Status and Future of Lunar Geoscience
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Timeline of Natural History
Timeline of natural history This timeline of natural history summarizes significant geological and Life timeline Ice Ages biological events from the formation of the 0 — Primates Quater nary Flowers ←Earliest apes Earth to the arrival of modern humans. P Birds h Mammals – Plants Dinosaurs Times are listed in millions of years, or Karo o a n ← Andean Tetrapoda megaanni (Ma). -50 0 — e Arthropods Molluscs r ←Cambrian explosion o ← Cryoge nian Ediacara biota – z ←Earliest animals o ←Earliest plants i Multicellular -1000 — c Contents life ←Sexual reproduction Dating of the Geologic record – P r The earliest Solar System -1500 — o t Precambrian Supereon – e r Eukaryotes Hadean Eon o -2000 — z o Archean Eon i Huron ian – c Eoarchean Era ←Oxygen crisis Paleoarchean Era -2500 — ←Atmospheric oxygen Mesoarchean Era – Photosynthesis Neoarchean Era Pong ola Proterozoic Eon -3000 — A r Paleoproterozoic Era c – h Siderian Period e a Rhyacian Period -3500 — n ←Earliest oxygen Orosirian Period Single-celled – life Statherian Period -4000 — ←Earliest life Mesoproterozoic Era H Calymmian Period a water – d e Ectasian Period a ←Earliest water Stenian Period -4500 — n ←Earth (−4540) (million years ago) Clickable Neoproterozoic Era ( Tonian Period Cryogenian Period Ediacaran Period Phanerozoic Eon Paleozoic Era Cambrian Period Ordovician Period Silurian Period Devonian Period Carboniferous Period Permian Period Mesozoic Era Triassic Period Jurassic Period Cretaceous Period Cenozoic Era Paleogene Period Neogene Period Quaternary Period Etymology of period names References See also External links Dating of the Geologic record The Geologic record is the strata (layers) of rock in the planet's crust and the science of geology is much concerned with the age and origin of all rocks to determine the history and formation of Earth and to understand the forces that have acted upon it. -
Quantitative Planetary Image Analysis Via Machine Learning
Tina Memo No. 2013-008 External, PhD Thesis, University of Manchester Quantitative Planetary Image Analysis via Machine Learning. Paul Tar Last updated 25 / 09 / 2014 Centre for Imaging Sciences, Medical School, University of Manchester, Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT. Quantitative Planetary Image Analysis via Machine Learning A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of PhD in the faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences 2014 Paul D. Tar School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences 2 Contents 1 Introduction 19 1.1 Theriseofimagingfromspace. ...... 19 1.1.1 Historicalimages ............................... 20 1.1.2 Contemporaryimages . 20 1.1.3 Futureimages.................................. 21 1.2 Sciencecase ..................................... .. 22 1.2.1 Lunarscience .................................. 22 1.2.2 Martianscience ................................ 22 1.3 Imageinterpretation ............................. ..... 23 1.3.1 Manualanalysis................................ 24 1.3.2 Automatedanalysis.............................. 24 1.4 Measurements.................................... .. 25 1.4.1 Quantitative measurements and The Scientific Method . .......... 26 1.4.2 Theroleofstatistics . ... 27 1.4.3 Assumptionsandapproximations . .... 29 1.5 Argumentforquantitativeautomation . ........ 30 1.6 Criteriaforaquantitativesystem . ......... 31 1.7 Thesisoutline ................................... ... 32 2 Literature Review 35 2.1 Representations ................................ -
No. 40. the System of Lunar Craters, Quadrant Ii Alice P
NO. 40. THE SYSTEM OF LUNAR CRATERS, QUADRANT II by D. W. G. ARTHUR, ALICE P. AGNIERAY, RUTH A. HORVATH ,tl l C.A. WOOD AND C. R. CHAPMAN \_9 (_ /_) March 14, 1964 ABSTRACT The designation, diameter, position, central-peak information, and state of completeness arc listed for each discernible crater in the second lunar quadrant with a diameter exceeding 3.5 km. The catalog contains more than 2,000 items and is illustrated by a map in 11 sections. his Communication is the second part of The However, since we also have suppressed many Greek System of Lunar Craters, which is a catalog in letters used by these authorities, there was need for four parts of all craters recognizable with reasonable some care in the incorporation of new letters to certainty on photographs and having diameters avoid confusion. Accordingly, the Greek letters greater than 3.5 kilometers. Thus it is a continua- added by us are always different from those that tion of Comm. LPL No. 30 of September 1963. The have been suppressed. Observers who wish may use format is the same except for some minor changes the omitted symbols of Blagg and Miiller without to improve clarity and legibility. The information in fear of ambiguity. the text of Comm. LPL No. 30 therefore applies to The photographic coverage of the second quad- this Communication also. rant is by no means uniform in quality, and certain Some of the minor changes mentioned above phases are not well represented. Thus for small cra- have been introduced because of the particular ters in certain longitudes there are no good determi- nature of the second lunar quadrant, most of which nations of the diameters, and our values are little is covered by the dark areas Mare Imbrium and better than rough estimates. -
Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moon Charles J
Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moon Charles J. Byrne Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Near Side of the Moon Charles J. Byrne Image Again Middletown, NJ USA Cover illustration: Earth-based photograph of the full Moon from the “Consolidated Lunar Atlas” on the Website of the Lunar and Planetary Institute. British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data Byrne, Charles J., 1935– Lunar Orbiter photographic atlas of the near side of the Moon 1. Lunar Orbiter (Artificial satellite) 2. Moon–Maps 3. Moon–Photographs from space I. Title 523.3 0223 ISBN 1852338865 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Byrne, Charles J., 1935– Lunar Orbiter photographic atlas of the near side of the Moon : with 619 figures / Charles J. Byrne. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-85233-886-5 (acid-free paper) 1. Moon–Maps. 2. Moon–Photographs from space. 3. Moon–Remote-sensing images. 4. Lunar Orbiter (Artificial satellite) I. Title. G1000.3.B9 2005 523.3 022 3–dc22 2004045006 Additional material to this book can be downloaded from http://extras.springer.com. ISBN 1-85233-886-5 Printed on acid-free paper. © 2005 Springer-Verlag London Limited Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be repro- duced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. -
Introduction to Astronomy from Darkness to Blazing Glory
Introduction to Astronomy From Darkness to Blazing Glory Published by JAS Educational Publications Copyright Pending 2010 JAS Educational Publications All rights reserved. Including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Second Edition Author: Jeffrey Wright Scott Photographs and Diagrams: Credit NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USGS, NOAA, Aames Research Center JAS Educational Publications 2601 Oakdale Road, H2 P.O. Box 197 Modesto California 95355 1-888-586-6252 Website: http://.Introastro.com Printing by Minuteman Press, Berkley, California ISBN 978-0-9827200-0-4 1 Introduction to Astronomy From Darkness to Blazing Glory The moon Titan is in the forefront with the moon Tethys behind it. These are two of many of Saturn’s moons Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, ISS, JPL, ESA, NASA 2 Introduction to Astronomy Contents in Brief Chapter 1: Astronomy Basics: Pages 1 – 6 Workbook Pages 1 - 2 Chapter 2: Time: Pages 7 - 10 Workbook Pages 3 - 4 Chapter 3: Solar System Overview: Pages 11 - 14 Workbook Pages 5 - 8 Chapter 4: Our Sun: Pages 15 - 20 Workbook Pages 9 - 16 Chapter 5: The Terrestrial Planets: Page 21 - 39 Workbook Pages 17 - 36 Mercury: Pages 22 - 23 Venus: Pages 24 - 25 Earth: Pages 25 - 34 Mars: Pages 34 - 39 Chapter 6: Outer, Dwarf and Exoplanets Pages: 41-54 Workbook Pages 37 - 48 Jupiter: Pages 41 - 42 Saturn: Pages 42 - 44 Uranus: Pages 44 - 45 Neptune: Pages 45 - 46 Dwarf Planets, Plutoids and Exoplanets: Pages 47 -54 3 Chapter 7: The Moons: Pages: 55 - 66 Workbook Pages 49 - 56 Chapter 8: Rocks and Ice: -
Glossary Glossary
Glossary Glossary Albedo A measure of an object’s reflectivity. A pure white reflecting surface has an albedo of 1.0 (100%). A pitch-black, nonreflecting surface has an albedo of 0.0. The Moon is a fairly dark object with a combined albedo of 0.07 (reflecting 7% of the sunlight that falls upon it). The albedo range of the lunar maria is between 0.05 and 0.08. The brighter highlands have an albedo range from 0.09 to 0.15. Anorthosite Rocks rich in the mineral feldspar, making up much of the Moon’s bright highland regions. Aperture The diameter of a telescope’s objective lens or primary mirror. Apogee The point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth. At apogee, the Moon can reach a maximum distance of 406,700 km from the Earth. Apollo The manned lunar program of the United States. Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon, allowing a total of 12 astronauts to explore its surface. Asteroid A minor planet. A large solid body of rock in orbit around the Sun. Banded crater A crater that displays dusky linear tracts on its inner walls and/or floor. 250 Basalt A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock, low in silicon, with a low viscosity. Basaltic material fills many of the Moon’s major basins, especially on the near side. Glossary Basin A very large circular impact structure (usually comprising multiple concentric rings) that usually displays some degree of flooding with lava. The largest and most conspicuous lava- flooded basins on the Moon are found on the near side, and most are filled to their outer edges with mare basalts. -
Planetary Surfaces
Chapter 4 PLANETARY SURFACES 4.1 The Absence of Bedrock A striking and obvious observation is that at full Moon, the lunar surface is bright from limb to limb, with only limited darkening toward the edges. Since this effect is not consistent with the intensity of light reflected from a smooth sphere, pre-Apollo observers concluded that the upper surface was porous on a centimeter scale and had the properties of dust. The thickness of the dust layer was a critical question for landing on the surface. The general view was that a layer a few meters thick of rubble and dust from the meteorite bombardment covered the surface. Alternative views called for kilometer thicknesses of fine dust, filling the maria. The unmanned missions, notably Surveyor, resolved questions about the nature and bearing strength of the surface. However, a somewhat surprising feature of the lunar surface was the completeness of the mantle or blanket of debris. Bedrock exposures are extremely rare, the occurrence in the wall of Hadley Rille (Fig. 6.6) being the only one which was observed closely during the Apollo missions. Fragments of rock excavated during meteorite impact are, of course, common, and provided both samples and evidence of co,mpetent rock layers at shallow levels in the mare basins. Freshly exposed surface material (e.g., bright rays from craters such as Tycho) darken with time due mainly to the production of glass during micro- meteorite impacts. Since some magnetic anomalies correlate with unusually bright regions, the solar wind bombardment (which is strongly deflected by the magnetic anomalies) may also be responsible for darkening the surface [I]. -
Argon Ages and Geochemistry of Lunar Breccias 67016 and 67455
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 74 (2010) 763–783 www.elsevier.com/locate/gca Imbrium provenance for the Apollo 16 Descartes terrain: Argon ages and geochemistry of lunar breccias 67016 and 67455 M.D. Norman a,b,*, R.A. Duncan c, J.J. Huard c a Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia b Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston TX 77058, USA c College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA Received 23 January 2009; accepted in revised form 16 September 2009; available online 21 October 2009 Abstract In order to improve our understanding of impact history and surface geology on the Moon, we obtained 40Ar–39Ar incre- mental heating age data and major + trace element compositions of anorthositic and melt breccia clasts from Apollo 16 feld- spathic fragmental breccias 67016 and 67455. These breccias represent the Descartes terrain, a regional unit often proposed to be ejecta from the nearby Nectaris basin. The goal of this work is to better constrain the emplacement age and provenance of the Descartes breccias. Four anorthositic clasts from 67016 yielded well-defined 40Ar–39Ar plateau ages ranging from 3842 ± 19 to 3875 ± 20 Ma. Replicate analyses of these clasts all agree within measurement error, with only slight evidence for either inheritance or youn- ger disturbance. In contrast, fragment-laden melt breccia clasts from 67016 yielded apparent plateau ages of 4.0–4.2 Ga with indications of even older material (to 4.5 Ga) in the high-T fractions. -
Martian Crater Morphology
ANALYSIS OF THE DEPTH-DIAMETER RELATIONSHIP OF MARTIAN CRATERS A Capstone Experience Thesis Presented by Jared Howenstine Completion Date: May 2006 Approved By: Professor M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Professor Christopher Condit, Geology Professor Judith Young, Astronomy Abstract Title: Analysis of the Depth-Diameter Relationship of Martian Craters Author: Jared Howenstine, Astronomy Approved By: Judith Young, Astronomy Approved By: M. Darby Dyar, Astronomy Approved By: Christopher Condit, Geology CE Type: Departmental Honors Project Using a gridded version of maritan topography with the computer program Gridview, this project studied the depth-diameter relationship of martian impact craters. The work encompasses 361 profiles of impacts with diameters larger than 15 kilometers and is a continuation of work that was started at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas under the guidance of Dr. Walter S. Keifer. Using the most ‘pristine,’ or deepest craters in the data a depth-diameter relationship was determined: d = 0.610D 0.327 , where d is the depth of the crater and D is the diameter of the crater, both in kilometers. This relationship can then be used to estimate the theoretical depth of any impact radius, and therefore can be used to estimate the pristine shape of the crater. With a depth-diameter ratio for a particular crater, the measured depth can then be compared to this theoretical value and an estimate of the amount of material within the crater, or fill, can then be calculated. The data includes 140 named impact craters, 3 basins, and 218 other impacts. The named data encompasses all named impact structures of greater than 100 kilometers in diameter. -
Production and Saturation of Porosity in the Lunar Highlands from Impact Cratering
The fractured Moon: Production and saturation of porosity in the lunar highlands from impact cratering The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Soderblom, Jason M., et al. “The Fractured Moon: Production and Saturation of Porosity in the Lunar Highlands from Impact Cratering.” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 42, no. 17, Sept. 2015, pp. 6939–44. © 2015 American Geophysical Union As Published http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065022 Publisher American Geophysical Union (AGU) Version Final published version Citable link http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/118615 Terms of Use Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. PUBLICATIONS Geophysical Research Letters RESEARCH LETTER The fractured Moon: Production and saturation 10.1002/2015GL065022 of porosity in the lunar highlands Key Points: from impact cratering • The relation between impact-generated porosity and crater size is quantified Jason M. Soderblom1, Alexander J. Evans2, Brandon C. Johnson1, H. Jay Melosh3, Katarina Miljković1,4, • Impacts into highly porous targets 5 6 7 8 3 result in positive gravity anomalies Roger J. Phillips , Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna , Carver J. Bierson , James W. Head III , Colleen Milbury , 9 7 1 2,10 11 • The cratering record of the oldest Gregory A. Neumann , Francis Nimmo , David E. Smith , Sean C. Solomon , Michael M. Sori , lunar surfaces is preserved in the -
Sky and Telescope
SkyandTelescope.com The Lunar 100 By Charles A. Wood Just about every telescope user is familiar with French comet hunter Charles Messier's catalog of fuzzy objects. Messier's 18th-century listing of 109 galaxies, clusters, and nebulae contains some of the largest, brightest, and most visually interesting deep-sky treasures visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Little wonder that observing all the M objects is regarded as a virtual rite of passage for amateur astronomers. But the night sky offers an object that is larger, brighter, and more visually captivating than anything on Messier's list: the Moon. Yet many backyard astronomers never go beyond the astro-tourist stage to acquire the knowledge and understanding necessary to really appreciate what they're looking at, and how magnificent and amazing it truly is. Perhaps this is because after they identify a few of the Moon's most conspicuous features, many amateurs don't know where Many Lunar 100 selections are plainly visible in this image of the full Moon, while others require to look next. a more detailed view, different illumination, or favorable libration. North is up. S&T: Gary The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to provide Moon lovers with Seronik something akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy with the Messier catalog: a selection of telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. Presented here is a selection of the Moon's 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains, rilles, and domes. I challenge observers to find and observe them all and, more important, to consider what each feature tells us about lunar and Earth history. -
0 Lunar and Planetary Institute Provided by the NASA Astrophysics Data System LAVA FLOODING of EARLY PLANETARY CRUSTS
LAVA FLOODING OF EARLY PLANETARY CRUSTS: GEOMETRY, THICKNESS, AND VOLUMES CF FLOODED LUNAR HIGHLAND TERRA IN. James W. Head, Dept. of Geol og ica I Sciences, Brown Univ., Providence, RI 02912. Recognition of the volcanic origin of surface deposits on ancient cra- tered planetary surfaces provides important information on the presence and significance of melting in the interior. Establishment of the composition, age, and volume of such deposits provides additional clues concerning the characteristics of the thermal history of the planet.' In addition, the Thickness, geometry, and volumes of volcanic deposits provide important data for understanding tectonics and I i thospheric deformation. Once deposits have been recognized as of volcanic origin, it has often been difficult to estab- , . , I sh thicknesses and volumes because in the processes of emp lacement, l avas cover the initial crustal surface, obscuring the geometry of the pre-volcanic terrain. In addition to geophysical analyses, attempts to establish thick- nesses and volumes have concentrated on four approaches: I ) measuring diam- eters and sxposed rim heights of impact craters protruding through the depos- i TS; ' 2 l @cati ng craters in vo l can ic deposits that have excavated sub-vo l- can i c material ;" 3) using stratigraphic techniques; 7 and 4) using the geom- etry of co~parableunflooded regions as models for the initial topography. 2 P<lihouyh these approaches have provided significant advances in the under- stand ing of the emp lacement of the l unar maria,' there are sti l l basic uncer- ta inties concerning thicknesses and vol umes in many areas.