DOCSLIB.ORG

The Moon at a Distance of 384,400 Km from the Earth, the Moon Is Our Closest Celestial Neighbor and Only Natural Satellite

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Moon at a Distance of 384,400 Km from the Earth, the Moon Is Our Closest Celestial Neighbor and Only Natural Satellite The Moon At a distance of 384,400 km from the Earth, the Moon is our closest celestial neighbor and only natural satellite. Because of this fact, we have been able to gain more knowledge about it than any other body in the Solar System besides the Earth. Like the Earth itself, the Moon is unique in some ways and rather ordinary in others. The Moon is unique in that it is the only spherical satellite orbiting a terrestrial planet. The reason for its shape is a result of its mass being great enough so that gravity pulls all of the Moon's matter toward its center equally. Another distinct property the Moon possesses lies in its size compared to the Earth. At 3,475 km, the Moon's diameter is over one fourth that of the Earth's. In relation to its own size, no other planet has a moon as large. For its size, however, the Moon's mass is rather low. This means the Moon is not very dense. The explanation behind this lies in the formation of the Moon. It is believed that a large body, perhaps the size of Mars, struck the Earth early in its life. As a result of this collision a great deal of the young Earth's outer mantle and crust was ejected into space. This material then began orbiting Earth and over time joined together due to gravitational forces, forming what is now Earth's moon. Furthermore, since Earth's outer mantle and crust are significantly less dense than its interior explains why the Moon is so much less dense than the Earth. When viewed from Earth, the many impact craters found on the Moon's surface are visible. The reason for this is simple. Unlike the Earth, the Moon is not geologically active, and so it does not possess an atmosphere nor does it possess volcanic activity. Consequently, the Moon does not undergo resurfacing as does the Earth. The Moon (Latin: luna) is the only natural satellite of the Earth, and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. It is the largest natural satellite of a planet in the Solar System relative to the size of its 1 primary, having 27% the diameter and 60% the density of Earth, resulting in ⁄81 its mass. The Moon is the second densest satellite after Io, a satellite of Jupiter. The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun, although its surface is actually very dark, with a reflectance similar to that of coal. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art and mythology. The Moon's gravitational influence produces the ocean tides and the minute lengthening of the day. The Moon's current orbital distance, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth, causes it to appear almost the same size in the sky as the Sun, allowing it to cover the Sun nearly precisely in total solar eclipses. This matching of apparent visual size is a coincidence. The Moon's linear distance from the Earth is currently increasing at a rate of 3.82±0.07cm per year, however this rate is not constant. The Moon is thought to have formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago, not long after the Earth. Although there have been several hypotheses for its origin in the past, the current most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body. The Moon is the only celestial body other than Earth on which humans have set foot. The Soviet Union's Luna programme was the first to reach the Moon with unmanned spacecraft in 1959; the United States' NASA Apollo program achieved the only manned missions to date, beginning with the first manned lunar orbiting mission by Apollo 8 in 1968, and six manned lunar landings between 1969 and 1972, with the first being Apollo 11. These missions returned over 380 kg of lunar rocks, which have been used to develop a geological understanding of the Moon's origins, the formation of its internal structure, and its subsequent history. After the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the Moon has been visited only by unmanned spacecraft, notably by the final Soviet Lunokhod rover. Since 2004, Japan, China, India, the United States, and the European Space Agency have each sent lunar orbiters. These spacecraft have contributed to confirming the discovery of lunar water ice in permanently shadowed craters at the poles and bound into the lunar regolith. Future manned missions to the Moon have been planned, including government as well as privately funded efforts. The Moon remains, under the Outer Space Treaty, free to all nations to explore for peaceful purposes. Lunar Water Lunar water is water that is present on the Moon. Liquid water cannot persist at the Moon's surface, and water vapour is quickly decomposed by sunlight and lost to outer space. However, scientists have since the 1960s conjectured that water ice could survive in cold, permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's poles. Water, and the chemically related hydroxyl group ( · OH), can also exist in forms chemically bound to lunar minerals (rather than as free water), and evidence strongly suggests that this is indeed the case in low concentrations over much of the Moon's surface. In fact, adsorbed water is calculated to exist at trace concentrations of 10 to 1000 parts per million. Inconclusive evidence of free water ice at the lunar poles was accumulated from a variety of observations suggesting the presence of bound hydrogen. In September 2009, India's Chandrayaan- 1 detected water on the Moon and hydroxyl absorption lines in reflected sunlight. In November 2009, NASA reported that its LCROSS space probe had detected a significant amount of hydroxyl group in the material thrown up from a south polar crater by an impactor; this may be attributed to water- bearing materials – what appears to be "near pure crystalline water-ice". In March 2010, it was reported that the Mini-RF on board the India's Chandrayaan-1 had discovered more than 40 permanently darkened craters near the Moon's north pole which are hypothesized to contain an estimated 600 million metric tonnes(1.3 trillion pounds) of water-ice. Water may have been delivered to the Moon over geological timescales by the regular bombardment of water-bearing comets, asteroids and meteoroids or continuously produced in situ by the hydrogen ions (protons) of the solar wind impacting oxygen-bearing minerals. The search for the presence of lunar water has attracted considerable attention and motivated several recent lunar missions, largely because of water's usefulness in rendering long-term lunar habitation feasible. On 24 September 2009 Science magazine reported that the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on India's Chandrayaan-1 had detected water on the Moon. M3 detected absorption features near 2.8-3.0 µm on the surface of the Moon. For silicate bodies, such features are typically attributed to hydroxyl- and/or water-bearing materials. On the Moon, the feature is seen as a widely distributed absorption that appears strongest at cooler high latitudes and at several fresh feldspathic craters. The general lack of correlation of this feature in sunlit M3 data with neutron spectrometer H abundance data suggests that the formation and retention of OH and H2O is an ongoing surficial process. OH/H2O production processes may feed polar cold traps and make the lunar regolith a candidate source of volatiles for human exploration. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer, was one of the 11 instruments on board India's Chandrayaan-I that came to a premature end on 29 August 2009. M3 was aimed at providing the first mineral map of the entire lunar surface. Lunar scientists had discussed the possibility of water repositories for decades. They are now increasingly "confident that the decades-long debate is over" a report says. "The Moon, in fact, has water in all sorts of places; not just locked up in minerals, but scattered throughout the broken-up surface, and, potentially, in blocks or sheets of ice at depth." The results from the Chandrayaan mission are also "offering a wide array of watery signals." Atmosphere The Moon has an atmosphere so tenuous as to be nearly vacuum, with a total mass of less than 10 metric tons. The surface pressure of this small mass is around 3 × 10−15 atm (0.3 nPa); it varies with the lunar day. Its sources include outgassing and sputtering, the release of atoms from the bombardment of lunar soil by solar wind ions. Elements that have been detected include sodium and potassium, produced by sputtering, which are also found in the atmospheres of Mercury and Io; helium-4 from the solar wind; and argon-40, radon-222, and polonium-210, outgassed after their creation by radioactive decay within the crust and mantle. The absence of such neutral species (atoms or molecules) as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and magnesium, which are present in the regolith, is not understood. Water vapour has been detected by Chandrayaan-1 and found to vary with latitude, with a maximum at ~60–70 degrees; it is possibly generated from the sublimation of water ice in the regolith. These gases can either return into the regolith due to the Moon's gravity, or be lost to space: either through solar radiation pressure, or if they are ionised, by being swept away by the solar wind's magnetic field.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • General Index
    General Index Italicized page numbers indicate figures and tables. Color plates are in- cussed; full listings of authors’ works as cited in this volume may be dicated as “pl.” Color plates 1– 40 are in part 1 and plates 41–80 are found in the bibliographical index. in part 2. Authors are listed only when their ideas or works are dis- Aa, Pieter van der (1659–1733), 1338 of military cartography, 971 934 –39; Genoa, 864 –65; Low Coun- Aa River, pl.61, 1523 of nautical charts, 1069, 1424 tries, 1257 Aachen, 1241 printing’s impact on, 607–8 of Dutch hamlets, 1264 Abate, Agostino, 857–58, 864 –65 role of sources in, 66 –67 ecclesiastical subdivisions in, 1090, 1091 Abbeys. See also Cartularies; Monasteries of Russian maps, 1873 of forests, 50 maps: property, 50–51; water system, 43 standards of, 7 German maps in context of, 1224, 1225 plans: juridical uses of, pl.61, 1523–24, studies of, 505–8, 1258 n.53 map consciousness in, 636, 661–62 1525; Wildmore Fen (in psalter), 43– 44 of surveys, 505–8, 708, 1435–36 maps in: cadastral (See Cadastral maps); Abbreviations, 1897, 1899 of town models, 489 central Italy, 909–15; characteristics of, Abreu, Lisuarte de, 1019 Acequia Imperial de Aragón, 507 874 –75, 880 –82; coloring of, 1499, Abruzzi River, 547, 570 Acerra, 951 1588; East-Central Europe, 1806, 1808; Absolutism, 831, 833, 835–36 Ackerman, James S., 427 n.2 England, 50 –51, 1595, 1599, 1603, See also Sovereigns and monarchs Aconcio, Jacopo (d. 1566), 1611 1615, 1629, 1720; France, 1497–1500, Abstraction Acosta, José de (1539–1600), 1235 1501; humanism linked to, 909–10; in- in bird’s-eye views, 688 Acquaviva, Andrea Matteo (d.
    [Show full text]
  • Feature of the Month – January 2016 Galilaei
    A PUBLICATION OF THE LUNAR SECTION OF THE A.L.P.O. EDITED BY: Wayne Bailey [email protected] 17 Autumn Lane, Sewell, NJ 08080 RECENT BACK ISSUES: http://moon.scopesandscapes.com/tlo_back.html FEATURE OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2016 GALILAEI Sketch and text by Robert H. Hays, Jr. - Worth, Illinois, USA October 26, 2015 03:32-03:58 UT, 15 cm refl, 170x, seeing 8-9/10 I sketched this crater and vicinity on the evening of Oct. 25/26, 2015 after the moon hid ZC 109. This was about 32 hours before full. Galilaei is a modest but very crisp crater in far western Oceanus Procellarum. It appears very symmetrical, but there is a faint strip of shadow protruding from its southern end. Galilaei A is the very similar but smaller crater north of Galilaei. The bright spot to the south is labeled Galilaei D on the Lunar Quadrant map. A tiny bit of shadow was glimpsed in this spot indicating a craterlet. Two more moderately bright spots are east of Galilaei. The western one of this pair showed a bit of shadow, much like Galilaei D, but the other one did not. Galilaei B is the shadow-filled crater to the west. This shadowing gave this crater a ring shape. This ring was thicker on its west side. Galilaei H is the small pit just west of B. A wide, low ridge extends to the southwest from Galilaei B, and a crisper peak is south of H. Galilaei B must be more recent than its attendant ridge since the crater's exterior shadow falls upon the ridge.
    [Show full text]
  • Lunar Water ISRU Measurement Study (LWIMS): Establishing a Measurement Plan for Identifi Cation and Characterization of a Water Reserve
    NASA/TM-20205008626 Lunar Water ISRU Measurement Study (LWIMS): Establishing a Measurement Plan for Identifi cation and Characterization of a Water Reserve Julie Kleinhenz Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio Amy McAdam Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland Anthony Colaprete Ames Research Center, Moff ett Field, California David Beaty Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California Barbara Cohen Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland Pamela Clark Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California John Gruener Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas Jason Schuler Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Florida Kelsey Young Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland October 2020 NASA STI Program . in Profi le Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated • CONTRACTOR REPORT. Scientifi c and to the advancement of aeronautics and space science. technical fi ndings by NASA-sponsored The NASA Scientifi c and Technical Information (STI) contractors and grantees. Program plays a key part in helping NASA maintain this important role. • CONFERENCE PUBLICATION. Collected papers from scientifi c and technical conferences, symposia, seminars, or other The NASA STI Program operates under the auspices meetings sponsored or co-sponsored by NASA. of the Agency Chief Information Offi cer. It collects, organizes, provides for archiving, and disseminates • SPECIAL PUBLICATION. Scientifi c, NASA’s STI. The NASA STI Program provides access technical, or historical information from to the NASA Technical Report Server—Registered NASA programs, projects, and missions, often (NTRS Reg) and NASA Technical Report Server— concerned with subjects having substantial Public (NTRS) thus providing one of the largest public interest. collections of aeronautical and space science STI in the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Untangling the Formation and Liberation of Water in the Lunar Regolith
    Untangling the formation and liberation of water in the lunar regolith Cheng Zhua,b,1, Parker B. Crandalla,b,1, Jeffrey J. Gillis-Davisc,2, Hope A. Ishiic, John P. Bradleyc, Laura M. Corleyc, and Ralf I. Kaisera,b,2 aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Hawai‘iatManoa, Honolulu, HI 96822; bW. M. Keck Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawai‘iatManoa, Honolulu, HI 96822; and cHawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai‘iatManoa, Honolulu, HI 96822 Edited by Mark H. Thiemens, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and approved April 24, 2019 (received for review November 15, 2018) −8 −6 The source of water (H2O) and hydroxyl radicals (OH), identified between 10 and 10 torr observed either an ν(O−H) stretching − − on the lunar surface, represents a fundamental, unsolved puzzle. mode in the 2.70 μm (3,700 cm 1) to 3.33 μm (3,000 cm 1) region The interaction of solar-wind protons with silicates and oxides has exploiting infrared spectroscopy (7, 25, 26) or OH/H2Osignature been proposed as a key mechanism, but laboratory experiments using secondary-ion mass spectrometry (27) and valence electron yield conflicting results that suggest that proton implantation energy loss spectroscopy (VEEL) (28). However, contradictory alone is insufficient to generate and liberate water. Here, we dem- studies yielded no evidence of H2O/OH in proton-bombarded onstrate in laboratory simulation experiments combined with minerals in experiments performed under ultrahigh vacuum − − imaging studies that water can be efficiently generated and re- (UHV) (10 10 to 10 9 torr) (29).
    [Show full text]
  • Optics, Basra, Cairo, Spectacles
    International Journal of Optics and Applications 2014, 4(4): 110-113 DOI: 10.5923/j.optics.20140404.02 Alhazen, the Founder of Physiological Optics and Spectacles Nāsir pūyān (Nasser Pouyan) Tehran, 16616-18893, Iran Abstract Alhazen (c. 965 – c. 1039), Arabian mathematician and physicist with an unknown actual life who laid the foundation of physiological optics and came within an ace of discovery of the use of eyeglasses. He wrote extensively on algebra, geometry, and astronomy. Just the Beginnings of the 13th century, in Europe eyeglasses were used as an aid to vision, but Alhazen’s book “Kitab al – Manazir” (Book of Optics) included theories on refraction, reflection and the study of lenses and gave the first account of vision. It had great influence during the Middle Ages. In it, he explained that twilight was the result of the refraction of the sun’s rays in the earth’s atmosphere. The first Latin translation of Alhazen’s mathematical works was written in 1210 by a clergyman from Sussex, in England, Robert Grosseteste (1175 – 1253). His treatise on astrology was printed in Latin at Basle in 1572. Alhazen who was from Basra died in Cairo at the age of 73 (c. 1039). Keywords Optics, Basra, Cairo, Spectacles Ibn al-Haytham (c. 965 – c. 1038), known in the West who had pretended insane, once more was released from the Alhazen, and Avenna than1, who is considered as the father prison and received his belongings, and never applied for any of modern optics. He was from Basra [1] (in Iraq) and position. received his education in this city and Baghdad, but nothing is known about his actual life and teachers.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Catalogue Milestones of Lunar Mapping and Photography Four Centuries of Selenography on the Occasion of the 50Th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing
    Special Catalogue Milestones of Lunar Mapping and Photography Four Centuries of Selenography On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing Please note: A specific item in this catalogue may be sold or is on hold if the provided link to our online inventory (by clicking on the blue-highlighted author name) doesn't work! Milestones of Science Books phone +49 (0) 177 – 2 41 0006 www.milestone-books.de [email protected] Member of ILAB and VDA Catalogue 07-2019 Copyright © 2019 Milestones of Science Books. All rights reserved Page 2 of 71 Authors in Chronological Order Author Year No. Author Year No. BIRT, William 1869 7 SCHEINER, Christoph 1614 72 PROCTOR, Richard 1873 66 WILKINS, John 1640 87 NASMYTH, James 1874 58, 59, 60, 61 SCHYRLEUS DE RHEITA, Anton 1645 77 NEISON, Edmund 1876 62, 63 HEVELIUS, Johannes 1647 29 LOHRMANN, Wilhelm 1878 42, 43, 44 RICCIOLI, Giambattista 1651 67 SCHMIDT, Johann 1878 75 GALILEI, Galileo 1653 22 WEINEK, Ladislaus 1885 84 KIRCHER, Athanasius 1660 31 PRINZ, Wilhelm 1894 65 CHERUBIN D'ORLEANS, Capuchin 1671 8 ELGER, Thomas Gwyn 1895 15 EIMMART, Georg Christoph 1696 14 FAUTH, Philipp 1895 17 KEILL, John 1718 30 KRIEGER, Johann 1898 33 BIANCHINI, Francesco 1728 6 LOEWY, Maurice 1899 39, 40 DOPPELMAYR, Johann Gabriel 1730 11 FRANZ, Julius Heinrich 1901 21 MAUPERTUIS, Pierre Louis 1741 50 PICKERING, William 1904 64 WOLFF, Christian von 1747 88 FAUTH, Philipp 1907 18 CLAIRAUT, Alexis-Claude 1765 9 GOODACRE, Walter 1910 23 MAYER, Johann Tobias 1770 51 KRIEGER, Johann 1912 34 SAVOY, Gaspare 1770 71 LE MORVAN, Charles 1914 37 EULER, Leonhard 1772 16 WEGENER, Alfred 1921 83 MAYER, Johann Tobias 1775 52 GOODACRE, Walter 1931 24 SCHRÖTER, Johann Hieronymus 1791 76 FAUTH, Philipp 1932 19 GRUITHUISEN, Franz von Paula 1825 25 WILKINS, Hugh Percy 1937 86 LOHRMANN, Wilhelm Gotthelf 1824 41 USSR ACADEMY 1959 1 BEER, Wilhelm 1834 4 ARTHUR, David 1960 3 BEER, Wilhelm 1837 5 HACKMAN, Robert 1960 27 MÄDLER, Johann Heinrich 1837 49 KUIPER Gerard P.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploration of the Moon
    Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation from Earth. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. Galileo Galilei is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes; having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the lunar surface were among his first observations using it. NASA's Apollo program was the first, and to date only, mission to successfully land humans on the Moon, which it did six times. The first landing took place in 1969, when astronauts placed scientific instruments and returnedlunar samples to Earth. Apollo 12 Lunar Module Intrepid prepares to descend towards the surface of the Moon. NASA photo. Contents Early history Space race Recent exploration Plans Past and future lunar missions See also References External links Early history The ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras (d. 428 BC) reasoned that the Sun and Moon were both giant spherical rocks, and that the latter reflected the light of the former. His non-religious view of the heavens was one cause for his imprisonment and eventual exile.[1] In his little book On the Face in the Moon's Orb, Plutarch suggested that the Moon had deep recesses in which the light of the Sun did not reach and that the spots are nothing but the shadows of rivers or deep chasms.
    [Show full text]
  • Commercial Lunar Propellant Architecture a Collaborative Study of Lunar Propellant Production
    Commercial Lunar Propellant Architecture A Collaborative Study of Lunar Propellant Production 1 To the Memory of: Dr. Paul D. Spudis (1952–2018) Dr. Spudis earned his master’s degree from Brown University and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Geology with a focus on the Moon. His career included work at the US Geological Survey, NASA, John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Lunar and Planetary Institute advocating for the exploration and the utilization of lunar resources. His work will continue to inspire and guide us all on our journey to the Moon. “By going to the Moon we can learn how to extract what we need in space from what we find in space. Fundamentally that is a skill that any spacefaring civilization has to master. If you can learn to do that, you’ve got a skill that will allow you to go to Mars and beyond.” ii Authors David Kornuta, United Launch Alliance, CisLunar Project Lead1 Angel Abbud-Madrid, Colorado School of Mines, Professor of Space Resources Jared Atkinson, Honeybee Robotics, Senior Geophysical Engineer Jonathan Barr, United Launch Alliance, Program Manager Gary Barnhard, Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnership, CEO Dallas Bienhoff, Cislunar Space Development Company LLC, Founder Brad Blair, NewSpace Analytics, Managing Partner Vanessa Clark, Atomos Nuclear and Space, Chief Executive and Technology Officer Justin Cyrus, Lunar Outpost, CEO Blair DeWitt, Lunar Station Corporation, CEO and Co-Founder Chris Dreyer, Colorado School of Mines, Professor of Space Resources Barry Finger, Paragon
    [Show full text]
  • Location #1: Peary/Whipple Crater
    Location, Location, Location A Lunar Investment Strategy Hoyt Davidson Near Earth LLC June 2017 ISU's International Institute of Space Commerce Lunar Economic Action Plan (LEAP) Space and Questions from 1960 Still Relevant Today Economic Development • How can we utilize our dynamic system of competitive private enterprise in space, as on earth, to make newly discovered resources useful to man? • How can private enterprise and private capital make their maximum contribution? Philosophy and Policy The ultimate goal is not to impress others, or merely to explore our planetary system, but to use accessible space for the benefit of humankind. It is a goal that is not confined to a decade or a century. Nor is it confined to a single nearby destination, or to a fleeting dash to plant a flag. The idea is to begin preparing now for a future in which the material trapped in the Sun's vicinity is available for incorporation into our way of life. Dr. John Marburger, Head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 2006 3 The Investment Premise • Just as on Earth, lunar real estate “value” is driven by location, location, location Rank Location Why Valuable 1 Peary Crater Best 1st industrial base and settlement 2 Sinus Medii Good cargo port & space elevator site 3 Largest skylights / lava tubes Best large scale settlements 4 Tsiolkovskiy crater, dark side Prime radio astronomy site 5 High helium-3 concentrations Potential high value mining 6 Lipsky Crater Space elevator site for Earth-Moon L2 7 Aristillus High Thorium concentrations • Lunar real
    [Show full text]
  • DMAAC – February 1973
    LUNAR TOPOGRAPHIC ORTHOPHOTOMAP (LTO) AND LUNAR ORTHOPHOTMAP (LO) SERIES (Published by DMATC) Lunar Topographic Orthophotmaps and Lunar Orthophotomaps Scale: 1:250,000 Projection: Transverse Mercator Sheet Size: 25.5”x 26.5” The Lunar Topographic Orthophotmaps and Lunar Orthophotomaps Series are the first comprehensive and continuous mapping to be accomplished from Apollo Mission 15-17 mapping photographs. This series is also the first major effort to apply recent advances in orthophotography to lunar mapping. Presently developed maps of this series were designed to support initial lunar scientific investigations primarily employing results of Apollo Mission 15-17 data. Individual maps of this series cover 4 degrees of lunar latitude and 5 degrees of lunar longitude consisting of 1/16 of the area of a 1:1,000,000 scale Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) (Section 4.2.1). Their apha-numeric identification (example – LTO38B1) consists of the designator LTO for topographic orthophoto editions or LO for orthophoto editions followed by the LAC number in which they fall, followed by an A, B, C or D designator defining the pertinent LAC quadrant and a 1, 2, 3, or 4 designator defining the specific sub-quadrant actually covered. The following designation (250) identifies the sheets as being at 1:250,000 scale. The LTO editions display 100-meter contours, 50-meter supplemental contours and spot elevations in a red overprint to the base, which is lithographed in black and white. LO editions are identical except that all relief information is omitted and selenographic graticule is restricted to border ticks, presenting an umencumbered view of lunar features imaged by the photographic base.
    [Show full text]