Chemical and optical properties at the Apollo 15 and 16 sites.
Abstract
The bulk chemical composition, the surface chemical concentration of four major elements, and the optical albedo were determined for six core samples, for two sites and from four different depths below the lunar surface, and also for surface soil samples from the vicinity of the sites of the cores. The chemical composition of the core samples was found to be related to that of the surface samples from the same sites, and the correlation of the albedo with the surface iron plus titanium content that has previously been demonstrated for the surface samples was also verified for the core samples. A soil layer near the bottom of the Apollo 15 deep drill core was found to be unusual in two respects: the grain surface and the bulk chemical compositions were found to be more similar than is usual, and the albedo was exceptionally high, though still only 0.6 of the albedo of crushed rock of similar composition. The mechanism of darkening of lunar soil is discussed in the light of these observations.
- Publication:
-
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings
- Pub Date:
- 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977LPSC....8.3633G
- Keywords:
-
- Apollo 15 Flight;
- Apollo 16 Flight;
- Lunar Albedo;
- Lunar Composition;
- Lunar Surface;
- Chemical Composition;
- Iron;
- Lunar Core;
- Lunar Landing Sites;
- Lunar Rocks;
- Lunar Soil;
- Solar Wind;
- Weathering;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration