Importance of moon phases for Apollo missionsWhy is the ladder of the LM always in the dark side of the LM?How was dust-mitigation addressed during the Apollo program?Moon Exploration Before the Apollo Missions?Was an elliptical orbit considered for the CSM when planning the Apollo moon landing missions?Before the Apollo 1 fire, what was the plan for the missions leading up to a lunar landing?Were stereoscopic pictures taken during the Apollo missions?What coordinate system was used for the Apollo missions?Apollo Missions - Travel time to moonDid NASA have a term for the “sky” during the Apollo missionsWhy was Apollo 17 considered to have “achieved a very successful geological survey”?What was the temperature of the Apollo 11 moon landing zone?
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Importance of moon phases for Apollo missions
Why is the ladder of the LM always in the dark side of the LM?How was dust-mitigation addressed during the Apollo program?Moon Exploration Before the Apollo Missions?Was an elliptical orbit considered for the CSM when planning the Apollo moon landing missions?Before the Apollo 1 fire, what was the plan for the missions leading up to a lunar landing?Were stereoscopic pictures taken during the Apollo missions?What coordinate system was used for the Apollo missions?Apollo Missions - Travel time to moonDid NASA have a term for the “sky” during the Apollo missionsWhy was Apollo 17 considered to have “achieved a very successful geological survey”?What was the temperature of the Apollo 11 moon landing zone?
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I looked up that Apollo 11 landed at half moon and that Apollo 8 circled the moon at new moon.
How important where the moon phases for the Apollo flights?
the-moon apollo-program
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
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add a comment |
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I looked up that Apollo 11 landed at half moon and that Apollo 8 circled the moon at new moon.
How important where the moon phases for the Apollo flights?
the-moon apollo-program
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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$begingroup$
Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/37169/195
$endgroup$
– Russell Borogove
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@RussellBorogove Thank you, this answers the question (and much more).
$endgroup$
– J. Fabian Meier
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I looked up that Apollo 11 landed at half moon and that Apollo 8 circled the moon at new moon.
How important where the moon phases for the Apollo flights?
the-moon apollo-program
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
I looked up that Apollo 11 landed at half moon and that Apollo 8 circled the moon at new moon.
How important where the moon phases for the Apollo flights?
the-moon apollo-program
the-moon apollo-program
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
J. Fabian MeierJ. Fabian Meier
1284 bronze badges
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$begingroup$
Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/37169/195
$endgroup$
– Russell Borogove
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@RussellBorogove Thank you, this answers the question (and much more).
$endgroup$
– J. Fabian Meier
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/37169/195
$endgroup$
– Russell Borogove
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@RussellBorogove Thank you, this answers the question (and much more).
$endgroup$
– J. Fabian Meier
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/37169/195
$endgroup$
– Russell Borogove
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/37169/195
$endgroup$
– Russell Borogove
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@RussellBorogove Thank you, this answers the question (and much more).
$endgroup$
– J. Fabian Meier
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@RussellBorogove Thank you, this answers the question (and much more).
$endgroup$
– J. Fabian Meier
8 hours ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
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The date of each landing was selected to achieve a favorable sun angle, with the sun low in the sky to the East of the landing site as described in this answer.
That means the phase of the moon as seen from Earth was dependent on the longitude of the landing site, but generally within 2 or 3 days of a waxing half moon.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
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Good question. The moon phases were indeed important for the Apollo missions. The sun had to be in the right angle so the crew can see the lunar landscape. The sun had to be in an angle of 5° to 14°. The sun elevation angle changes about 0.5° per hour meaning the sun was at the right angle for 16 hours every 29.5 days. If the angle of the sunlight was greater than 16°, then it would create a "washout" effect where the light reflecting off the surface overflows the craters and any topographical features.
Here's a passage that answers your question from this source.
The time of a lunar landing was determined by the location of the lunar landing site and by the acceptable range of sun elevation angles. The range of these angles was from 5° to 14° and in a direction from east to west. Under these conditions, visible shadows of craters would aid the crew in recognizing topographical features. When the sun angle approached the descent angle, the mean value of which was 16°, visual resolution would be degraded by a “washout” phenomenon where backward reflectance was high enough to eliminate contrast. Sun angles above the flight path were not as desirable because shadows would not be readily visible unless the sun was significantly outside the descent plane. In addition, higher sun angles (greater than 18°) could be eliminated from consideration by planning the landing one day earlier where the lighting is at least 5°. Because lunar sunlight incidence changed about 0.5° per hour, the sun elevation angle restriction established a 16-hour period, which occurred every 29.5 days, when landing at a given site could be attempted. The number of Earth-launch opportunities for a given lunar month was equal to the number of candidate landing sites.
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
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2 Answers
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2 Answers
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$begingroup$
The date of each landing was selected to achieve a favorable sun angle, with the sun low in the sky to the East of the landing site as described in this answer.
That means the phase of the moon as seen from Earth was dependent on the longitude of the landing site, but generally within 2 or 3 days of a waxing half moon.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The date of each landing was selected to achieve a favorable sun angle, with the sun low in the sky to the East of the landing site as described in this answer.
That means the phase of the moon as seen from Earth was dependent on the longitude of the landing site, but generally within 2 or 3 days of a waxing half moon.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The date of each landing was selected to achieve a favorable sun angle, with the sun low in the sky to the East of the landing site as described in this answer.
That means the phase of the moon as seen from Earth was dependent on the longitude of the landing site, but generally within 2 or 3 days of a waxing half moon.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
$endgroup$
The date of each landing was selected to achieve a favorable sun angle, with the sun low in the sky to the East of the landing site as described in this answer.
That means the phase of the moon as seen from Earth was dependent on the longitude of the landing site, but generally within 2 or 3 days of a waxing half moon.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
edited 7 hours ago
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
98.7k3 gold badges344 silver badges429 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Good question. The moon phases were indeed important for the Apollo missions. The sun had to be in the right angle so the crew can see the lunar landscape. The sun had to be in an angle of 5° to 14°. The sun elevation angle changes about 0.5° per hour meaning the sun was at the right angle for 16 hours every 29.5 days. If the angle of the sunlight was greater than 16°, then it would create a "washout" effect where the light reflecting off the surface overflows the craters and any topographical features.
Here's a passage that answers your question from this source.
The time of a lunar landing was determined by the location of the lunar landing site and by the acceptable range of sun elevation angles. The range of these angles was from 5° to 14° and in a direction from east to west. Under these conditions, visible shadows of craters would aid the crew in recognizing topographical features. When the sun angle approached the descent angle, the mean value of which was 16°, visual resolution would be degraded by a “washout” phenomenon where backward reflectance was high enough to eliminate contrast. Sun angles above the flight path were not as desirable because shadows would not be readily visible unless the sun was significantly outside the descent plane. In addition, higher sun angles (greater than 18°) could be eliminated from consideration by planning the landing one day earlier where the lighting is at least 5°. Because lunar sunlight incidence changed about 0.5° per hour, the sun elevation angle restriction established a 16-hour period, which occurred every 29.5 days, when landing at a given site could be attempted. The number of Earth-launch opportunities for a given lunar month was equal to the number of candidate landing sites.
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Good question. The moon phases were indeed important for the Apollo missions. The sun had to be in the right angle so the crew can see the lunar landscape. The sun had to be in an angle of 5° to 14°. The sun elevation angle changes about 0.5° per hour meaning the sun was at the right angle for 16 hours every 29.5 days. If the angle of the sunlight was greater than 16°, then it would create a "washout" effect where the light reflecting off the surface overflows the craters and any topographical features.
Here's a passage that answers your question from this source.
The time of a lunar landing was determined by the location of the lunar landing site and by the acceptable range of sun elevation angles. The range of these angles was from 5° to 14° and in a direction from east to west. Under these conditions, visible shadows of craters would aid the crew in recognizing topographical features. When the sun angle approached the descent angle, the mean value of which was 16°, visual resolution would be degraded by a “washout” phenomenon where backward reflectance was high enough to eliminate contrast. Sun angles above the flight path were not as desirable because shadows would not be readily visible unless the sun was significantly outside the descent plane. In addition, higher sun angles (greater than 18°) could be eliminated from consideration by planning the landing one day earlier where the lighting is at least 5°. Because lunar sunlight incidence changed about 0.5° per hour, the sun elevation angle restriction established a 16-hour period, which occurred every 29.5 days, when landing at a given site could be attempted. The number of Earth-launch opportunities for a given lunar month was equal to the number of candidate landing sites.
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Good question. The moon phases were indeed important for the Apollo missions. The sun had to be in the right angle so the crew can see the lunar landscape. The sun had to be in an angle of 5° to 14°. The sun elevation angle changes about 0.5° per hour meaning the sun was at the right angle for 16 hours every 29.5 days. If the angle of the sunlight was greater than 16°, then it would create a "washout" effect where the light reflecting off the surface overflows the craters and any topographical features.
Here's a passage that answers your question from this source.
The time of a lunar landing was determined by the location of the lunar landing site and by the acceptable range of sun elevation angles. The range of these angles was from 5° to 14° and in a direction from east to west. Under these conditions, visible shadows of craters would aid the crew in recognizing topographical features. When the sun angle approached the descent angle, the mean value of which was 16°, visual resolution would be degraded by a “washout” phenomenon where backward reflectance was high enough to eliminate contrast. Sun angles above the flight path were not as desirable because shadows would not be readily visible unless the sun was significantly outside the descent plane. In addition, higher sun angles (greater than 18°) could be eliminated from consideration by planning the landing one day earlier where the lighting is at least 5°. Because lunar sunlight incidence changed about 0.5° per hour, the sun elevation angle restriction established a 16-hour period, which occurred every 29.5 days, when landing at a given site could be attempted. The number of Earth-launch opportunities for a given lunar month was equal to the number of candidate landing sites.
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
$endgroup$
Good question. The moon phases were indeed important for the Apollo missions. The sun had to be in the right angle so the crew can see the lunar landscape. The sun had to be in an angle of 5° to 14°. The sun elevation angle changes about 0.5° per hour meaning the sun was at the right angle for 16 hours every 29.5 days. If the angle of the sunlight was greater than 16°, then it would create a "washout" effect where the light reflecting off the surface overflows the craters and any topographical features.
Here's a passage that answers your question from this source.
The time of a lunar landing was determined by the location of the lunar landing site and by the acceptable range of sun elevation angles. The range of these angles was from 5° to 14° and in a direction from east to west. Under these conditions, visible shadows of craters would aid the crew in recognizing topographical features. When the sun angle approached the descent angle, the mean value of which was 16°, visual resolution would be degraded by a “washout” phenomenon where backward reflectance was high enough to eliminate contrast. Sun angles above the flight path were not as desirable because shadows would not be readily visible unless the sun was significantly outside the descent plane. In addition, higher sun angles (greater than 18°) could be eliminated from consideration by planning the landing one day earlier where the lighting is at least 5°. Because lunar sunlight incidence changed about 0.5° per hour, the sun elevation angle restriction established a 16-hour period, which occurred every 29.5 days, when landing at a given site could be attempted. The number of Earth-launch opportunities for a given lunar month was equal to the number of candidate landing sites.
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
StarManStarMan
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
6811 silver badge12 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
J. Fabian Meier is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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Related: space.stackexchange.com/q/37169/195
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– Russell Borogove
8 hours ago
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@RussellBorogove Thank you, this answers the question (and much more).
$endgroup$
– J. Fabian Meier
8 hours ago