US space agency NASA has released some of the interesting pictures of astronauts, dating back to as early as 1970, taking training sessions on a barren Hawaiian island before taking their expedition on moon.
The photographs show the crew members of Apollo 14, 15 and 17 taking training on Hawaii’s Big Island as a preparatory session for their historic missions to the moon.
The astronauts practiced with equipment such as the moon buggy on the island. They also rehearsed on the volcanic landscape and carried activities such as taking soil samples.
Big Island is a volcanic landscape which sports an environment remarkably similar to the one found on the moon.
The earliest image, dating back to 1970, shows astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgard Mitchell and Stuart Roost of Apollo 14 taking training session with a Modularized Equipment Transporter.
According to the space agency, the photographs were found by Rob Kelso, executive director of The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, a Hawaii state agency. Kelso reportedly found the photos while visiting the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas.
Apollo 17, launched on December 7, 1972, was the last manned lunar mission undertaken by the United States.
1970 image: Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roost training with a Modular Equipment Transporter along with another unidentified individual.
1971 image: Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt training in a lunar roving vehicle on the Big Island of Hawaii. This is the latest image in the set recently unearthed by NASA.
December 1970 image: Members of the crew of Apollo 15 training with gear on. The area was chosen for the training activities as it has remarkable similarity to the terrain of the moon.
December 1970 image: Apollo 15 members Dave Scott and Jim Irwin seen digging soil on the Big Island of Hawaii.
