APPLYING AND UPDATING THE APOLLO BREAKTHROUGH IN FIELD WORK METHODOLOGY FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION

During the Apollo program, the extraordinary challenge geologists faced in planning the first human expeditions to the surface of another solar system body led to the development of a distinctive approach to geological field work. Not only did those involved deal effectively with the extreme limitation in access to and resources available for a target as remote as the lunar surface, but they developed a truly rigorous and effective field-based approach for all science activities which included the deployment of field instruments. A recently compiled archive of Apollo field work related documents provides insight into the problem-solving that led to this methodology. The online Apollo Surface Journal allows analysis of the astronaut’s actual performance in terms of capability for distance on foot, field station activities, and manual operation of tools and instruments, all as a function of time. Robotic precursors to provide ‘on the ground’ images and orbital coverage at up to 1 meter resolution for potential landing sites were an essential first step. The astronauts had to rely on intensive, lengthy simulation and training to operate ‘where no man had gone before’ innovatively assisted by a co-trained geological ‘back room’. Their limited dexterity in spacesuits led to the development of a systematic oral documentation method. The astronauts became quite effective at communicating and capturing the geological character of field stations accurately and succinctly the first and only time in a matter of tens of minutes, in a systematic, repeatable manner. They were restricted to tens of kilometers in the rover and normally tens of meters on foot. Science objectives were addressed by gathering samples at selected accessible outcrops and determining their relationship to the surrounding terrain as keys to understanding the underlying structure and stratigraphy. These ‘lessons learned’ are being applied and updated for next generation field science activities on the Moon and elsewhere.