+ 1970 News Releases (7.6 Mb PDF file) - NASA

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MSC 7O-26
Cour-Palais said the LM generated craters "were shallow craters
generally_ and mostly of recent origin_ as indicated by their whiteness
against the sandy brown color of the TV camera housing painted surface.
There was a aefinite concentration (10 to !00 times) of these white
craters on the are of the TV camera facing the LM_ compared with the
other side (away from the _).
"After a detailed examination of the geometrics involved_ taking
into account the relative angles of the shadowing_ the _TV camera_ the
Surveyor spacecraft and the i_l_ it can be readily shown that the origin
of these craters was in plus or minus 3 degrees of the LM landing site.
It is therefore postulated that the IH in its final moments of landing
generated a dust shower that affected the Surveyor and sand blasted the
camera surface facing towards it_ '_ Cour-Palais concluded.
During the examination a_ouL 60 percent of the 1V camera surface
area of nearly 2 square feet was scanned at about 25 times magnification
and all impacts on selected areas on the flat surfaces were counted to
determine the fluxes (rate of flow) of primary and secondary particles.
The polished tubing (7 3/4" x 1/2" in diameter) was carefully scanned at
a general magnification of 40 with a stereo-zoom microscope.
A preliminary assessment of the meteoroid impacts reveals possibly
five meteoroid impacts on the camera housing and another four craters
possibly of meteoroid origin on the polished tube. None of the impacts
on the camera housing penetrated the protective paint covering_ Cour-Palais
stated.
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