Plans beyond Apollo 17

[StevieA]

With the addition of the MET and the rover, missions 15-17 were very different to the earlier missions. What was planned for Apollo 18+ if they had gone ahead, was there any special equipment or experiments planned?

Steve

[Peter B]

I'm pretty sure Apollos 18 to 20 would all have been J missions. I don't think anything else special had been planned for them.

However, it's also worth noting that if they'd been undertaken, Apollo 15 would have been an H mission like Apollos 12 to 14.

There are, however, wrinkles in the story. Jack Schmitt apparently pushed hard both for four EVAs and for a far-side landing on Apollo 17. These requests were made after he'd been selected for A17, and so well after A18-20 had been cancelled. However, it's tempting to wonder whether either (or both) of these ideas might have been considered for the cancelled missions.

[Glom]

The MET was for Apollo 14 and was a bit rubbish in the soft pack.

[raven]

The MET was for Apollo 14 and was a bit rubbish in the soft pack.

I am unfamiliar with this idiom, though from what I know of the 'lunar rickshaw', I can guess somewhat from context.

[Obviousman]

Your best reference for these is APOLLO: The Lost and Forgotten Missions by David J. Shayler.

In summary:

Apollo 16: J-1 mission, March / April 1971 launch, no LRV, first SIM bay flight, demonstration of uprated CSM / LM  / EVA capabilities. Landing at Descartes, orbital photography of Davy Rille (future landing site), 3 x 4.5 hrs EVAs. SA 511, CSM 112, LM 10.

Apollo 17: J-2 mission, July / August 1971 launch, first LRV flight. Marius Hills landing site, orbital photography of Copernicus (future landing site), 3 x EVAs. SA 512, CSM 113, LM 11.

Apollo 18: J-3 mission, February / March 1972 launch. Landing at Copernicus, further uprated ALSEP deployment, deployment of Questar telescope. 3 x EVAs. SA 513, CSM 114, LM 12.

Apollo 19: J-4 mission, July / August 1972 launch. Landing at Hadley Apennine, 3 x EVAs. SA 514, CSM 115, LM 13.

Apollo 20: J-5, launch December 1972. Landing at Tycho crater, deploy ALSEPs to complete ALSEP network. Retrieve portions of Surveyor 7. 3 x EVAs. SA 515, CSM 115A, LM 14.

[Glom]

Apollo 19 was going to Hadley-Appenine? So where was Apollo 15 going?

[raven]

Besides the extra Apollo missions themselves, it would have been nice if some of the Apollo Applications projects had gone forward besides Skylab.

[Peter B]

Apollo 19 was going to Hadley-Appenine? So where was Apollo 15 going?

Somewhere which could be adequately explored with only two EVAs is my guess. Perhaps one of the locations which missed out when Fra Mauro was selected for Apollo 13.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

Besides the extra Apollo missions themselves, it would have been nice if some of the Apollo Applications projects had gone forward besides Skylab.

What other AAPs where there?

[raven]

Besides the extra Apollo missions themselves, it would have been nice if some of the Apollo Applications projects had gone forward besides Skylab.

What other AAPs where there?

A fly by of Venus as well as two plans for a lunar based based on Apollo hardware There's a Wikipedia page on it.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

A fly by of Venus as well as two plans for a lunar based based on Apollo hardware There's a Wikipedia page on it.

Just when I thought Apollo couldn't get any more awesome.....

[Glom]

Read erm a book. The one that has a section on Apollo beyond Apollo. It's awesome.

[Obviousman]

Apollo 19 was going to Hadley-Appenine? So where was Apollo 15 going?

The original Apollo 15 was going to be a H-4 mission, same scientific objectives as Apollos 12 - 14, 2 x EVAs and ALSEP II deployment at Censorious. It would also do orbital photography of Descartes.

[Obviousman]

Beyond Apollo was a project first named EMPIRE: Early Manned Planetary-Interplanetary Roundtrip Expedition.

How cool - and ambitious - does that sound?

[raven]

That is a world that can describe the 60's space programs, ambitious.
 Sure, some of the ideas were outstandingly insane, but others, well, would they have worked is the question, political and environmental concerns aside.
I still want to know, once and for all,  if Orion could have put over a thousand tons into orbit, or if the whole idea was better off being cancelled when it was.