Earthrise (18 page)

I knew Stu was asleep, but I wondered if Alan was also feeling what I was feeling. I looked over at him and could see he was busy talking with Mission Control. He didn’t appear to be experiencing anything out of the ordinary.

Confused and a bit stunned, I tried to intellectually make sense of what was happening. I knew from my studies in astronomy that all matter in the universe was originally created in ancient star systems. And right now I was keenly aware that the molecules of my body, as well as the molecules of Alan and Stu’s bodies, and even the molecules of our spacecraft, were also created in these ancient star systems.

It was a profound and ecstatic realization. First of all, I realized I was connected to the universe, and second, I realized there was a unity to everything and everyone.

To my delight, this naturally good feeling lasted for the next three days on our return to Earth. All I needed to do was look out my window and stare at the brilliant stars against the deep black sky—and there was that wonderful feeling again.

Of course, I was naturally flooded with questions.
What in the heck is happening to me? Why do I feel this way? What in the world is going on?

The Shock of Reentry

The Kitty Hawk was right on track in terms of its velocity and trajectory toward Earth. As our spacecraft got closer to our planet’s gravitational field, our speed got faster and faster.

Our landing site was near the Samoan Islands, which are located way out in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. The closest town to our landing was Pago Pago (the capital of American Samoa), and it was nearly 900 miles away.

I knew there was going to be discomfort on reentering Earth’s atmosphere, and I knew the plummet into the South Pacific would be abrupt. But we couldn’t get back home without this fiery, difficult, and dangerous part of the ride.

When we were about four hours from splashdown, we were traveling about 11,000 feet per second, or nearly two miles per second. One hour before reentry, we moved even faster at a speed of nearly 20,000 feet per second.

I was glad when we heard from Mission Control.

“Apollo 14, this is Houston. All your systems are looking good from down here and we’re in great shape for the entry.”

That was great news to me. “Everything looks good from up here,” I said.

The large USS
New Orleans
aircraft carrier was already about five miles from our landing site and waiting for us. And there were recovery helicopters and navy frogmen set to retrieve us.

We got closer and closer and closer to Earth.

About 15 minutes before reentry, we had to complete two important procedures. First, we jettisoned the Service Module, which burned up and dropped into the ocean. Next, we needed to turn our Command Module around so that the widest part of the craft was facing the ocean. We were about to enter a fiery zone, and to protect us from the intense heat of reentering Earth’s atmosphere, our Command Module was built with a specially designed heat shield on its wide base. This heat shield was several inches thick and made of a tough resin that would melt and burn off during reentry. We depended on this heat shield for our lives; temperatures on the outside of the Kitty Hawk could get up to 5,000 degree Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to melt metals. All this heat would be generated from the friction of moving from the absence of atmosphere in space to the dense atmosphere of Earth.

Once our Command Module had turned around as it was supposed to, our backs (and not our fronts) now faced the Earth. This meant that we were looking out at space versus looking down at Earth as we returned home. In a manner of speaking, we were truly going “back to Earth.”

Then, with only 24 seconds left, we were bulleting toward Earth at the mind-blowing speed of 36,000 feet per second. We were literally traveling about seven miles per second!

Next on the checklist? A complete communication blackout with Earth, which would last about three and a half minutes. There was no way around it—we would need to endure this blackout once we slammed into Earth’s atmosphere.

But were we ready? Could we do it?

Thankfully, Mission Control was in contact with us at this critical time. “Apollo 14,” the CAPCOM said with a calm, reassuring voice. “It’s about eight seconds to the blackout. We’ll talk to you when you come out the other side. Over.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Alan replied.

We braced ourselves, and then—BAM!

Hurtling into Earth’s atmosphere was incredibly strong and powerful, like the wallop of a lifetime. I felt pressed against the back of my couch because the pressure was intense. Without a moment to catch our breaths, we were in the fiery three-minute inferno traveling on the most intense ride of our lives.

As the Kitty Hawk zoomed to Earth, it seemed to burst into colorful flames. Out of the corner of my eye I could see red-hot orange globules shooting past my window. Logically, I knew this was the resin melting off the heat shield, but at the time it just looked fiery.

The three and a half minutes seemed to take a heck of a lot longer than normal. But, eventually it passed, and we got through it.

Mission Control was right there when we emerged from the blackout. “Apollo 14! Apollo 14! This is Houston. How do you read? Over.”

“Pretty good here,” Stu answered. He didn’t say much; we were all feeling like we’d been on the most dynamic roller coaster of all time.

Now, at 10,000 feet above Earth, our pace slowed down dramatically when three enormous red-and-white-striped parachutes opened. I could feel the sensation of gravity now more than ever before. Having been in space for so many days, it felt unusual to go from zero G to seven Gs in just a few seconds. The tug of gravity was a reminder I was home, and I became more aware of the heaviness of my body as our capsule slowly drifted down and floated toward our landing site. And then we smacked into the Pacific waters with a forceful thud.

Splashdown! We had returned to our watery Blue Planet.

Deadly Lunar Bugs?

Alan, Stu, and I prepared to exit the spacecraft. Out in the ocean, navy frogmen were speed swimming toward our Command Module, which had cooled down after plunging into the water. After the swimmers reached us, they tied a large life raft to the side of the spacecraft and waited for us to open the hatch. I admired the navy swimmers because they were the first humans to come into contact with us after our return from the Moon. At this point, the swimmers had no idea what they might be exposed to; they took a risk in rescuing us.

There were many unknowns with the first few Moon missions. Scientists were never sure what dangerous bugs we might bring back on our clothes, in our bodies, or in the rocks and equipment that returned. So, once we opened the hatch, three biological breathing masks and three biological coveralls were thrown to us. We put on the protective clothing and climbed out of the Kitty Hawk and into the raft. Each one of us then stepped into a wire basket to be hoisted up into the air and into a helicopter hovering over the water. Once we were on the helicopter, we were flown to the USS
New Orleans,
where many sailors were waving their arms to greet us and a small military band was playing.

THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL EXPOSURE LAW

In 1969 when the Apollo 11 crew first traveled to the Moon, the United States enforced Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This law, more commonly known as the Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law, was passed on July 16, 1969, to prevent Earth and its inhabitants from any kind of biological contamination that might be brought back from space to Earth by astronauts as well as by their spacecraft, equipment, and/or lunar samples. Originally the law required the Apollo astronauts to be quarantined upon return to Earth for a specific period of time, but NASA stopped enforcing the quarantine regulation after the Apollo 14 mission; it was determined that the astronauts and the lunar materials were not a hazard to humans, animals, or plants. The law stayed in effect until 1991 when it was formally removed from the Code of Federal Regulations.

It was an exciting but unusual time. Being on Earth again was strange. My body wasn’t used to Earth’s gravity and I felt light-headed and heavy. Something as familiar as taking a step to walk now took concentration. I didn’t feel like myself at first. I wanted to fill my lungs with the salty ocean air instead of breathing through my tight-fitting mask.

More Bug Barricades

Our new home aboard the USS
New Orleans
was a tightly sealed mobile home called the Mobile Quarantine Facility, or MQF. Inside the MQF, we were allowed to take off our masks and coveralls and enjoy a hot shower for the first time in nine days. A doctor gave each of us a medical exam to make sure we were okay, and then we sat down to a delicious meal of steak and potatoes.

The Command Module was also brought aboard the USS
New Orleans.
In just a few hours the entire MQF, with us in it, was lifted into a large cargo plane. We were soon flying back to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston.

Our next and last quarantined home was called the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center, where we would stay for about three weeks.

Expanding Horizons

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

B
eing in quarantine for a second time was harder than ever. I’d been away for nearly one month and I missed my family. I wanted to go outside, breathe the fresh air, and get some exercise. But rules are rules.

Alan, Stu, and I ate, slept, and worked under tightly sealed biological conditions in the Lunar Receiving Lab. We also made sure we didn’t transmit any otherworldly germs or bugs to anyone or anything. Louise and the girls came to visit me, and we talked through a glass window as we’d done during my first quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center before liftoff. It was fantastic to see everyone again, and I’m sure they were relieved to see I was safe and sound.

On a daily basis, Alan, Stu, and I were subjected to all sorts of medical examinations by medical staff hidden behind white masks, caps, and biological coveralls. It was a surreal setting and I went along with the program. But to be honest, I never felt worried about any kind of lunar contamination.

Scientists also kept a close watch on a litter of mice. These mice had been born and raised in highly sterile conditions and lived with us in the lab. The scientists thought that if the mice suddenly became ill, this might be a sign of some form of unusual contamination. Fortunately, all the critters remained healthy.

After three weeks, Alan, Stu, and I showed no signs of illness or contamination, and it was eventually determined there wasn’t a Moon bug in sight. NASA also concluded that Moon contamination was not a threat to our planet. Apollo 14 was the last lunar mission to quarantine astronauts after their return to Earth, and I’m sure future Apollo astronauts were grateful for this.

The Science of Moon Rocks

For now, the three of us remained in the lab and we had a lot to do. One of my first projects was to work with Alan to sort out, label, weigh, photograph, and write reports about the many Moon rocks and lunar samples we’d brought back. These rocks provided important keys to help geologists and scientists figure out the Moon’s history and how it was formed. They also provided a unique way to learn about Earth and the cosmos.

Sometimes I would hold the Moon rocks and just stare at them. I knew the rocks were billions of years old, and it was amazing to think Alan and I had collected these ancient specimens.

Eventually, the lunar rocks were distributed to more than 185 scientific teams in the United States and to 14 other countries. The rocks were carefully cut into thin, translucent sections and studied under a microscope. These microscopic sections often revealed rich geometric patterns of blues, greens, reds, yellows, oranges, and black.

Going Home

After 21 days in the Lunar Receiving Lab, Alan, Stu, and I were released to return to our homes. But it wasn’t long before a new part of our adventure began: being a Space Age celebrity. People were curious about what had happened while we were on the Moon, and they wanted to honor our achievements. Our lives became filled with parties, parades, news conferences, and gala events.