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dscc5992.jpg

Walk-around of the Surveyor's "Soil Mechanics/Surface Sampler device," or scoop arm, located on the lower part of the body, between two of the landing legs.

Picture 3 of 4.

During flight, the SM/SS was stowed against the body of the spacecraft, but its scissors jack arm could be extended approximately 1.5 meters and could move radially through a range of 112 degrees.

This experiment, carried on the Surveyor III and Surveyor VII missions, was used to provide data about the lunar soil based on picking, digging, and handling of lunar surface material. Note the scoop itself, at bottom (with the yellow and black stripes).

The Cosmosphere displays the scoop from Surveyor III, returned from the moon's surface by the Apollo 12 astronauts.

The zip-tie is presumably a "remove before flight" type of item :-)

 
Soil Mechanics/Surface Sampler device scoop arm on Surveyor Engineering Model at Kansas Cosmosphere
Time picture taken Sat Apr 16 14:30:56 2016
Location picture taken Our Universe Gallery
Kansas Cosmosphere
Hutchinson, KS
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