In article , cray74
@hotmail.com says...
USGS Employee wrote in message et...
In article ,
says...

I'll accept that, but I'll bet it was most likely intended for use
within the LM. Apollo missions landed not long after local Lunar
sunrise, so unless something as unusual as a cave or unknown,
uncollapsed rille were found, there would be little use for it outside.
(More comparable to taking a flashlight on a picnic, instead. You don't
expect to still be there after dark.)

[snip]

Later missions didn't have that, but the last few carried hammocks to
sleep in (I doubt anyone really slept on the moon). Slice those up and
knot them together, grey tape a flash light to your helmet, and a really
determined astronaut might do some caving. It would be truly dangerous.

That's just about exactly what I was thinking of, an uncollapsed
portion of a rille. Like, Apollo 15 is deliberately landed near
the end of a rille to confirm theories it might be a collapsed lava
tube and, hey, that shaded area in the rubble at the end turns out
to be a hole into an uncollapsed lava tube big enough for an
astronaut. An astronaut can just walk in despite their clumsy
suits, snap a few pics for the kids at home, walk back out. No
spelunking or ropes required.

Lights and radios, however...

The astronauts could verbally relay messages, "Mike just said, 'I'm in
the main tunnel now'". Also I'm willing to bet, but can't prove, that
the rover had some transponder capabilities. In any case, there had
better be something in that hole, other than just a hole, to make it
worth the risk.

Marc