Radiation damage

[Sarcasticus]

Hello,

I've been studying the Apollo hoax for some time now and am not convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that we went to the moon.

For starters, the mathematical likelihood of the LM working on the moon with no malfunctions seems very low - let alone six times. As well, I don't think they had enough fuel to get to the moon, land, lift off and get back. Further, the TLI does not appear to be a valid way to get into lunar orbit.

However, my major concern is with the picture record. There is no radiation damage on any pictures pointed directly at the sun. If there's no atmosphere on the moon, then there's nothing to protect the film from the solar radiation - not to mention the cosmic radiation. It seems to me that the pictures from the Apollo missions should show signs of radiation damage.

[Laurel]

The LM didn't work with "no malfunctions." Apollo 11's LM had computer program alarms during its descent and its onboard timer failed as well.

[raven]

Well, for one, it didn't operate without any malfunction 6 times, it's just that none of those malfunctions were severe enough to result in an abort.
Two, the lunar module was a two stage craft. The descent stage only had to land the LM. The second stage, the ascent stage, had its own fuel and rocket, and only had to carry itself back to orbit.
Third, what exactly do you mean by solar radiation damage? Your claim is so vague it isn't compeltly clear what angle you are coming at this from.

[LunarOrbit]

For starters, the mathematical likelihood of the LM working on the moon with no malfunctions seems very low - let alone six times.

Ever heard of Apollo 13?

As well, I don't think they had enough fuel to get to the moon, land, lift off and get back.

How much fuel is required?

Further, the TLI does not appear to be a valid way to get into lunar orbit.

Why not?

However, my major concern is with the picture record. There is no radiation damage on any pictures pointed directly at the sun.

All of the pictures I've seen where the camera was pointed directly at the Sun are washed out. It also destroyed the Apollo 12 video camera.

If there's no atmosphere on the moon, then there's nothing to protect the film from the solar radiation

Except the body of the camera, of course.

not to mention the cosmic radiation.

How much radiation was there?

[Sarcasticus]

The LM didn't work with "no malfunctions." Apollo 11's LM had computer program alarms during its descent and its onboard timer failed as well.

You're right.

Excuse me - ignore the mathematical likelihood of the LM for now.

[Sarcasticus]

Third, what exactly do you mean by solar radiation damage? Your claim is so vague it isn't compeltly clear what angle you are coming at this from.

I think the film should be essentially ruined. The sun gives off a wide ray of EM radiation - when the camera shutter opens, the film should be bombarded with this radiation - ruining the film.

[gillianren]

Third, what exactly do you mean by solar radiation damage? Your claim is so vague it isn't compeltly clear what angle you are coming at this from.

I think the film should be essentially ruined. The sun gives off a wide ray of EM radiation - when the camera shutter opens, the film should be bombarded with this radiation - ruining the film.

Have you done the math?  Can you quantify how much radiation it takes to ruin film?  Can you quantify how much radiation the Sun puts out?

[Sarcasticus]

All of the pictures I've seen where the camera was pointed directly at the Sun are washed out. It also destroyed the Apollo 12 video camera.

Please see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/IanR81Apollo11.jpg

Except the body of the camera, of course.

The radiation would ruin the film as soon as the picture is taken.

[raven]

All of the pictures I've seen where the camera was pointed directly at the Sun are washed out. It also destroyed the Apollo 12 video camera.

Please see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/IanR81Apollo11.jpg

That's a composite with likely further editing, not an actual single picture taken on the moon.

[Count Zero]

I think the film should be essentially ruined. The sun gives off a wide ray of EM radiation - when the camera shutter opens, the film should be bombarded with this radiation - ruining the film.

Why wouldn't this happen in Earth orbit?  It's the same distance from the Sun, with nothing blocking EM radiation.  The answer is that your guess is based on assuming the radiation levels are high enough to do damage, when they are not.

[Count Zero]

All of the pictures I've seen where the camera was pointed directly at the Sun are washed out. It also destroyed the Apollo 12 video camera.

Please see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/IanR81Apollo11.jpg

Please see the caption for that photo:
"Ian Regan writes: "Here is a mosaic that I have just finished working on that shows a view of the Apollo 11 landing site at Mare Tranquillitatis, using Hasselblad photographs taken by Buzz Aldrin. I wanted to produce this composite after browsing through the pictures on Kipp Teague's excellent 'Apollo Archive' website - I saw the opportunity to have Armstrong, Eagle, the Flag and the Sun all in a single frame, using genuine in-flight Apollo photography. I call the mosaic Armstrong and Eagle Under a Blazing Sun. The images I used are AS11-44-6598 (ascent stage photographed by Mike Collins in lunar orbit prior to descent), AS11-40-5886 (Armstrong at the MESA), AS11-40-5887 (more of the descent stage), and AS14-66-9305 (because no A11 images show the sun from the lunar surface)."

Here is AS14-65-9305.  Note that it is pretty washed-out.

[raven]

Thanks, Count Zero, I was just about to post that.

Here's a link to the caption. (Scroll down to 15 March 2004)
Funny you did not see that when you got the link, Sarcasticus.

[Sarcasticus]

Third, what exactly do you mean by solar radiation damage? Your claim is so vague it isn't compeltly clear what angle you are coming at this from.

I think the film should be essentially ruined. The sun gives off a wide ray of EM radiation - when the camera shutter opens, the film should be bombarded with this radiation - ruining the film.

Have you done the math?  Can you quantify how much radiation it takes to ruin film?  Can you quantify how much radiation the Sun puts out?

I don't know the exact amount of specific radiation it takes to ruin film, but I know X-rays affect film.
I don't know the exact amount of radiation the Sun puts out, but I know it puts out a lot of X-rays. (See: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/sun.html)

Also, here's a NASA paper about how much their film was ruined when briefly exposed to radiation within LEO: http://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/TRS/_techrep/CR188427.pdf

[raven]

Strong and weak are relative terms. Did you know that magnetic fields do not block or deflect x-rays or other electromagnetic radiation? This lack of deflection is in fact how gamma rays were isolated and discovered. Therefore, the x-ray levels from the sun would be exactly the same in Low Earth Orbit, where film photographs have been taken for decades during EVA.

[JayUtah]

I think the film should be essentially ruined. The sun gives off a wide ray of EM radiation - when the camera shutter opens, the film should be bombarded with this radiation - ruining the film.

Why does photography work in Earth orbit?