Observing the Moon As the Closest Major Celestial Object to the Earth, the Moon Reveals More Detail to Observers Than Any Other Object
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19710025504 2020-03-11T22:36:49+00:00Z View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by NASA Technical Reports Server General Disclaimer One or more of the Following Statements may affect this Document This document has been reproduced from the best copy furnished by the organizational source. It is being released in the interest of making available as much information as possible. This document may contain data, which exceeds the sheet parameters. It was furnished in this condition by the organizational source and is the best copy available. This document may contain tone-on-tone or color graphs, charts and/or pictures, which have been reproduced in black and white. This document is paginated as submitted by the original source. Portions of this document are not fully legible due to the historical nature of some of the material. However, it is the best reproduction available from the original submission. Produced by the NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI) 6 X t B ICC"m date: July 16, 1971 955 L'Enfant Plaza North, S. W Washington, D. C. 20024 to Distribution B71 07023 from. J. W. Head suhiecf Derivation of Topographic Feature Names in the Apollo 15 Landing Region - Case 340 ABSTRACT The topographic features in the region of the Apollo 15 landing site (Figure 1) are named for a number of philosophers, explorers and scientists (astronomers in particular) representing periods throughout recorded history. It is of particular interest that several of the individuals were responsible for specific discoveries, observations, or inventions which considerably advanced the study and under- standing of the moon (for instance, Hadley designed the first large reflecting telescope; Beer published classic maps and explanations of the moon's surface). -
Radar Remote Sensing of Pyroclastic Deposits in the Southern Mare Serenitatis and Mare Vaporum Regions of the Moon Lynn M
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 114, E11004, doi:10.1029/2009JE003406, 2009 Click Here for Full Article Radar remote sensing of pyroclastic deposits in the southern Mare Serenitatis and Mare Vaporum regions of the Moon Lynn M. Carter,1 Bruce A. Campbell,1 B. Ray Hawke,2 Donald B. Campbell,3 and Michael C. Nolan4 Received 21 April 2009; revised 12 July 2009; accepted 3 August 2009; published 5 November 2009. [1] We use polarimetric radar observations to study the distribution, depth, and embedded rock abundance of nearside lunar pyroclastic deposits. Radar images were obtained for Mare Vaporum and the southern half of Mare Serenitatis; the imaged areas contain the large Rima Bode, Mare Vaporum, Sulpicius Gallus, and Taurus-Littrow pyroclastic deposits. Potential pyroclastic deposits at Rima Hyginus crater, the Tacquet Formation, and a dome in Mare Vaporum are also included. Data were acquired at S band (12.6 cm wavelength) using Arecibo Observatory and the Green Bank Telescope in a bistatic configuration. The S band images have resolutions between 20 and 100 m/pixel. The pyroclastic deposits appear dark to the radar and have low circular polarization ratios at S band wavelengths because they are smooth, easily penetrable by radar waves, and generally contain few embedded blocks. Changes in circular polarization ratio (CPR) across some of the pyroclastic deposits show areas with increased rock abundance as well as deposits that are shallower. Radar backscatter and CPR maps are used to identify fine-grained mantling deposits in cases where optical and near-infrared data are ambiguous about the presence of pyroclastics. -
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. -
10Great Features for Moon Watchers
Sinus Aestuum is a lava pond hemming the Imbrium debris. Mare Orientale is another of the Moon’s large impact basins, Beginning observing On its eastern edge, dark volcanic material erupted explosively and possibly the youngest. Lunar scientists think it formed 170 along a rille. Although this region at first appears featureless, million years after Mare Imbrium. And although “Mare Orien- observe it at several different lunar phases and you’ll see the tale” translates to “Eastern Sea,” in 1961, the International dark area grow more apparent as the Sun climbs higher. Astronomical Union changed the way astronomers denote great features for Occupying a region below and a bit left of the Moon’s dead lunar directions. The result is that Mare Orientale now sits on center, Mare Nubium lies far from many lunar showpiece sites. the Moon’s western limb. From Earth we never see most of it. Look for it as the dark region above magnificent Tycho Crater. When you observe the Cauchy Domes, you’ll be looking at Yet this small region, where lava plains meet highlands, con- shield volcanoes that erupted from lunar vents. The lava cooled Moon watchers tains a variety of interesting geologic features — impact craters, slowly, so it had a chance to spread and form gentle slopes. 10Our natural satellite offers plenty of targets you can spot through any size telescope. lava-flooded plains, tectonic faulting, and debris from distant In a geologic sense, our Moon is now quiet. The only events by Michael E. Bakich impacts — that are great for telescopic exploring. -
For Immediate Release: TWO GOOGLE LUNAR XPRIZE
Media Contact: Kyoko Yonezawa [email protected] For Immediate Release: TWO GOOGLE LUNAR XPRIZE TEAMS ANNOUNCE RIDESHARE PARTNERSHIP FOR MISSION TO THE MOON IN 2016 Team HAKUTO (Japan) and Team Astrobotic (U.S.) Plan Cooperative Launch in Pursuit of $30 Million Prize to Land a Private Spacecraft on the Lunar Surface TOKYO, Japan (February 24, 2015) – HAKUTO, the only Japanese team competing for the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, has announced a contract with fellow competitor, Astrobotic, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., to carry a pair of rovers to the moon. Astrobotic plans to launch its Google Lunar XPRIZE mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., during the second half of 2016. HAKUTO’s twin rovers, Moonraker and Tetris, will piggyback on Astrobotic's Griffin lander to reach the lunar surface. Upon touchdown, the rovers will be released simultaneously with Astrobotic’s Andy rover, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, travel 500 meters on the moon’s surface and send high-definition images and video back to Earth, all in pursuit of the $20M Google Lunar XPRIZE Grand Prize. Last month, both teams were awarded Google Lunar XPRIZE Milestone Prizes: HAKUTO won $500,000 for technological advancements in the Mobility category, while Astrobotic, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, won a total of $1.75M for innovations in all three focus areas—Landing, Mobility and Imaging. Throughout the judging process, all three rovers, Moonraker, Tetris and Andy, demonstrated the ability to move 500 meters across the lunar surface and withstand the high radiation environment and extreme temperatures on the moon. -
Water on the Moon, III. Volatiles & Activity
Water on The Moon, III. Volatiles & Activity Arlin Crotts (Columbia University) For centuries some scientists have argued that there is activity on the Moon (or water, as recounted in Parts I & II), while others have thought the Moon is simply a dead, inactive world. [1] The question comes in several forms: is there a detectable atmosphere? Does the surface of the Moon change? What causes interior seismic activity? From a more modern viewpoint, we now know that as much carbon monoxide as water was excavated during the LCROSS impact, as detailed in Part I, and a comparable amount of other volatiles were found. At one time the Moon outgassed prodigious amounts of water and hydrogen in volcanic fire fountains, but released similar amounts of volatile sulfur (or SO2), and presumably large amounts of carbon dioxide or monoxide, if theory is to be believed. So water on the Moon is associated with other gases. Astronomers have agreed for centuries that there is no firm evidence for “weather” on the Moon visible from Earth, and little evidence of thick atmosphere. [2] How would one detect the Moon’s atmosphere from Earth? An obvious means is atmospheric refraction. As you watch the Sun set, its image is displaced by Earth’s atmospheric refraction at the horizon from the position it would have if there were no atmosphere, by roughly 0.6 degree (a bit more than the Sun’s angular diameter). On the Moon, any atmosphere would cause an analogous effect for a star passing behind the Moon during an occultation (multiplied by two since the light travels both into and out of the lunar atmosphere). -
Lunar and Planetary Science XXXII (2001) 1815.Pdf
Lunar and Planetary Science XXXII (2001) 1815.pdf NEW AGE DETERMINATIONS OF LUNAR MARE BASALTS IN MARE COGNITUM, MARE NUBIUM, OCEANUS PROCELLARUM, AND OTHER NEARSIDE MARE H. Hiesinger1, J. W. Head III1, U. Wolf2, G. Neukum2 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, [email protected] 2 DLR-Inst. of Planetary Exploration, Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin/Germany Introduction see a second small peak in volcanic activity at ~2-2.2 Lunar mare basalts cover about 17% of the lunar b.y. surface [1]. A significant portion of lunar mare basalts are exposed within Oceanus Procellarum for which Oceanus Procellarum, Mare Cognitum, Mare Nubium absolute radiometric age data are still lacking. Here we (Binned Ages of Mare Basalts) present age data that are based on remote sensing 20 techniques, that is, crater counts. We performed new crater size-frequency distribution measurements for spectrally homogeneous basalt units in Mare Cogni- 15 tum, Mare Nubium, and Oceanus Procellarum. The investigated area was previously mapped by Whitford- Stark and Head [2] who, based on morphology and 10 spectral characteristics, defined 21 distinctive basalt Frequency types in this part of the lunar nearside. Based on a high-resolution Clementine color ratio composite (e.g., 5 750-400/750+400 ratio as red, 750/990 ratio as green, and 400/750 ratio as blue), we remapped the distribu- 0 tion of distinctive basalts and found that their map well 1.1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 discriminates the major basalt types. However, based Age [b.y.; bins of 100 m.y.] on the new high-resolution color data several of their units can be further subdivided into spectrally different Fig. -
Glossary of Lunar Terminology
Glossary of Lunar Terminology albedo A measure of the reflectivity of the Moon's gabbro A coarse crystalline rock, often found in the visible surface. The Moon's albedo averages 0.07, which lunar highlands, containing plagioclase and pyroxene. means that its surface reflects, on average, 7% of the Anorthositic gabbros contain 65-78% calcium feldspar. light falling on it. gardening The process by which the Moon's surface is anorthosite A coarse-grained rock, largely composed of mixed with deeper layers, mainly as a result of meteor calcium feldspar, common on the Moon. itic bombardment. basalt A type of fine-grained volcanic rock containing ghost crater (ruined crater) The faint outline that remains the minerals pyroxene and plagioclase (calcium of a lunar crater that has been largely erased by some feldspar). Mare basalts are rich in iron and titanium, later action, usually lava flooding. while highland basalts are high in aluminum. glacis A gently sloping bank; an old term for the outer breccia A rock composed of a matrix oflarger, angular slope of a crater's walls. stony fragments and a finer, binding component. graben A sunken area between faults. caldera A type of volcanic crater formed primarily by a highlands The Moon's lighter-colored regions, which sinking of its floor rather than by the ejection of lava. are higher than their surroundings and thus not central peak A mountainous landform at or near the covered by dark lavas. Most highland features are the center of certain lunar craters, possibly formed by an rims or central peaks of impact sites. -
PHREATOMAGMATIC ACTIVITY on the MOON: POSSIBILITY of PSEUDOCRATERS on MARE FRIGORIS. José H. Garcia1 and José M. Hurtado, Jr.2
43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2012) 1390.pdf PHREATOMAGMATIC ACTIVITY ON THE MOON: POSSIBILITY OF PSEUDOCRATERS ON MARE FRIGORIS. José H. Garcia1 and José M. Hurtado, Jr.2, 1,2 UTEP Department of Geological Sciences and UTEP Center for Space Exploration Technology Research, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79968, [email protected],[email protected]. Introduction: New, high-resolution images from (Figure 3). It is therefore possible that there was the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) allow us to enough ice in the regolith in this area to produce take a closer look at geologic features that were not phreatomagmatic eruptions coincident with mare visible in older photography from the Apollo and volcanism. Clementine missions. Some of these features could be Mechanisms of Pseudocrater Formation: A lava pseudocraters (rootless cones). Pseudocraters are flow can heat subsurface ice to the point of volcanic landforms that are produced by steam vaporization. The confined water vapor will exert explosions resulting from the interaction between lava enough pressure on the overlaying lava flow to blast flows and surface or near-surface water. On the Moon, through the caprock. Lava can then fill the hole left such eruptions could have been triggered by over from the explosion, and the process can repeat. interactions between mare lava flows and ice in the Each eruption produces a deposit of pyroclastic lunar regolith. The discovery of water and hydroxyl on material around the crater that builds up into the the Moon by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) [1] conical landform. Pseudocraters in Myvatn, Iceland and the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) almost always have the crater floor above the median observations of the plume generated by the Lunar height of the surrounding plains, and have a Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) crater/cone diameter ratio of 0.5 [4]. -
3D Printered Structure of Lacus Mortis Pit Crater with Assumption of a Cave Underneath
2nd International Planetary Caves Conference (2015) 9015.pdf 3D PRINTERED STRUCTURE OF LACUS MORTIS PIT CRATER WITH ASSUMPTION OF A CAVE UNDERNEATH. Ik-Seon Hong1, Eunjin Cho1, Yu Yi1, Jaehyung Yu1, Junichi Haruyama2, 1Department of Astron- omy, Space Science and Geology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea; [email protected], 2Department of Solar System Sciences, Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan. Introduction: Several places presumed to be the en- until the actual exploration on foot and the small shad- trances of caves were discovered in the Moon and ow in the northern side also indicates that there is a Mars [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Besides, about 200 pit-looking ramp alongside the wall of the pit, it is considered that places, which are known as pit craters (abbreviated to this ramp could be an entrance to the inside of the pit. pits), have been discovered and these can be candidates Also, since the collapsed ceiling materials covered the of caves. The pits are found in the regions of the lunar floor of the pit, it is assumed that the entrance of the mare and in places that experienced melting due to cave was buried or the size of the entrance is much meteorite impact [7][8]. Other study showed that those smaller compared to the thickness of ceiling. Thus, the pits could be entrances of caves through comparing entrance is set to have a small size. Moreover, the big those pits to the actual cave entrance of the Earth [9]. -
Constraining the Evolutionary History of the Moon and the Inner Solar System: a Case for New Returned Lunar Samples
Space Sci Rev (2019) 215:54 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-019-0622-x Constraining the Evolutionary History of the Moon and the Inner Solar System: A Case for New Returned Lunar Samples Romain Tartèse1 · Mahesh Anand2,3 · Jérôme Gattacceca4 · Katherine H. Joy1 · James I. Mortimer2 · John F. Pernet-Fisher1 · Sara Russell3 · Joshua F. Snape5 · Benjamin P. Weiss6 Received: 23 August 2019 / Accepted: 25 November 2019 / Published online: 2 December 2019 © The Author(s) 2019 Abstract The Moon is the only planetary body other than the Earth for which samples have been collected in situ by humans and robotic missions and returned to Earth. Scien- tific investigations of the first lunar samples returned by the Apollo 11 astronauts 50 years ago transformed the way we think most planetary bodies form and evolve. Identification of anorthositic clasts in Apollo 11 samples led to the formulation of the magma ocean concept, and by extension the idea that the Moon experienced large-scale melting and differentiation. This concept of magma oceans would soon be applied to other terrestrial planets and large asteroidal bodies. Dating of basaltic fragments returned from the Moon also showed that a relatively small planetary body could sustain volcanic activity for more than a billion years after its formation. Finally, studies of the lunar regolith showed that in addition to contain- ing a treasure trove of the Moon’s history, it also provided us with a rich archive of the past 4.5 billion years of evolution of the inner Solar System. Further investigations of samples returned from the Moon over the past five decades led to many additional discoveries, but also raised new and fundamental questions that are difficult to address with currently avail- able samples, such as those related to the age of the Moon, duration of lunar volcanism, the Role of Sample Return in Addressing Major Questions in Planetary Sciences Edited by Mahesh Anand, Sara Russell, Yangting Lin, Meenakshi Wadhwa, Kuljeet Kaur Marhas and Shogo Tachibana B R. -
The Geologic Context of Major Lunar Mare Pits. L
3rd International Planetary Caves 2020 (LPI Contrib. No. 2197) 1048.pdf THE GEOLOGIC CONTEXT OF MAJOR LUNAR MARE PITS. L. Kerber1 L. M. Jozwiak2, J. Whitten3, R.V. Wagner4, B.W. Denevi2, , The Moon Diver Team. 1Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109 ([email protected]). 2Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, 3Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, 4Arizona State Univeristy, Tempe, AZ, 85287. Introduction: In 2009, the Kaguya spacecraft dis- surface void [3]. The pit is located a few kilometers to covered several large pits in the lunar surface [1]. Later the west of the Rimae Burg graben, and could be relat- Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images ed [7]. Compositionally, the pit is located in a deposit captured these pits in greater detail, revealing that of low- to very low-Ti and high Al2O3 lavas that extend some of them expose tens of meters of in-situ lava bed- from Lacus Mortis across the larger Mare Frigoris re- rock cross-sections in their walls [2,3]. Such exposures gion [8]. The Lacus Mortis region itself is a small, offer tantalizing natural drill-holes through the regolith semi-circular mare deposit to the south of Mare Frigor- and into the lunar maria. In particular, the pits provide is, and appears to be composed of a single basaltic unit the opportunity to examine maria deposits from the top [8]. The Lacus Mortis pit would provide access to 5-6 of the regolith, through the regolith/bedrock interface, layers of undersampled Al-rich lavas [8].