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Apollo 12: Pinpoint for Science

196928 min 40 sec125 shots

Surveyor 3’s 1967 landing in the Ocean of Storms establishes Apollo 12’s central goal: land astronauts near the robotic spacecraft and use that precision to support lunar research. The film follows Charles “Pete” Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean from their rain-soaked launch through a lightning strike, system checks, flight to the Moon, and entry into lunar orbit. Conrad and Bean separate in the lunar module Intrepid while Gordon remains in the command module Yankee Clipper, then guide Intrepid to a landing near Surveyor 3.

During two moonwalks, Conrad and Bean deploy the automated ALSEP scientific station, collect rocks and soil, take a core sample, and examine several craters. Their instruments measure solar particles, the Moon’s thin atmosphere, its magnetic field, and seismic activity, although their television camera fails after being pointed at the Sun. The astronauts reach Surveyor 3, inspect the spacecraft, and remove its camera and scoop for return to Earth.

Conrad and Bean lift off from the Moon, dock with Gordon, and transfer their samples, equipment, and photographs into Yankee Clipper. Mission control then sends the empty lunar module crashing into the Moon to test the seismometer, which detects vibrations that continue for more than 55 minutes. After additional lunar photography, Apollo 12 returns through Earth’s atmosphere and splashes down; closing scenes show scientists examining the rocks and monitoring data still arriving from ALSEP.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: NASA
Collection: NASA Image and Video Library
Original title: Apollo 12: Pinpoint for Science
Date: 1969
Original link: Open on images.nasa.gov
Rights: public_domain