Technical Letter: Astrogeology-9 Early Apollo Investigations Field Test 5

When the Apollo astronauts land on the Moon, their precise location will not be known. The real-time geologic mapping planned for the first mission could best be done if the exact position of the landing site were determined. The astronauts may have to find their position, with or without assistance from the Earth-based scientific mission center, before leaving the Lunar Module (LM), and the less time this takes, the more time will be available for exploring the lunar surface.