Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Instruments similar to this Passive Seismic Experiment Array were deployed as components of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Packages (ALSEPs) deployed on Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16. This particular unit was built for Apollo 17, though it was not flown. The experiment was designed to detect vibrations on the lunar surface in the vertical and two horizontal directions. The seismometers were used to determine the structure of the moon's interior, the nature of meteoroid strikes, tidal shifts in the lunar surface, and changes in the moon's gravitational field. Like other ALSEP experiments, this experiment was powered by a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG).

This unit was stored by Bendix Aerospace until NASA transferred the object to the Smithsonian in 1982.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type EQUIPMENT-Lunar Manufacturer Teledyne Corporation, Earth Sciences Division
 Dimensions 3-D (Approx. on Stand): 76.8 × 31.7 × 30.5cm (2 ft. 6 1/4 in. × 1 ft. 1/2 in. × 1 ft.)
 Materials Unknown Metal (possibly Beryllium)
Aluminum
Coating
Plastic
Rubber
Synthetic
Copper Alloy
 Inventory Number A19820511000 Credit Line Transferred from the NASA - Johnson Space Center Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.