December 5 , 1961 . A world at the controls of a module gazes at the lunar surface from close up . Is this an spaceman , approaching the Moon nearly eight years before Apollo 11 ? Nope — it ’s a pilot testing Project LOLA , a massive connection of helping hand - painted Mosaic and tracked cameras that trained astronauts for the Sun Myung Moon landings .
Test matter on a gantry overlooking the copy lunar open during an early test - run of Project LOLA .
Fifty - four years ago , we test out Project LOLA — the Lunar Orbit and Landing Approach simulator — at the Langley Research Center in Virginia . The pilot perched on a gantry , peek out the cockpit at a tight - circuit television receiver system that tracked along elaborate lunar arial mosaic in reception to their command .
Artists used a mix of deal - picture and airbrushing to create the monolithic lunar murals for the simulator .
NASA constructed four exemplar at different scale leaf , so the cockpit could track over the murals model a landing . The largest was on a six - m ( 20 - animal foot ) diameter sphere , simulating the lunar aerofoil from an altitude of 322 kilometers ( 200 mile ) so every 1 cm covered 5.7 kilometers ( 1 in per 9 miles ) . The three modest full - ministration scale sections at 4.5 meter ( 15 pes ) by 12 meter ( 40 feet ) . The final modelling of Crater Alphonsus scaled to just 1 centimeter for every 61 meters ( 1 inch to 200 feet ) . The lunar surfaces were create by cautiously hand - painting and airbrush the surfaces using detailed photo taken from earlier lunar missions .
Model 1 was a massive 6 - meter ( 20 - foot ) diam sphere , simulate the lunar open from an altitude of 322 kilometers ( 200 stat mi ) to a scale of 1 centimeter cover 5.7 kilometers ( 1 inch per 9 mil ) .
mental synthesis of Model 1 prior to being outfitted with a hand - painted mosaic of the lunar surface .
staging and surfaces for Model 2 ( foreground ) and Model 1 ( background ) with the camera track .
Lifting a lunar surface model into position on its scaffolding .
A distinctive test political campaign lasted an time of day with the pilot in the cockpit controlling how the television system camera track along the models . The mission started with the pushcart positioned on Model 1 , lay down the translunar approach and compass . During decline , the television feed switched to a second camera on Model 2 while the first television camera was scuffle over to Model 3 . The simulation cut out around a hundred meters ( few hundred feet ) from the “ surface ” to forbid the photographic camera from bumping against the models .
Test subject in an early version of the cockpit test out the simulator ’s control organisation power to move cameras along the track .
Artist using the camera lead as a scaffold for painting the surface of Model 2 .
The three relief models were machined styrofoam paint to mate the lunar Earth’s surface .
The lunar module cabin allowed a 45 ° field of view of sight over four windows ; the simulator ’s protrusion screens cover a broader 65 ° field of view of thought . The lunar aerofoil was rear fancy using four Schmidt television projectors . Anywhere not covered by the “ lunar aerofoil ” was a starfield produce by front - externalize a four - axis vertebra starfield author ( starball ) mounted above the cabin .
This is what the view face like to the astronauts using the Project LOLA simulator :
A pair of Langley employees theorize that computer - controlled navigation would be insufficient to land on the moonshine , so they advocated for this $ 2 million one dollar bill simulator . It was intended to acquaint astronauts with the alien surface , hopefully helping them identify visual cue that would let them help the programs .
Apollo astronauts come out using the simulator in 1964 , but after the first moon landings they actualize it was n’t in reality necessary . The simulator was soon decommission , and removed entirely by 1978 .
reach out to the author at[email protected]or follow her at@MikaMcKinnon .
NASA
Daily Newsletter
Get the good technical school , science , and culture news in your inbox day by day .
tidings from the future , return to your present .
You May Also Like
