a_v_c_o_AKP (ca. 1966/67, lg format unnumbered GAEC photo, lunar EVA)
Wonderful ca. 1966/67 Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (GAEC) artist’s concept depicting the first Astronaut (Armstrong) on the moon, deploying/’erecting’ the Erectable S-Band Antenna. The antenna’s discarded stowage container & cover can be seen on the lunar surface, to the right of “Armstrong”. The stowage assembly was attached, vertically, at the far left-hand side of Quadrant I of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) descent stage. From this perspective, it’s just to the other side/behind the porch/ladder. The cable from the leg of the S-band antenna can be traced back to it.
The antenna was not used during Apollo 11. Superlative reading regarding it, at the informative ALSJ:
workingonthemoon.com/WOTM-Erectable-S-Band.html
What I’ve always found to be interesting about this iconic (to me) work is that it seems to deliberately depict the substantially compressed primary struts of the LEM landing gear, to such an extent that the descent engine nozzle extension appears to have contacted the surface. In fact, the uneven point of contact also seems to show crumpling of it.
As always, the brilliant website of Mike Jetzer, “HEROIC RELICS”, addresses/depicts both of my observations:
heroicrelics.org/info/lm/landing-gear-strut-honeycomb.html
And, specifically, page 10 of the document:
heroicrelics.org/info/lm/mech-design-lmde.html
Finally, this being a GAEC-produced LEM/LM artwork would normally/automatically identify the artist to be Craig Kavafes. However, to me, this doesn’t look like it was by his hand. But, it must be, right?
11” x 14”.
a_v_c_o_AKP (ca. 1966/67, lg format unnumbered GAEC photo, lunar EVA)
Wonderful ca. 1966/67 Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (GAEC) artist’s concept depicting the first Astronaut (Armstrong) on the moon, deploying/’erecting’ the Erectable S-Band Antenna. The antenna’s discarded stowage container & cover can be seen on the lunar surface, to the right of “Armstrong”. The stowage assembly was attached, vertically, at the far left-hand side of Quadrant I of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) descent stage. From this perspective, it’s just to the other side/behind the porch/ladder. The cable from the leg of the S-band antenna can be traced back to it.
The antenna was not used during Apollo 11. Superlative reading regarding it, at the informative ALSJ:
workingonthemoon.com/WOTM-Erectable-S-Band.html
What I’ve always found to be interesting about this iconic (to me) work is that it seems to deliberately depict the substantially compressed primary struts of the LEM landing gear, to such an extent that the descent engine nozzle extension appears to have contacted the surface. In fact, the uneven point of contact also seems to show crumpling of it.
As always, the brilliant website of Mike Jetzer, “HEROIC RELICS”, addresses/depicts both of my observations:
heroicrelics.org/info/lm/landing-gear-strut-honeycomb.html
And, specifically, page 10 of the document:
heroicrelics.org/info/lm/mech-design-lmde.html
Finally, this being a GAEC-produced LEM/LM artwork would normally/automatically identify the artist to be Craig Kavafes. However, to me, this doesn’t look like it was by his hand. But, it must be, right?
11” x 14”.