LUNAR SAMPLES

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INTRODUCTION:

You have before you a Lunar Sample Disc on loan from NASA. These samples were collected on the Moon. Take a moment just to hold it close to you. Close your eyes and consider what you have. The tasks for you to accomplish are:

  1. Examine the individual samples with magnifying glass or microscope. In the space provided, describe the sample and what you think of each one..
  2. View the Video on Lunar Exploration.
  3. Complete the attached Activity Sheet.
The lunar samples on loan from NASA come in a lucite disc so as to not be exposed to the elements of our atmosphere which could tarnish or corrode them. Intrinsically they have little value for they are a lot like rocks found on the Earth. Their mineral value is small. But the replacement value (to go back to the Moon and get some more) is astronomical.

Brecci

Breccias were produced when the original crust of the Moon was broken up by meteorite impacts. Fragments of rocks were broken up melted together to make new rocks. This was found by Flank Crater by Apollo 14 crew.

Breccias look a lot like metamorphic rocks on the Earth. But instead of geologic pressures causing the changes, they are sort of smushed by meteorite impacts with the surface of the moon. Under magnification you can see some feldspar (looks almost whitish or grey), some anorthosite (definitely white) and glassy particles. If you look closely you might see a small meteorite impact crater.
 

Mare Soil

These were formed when meteorites struck basalts. They really pulverized them with repeated impacts. You'll see a lot of materials that are in the basalts. This was collected in 1972 by Apollo 17 crew, the last humans to visit the Moon.
 

Orange Soil

This is a mix of reddish and black balls that probably came from the lava of a volcano. It is not entirely understood. What we think is that these materials were basaltic type in nature, blown out of a volcanic source and then cooled into teeny tiny spheres before hitting the ground. But what is not known is why this lava blew out rather than flowing. If there is no gaseous atmosphere surrounding the moon we think it should ahve flowed slowly. This is another mystery we might solve if we go back to the moon.It was also collected by Apollo 17 in December 1972 at the southeast side of Mare Serenitatis because it was different and so interesting.
 

Anorthosite

Made primarily of feldspar crystals, which produces the white color when crushed by impacts. It is found largely in the highlands. Retrieved by Apollo 16 astronauts in Des Cartes near the center of the Moon. The important thing is that the whitish areas of the moon as seen from the Earth are the highlands with a lot of anorthosite materials.
 

Highland Soil

Again, meteorites broke up rocks in the highlands to create these grains of highland soil. This was collected by Apollo 16 between the mare areas. You can see a lot of feldspar and anorthosite and a lot of glasses of various colors. Combined, we get the interesting result.
 

Basalt

This is formed by lava flows on the Moon. Basalt flows filled the lowlands with this dark material. These basins are called Mare. Found by Apollo 15 in August 1971 near Mare Imbrium, the large circular area on the upper part of the moon, just left of center.

Basalt materials cool and crystallize. Typical minerals making them up are pyroxene and feldspar, just like those found on the Earth. The pyroxene is reddish brown and the feldspar is sort of clear and uncrushed. There are lesser amounts of olivine (yellow in color) and ilmenite. The latter are basically tiny black flakes of iron-titanium oxide. You'll need to identify these through a magnifier. From a distance these crystals look sort of dark by themselves. You can imagine that these individual crystals formed separately rather than as a continuous solid but came together much like snow flakes do.
 

1. Facts about the Moon:

2. Did the Moon Rocks look like what you expected?

3. What was Clementine?

4, What was the date of the first human landing on the Moon and who were the crew members?

5. On the image below, identify the names and locations of some prominent Mare and some prominent impact craters as well as the Apollo landing sites

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(It may be hepful to write the name and draw arrows to the location.)

6. What is the Lunar Prospector Mission?

7. What is the origin of the Moon? Describe the four basic theories and explain which is favored.

8. There are three basic kinds of rocks found on the Earth: Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary. Which ones are not found on the Moon? Why?

Credits:

The Lunar Samples are on loan from NASA Johnson Center in Houston. Descriptions of the disc materials are also NASA data. Thanks for the use of materials and information.