ALSEP - Apollo Experiments

All these models use the same texture file as the previous Apollo Lunar Module 3D model.

The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) comprised a set of scientific instruments placed by the astronauts at the landing site of each of the five Apollo missions to land on the Moon following Apollo 11 (Apollos 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17). Apollo 11 left a smaller package called the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package, or EASEP.


The 3D models collection contains the following 16 objects :

Conrad Surveyor – also known as Surveyor 3, was the third lander of the American unmanned Surveyor program sent to explore the surface of the Moon. Launched on April 17, 1967, Surveyor 3 landed on April 20, 1967 at the Mare Cognitum portion of the Oceanus Procellarum (S3º 01' 41.43" W23º 27' 29.55") . It transmitted a total of 6,315 TV images to the Earth.

Central Station - this was essentially the command center for the entire ALSEP station. It weighed 25kg and received commands from Earth, transmitted data, and distributed power to each experiment. Transmitters, receivers, data processors and multiplexers were housed within the Central Station.

Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE) - The PSE was designed to detect "moonquakes," either naturally or artificially created, to help study the structure of the subsurface.

Passive Seismic Experiment Package (PSEP) - Similar to the PSE, except it was self-supporting. This meant it carried its own power source (solar arrays), electronics, and communications equipment. In addition, the PSEP also carried a Dust Detector.

Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) - The RTG was the power source for the ALSEP. It utilized the heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 and thermocouples to generate approximately 70 watts of power. The base of the RTG was the base of the second ALSEP subpackage.

Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment (CPLEE) - The CPLEE was designed to measure the fluxes of charged particles such as electrons and ions.

Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment (SIDE) - The SIDE was designed to measure various properties of positive ions in the Lunar environment, provide data on the plasma interaction between solar wind and the Moon, and to determine the electrical potential of the Lunar surface.

Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) - By reflecting a laser shot from Earth off one of LRRRs, the distance to the Moon could be accurately determined. The information could be used to study Lunar recession due to tidal dissipation and the irregular motion of the Earth. The LRRRs are the only experiments still in use today.

Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment (LEAM) - The LEAM was designed to detect secondary particles that had been ejected by meteorite impacts on the lunar surface and to detect primary micrometeorites themselves.

Lunar Surface Gravimeter (LSG) - The LSG was designed to make very accurate measurements of lunar gravity and its change over time. It was hoped the data could be used to prove the existence of gravitational waves.

Lunar Surface Magnetometer (LSM) - The LSM was designed to measure the Lunar magnetic field. The data could be used to determine electrical properties of the subsurface. It was also used to study the interaction of solar plasma and the Lunar surface.

Solar Wind Spectrometer Experiment (SWS) - The SWS was designed to study solar wind properties and its effects on the Lunar environment.

Active Seismic Experiment - The mortar package assembly (MPA) deployed at the Apollo 16 ALSEP site. Two experiments, the Active Seismic Experiment on Apollo 14 and 16 and the Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment on Apollo 17, were performed to determine the detailed structure of the upper kilometer of the lunar crust. Both experiments involved detonation of a series of small explosives.

Solar Wind Composition Experiment - The experiment consisted of an aluminum foil sheet, 1.4 meters by 0.3 meters, that was deployed on a pole facing the sun. On Apollo 16, a platinum sheet was also used. This foil was exposed to the sun allowing solar-wind particles to embed themselves into the foil. The foil was then returned to Earth for laboratory analysis.

Lunar Flag Assembly (LFA) - it was a 3-by-5-foot (0.91 by 1.5 m) flag of the United States (US) and flagpole planted on the Moon by the Apollo astronauts. The LFA was specially designed with a horizontal pole to support the flag on the airless Moon to make it appear to fly as it would in the wind on Earth. The LFA presented a range of technical challenges, including packaging, tolerance of environmental conditions and deployment.

S-band antenna - The Manned Space Flight Network antennas operated in the S-Band, on frequencies around 2.2 GHz. The system employed was known as the "Unified S-Band System" (USB). This system combined tracking and ranging; command, voice and television into a single antenna. S-Band frequencies were minimally attenuated by the Earth's atmosphere and were suitable for both Earth orbit and Lunar use. A USB-equipped antenna could transmit and receive simultaneously. Voice, telemetry and television were all received together and the system allowed for very accurate ranging to determine the distance of the spacecraft from Earth.