familiar Apollo experiment package and using the Modularized Equipment Transporter (MET) a pull cart for carrying equipment and samples referred to as a "lunar rickshaw". Roosa meanwhile took pictures from on board command module Kitty Hawk in lunar orbit. The plaque left on the Moon by Apollo 14 The second moonwalk or EVA was intended to reach the rim of the 1000 foot (300 m) wide Cone Crater. However the two astronauts were not able to find the rim amid the rolling terrain of the crater's slopes. Later analysis using the pictures that they took determined that they had come within an estimated 65 feet (20 m) of the crater's rim. Images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show the tracks of the astronauts and the MET come to within 30 m of the rim.6 Shepard and Mitchell deployed and activated various scientific instruments and experiments and collected almost 100 pounds (45 kg) of lunar samples for return to earth. Other Apollo 14 achievements included: the only use of MET; longest distance traversed by foot on the lunar surface; first use of shortened lunar orbit rendezvous techniques; first use of color TV with new vidicon tube on lunar surface and the first extensive orbital science period conducted during CSM solo operations. Command Module Kitty Hawk on display at the Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center The astronauts also engaged in less serious activities. Shepard brought a makeshift six iron golf club and two golf balls to the Moon and took several swings (one-handed due to the limited flexibility of the EVA suit). He exuberantly and somewhat whimsically exclaimed that the second ball went "miles and miles and miles" in the lunar gravity but later estimated it actually went 200 to 400 yards (180 to 370 m). Mitchell then used a lunar scoop handle as a javelin creating the first 'Lunar Olympics'. Before the flight backup crew members Cernan Evans and Engle played a joke on the astronauts by stashing their own crew patches in every single locker and compartment in the spacecraft. Whenever one of the patches would float out of a locker during the mission Shepard would say "Tell Cernan BEEP-BEEP my ass!" Return On the way back to Earth the crew conducted the first U.S. materials processing experiments in space. The Apollo 14 astronauts were the last lunar explorers to be quarantined on their return from the Moon. Roosa who worked in forestry in his youth took several hundred tree seeds on the flight. These were germinated after the return to Earth and widely distributed around the world as commemorative Moon Trees. The command module Kitty Hawk splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on February 9 1971 at 21:05 UTC approximately 760 nautical miles (1410 km) south of American Samoa. After recovery by the ship USS New Orleans the crew was flown to Pago Pago International Airport in Tafuna for a reception before being flown on a C-141 cargo plane to Honolulu. Mission insignia Robbins Medallion flown on Apollo 14 The oval insignia shows a gold NASA Astronaut Pin given to U.S. astronauts upon completing their first space flight traveling from the Earth to the Moon. A gold band around the edge includes the mission and astronaut names. The designer was Jean Beaulieu. The backup crew spoofed the patch with its own version with revised artwork showing the Road Runner cartoon character on the moon holding a U.S. flag and a flag labeled "1st Team" as a gray-bearded (for Shepard who was 47 at the time of the mission and the oldest man on the Moon) pot bellied (for Mitchell who had a pudgy appearance) red furred (for Roosa's red hair) Wile E. Coyote flies in place of the astronaut pin. The flight name is replaced by "BEEP BEEP" and the backup crew's names are given. Several of these patches were hidden in the Kitty Hawk as "gotchas" for the crew to find during the flight.7 Spacecraft location The Apollo 14 Command Module Kitty Hawk is on display at the Saturn V Center building at KSC after being on display at the Astronaut Hall of Fame Titusville Florida for several years. The ascent stage of Lunar Module Antares impacted the Moon 7 February 1971 at 00:45:25.7 UT (6 February 7:45 PM EST) 325S 1940W / 3.42S 19.67W / -3.42; -19.67 (Apollo 14 LM ascent stage). Antares' descent stage and the mission's other equipment remain at Fra Mauro at 339S 1728W / 3.65S 17.47W / -3.65; -17.47 (Apollo 14 LM descent stage); they are by far the most visible Apollo hardware in the photographs from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter released on 17 July 2009 owing to particularly good lighting conditions when the images were captured. Gallery Apollo 14 landing site photograph by LRO. Later photo of landing site taken by LRO. Shepard and Mitchell erect flag on lunar surface. Alan Shepard on lunar surface. See also Spaceflight portal Moon trees taken from seeds brought to the Moon on Apollo 14. Extra-vehicular activity List of spacewalks Splashdown List of artificial objects on the Moon Google Moon References Richard W. Orloff. "Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference (SP-4029)". NASA. http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo00gTableofContents.htm.  http://history.nasa.gov/afj/launchwindow/lw1.html "Apollo 14 Moon shot: Alan Shepard 'told he was too old'". BBC News. 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12344613. Retrieved 2011-02-03.  "Apollo 14: 1971 Year in Review". UPI.com. 1971. http://www.upi.com/Audio/YearinReview/Events-of-1971/Apollo-14-and-15/12295509436546-9/. Retrieved 2009-05-03.  von Braun Wernher (July 1972). "Space Suits - From Pressurized Prison to Mini-Spacecraft". Popular Science: 121. http://books.google.com.au/booksidWZ6okH8FCs4C&lpgPA121&otskfrdjMDnfc&dqspace%20suits%20red%20bands&pgPA121#vonepage&qspace%20suits%20red%20bands&ffalse.  Samuel Lawrence (August 19 2009). "Trail of Discovery at Fra Mauro". Featured Images. Tempe Arizona: LROC News System. http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php/archives/91-Trail-of-Discovery-at-Fra-Mauro.html.  http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14beep-beep.html Further reading NASA NSSDC Master Catalog APOLLO BY THE NUMBERS: A Statistical Reference by Richard W. Orloff (NASA) The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology Apollo Program Summary Report Apollo 14 Lunar Launch Video Apollo 14 Characteristics SP-4012 NASA HISTORICAL DATA BOOK Lattimer Dick (1985). 'All We Did was Fly to the Moon. Whispering Eagle Press. ISBN 0-9611228-0-3. NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (1971) 'Apollo 14 Technical Air-To-Ground Voice Transcription' Back-up-Crew Patch External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Apollo 14 NASA Apollo 14 press kit Jan 21 1971 Map of surface activities for Apollo 14 Apollo 14 entry in Encyclopedia Astronautica Apollo 14 Science Experiments Interview with the Apollo 14 Astronauts (March 31 1971) from the Commonwealth Club of California Records at the Hoover Institution Archives. 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