page_title: Surveyor 3
section_title: Soil mechanics surface sampler
hierarchical_section_title: Surveyor 3 / Science instruments / Soil mechanics surface sampler
caption_attribution_description: English: Informational sign for Soil mechanics surface sampler from the Surveyor 3 spacecraft returned to Earth by the crew of Apollo 12. On display in the Von Karman Visitor Center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Also includes information on nearby lunar rock from Apollo 16.
context_page_description: Surveyor 3 was the third lander of the American unmanned Surveyor program sent to explore the surface of the Moon in 1967. It was the first mission to carry a surface-soil sampling-scoop.
  Surveyor 3 was visited by Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean in November, 1969, and remains the only probe visited by humans on another world. They brought back some parts of it to study, including its TV camera.
context_section_description: The soil mechanics surface sampler was designed to dig, scrape, and trench the lunar surface and to transport lunar surface material while being photographed so that the properties of the lunar surface could be determined. The sampler was mounted below the television camera and consisted primarily of a scoop approximately 120 mm long and 50 mm wide. The scoop consisted of a container, a sharpened blade, and an electric motor to open and close the container. A small footpad was attached to the scoop door to present a flat surface to the lunar surface. The scoop was capable of holding a maximum quantity of approximately 32 mm diameter of solid lunar material and a maximum of 100 cm³ of granular material. The scoop was mounted on a pantograph arm that could be extended about 1.5 m or retracted close to the spacecraft motor drive. The arm could also be moved from an azimuth of +40 to -72 degrees or be elevated 130 mm by motor drives. It could also be dropped onto the lunar surface under force provided by gravity and a spring. The surface sampler performed seven bearing tests, four trench tests, and 13 impact tests. The total operating time was 18 hours, 22 minutes on 10 separate occasions. Measurements of motor currents and forces applied to the surface were not obtained due to the state of the spacecraft telemetry following landing on the lunar surface. However, estimations were possible. The small spring constant of the torque spring precluded the determination of density from the impact tests. Penetrations of 38 to 50 mm were obtained from the bearing tests, and a 175 mm depth was reached during trenching operations. The design of the mechanism and its electronic auxiliary was more than adequate for the lunar surface operations. The scoop was also returned to Earth by the Apollo 12 astronauts and is currently on display at JPL.
caption: Informational sign for Surveyor 3 Soil Mechanics Surface Sampler returned to Earth
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