Edgar Mitchell with the map showing the route to Cone Crater
Edgar Mitchell with the map showing the route to Cone Crater
The actual objective of the excursion on the Moon was to reach the edge of Cone Crater. However, the astronauts of the Apollo 14 mission, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell, experienced major orientation difficulties, and climbing the rim of the crater proved more arduous than they had anticipated. They were ultimately forced to turn back due to dwindling oxygen supplies. Nevertheless, the two astronauts spent a total of almost nine-and-a-half hours outside the lunar module – much more than the two previous missions.
