Uncommon "Familiarization and Support Manual for Apollo Lunar Surface Drill," housed in its original Martin Marietta binder, approximately 440 pages, 10.75 x 11.5, August 30, 1971, containing ten tabbed chapters, the manual covers the mission requirements, system descriptions, lunar surface operating instructions, operational readiness verification, prelaunch verification tests and procedures, service instructions, and transportation and storage requirements. The manual is filled with images, charts, and diagrams, including several fold-out pages. In fine condition.
The Apollo Lunar Surface Drill was deployed on Apollo 15, 16, and 17, consisting of a battery-powered motor with specialized drill bits and modular core stems fitted together. The system was designed to extract columns of lunar regolith to return to Earth, and to create holes for the placement of two heat flow probes. The rigid but hollow core stem tubes allowed astronauts to drill up to ten feet into the lunar surface and extract soil samples; once removed, the tubes could be capped for their return to Earth for study.
