DOCSLIB.ORG

PSI Annual Report 2010.Indd

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
PSI Annual Report 2010.Indd Planetary Science Institute ANNUAL REPORT 2010 PLANETARY SCIENCE INSTITUTE The Planetary Science Institute is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to solar system exploration. It is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, where it was founded in 1972. PSI scientists are involved in numerous NASA and international missions, the study of Mars and other planets, the Moon, asteroids, comets, interplanetary dust, impact physics, the origin of the solar system, extra-solar planet formation, dynamics, the rise of life, and other areas of research. They conduct fieldwork in North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Africa. They are also actively involved in science education and public outreach through school programs, children’s books, popular science books and art. PSI scientists are based in 16 states, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Russia and Australia with affiliates in China and Japan. The Planetary Science Institute is located at 1700 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, Arizona, 85719-2395. The main office phone number is 520-622-6300, fax is 520-622-8060 and theWeb address is http://www.psi.edu. PSI BOARD OF Trustees Tim Hunter, M.D., Chair Brent A. Archinal, Ph.D. John L. Mason, Ph.D. University of Arizona Medical Center Geodesist Applied Research and Technology Candace P. Kohl, Ph. D., Vice Chair Donald R. Davis, Ph.D. Independent Consultant Planetary Science Institute Benjamin W. Smith, J.D. Attorney at Law Michael G. Gibbs, Ed.D., Secretary William K. Hartmann, Ph.D. Capitol College Planetary Science Institute Mark V. Sykes, Ph.D., J.D. Planetary Science Institute David H. Levy, Ph.D. Jarnac Observatory On the cover: Sunset on the cliffs of the Orientale Multi-ring Basin system on the Moon. This giant large impact basin, on the edge of the Moon as seen from Earth, was discovered by PSI’s Bill Hartmann in 1961-62 during his graduate student work at University of Arizona. Due to the basin’s location, the Earth would hang just above the horizon as seen from the eastern ring cliffs. The scene is illuminated by blue Earthlight, with the sunlight hitting only the clifftops as the Sun sets behind us. (Acrylic painting © William K. Hartmann, 2011.) 2 NOTE FROM THE DirectOR PSI had another year of record growth, with a 26 percent increase in communication with revenue in the midst of a wider economic downturn. This has been due the public. So, Alan has to the continued expansion of our science staff and also the increasing been brought on board success of our scientists in bringing in new research funding. This is not only to be PSI’s enhanced by the mutual support provided by our Red Team process, in contact with the press, which scientists across the Institute volunteer to review the proposals but to help us in our of their colleagues and meet to discuss those reviews weeks in advance broader outreach of the funding agency deadline. This improves the quality and competi- through the internet, tiveness of our proposals. It also promotes community. social media, and other means. Being a geographically distributed institution means we are always working to enhance connectedness and a strong sense of community. Another major event this Toward those ends, this year we have made two significant investments year is the establishment of in communication. The first is creating an integrated VoIP-based phone PSI’s Development Program under the leadership of our first Develop- system and extending it throughout the Institute, even overseas! All ment Officer, Amy Hartmann-Gordon. Amy brings years of experience scientists in Tucson or off-site are being sent phone handsets with local in marketing, public relations and fundraising for the Tucson Children’s exchanges. To contact anyone in the Institute, they simply dial a three- Museum and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. She was also the digit code. We are also exploring an intercom capability. Our scientists Director of Finance for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Fundraising in Europe have local Tucson numbers, so there is no need for them to is essential for the health of any non-profit corporation. For instance, make international calls to conduct PSI-related business. we bring in millions of dollars for research, but a good fraction of that is money recovered through invoicing – which means we need to carry 30 The second investment, made near the end of this year, is that everyone to 45 days of expenses spent in advance. Where does that money come in the Institute was given an iPad – what we call a “PSiPad”! This allows from? Unrestricted donations, which get to be continually reused like for greater connectivity and productivity in more venues wherever oil in a high-performance engine (except it never burns up!). Develop- people are, making use of WiFi hotspots or ATT’s 3G network. We have ment also helps to sustain things like our teacher training programs loaded them up with a standard collection of apps: for example, for beyond the period of agency funding, and it creates a pool of funds that reading and writing documents, spreadsheets, and, of course, email. We we can use for taking our science to the public. Down the road it will also provide everyone with an allowance for purchasing more apps, so provide the foundation for a permanent facility for the Institute that we can find additional tools of value through our own “crowd sourcing.” will include offices, laboratories and space for the general public Tablets are a new technology which is evolving. Our plan as an Institute to see exhibits and participate in programs related to exploring the is to upgrade this equipment as important capabilities are added. solar system. These advances and others have been enabled by the high quality of Our first step is building a Friends of PSI program, in which member- our expanding Information Technology staff. Our IT Technician, ship includes advance notice of breaking news on discoveries, access Kathi Gardner, has been joined by our new IT Manager, Terrill Yuhas, to special events that are also webcast and interactive (so Friends do and Gavin Nelson, who fills the new position of Infrastructure System not have to be local to Tucson), and special discounts at the PSI Online Administrator. Terrill and Gavin most recently ran the data center at Bookshop. This year we also had our first fundraising event for which the Bio5 Institute of the University of Arizona. Picking up from our PSI Board of Trustee member Ben Smith generously provided his home. former IT Manager, Tamara Kemnitz, who significantly modernized Attendees got to handle meteorites and examine spacecraft instruments PSI’s IT infrastructure while accommodating our rapid growth, they in addition to interacting with PSI scientists while enjoying refreshments. have continued to build and improve our internal capabilities and the We all look forward to more of these events where we get to share the robustness of our systems while supporting our increasing number of cool things that we do on a one-on-one basis. scientists. They also have implemented the first major overhaul of our web presence in many years, implementing a content management system As PSI grows and expands, so does our vision and ambition. PSI that provides a more uniform look and feel to our web presence. scientists have for decades been involved with observing objects in the solar system from ground-based telescopes around the world and Our first Public Information Officer, Ed Stiles, retired this year and have participated on robotic missions to other planets. We are now we will miss him. As PSI alumni, however, he and his wife, Lori, are planning to join the vanguard of private explorers going into space, always welcome as our guests at our events. So, we look forward to beginning with the Atsa Suborbital Observatory under the leadership seeing them in the future! of Faith Vilas, who has joined us this year after retiring as director of the MMT Observatory, one of the major observing facilities in Our new Public Information Officer, Alan Fischer, brings many years the continental U.S. PSI scientists will travel beyond the Earth’s of experience as a newspaper reporter in science and technology, the atmosphere as telescope operators for this facility. As commercial public affairs/media relations manager for Raytheon Missile Systems, suborbital vehicles move to commercial orbiters, PSI will be there. and as an independent writer. Just as we are committed to always improving communication and connectedness within the Institute, Mark V. Sykes we are also committed to always improving our connections and 3 PSI Strengthens Science, Education and Support Staff PSI’s strength and advantage are in its people. Our culture of openness and high level of mutual support distinguish us as an organization. In 2010 PSI continued to grow, adding 13 new staff, including eight new researchers. Other new personnel focus on development and public outreach efforts and add to PSI’s science support and administrative efforts. New PSI staff members for 2010: Alan Fischer Marc Fries W. Brent Garry Michelle Greer Candice Hansen Public Information Officer Research Scientist Research Scientist Accountant Senior Scientist Amy Hartmann-Gordon Elizabeth Jensen Catherine Johnson Gavin Nelson Eric Palmer D evelopment Officer Associate Research Scientist Senior Scientist Infrastructure Systems Postdoctoral Research Scientist Administrator Julie Rathbun Faith Vilas Terrill Yuhas Senior Scientist Senior Scientist Information Technology Manager A Busy Year at PSI Planetary Science Institute researchers and educators expanded helped to recover the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft, returning the workshops for elementary and middle school teachers to improve first samples from a near-Earth asteroid; determined the negative science education, making use of visualizations of planetary consequences to the Earth’s ozone layer (and life) by a modest- surfaces and solar system research results.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Surveyor 1 Space- Craft on June 2, 1966 As Seen by the Narrow Angle Camera of the Lunar Re- Connaissance Orbiter Taken on July 17, 2009 (Also See Fig
    i “Project Surveyor, in particular, removed any doubt that it was possible for Americans to land on the Moon and explore its surface.” — Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo 17 Scientist-Astronaut ii Frontispiece: Landing site of the Surveyor 1 space- craft on June 2, 1966 as seen by the narrow angle camera of the Lunar Re- connaissance Orbiter taken on July 17, 2009 (also see Fig. 13). The white square in the upper photo outlines the area of the enlarged view below. The spacecraft is ca. 3.3 m tall and is casting a 15 m shadow to the East. (NASA/LROC/ ASU/GSFC photos) iii iv Surveyor I: America’s First Moon Landing by William F. Mellberg v © 2014, 2015 William F. Mellberg vi About the author: William Mellberg was a marketing and public relations representative with Fokker Aircraft. He is also an aerospace historian, having published many articles on both the development of airplanes and space vehicles in various magazines. He is the author of Famous Airliners and Moon Missions. He also serves as co-Editor of Harrison H. Schmitt’s website: http://americasuncommonsense.com Acknowledgments: The support and recollections of Frank Mellberg, Harrison Schmitt, Justin Rennilson, Alexander Gurshstein, Paul Spudis, Ronald Wells, Colin Mackellar and Dwight Steven- Boniecki is gratefully acknowledged. vii Surveyor I: America’s First Moon Landing by William F. Mellberg A Journey of 250,000 Miles . December 14, 2013. China’s Chang’e 3 spacecraft successfully touched down on the Moon at 1311 GMT (2111 Beijing Time). The landing site was in Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Rains, about 25 miles (40 km) south of the small crater, Laplace F, and roughly 100 miles (160 km) east of its original target in Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows.
    [Show full text]
  • Earth-Moon System
    ©JSR 2013/2018 Astronomy: Earth-Moon system Earth-Moon System Earth at night To see even the bright Moon properly you need clear skies and I can't resist taking the opportunity of beginning with NASA’s spectacular Earth-at-night picture - or how the Earth would appear without cloud cover. It's a picture that is not only of astronomical interest, but one that says a lot about the world's demography and economy. This section of the course, taking two to three lectures, covers the Earth-Moon system. Moon slide There are many features of the Earth-Moon system that are relevant to the study of the Universe at large. • It is held together by universal gravitation, whose basic law is simple but whose effects are not. • The Moon has craters, like many other objects in our solar system and presumably throughout the Universe. How were they formed and what do they tell us? • Measuring size and distance is a fundamental issue in astronomy. We have to start from homebase. The surer we are of distances in the solar system, the surer we are of measuring the much larger distances between stars and between galaxies. The Moon is the first permanent body beyond the Earth. The Earth-Moon system is the obvious first solar system distance to find. • The Earth-Moon system provides the fascinating spectacle of both lunar and solar eclipses. These have influenced societies, ancient and modern, and provided valuable insights into the nature of the Sun in particular. • There is a tendency to think of heavenly objects as points, because they are so far away.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Observing the Moon
    Your guide to The Moonby Robert Burnham A supplement to 618128 Astronomy magazine 4 days after New Moon south is up to match the view in a the crescent moon telescope, and east lies to the left. f you look into the western sky a few evenings after New Moon, you’ll spot a bright crescent I glowing in the twilight. The Moon is nearly everyone’s first sight with a telescope, and there’s no better time to start watching it than early in the lunar cycle, which begins every month when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. Langrenus Each evening thereafter, as the Moon makes its orbit around Earth, the part of it that’s lit by the Sun grows larger. If you look closely at the crescent Mare Fecunditatis zona I Moon, you can see the unlit part of it glows with a r a ghostly, soft radiance. This is “the old Moon in the L/U. p New Moon’s arms,” and the light comes from sun- /L tlas Messier Messier A a light reflecting off the land, clouds, and oceans of unar Earth. Just as we experience moonlight, the Moon l experiences earthlight. (Earthlight is much brighter, however.) At this point in the lunar cycle, the illuminated Consolidated portion of the Moon is fairly small. Nonetheless, “COMET TAILS” EXTENDING from Messier and Messier A resulted from a two lunar “seas” are visible: Mare Crisium and nearly horizontal impact by a meteorite traveling westward. The big crater Mare Fecunditatis. Both are flat expanses of dark Langrenus (82 miles across) is rich in telescopic features to explore at medium lava whose appearance led early telescopic observ- and high magnification: wall terraces, central peaks, and rays.
    [Show full text]
  • PLUS How to Observe Pluto P. 46
    APOLLO 15 REMEMBERED: p. 14 50 YEARS LATER JULY 2021 The world’s best-selling astronomy magazine Explore the BEST deep-sky gems p. 40 • Orion Nebula • Andromeda Galaxy • Ring Nebula and more! How to observe Pluto p. 46 www.Astronomy.com PLUS V BONUS o l . 4 9 ONLINE • Catch a cool The story of Bob Berman I s s u CONTENT e Venus-Mars premium mirror on the third 7 CODE p. 4 meetup p. 50 makers p. 52 dimension p. 13 NASA hits its stride This view from the slopes of Mount Hadley Delta, near St. George Crater, takes in the Hadley Rille. On the left is a boulder that Scott and Look Irwin sampled. ALL IMAGES ere, Jim! look back th BY NASA AND FILM SCANS/LAB ott: Oh, ’t that Sc k at that! Isn PHOTOS BY THE JOHNSON SPACE at. Oh, loo e, Joe, at th on a slop CENTER UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED We’re up something? own into the oking back d and we’re lo valley and — ’s beautiful. Irwin: That ar! is spectacul Scott: That Armed with the first rover, intrepid astronauts drove lunar science forward. BY MARK ZASTROW AFTER THREE SUCCESSFUL 6-mile-wide (10 kilometers) clearing LUNAR LANDINGS — and the was hemmed in by the Apennine “successful failure” of Apollo 13 — Mountains and bordered by the NASA was ready to swing for the 0.6-mile-wide (1 km) meandering scientific fences. The previous land- canyon called Hadley Rille, which ings had been considered test flights, may have been created by volcanic H series missions in NASA parlance, activity.
    [Show full text]
  • General Disclaimer One Or More of the Following Statements May Affect
    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 s EMIci mm date July 16, 1971 955 L'Enfant Plaza North. S.W. Washington, D. C. 20024 to Distribution B71 07022 from J. W. Head subject Informal Names for Surface Features in the Apollo 15 Landing Area - Case 340 MEMORANDUM FOR FILE A series of informal names has been assigned to surface features in the vicinity of the Apollo 15 landing site (Figure 1). These names were chosen by the Apollo 15 crew members prior to June 26, 1971, to provide more easily recognizable named landmarks along traverse routes and in s areas such as the Apennine Front and Hadley Rille where extensive verbal descriptions will be made. It is hoped that the names will aid in real-time location of the crew and analysis of their descriptions.
    [Show full text]
  • Subject Index
    SUBJECT INDEX Accretion of the Moon Aphelion 34 (chemistry) 419 Apogee 57 Aeronautical Chart and Apollo 5, 8, 596–598, 602, 603, 605 Information Center Apollo 11 30, 609, 611–613 (ACIC) 60 geology 613 Age dating 134 landing site 611, 612 highland rocks 218, 219, 225, 228, 245, 250, Apollo 12 610, 614–616 253, 255, 256 geology 616 mare basalts 208, 209 landing site 614, 615 methods 134, 223 Apollo 14 31, 610, 617–619 Agglutinates 288, 296–299, 301, 339, 414 geology 619 and siderophile elements 414 landing site 617, 618 chemistry 299 Apollo 15 33, 36, 37, 337, 348, 620– description 296 622 F3 model 299 geology 622 genesis 298 heat flow 36, 37 mineralogy 297 landing site 620, 621 native Fe in 154 Apollo 16 32, 341, 351, 623–625, 631 petrography 298 geology 625 physical properties 296 landing site 623, 624 solar-wind elements in 301 Apollo 17 35, 37, 341, 348, 626–628, Akaganeite 150 631 Albedo 59, 558, 560, 561 geology 628 absorption coefficient 561 heat flow 37 Bond albedo 560 landing site 626, 627 geometrical albedo 560 Apollo command module normal albedo 560 experiments 596 scattering coefficient 561 Apollo Lunar Module (LM) 22, 476 single scattering albedo 560 Apollo Lunar Sample Return spherical albedo 560 Containers (ALSRC) 22 Albite 127, 363, 368 Apollo Lunar Sounder Aldrin, Edwin E., Jr. 27–30 Experiment (ALSE) 564 Alkali anorthosite 228, 381, 398, 399 Apollo Self-Recording high strontium, gallium Penetrometer (SRP) 508, 512, 591 content 399 Apollo Simple Penetrometer Alkali gabbro 370 (ASP) 506 Alkali gabbronorite 230, 368 Apollo
    [Show full text]
  • IF the Present Trend of Events in Europe Continues
    The Lunar Peaks A n d e r s o n B a k e w e l l I F the present trend of events in Europe continues we shall have to go far afield for our expeditions. This has led to the sugges­ tion that the Mountains of the Moon be investigated. To be sure, the Duke of Abruzzi and others did magnificent work in the Ruwen- zori Range, but the peaks we are to discuss in this article remain, to our knowledge, virgin. These are the mountains of our own satellite—the Moon. The first step in any exploration is a search for existing and available maps. Here is our first surprise. For no accurate map of the Moon exists. From the time of Galileo astronomers, aided by the telescope, began a careful study of the Moon’s surface. As a result the geography, or selenography, of that portion of the Moon visible from the earth was thoroughly explored and is now well known. This known portion consists of a little more than half of the Moon’s surface. The rest remains unexplored. For the period of rotation of the Moon on its own axis is the same as that of its revolution about the Earth, with the result that the same side is always turned toward us. In past ages the Moon’s rotation was far more rapid, but its proximity to the Earth has enabled the inexorable pull of gravity to act as a brake upon this motion, slowing it down to its present period.
    [Show full text]
  • 19660015643.Pdf
    b NASA SP-7003 102) a 0 - 913 I IACCESSIO~U%B~~)& (THRU) 0 - L . -* (PAGES)7a ! < L (=ODES6 (NASA CR OR TMX OR AD NUMBER) (CATEGORY) ‘- LUNAR SURFACE A CONTINUING BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH INDEXES - ird copy (HC) h’l -Tofiche (MF) ff i...3 .h*ly 65 ?lAflO#Al AERO# AND SPACE ADJIIIIMtSTR1CITION This bibliography was prepared by the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Facility oper- ated for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by Documentation Incorporated NASA SP-7003 (02) LUNAR SURFACE STUDIES A CONTINUING BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH INDEXES A Selection of Annotated References to Unclassified Reports and Journal Articles ~ introduced into the NASA Information System during the period February, 1965-January, 1966. Scientific and Technical Information Division NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON. D.C. A P R I L 1 9 6 6 This document is available from the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information (CFSTI), Springfield, Virginia, 22 1 5 1, for $1 .OO. INTRODUCTION With the publication of this second supplement, NASA SP-7003 (02), to the Continuing Bibliography on “Lunar Surface Studies” (SP-7003), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration continues its program of distributing selected references to reports and articles on aerospace subjects that are currently receiving intensive study. All references have been announced in either Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR)or Inter- national Aerospace Abstracts (IAA ). They are assembled in this bibliography to provide a reliable and convenient source of information for use by scientists and engineers who require this kind of specialized compilation. In order to assure that the distribution of this informa- tion will be sustained, Continuing Bibliographies are updated periodically through the publication of supplements which can be appended to the original issue.
    [Show full text]
  • Opening the Moon for Business Derek Webber, FBIS, Spaceport Associates
    1 Opening The Moon for Business Derek Webber, FBIS, Spaceport Associates We are entering a new phase of space activity – call it MOON 2.0 – when humans go back to the Moon after 50 years of absence. But this time it will be very different. This will be the age of Lunar Commerce and Infrastructure. Why do we want to go back? There are a number of reasons why humans are planning to return to the surface of the Moon for permanent and peaceful purposes, including science, resource extraction, space tourism and other governmental and commercial endeavors. The Moon has a surface area of about 15 million square miles, which represents approximately the same coverage as the continent of Asia does on Earth. So, there is plenty of room for further exploration, and eventual exploitation, and there will be an associated need for habitation and other infrastructures. And regulation. Plans for the 2024 Return to the Moon In the US, there is a two-pronged approach to returning to the Moon: NASA is pursuing EO 13914, The Executive Order on Encouraging International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources (6th April, 2020) in conjunction with the Administration’s Artemis program plans to place humans back on the Moon by 2024. In the case of the 2024 return logistics, the chosen approach will take advantage of available commercial technologies, and has begun with contracts announced May 31st, 2019 for pre- cursor robotic landers, as shown below. The landers shown, with their respective NASA contract awards, are the Astrobotic Peregrine ($79.5M), The Intuitive Machines Nova-C ($77M), and the Orbit Beyond/Indus lander and rover ($97M).
    [Show full text]
  • Jjmonl 1403.Pmd
    alactic Observer GJohn J. McCarthy Observatory Volume 7, No. 3 March 2014 Speed Demon In space there are no traffic cops. In this image taken by the Spitzer space telescope, a runaway star, HD 2905, 4,000 light years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, is barreling across our galaxy at 2.5 million miles per hour relative to its neighbors (1,100 km per second). This massive insult is causing the diffuse particles of interstellar dust and gas in its way to glow red – a phenomen called bow shock. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observer New Milford High School Editorial Committee 388 Danbury Road Managing Editor New Milford, CT 06776 Bill Cloutier Phone/Voice: (860) 210-4117 Production & Design Phone/Fax: (860) 354-1595 www.mccarthyobservatory.org Allan Ostergren Website Development JJMO Staff Marc Polansky It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory Technical Support has established itself as a significant educational and Bob Lambert recreational resource within the western Connecticut Dr. Parker Moreland community. Steve Barone Jim Johnstone Colin Campbell Carly KleinStern Dennis Cartolano Bob Lambert Mike Chiarella Roger Moore Route Jeff Chodak Parker Moreland, PhD Bill Cloutier Allan Ostergren Cecilia Detrich Marc Polansky Dirk Feather Joe Privitera Randy Fender Monty Robson Randy Finden Don Ross John Gebauer Gene Schilling Elaine Green Katie Shusdock Tina Hartzell Jon Wallace Tom Heydenburg Paul Woodell Amy Ziffer In This Issue "OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT" ............................... 3 ZODIACAL LIGHT ........................................................... 15 MARE NECTARIS ............................................................ 4 MARCH NIGHTS ............................................................ 15 SUPERNOVA IN M82 ........................................................ 5 SUNRISE AND SUNSET ...................................................... 16 OCCULTATION OF REGULUS BY AN ASTEROID ......................
    [Show full text]
  • Scientific Knowledge of the Moon, 1609 to 1969
    geosciences Review Scientific Knowledge of the Moon, 1609 to 1969 Charles A. Wood Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; [email protected]; Tel.: +1-301-538-5244 Received: 23 October 2018; Accepted: 18 December 2018; Published: 21 December 2018 Abstract: Discoveries stemming from the Apollo 11 mission solved many problems that had vexed scientists for hundreds of years. Research and discoveries over the preceding 360 years identified many critical questions and led to a variety of answers: How did the Moon form, how old is its surface, what is the origin of lunar craters, does the Moon have an atmosphere, how did the Moon change over time, is the Moon geologically active today, and did life play any role in lunar evolution? In general, scientists could not convincingly answer most of these questions because they had too little data and too little understanding of astronomy and geology, and were forced to rely on reasoning and speculation, in some cases wasting hundreds of years of effort. Surprisingly, by 1969, most of the questions had been correctly answered, but a paucity of data made it uncertain which answers were correct. Keywords: lunar origin; lunar crater origin; lunar atmosphere; lunar changes; lunar surface age 1. Introduction In the 360 years between Galileo’s first telescopic look at the Moon and the launch of Apollo 11, the Moon attracted many serious observers who developed questions and possible answers about its origin and conditions. Early interpretations of the Moon, its surface and atmospheric conditions were guided by philosophic beliefs from the ancient Greeks and early Christians.
    [Show full text]
  • [ the Reflectance and Scattering, [ of Solar Radiation by the Earth | 1967016633-002
    i 05863-II-T I r_,CDAD'f'lCOLLEGEUiCkl'r r OF , ENGINEERI-_-**l- g-,,,,,, ..........NG - u,_.,_nnlmL_l ,.Jr _CR_,Jr_Lc I::rfbiNl::l:l(INl_ ] HiGHALTITUDEENGINEERINGLABORATORY Techn/coR_,pl ort s [ The Reflectance and Scattering, [ of Solar Radiation by the Earth | 1967016633-002 t THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Department of Aerospace Engineering High Altitude Engineering Laboratory i i Technical Report i THE REFLECTANCE AND SCATI_ING OF SOLAP RADIATION BY THE EARTH Fred L. Bartman I" ." ORA Project 05863 s m D under contract with: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION CO_T_ACTNO. NaSr-_4(03) WASHINGTON, D.C. administered through: OFFICE OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION ANN ARBOR ._ February 1967 1967016633-003 _ s report was also a dissertation submitted in parti_l fulfillment of the requirements for the de- gree of Doctor of Phi!osophy in The University of Michigan, 1967. 1967016633-004 i ACKNOWLEDG_NTS 6 I The autnor wishes to thar_ all of the many people who have assisted him in this study. The advice, and help of Professor Edward S. Epstein, I Chairman of the Doctoral Committee, is particularly appreciated. The author is also grateful to Professors Leslie M. Jones, Robert M. Howe, La_Tence L. Rauch, and Aksel Wiin-Nielsen, for serving as members of the Committee and for their help and suggestions during the course of the work. i The constant interest aad encouragement of Professors Wilbur Nelson and L. M. Jones in the early stages of the work, before the Committee was Ii. formed, arealsogratefullyacknowledged. The help of all my colleagues in the High Altitude Engineering Lab- _" oratory in carrying out preparations and field operations for the balloon " flight measurements is also acknowledged.
    [Show full text]