影像提供: Apollo 17, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague)
Explanation:
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17'smodule Challenger was designed for flight in the vacuum of space. This picture from command module America, shows Challenger's ascent stage inorbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine underneath. The hatch allowing access to thesurface is seen at the front, with a round radar antenna at the top. Mission commander Gene Cernan is just visible through the dark, triangular window. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the Moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972. So where is Challenger now? Its descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site, Taurus-Littrow. The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the Moon.
說明:
阿波羅17號的登月艙-挑戰者號，看起來很笨拙而且到處都是稜角，不過這並不要緊，因為它是設計要在真空中飛行。這張非常鮮明的照片，是指揮艙美國號在挑戰者號下降登月的初期所拍攝的。照片裡可以看見登月艇四週的的小型控制噴射器，而登月火箭引擎的噴口，位在登月小艇的下方。照片的前方，可看到讓太空人進入月表的艙門，圓型的雷達天線位在照片的頂端。透過深色的三角形窗戶，勉強可以看見任務指揮官舍南 (Gene Cernan)的身影。 1972年12月，這艘登月船很輕巧地降落在月表，後來又安全地把太空人載送回指揮艙。但是現在挑戰者者號在那裡呢？它的降落台仍停留在阿波羅17號的降落地點-Taurus-Littrow，而它的返回艙在太空人返回地球前，被拋棄並撞毀在降落台附近。阿波羅17號任務是人類的第六次，也是最後一次的太空人登月任務。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU