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The apollo 15 x-ray fluorescence experiment (Document No: 19720013147)
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Adler, I. Blodgett, H. Schmadebeck, R. Lamothe, R. Gerard, J. Eller, E. Gorenstein, P. Trombka, J. Lowman, P. Yin, L. |
| Copyright Year | 1972 |
| Description | The CSM spectrometric data on the lunar surface with respect to its chemical composition are presented for Al, Mg, and Si as Al/Si and Mg/Si ratios for the various features overflow by the spacecraft. The lunar surface measurements involved observations of the intensity and characteristic energy distribution of the secondary or fluorescent X-rays produced by the interaction of solar X-rays with the lunar surface. The results showed that the highlands and maria are chemically different, with the highlands having considerably more Al and less Mg than the maria. The mare-highland contact is quite sharp and puts a limit on the amount of horizontal transport of material. The X-ray data suggest that the dominant rock type of the lunar highlands is a plagioclase-rich pyroxene bearing rock, probably anorthositic gabbro or feldspathic basalt. Thus the moon appears to have a widespread differentiated crust (the highlands) systematically richer in Al and lower in Mg than the maria. This crust is pre-mare and may represent the first major internal differentiation of the moon. |
| File Size | 1277886 |
| Page Count | 42 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19720013147 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t1wd8mt0h |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1972-03-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Space Sciences Lunar Maria Lunar Crust Aluminum Lunar Composition X Ray Spectroscopy X Ray Fluorescence Apollo 15 Flight Silicon Gabbro Chemical Composition Magnesium Lunar Rocks Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
