"Tower" in background of Apollo 11 (?) footage

[Rob48]

https://www.hq.NASA.gov/alsj/a12/AS12-48-7100.jpg

I can't make out from the YT video if the direction of the antenna matches or not. The relative positions of Surveyor 2 as the 'tower', LM and antenna would seem to match, though

Yes that looks a lot more plausible. The angles seem to match up, and it looks a lot more distant from the LM than any of the deployed equipment. I think it must be Surveyor 

I can't see the Surveyor in any of the panoramas shot from near the LM though, which is a bit strange.

[bknight]

One of the "problems" with attempting to answer the question is that the proponents rarely reference the image number with their claim. 
I have been browsing the library of A 12 and A14 and I can't find a match to the image.

[Rob48]

One of the "problems" with attempting to answer the question is that the proponents rarely reference the image number with their claim. 
I have been browsing the library of A 12 and A14 and I can't find a match to the image.

Well the YT video uses 16mm footage, doesn't it, not a still?

The closest matches to the viewpoint I can see are AS12-6728 to 6730, showing Bean coming down the ladder.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/21700173935/in/album-72157659081038325/

[bknight]

https://www.hq.NASA.gov/alsj/a12/AS12-48-7100.jpg

I can't make out from the YT video if the direction of the antenna matches or not. The relative positions of Surveyor 2 as the 'tower', LM and antenna would seem to match, though

Yes that looks a lot more plausible. The angles seem to match up, and it looks a lot more distant from the LM than any of the deployed equipment. I think it must be Surveyor 

I can't see the Surveyor in any of the panoramas shot from near the LM though, which is a bit strange.

Here is one of the images of Surveyor 3, which was the landing site for A 12.
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a12/AS12-46-6741HR.jpg  It is still in deep shadow on the eastern wall of Surveyor crator.  Zoom up on the left side of the image and you will see the craft.

[Rob48]

Here is one of the images of Surveyor 3, which was the landing site for A 12.
http://www.hq.NASA.gov/alsj/a12/AS12-46-6741HR.jpg  It is still in deep shadow on the eastern wall of Surveyor crator.  Zoom up on the left side of the image and you will see the craft.

Yes I just came across that one. Which rules out Surveyor as being the tall brightly lit object. In  AS12-48-7100 it is in the sun, which confused me.

[Apollo 957]

Which rules out Surveyor as being the tall brightly lit object.

Why?

[ka9q]

A fair number of Apollo surface photos were damaged by dust getting on the film. Wedged between it and the reseau plate, the emulsion got scratched when the film was wound. The film was moved vertically, so vertical scratches (some very short) are characteristic.

There are a number of giveaways to identify Apollo surface pictures. As others have pointed out, only Apollos 12 and 14 used the standalone S-band dish. Apollo 12's flag hung limply on its pole because the lock for the horizontal bar didn't work.

Surveyor is of course a dead giveaway for Apollo 12, though as others have pointed out it was still in shadow during the first EVA.

The J missions (15-17) had the rovers, of course, and all landed in mountainous areas. 11, 12 and 14 were in marias.

Another clue is the positioning of the antennas on the LM, rover, ALSEP or the standalone dish. Use a map of the landing sites to estimate the look angles (e.g. Apollo 12 was far to the west, so its antennas pointed eastward, in the same direction as the sun but at a higher angle.) You can do the same with the laser reflectors; if you see one you also know it's Apollo 11, 14 or 15.

A special case is Apollo 16. The high gain antenna on Orion failed to "uncage" so you'll see it pointed directly aft instead of up at the sky.

[Apollo 957]

Can anyone pinpoint which EVA the film clip was taken from, or know where the original can be seen?

[Rob48]

Which rules out Surveyor as being the tall brightly lit object.

Why?

Well it appears that from a viewpoint near the LM, Surveyor was tucked down in a crater. Even if the sun was on it I don't see that it could appear above the horizon in the film clip in question.

[Rob48]

Can anyone pinpoint which EVA the film clip was taken from, or know where the original can be seen?

OK, I've figured it out. This is actually from Apollo 14, and it's Edgar Mitchell coming down the ladder for the second time in the first EVA. See this video which shows the 16mm alongside the TV footage:

And to complete the picture, the "tower" is the SWC, which you can see Mitchell deploying from about 114:11:36 (video clips in Surface Journal at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/ )

If you watch the video clip starting just before that, the "tower" is not there. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14v.1140848.rm

Then you see the SWC being deployed, and although it is not too clear at first, you can see it on the right spot in the next video segment: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14v.1141246.rm

[Rob48]

Here's a stitched panorama showing the SWC in the deployed location (A14-66-9302 to 9309).



In the film, only the portion sticking above the distant horizon is actually visible, as the lower part is hidden by the bright lunar surface. It makes quite a convincing illusion of being distant even though it is only a few metres beyond the LM shadow.

Mystery solved 

(If you're wondering how the SWC can appear in the background of Mitchell coming down the ladder during the first EVA, when it was Mitchell who deployed it on the surface, it's because Mitchell went back inside to change the comms switch after deploying the high-gain antenna (and SWC). The film shows him coming out for the second time.)

[bknight]

The mystery was what it is, not a "tower" on the moon as the original video suggested.

[Rob48]

The mystery was what it is, not a "tower" on the moon as the original video suggested.

Well quite. Sorry if I implied otherwise with my original post; that wasn't my intention. Clearly there wasn't really a giant tower looming over the horizon and yet not remarked on or showing up in photos, but it's quite an effective illusion.

[bknight]

The mystery was what it is, not a "tower" on the moon as the original video suggested.

Well quite. Sorry if I implied otherwise with my original post; that wasn't my intention. Clearly there wasn't really a giant tower looming over the horizon and yet not remarked on or showing up in photos, but it's quite an effective illusion.

I wasn't inferring that it was your opinion, just the intention of the video.

[Willoughby]

And this is why I love this site.  Someone has asked a question.  What is that thing? 

The hoaxer immediately jumps to "the mission was faked because I don't know what that thing is".  End of search.  Unanswered question means hoax.

The other side (you guys) are actually trying to answer the question.  That's the difference.  The hoaxer doesn't want the answer.  He wants the question to remain unanswered.

And when someone presents a reasonable hypothesis (it's the camera, or it's one of the Surveyors), you don't just accept it.  You scatter about trying to confirm it.  Nope.  That's not it - let's keep trying.  And this kind of ACTUAL research is how the truth becomes known.  I would suggest that anyone who has reasoning skills who is on the fence about this (I don't know if that person exists) should read this thread and judge for themselves which side is right - when it is so abundantly clear whose researching skills are superior.