Apollo 17 Launch abort (and actual launch). @HistoricSpaceStuff

Historic Space Stuff Apollo 17 pre launch, launch abort, recycle and actual launch over 2 hours later. With available pre launch footage.

The abort happens at T-30 seconds. 34:24 in the video.
From the abort onwards audio and footage is live, but silent phases (wihtout footage) are cut out. So the delay of about 2hours 40 minutes (in reality, with a lot of quiet phases) is shorter.
The abort happens at T-30 seconds. 34:24 in the video.

0:00 Pre Launch footage. Suiting up, driving off to launchpad.
10:19 no more audio. Added 8minute pre-flight interview with Gene Cernan.
21:00 Astronauts boarding. No sound.
34:10 Coming up on (first) launch and cutoff.
44:30 Problem explained by PAO
1:13:15 Final Countdown picks up at t-8 minutes
1:22:20 T-1minute and launch (w onboard audio).
1:37:40 Pao about orbit and changes due to late liftoff

And yes, as pointed out in the comments, techncially it wasn't an abort, since the countdown was stopped, resumed and the mission went on. But i think in the more general interpretation, the word is ok.

Most accounts, even documentaries about Apollo 17 skip this bit. But i think as the only hardware caused launch abort during Apollo, it is quite interesting. Well for some, like me.
Interestingly some of the mission control books go over Apollo 17 mission very quickly because afterwards it was about the smoothest and trouble free Apollo mission of them all.

And finally RIP Ron Evans and Gene Cernan. And all the best for Jack Schmitt.
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apolloinrealtime.org Apollo 11, 13, 17 in Realtime

archive.org/details/Apollo17 Apollo 17 Audio Archive.
youtu.be/vIGbOoZzlYI The Apollo Experience: Apollo 17 - Part One

The video is not commercial in any way. It started out as a personal edit of a long real time version that had a lot of empty and soundless phases. It was a long delay after all. I had started to spice it up a bit so i figured i might as well upload it for the handful people interested.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final Moon landing mission of NASA's Apollo program, and remains the most recent time humans have travelled beyond low Earth orbit. Its crew consisted of Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, and Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and it carried a biological experiment containing five mice.

Launched at 12:33 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 7, 1972, Apollo 17 was a "J-type" mission that included three days on the lunar surface, extended scientific capability, and the use of the third Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).

Cernan and Schmitt landed in the Taurus–Littrow valley and completed three moonwalks, taking lunar samples and deploying scientific instruments. The landing site had been chosen to further the mission's main goals: to sample lunar highland material older than Mare Imbrium, and to investigate the possibility of relatively recent volcanic activity.Evans remained in lunar orbit in the command and service module (CSM), taking scientific measurements and photographs.

Cernan, Evans, Schmitt, and the mice returned to Earth on December 19.

The mission included the first night launch of a U.S. crewed spacecraft and the final crewed launch of a Saturn V rocket. It was also the final use of Apollo hardware for its original purpose (extra Apollo spacecraft were later used in the Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs).

The mission broke several crewed spaceflight records, including the longest Moon landing, longest total lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours 4 minutes),largest lunar sample return (110.52 kilograms or 243.7 lb), longest time in lunar orbit (6 days 4 hours)[9] and most lunar orbits (75).
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Image and video credit NASA.
And thanks as well for making tons of audio and video available and Public Domain. I know, they legally have to, but still.

updated 5 years ago

Apollo 17 Launch abort (and actual launch).

Historic Space Stuff 2021-01-28 | Apollo 17 pre launch, launch abort, recycle and actual launch over 2 hours later. With available pre launch footage.

The abort happens at T-30 seconds. 34:24 in the video.
From the abort onwards audio and footage is live, but silent phases (wihtout footage) are cut out. So the delay of about 2hours 40 minutes (in reality, with a lot of quiet phases) is shorter.
The abort happens at T-30 seconds. 34:24 in the video.

0:00 Pre Launch footage. Suiting up, driving off to launchpad.
10:19 no more audio. Added 8minute pre-flight interview with Gene Cernan.
21:00 Astronauts boarding. No sound.
34:10 Coming up on (first) launch and cutoff.
44:30 Problem explained by PAO
1:13:15 Final Countdown picks up at t-8 minutes
1:22:20 T-1minute and launch (w onboard audio).
1:37:40 Pao about orbit and changes due to late liftoff

And yes, as pointed out in the comments, techncially it wasn't an abort, since the countdown was stopped, resumed and the mission went on. But i think in the more general interpretation, the word is ok.

Most accounts, even documentaries about Apollo 17 skip this bit. But i think as the only hardware caused launch abort during Apollo, it is quite interesting. Well for some, like me.
Interestingly some of the mission control books go over Apollo 17 mission very quickly because afterwards it was about the smoothest and trouble free Apollo mission of them all.

And finally RIP Ron Evans and Gene Cernan. And all the best for Jack Schmitt.
---
apolloinrealtime.org Apollo 11, 13, 17 in Realtime

archive.org/details/Apollo17 Apollo 17 Audio Archive.
youtu.be/vIGbOoZzlYI The Apollo Experience: Apollo 17 - Part One

The video is not commercial in any way. It started out as a personal edit of a long real time version that had a lot of empty and soundless phases. It was a long delay after all. I had started to spice it up a bit so i figured i might as well upload it for the handful people interested.

---
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17
Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final Moon landing mission of NASA's Apollo program, and remains the most recent time humans have travelled beyond low Earth orbit. Its crew consisted of Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, and Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and it carried a biological experiment containing five mice.

Launched at 12:33 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 7, 1972, Apollo 17 was a "J-type" mission that included three days on the lunar surface, extended scientific capability, and the use of the third Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV).

Cernan and Schmitt landed in the Taurus–Littrow valley and completed three moonwalks, taking lunar samples and deploying scientific instruments. The landing site had been chosen to further the mission's main goals: to sample lunar highland material older than Mare Imbrium, and to investigate the possibility of relatively recent volcanic activity.Evans remained in lunar orbit in the command and service module (CSM), taking scientific measurements and photographs.

Cernan, Evans, Schmitt, and the mice returned to Earth on December 19.

The mission included the first night launch of a U.S. crewed spacecraft and the final crewed launch of a Saturn V rocket. It was also the final use of Apollo hardware for its original purpose (extra Apollo spacecraft were later used in the Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs).

The mission broke several crewed spaceflight records, including the longest Moon landing, longest total lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours 4 minutes),largest lunar sample return (110.52 kilograms or 243.7 lb), longest time in lunar orbit (6 days 4 hours)[9] and most lunar orbits (75).
___

Image and video credit NASA.
And thanks as well for making tons of audio and video available and Public Domain. I know, they legally have to, but still.

Apollo 17 all EVA TV Footage 1/4 - LM, Flag, Alsep, Station 1

Historic Space Stuff 2022-08-25 | This is a very simple cut of all Apollo 17 EVA (moonwalks) footage. mostly for my own linking benefit.
parts 2-4 are unlisted
Part 2 youtu.be/zj9weZYpxfc (Rest EVA1, EVA2)
Part 3 youtu.be/k7nfh_OpR4Y EVA 3 to final words.
Part 4 youtu.be/4KgCwggKMKA TV (only) footage of launch, Ron Evan's Deep space EVA, tiniy bits of landing (final EVA)

0:00 16mm LM exit 117:12
0:14:35 TV1 3h15min.
0:20:56 FLag
0:51:47 Alsep carry, Fender off
01:05:10 LRV move, camera off 10 min.
01:10:00 Alsep and Geology.
03:28:00 Rolling... singing, Depart.
03:24233 Arrive Station 1
03:54:40 Back to LM

Channel trailer 2.0

Historic Space Stuff 2021-08-10 | Channel trailer 2.0

Apollo 17 Mountain moonwalk adjusted camera attempt. Landing&EVA How, Where and Why.

Historic Space Stuff 2021-07-12 | After some brief flyover and landing(site) foootage and explanation, i rotate some of the A17 Moonwalk (EVA) TV footage to a (maybe) realistic angle. To find, how steep it was for them.
The angles always look awkward, because the camera was also tilted..
Some more map and landing site at the end.

0:00 Undocking Flyover start.
1:29 Flyover landing site with markers.
2:45 Landing (brief, not real time) with map.
5:20 Short "Why go on slopes" with Valley photo.
6:05 Finally: Moonwalk TV footage adjusting
12:42 "These slopes are something else"
16:03 Hopping and falling
22:31 Much turning, close to car. Tricky.
27:48 Hopping, skiing, more hopping
29:22 Near LM EVA, hammer throw
30:49 Crew photos, LM site orbit zoom and end.

The camera (rover), rocks, astronauts ... everything ... is on slopes. To be precise, the south slopes of the North Massif. Checking out "Tracy's Rock" at EVA3, Station 6.
Many slopes and angles messing with each other. This is more of a playful test and estimate! I claim no accuracy at all!
It is just me guessing, from looks and movement. But even so, i think it gives a good idea.

I put the footage through some mild AI enhancement. But it remains 70's analog TV footage. The flyover and landing footage was shot on 16mm film (good image, no sound, source 6FPS). links to better versions below.
However, the TV camera was a long shot from the Apollo 11 level...

EVA: Extra Vehicular Activity, i.e. Moonwalk, Apollo 17 had 3 of those, each ca. 7 hours. With full, Houston controlled TV coverage, except, while the rover was driving (and before it was unpacked...).
Note (only reference to nuts and studios) This EVA footage for each station is one long uncut shot from camera on to camera off (while driving). With zoomes and pans and ups and downs and people moving in and out....
anyway:

The crew on the ground were Commander Gene Cernan (G9, A10) and Lunar Modul Pilot and professional geologist Harrison"Jack" Schmitt. The "third guy" in orbit was Ron Evens.
The LM was called "Challenger", the CSM "America".

All footage and images are cedit Nasa (and JPL for LRO images). As such they are public domain.

Links:
Youtube:
ap17 flight journal
pdi touch youtu.be/A7y5feeMvEo A17 PDI to Touchdown.Fully synched, and explained.

youtu.be/1a87mWsjVNY
Dutchsteammachine "Apollo 17 in 24fps: Lunar Orbit" The full flyover i used, but with adjusted FPS and synched original audio!

youtu.be/RWoMW9thdqc?t=7727
The full EVA station footage, unmessed with :-) Starts with nice visualisation of the drive to it. Youtube video from the Apolloinrealtime site. Link below and in their description.

youtu.be/BfQbs__kc5M
The Untold Story Of The Last Man On The Moon | Apollo 17 | Spark
Really good documentary.

youtu.be/sj6a0Wrrh1g
Lunar liftoff of Apollo 17, filmed from the Rover.

youtu.be/TWlyM1fMzy8
My video on the A17 launch delay. Apart from a missing pair of scissors, the only real problem A17 faced. Record breaking and (poss.) most complicated mission went incredibly smoothly.

Some more indirect youtube links at the bottom.

Non Youtube:
apolloinrealtime.org/17/?t=164:53:41 This EVA (exact link) and everything else A17 on Apolloinrealtime.org (or Apollo17.org).
Including all available footage, without me messing with it!! Also full audio, timeline, index and transscript. Also check out the commentary tab! And cool map visualisation of the driving.
They have similar (and bigger)projects for Apollo 11 and 13.

hhistory.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.html Apollo 17 Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal . The ultimate source for all things 17 (and all others) EVA.. links to just about any material available. Images, documents, audio, 16mm film, transscripts..

And of course Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17
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Some more obscure, directly or indirectly related youtube videos:

youtu.be/bGK44fxCstU
Scott Manley, "Why Lunar Landers Had Jumper Cables For Emergencies".
On how to (not quite) start the LM from the rover. Fascinating insight, featuring other details about the LM. And features Apollo 17.

youtu.be/A2FnbzR2ox8
Also Scott Manley, "Why is it Impossible* For Telescopes On Earth To See Spacecraft on The Moon?"

youtu.be/nsy2QAboRzE?t=457
1960's Sperry Rand Univac NASA Apollo Computer History
The other computers behind Apollo. Any why not "a digital watch" flew us to the Moon but that (and how) for example 3 massive IBM 360 mainframes in Houstons dungeon.

youtu.be/6UuRCwsGugg
MIT Science Reporter — "Landing on the Moon" (1966)
1966 historic docu on how the LM was developed and built.

youtu.be/rVpABCxiDaU
Technology Connections "Film: the reason some of the past was in HD"
Difference between taped Tv and film and how it works. Not as obvious to some people as it should be.

Apollo 14 - Docking failure. Real audio.

Historic Space Stuff 2020-10-02 | Shortly after TLI the mission already faced a premature end, when the Command Module (CM) failed to dock with the Lunar Module (LM). There would have been no danger for the crew but also no landing.
Here is the whole period from first facing the problem to the solution, about 2 hours later. Silent phases with no communication have been cut. (In hindsight i should have let some moments run in real time, especially the final docking.).
Couldn't find good TV recordings. But it would just be a longer version of this short 16mm film.
_
Apollo 14 had 2 major problems. The most famous one is the faulty abort-switch. A neat workaround in the computer enabled them to land anyway. I put Scott Manleys pretty much definitve video about it on the end screen.

0:00 Rough T&D simulation.
1:40 initial docking attemp GET3h14min with video
15:21 trouble shooting com
19:00 Another docking attempt 4hrs16mins GET.
22:20 docking in progress. MOCR update.
25:45 Cernan&Crew discuss possible workaround.
30:18 PAO update on SIVB lifetime. AND
31:00 Workaround docking attempt. 4hrs55mins
36:40 Crew&MC discuss next steps
41:14 LM extraction, evasive maneuver
52:00 Heart rates update.

Nautical miles = 1.15 Miles = 1.85km
Capcom throughout was Gordon Fullerton with brief takeover by Gene Cernan.

Links:
Nasa Apollo 14 Lunar surface Journal: hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14.html Tons of documents and videos concerning Apollo 14
Apollo 14 Mission To Fra Mauro (1971) youtu.be/zzD4T6wvDm8
Last Interview with Rear Admiral Alan B. Shepard Jr: youtu.be/kF3SuruDCwE
Scott Manley about the second, more famous issue of A14: youtu.be/wSSmNUl9Snw (only Don was in the office already, not in bed)
Apollo 14 moon landing, with explanation: youtu.be/oZZe-xXx9_o

Wikipedia on Apollo 14:
Apollo 14 was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to land on the Moon, and the first to land in the lunar highlands. It was the last of the "H missions," landings at specific sites of scientific interest on the Moon for two-day stays with two lunar extravehicular activities (EVAs or moonwalks).

The mission was originally scheduled for 1970, but was postponed because of the investigation following the failure of Apollo 13 to reach the Moon's surface, and the need for modifications to the spacecraft as a result. Commander Alan Shepard, Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa, and Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell launched on their nine-day mission on Sunday, January 31, 1971, at 4:03:02 p.m. EST, following a weather delay of forty minutes and two seconds. En route to the lunar landing, the crew overcame a series of malfunctions that might have resulted in a second consecutive aborted mission, and possibly, the premature end of the Apollo program.
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And a personal addition of a little fluff:
Alan Shepard coming back to active service after several years of being grounded for medical reasons, was initially assigned as Commander to Apollo 13. But some Nasa higher-ups felt he needed more time and training, so the crews of Apollo 13 and 14 were swapped.
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Shepard by this time was pretty wealthy. He really didn't need the Astronaut job anymore. Instead he sat in a desk job for a long time, for the very small chance of ever flying again. He undertook a risky surgery to fix the ear issue that had him grounded.
By all accounts, Shepard would not have needed to do all this and go through very intense and lengthy training and a very risky mission. The fact that he did all this makes the claim he "would make a half million mile ego trip" rather silly. This was a LOT of work gone into it.
There is a nice quote by Gene Cernan, his backup CDR. Reflecting on their launchpad visit hours before the launch, watching Shepard very quietly study "his" Saturn V.:
"Long past the point at which a lesser person would have given up, Shepard's total dedication to getting to the Moon redefined the meaning of the word commitment."