Experiments

During the exploration period, the television camera was set up and the American flag was raised on the lunar surface. The crewmen collected about 47 pounds of lunar material, and obtained photographic documentation of their activities and the conditions around them.

In addition to sample collection activities, several experiments were performed:

•  The soil mechanics investigation studied the properties of the lunar soil.

•  The solar wind composition experiment collected samples of the solar wind for analysis on Earth.

Other experiments were deployed by the crew and then monitored from Earth by radio telemetry after the crew departed. This group of experiments was termed “The early Apollo scientific experiment package”.

•  The passive seismic experiment detected lunar "moonquakes" and provided information about the internal structure of the Moon.

•  The laser ranging retro-reflector measured very precisely the distance between the Earth and Moon.

•  The lunar dust detector studied the effects of lunar dust.