Apollo 16 Preliminary Science Report NASA SP-315

626 Pages·2002·53.77 MB·English

APOLLO 16 PRELIMINARY SCIENCE REPORT
The Moon, as photographed by the Apollo 16 astronauts on their way back to the Earth. The darker
areas show: Mare Crisium, near the horizon at the upper left; Mare Marginis, right and below Mate
Crisium; and Mare Smythii, below Mare Marginis. The far-side highlands are also visible.
NASA SP-315
Preliminary Science Report
PREPARED BY
NASA MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER
i,___ea, k_' Scientific and Technical Information O_ce 1972
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
1Vashington, D.C.
EDITORIAL BOARD
The material submitted for the "Apollo 16 Preliminary
Science Report" was reviewed by a NASA Editorial Review
Board consisting of the following members: Robin Brett
and Anthony W. England (Cochairmen), Jack E. Calldns,
Robert L. Giesecke, David N. Holman, Robert M. Mercer,
Michael J. Murphy, and Scott H. Simpkinson.
Cover Photographs: Clockwise from upper right: (1) Earthrise overthe lunar horizon asthe command
and service module orbits the Moon, asseenfrom the lunar module. (2) Rock sample 68416 inset ina
cross-polarized photomicrograph of thin section from the sample. Sample 68416 isacrystalline rock
chipped from aboulder on the rim of a smallcrater inthe ejeeta from South Ray Crater. (3) Shadow
Rock with Smoky Mountain in the right background. The sampling scoop leaning against the rock is
approximately 1m long. (4) Color-enhanced ultraviolet photograph of the geocorona, the halo of
low-density hydrogen around the Earth. The photograph wastaken from the lunar surface with the far
UVcamera/spectrograph. (5) Tripod-mounted far UVcamera]spectrograph inthe shadow of the lunar
module, with the hmar roving vehicle and the U.S. flag in the background.
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Foreword
Ever since Galileo's telescope made the rugged lunar surface more clearly visible (in
1610), men have strived to learn more about the origin and history of the Earth's big
natural satellite, and never has so much progress been made as inthe last fewyears. The
fifth manned lunar landing was in a highlands area, quite different from the sites visited
previously, and the discoveries there now seem certain to result in significant
improvements inthe hypotheses of lunar scientists.
Much of the Moon's surface is similar to the Descartes Highlands that the Apollo 16
astronauts examined. From this highly productive mission, more photographs were
obtained than on any previous Apollo flight, a greater amount of time was spent outside
the lunar module, a greater weight of scientific equipment landed on the Moon, and a
record weight of scientific samples was brought back to laboratories on Earth. The
network of automatic scientific stations at work on the Moon was extended into a new
area and has since detected amoonquake caused by the largest meteoroid impact that has
yet been recorded. Additional experiments on the surface and in flight also were
successfully performed on this mission for the enlightenment of students of natural
phenomena. The Apollo 16 astronauts observed, and scientists studying material they
collected have subsequently deduced, that this landing site differed surprisingly from
earlier expectations.
Future generations consequently may benefit from better concepts of the operation
of the solar system and events throughout the physical universe than have hitherto been
possible. This volume is but one of a series of NASA Special Publications being issued
promptly to document potentially significant discoveries in the course of the Apollo
Program, thereby possibly increasing their usefulness to scientists grappling with problems
that have long perplexed mankind.
Dr. James C. Fletcher
Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
November 10, 1972
Contents
Page
INTRODUCTION xiii
A. J. Calio
1. APOLLO 16SITE SELECTION 1-1
N. W.Hinners
2. MISSION DESCRIPTION 2-1
Richard R. Baldwin
APPENDIX. TOPOGRAPHIC MAPPING OF THE APOLLO 16 LANDING SITE 2-11
Robert O.Hilland Merritt J. Bender
3. SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC RESULTS 3-1
Anthony W.England
4. PHOTOGRAPHIC SUMMARY 4-1
John W.Dietrich and UelS. Clanton
5. CREWOBSERVATIONS 5-1
John W.Young, Thomas K. Mattingly, and CharlesM. Duke
6. PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF THE APOLLO 16 LANDING SITE 6-1
W.R. Muehlberger, R. M. Batson, E. L. Boudette, C.M. Duke, R. E. Eggleton, D. P.
Elston, A. W. England, V. L. Freeman, M. H. Hait, T. A. Hall, J. W.Head, C. A.
Hodges, H. E. Holt, E. D. Jackson, J. A. Jordan, K. B. Larson, D. J. Milton, V. S.
Reed, J. J. Rennilson, G. G. Sehaber, J. P.Sehafer, L. T. Silver, D. Stuart-Alexander,
R. L. Sutton, G. A. Swann, R. L. Tyner, G. E. Ulrich, H. G. Wilshire, E. I41.Wolfe,
and J. I4/.Young
7. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF LUNAR SAMPLES 7-1
PART A. A PETROGRAPHIC AND CHEMICAL DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLES
FROM THE LUNAR HIGHLANDS 7-1
The Lunar Sample Preliminary Examination Team
PART B. APOLLO 16SPECIAL SAMPLES 7-24
Friedrich Hi_rz, W. D. Carrier, III, J. W. Young, C. M. Duke, J. S. Nagle, and
R. Fryxell
PART C. CAUSE OF SECONDARY MAGNETIZATION IN LUNAR SAMPLES 7-55
G. W.Pearceand D. W.Strangway
8. SOIL MECHANICS 8-1
James K. Mitchell, W.David Carrier, lII, WilliamN. Houston, Ronald F. Scott, Leslie
G. Bromwell, 14.Turan Durgunoglu, H. John Hovland, Donald D. Treadwell, and
Nicholas C.Costes
vii
APOLLO 16 PRELIMINARY SCIENCE REPORT
9. PASSIVE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT 9-1
Gary V. Latham, Maurice Ewing, Frank Press, George Sutton, James Dorman, Yosio
Nakamura, Nafi Toksoz, David Lammlein, and Fred Duennebier
10. ACTIVE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT 10-1
Robert L. Kovaeh, Joel S. Watkins,and Pradeep Talwani
11. LUNAR SURFACE MAGNETOMETER EXPERIMENT 11-1
P. Dyal, C. W.Parkin, D. S. Colburn, and G. Schubert
12. LUNAR PORTABLE MAGNETOMETER EXPERIMENT 12-1
P.Dyal, C. W.Parkin, C.P. Sonett, R. L. DuBois, and G. Simmons
13. FAR UV CAMERA/SPECTROGRAPH 13-1
George R. Carruthers and Thornton Page
14. SOLAR WIND COMPOSITION EXPERIMENT 14-1
J. Geiss, F. Buehler, H. CeruttL P. Eberhardt, and Ch.Filleux
15. COSMIC RAY EXPERIMENT 15-1
PART A. COMPOSITION AND ENERGY SPECTRA OF SOLAR COSMIC RAY
NUCLEI 15-2
R. L. Fleiseher and 1t.R. Hart, Jr.
PART B. COMPOSITION OF INTERPLANETARY PARTICLES FROM 0.1 TO 150
MeV/NUCLEON 15-11
P. B. Price, D. Braddy, 1). O'Sullivan, and J. D. Sullivan
PART C. SOLAR COSMIC RAY, SOLAR WIND, SOLAR FLARE, AND NEUTRON
ALBEDO MEASUREMENTS 15-19
D. Burnett, C.Hohenberg, M. Maurette, M. Monnin, R. Walker, and D. Wollum
16. GEGENSCHEIN-MOULTON REGION PHOTOGRAPHY FROM LUNAR ORBIT 16-1
L. Dunkelman, C.L. Wolff, and R. D.Mercer
17. UVPHOTOGRAPHY OF THE EARTH AND MOON t7-1
Tobias Owen
18. GAMMA RAY SPECTROMETER EXPERIMENT 18-1
James R. Arnold, Albert E. Metzger, Laurence E. Peterson, Robert C.Reedy, andJ.
L Trombka
19. X-RAY FLUORESCENCE EXPERIMENT 19-1
L Adler, J. Trombka, J. Gerard, P. Lowman, R. Schmadebeck, H. Blodget, E. Eller,
L. Yin, R. Lamothe, G. Osswald, P. Gorenstein, P. Bjorkholm, H. Gursky, B. Harris,
L. Golub, and F.R. Harnden, Jr.
20. ALPHA-PARTICLE SPECTROMETER EXPERIMENT 20-1
PaulGorenstein and PaulBjorkholm
v_i
CONTENTS
21. LUNAR ORBITAL MASS SPECTROMETER EXPERIMENT 21-1
R. R. Hodges, J. H. Hoffman, and 19.E. Evans
22. SUBSATELLITE MEASUREMENTS OF PLASMA AND ENERGETIC PARTICLES 22-1
K. A. Anderson, L. M. Chase, R. P. Lin, J. E. McCoy, and R. E. McGuire
23. THE PARTICLES AND FIELDS SUBSATELLITE MAGNETOMETER EXPERIMENT 23-1
P. J. Coleman, Jr., B. R. Lichtenstein, C. T.Russell, G. Schubert, and L.R. Sharp
24. S-BAND TRANSPONDER EXPERIMENT 24-1
W.L. S]ogren, P.M. Muller, and W.R. Wollenhaupt
25. BISTATIC-RADAR INVESTIGATION 25-1
H. T.Howard and G. L. Tyler
26. APOLLO WINDOWMETEOROID EXPERIMENT 26-1
Burton G. Cour-Palais,Milton L. Brown, and David S. McKay
27. BIOMEDICAL EXPERIMENTS 27-1
PART A. BIOSTACKEXPER1MENT 27-1
Horst Bficker, G.Horneck, E. Reinholz, 141S.cheuermann, W.RiJther, E. 1t. Graul, H.
Planel, J. P. Soleilhavoup, P. Ciier, R. Kaiser, J. P. Massu_,R. Pfohl, R. Schmitt, W.
Enge, K. P. Bartholomii, R. Beauiean, K. Fukui, O. C. Allkofer, W. Heinrich, H.
Francois, G. Portal, H. Ki_hn, 1-A.Wollenhaupt, and G. H. Bowman
PART B. MICROBIAL RESPONSE TO SPACE ENVIRONMENT 27-11
G. R. Taylor, C. E. Chassay, W. L. Ellis, B. G. Foster, P. A. Volz, J. Spizizen, H.
B_cker, R. T. Wrenn,R. C.Simmonds, R. A. Long, M. B. Parson, E. V.Benton, J. V.
Bailey, B. C. Wooley, and A. M. Heimpel
PART C. VISUAL LIGHT FLASH PHENOMENON 27-17
Richard E. Benson and Lawrence S. Pinsky
28. OBSERVATIONS AND IMPRESSIONS FROM LUNAR ORBIT 28-1
T.K. Mattingly, Farouk EI-Baz, and Richard A. Laidley
29. PHOTOGEOLOGY 29-1
PART A. RELATIVE AGES OF SOME NEAR-SIDE AND FAR-SIDE TERRA
PLAINS BASED ON APOLLO 16METRIC PHOTOGRAPHY 29-3
Laurence Soderblom and Joseph M. Boyce
PART B. CAYLEY FORMATION INTERPRI:_TED AS BASIN EJECTA 29-7
R. E. Eggleton and G. G. Schaber
PART C. SMALL-SCALE ANALOGS OF THE CAYLEY FORMATION AND
DESCARTES MOUNTAINS IN IMPACT-ASSOCIATED DEPOSITS 29-16
James W.ltead
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APOLLO 16 PRELIMINARY SCIENCE REPORT
PART D. DESCARTES HIGHLANDS: POSSIBLE ANALOGS AROUND THE ORI-
ENTALE BASIN 29-20
CarrollAnn Hodges
PART E. ORIENTALE BASIN DEPOSITS (RICCIOLI AREA) IN APOLLO 16
EARTHSH1NE PHOTOGRAPHY 29-24
D. D. Lloyd and J. W.Head
PART F. REINTERPRETATIONS OF THE NORTHERN NECTARIS BASIN 29-27
Don E. Wilhelms
PART G. STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF IMBRIUM SCULPTURE 29-31
David H. Scott
PART H. DISCOVERY OF TWOLUNAR FEATURES 29-33
Farouk EI-Baz
PART I. ARTIFICIAL LUNAR IMPACT CRATERS: FOUR NEW IDENTIFI-
CATIONS 29-39
Ewen A. Whitaker
PART J. RANGER AND OTHER IMPACT CRATERS PHOTOGRAPHED BY
APOLLO 16 29-45
H. J.Moore
PART K. LUNAR SECONDARY CRATERS 29-51
VerneR. Oberbeek, Robert H. Morrison, and John Wedekind
PART L. CRATERMORPHOMETRY 29-56
Richard J. Pike
PART M. KING CRATER AND ITS ENVIRONS 29-62
Farouk EI-Baz
PART N. EJECTA BLANKETS OF LARGE CRATERS EXEMPLIFIED BY KING
CRATER 29-70
Keith A. Howard
PART O. SELECTED VOLCANIC AND SURFICIAL FEATURES 29-78
R. A. Young, W.J. Brennan, and R. W. Wolfe
PART P. LUNAR VOLCANISM: MARE RIDGES AND SINUOUS RILLES 29-79
Riehard A. Young
PART Q. PLANIMETRIC SHAPES OF LUNAR RILLES 29-80
VerneR. Oberbeek, Michio Aoyagi, RonaM Greeley, and Michael Lovas
PART R. LUNAR VOLCANISM: FRACTURE PATTERNS AND RILLES 1NMAR-
GINAL PREMARE CRATERS 29-89
Richard A. Young
PART S. MARE RIDGES AND ARCHES IN SOUTHERN OCEANUS PRO-
CELLARUM 29-90
George W.Colton, Keith A. Howard, and Henry J. Moore