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NASA NTRS1973

Distribution of inert gases in fines from the Cayley-Descartes region

The inert gases in 14 different fines and in one sample of 2 to 4 mm fines from Apollo 16 were measured by mass spectroscopy with respect to trapped solar wind gases, cosmogenic gases, and 'parentless' Ar-40. Such studies are helpful for the understanding of regolith evolution, of transport of regolith fines, and of the lunar atmosphere. The Apollo 16 soils are unique because they represent, after Luna 20, the second and much more extensive record from the lunar highlands. The landing site presents the problem of materials from the Cayley Formation vs those from the Descartes Formation. There are two large, relatively fresh craters in the area, North Ray and South Ray, whose ejecta patterns may be recognized in the inert-gas record.

Walton, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Methods of radar studies of the moon and the planets from spacecraft

Radar studies of the moon and planets from the earth have been valuable but limited in comparison to radar studies from spacecraft. Autonomous and non-autonomous methods of radar research from space satellites and probes are considered. Results of both the Luna and Surveyor series of lunar spacecraft are presented. It is concluded that use of radar in spacecraft allows valuable, high resolution measurement even near the limb and on the back side of the moon.

Krupenio, N. N.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Global small-scale lunar cartography

The primary sources information for compiling this map were the photographs of the visible hemisphere obtained by earth-based observatories, the Luna 3 and Zond 3 pictures, and a small number of Lunar Orbiter pictures. The primary content of the complete lunar map is the surface relief and its tonal characteristics. In preparing the map, particular attention was devoted to the variety of lunar relief forms. The color spectrum of the map was selected not only for the natural coloring of the lunar surface, but also with the objective of achieving maximum expressiveness. A lunar globe to scale 1:10 million was prepared along with the preparation of the map. The scale of the globe, half that of the map, led to some selection and generalization of the relief forms. The globe permits maintaining simultaneously geometric similarity of contours, exact proportions of areas, and identical scales in all directions. The globe was prepared in both the Latin and Russian languages.

Lipskiy, Y. N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Reception and study of lunar surface material in inert gas medium

The reception and study of lunar material returned by the Luna 16 space station is described. The layout of a vacuum receiving chamber for working with material in a helium atmosphere is examined along with the main operations involved in extracting the material from the ampule and drill.

Surkov, Y. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Morphology and types of particles of regolith sample from the Sea of Fertility

A brief description of the morphology of lunar surface material returned by Luna 16 automatic lunar station is given. Adhesiveness of the surface material and its ability to be electrified is noted. Two main genetic groups of regolith particles are differentiated: primary, represented mainly by fragments of magmatic rocks of the basalt and gabbro types, as well as mineralized grains of their constituent minerals, and secondary, particles subjected to appreciable exogenic transformation on the surface of the Moon. The second group, representing more than 70 percent of the material in coarse fractions, includes particles of breccias, sintered aggregates of complex dendritic form, and glass and vitrified particles of varied composition.

Florenskiy, K. P.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Granulometric characteristics of lunar surface material from the Sea of Fertility

The particle size distributions in the 1-1000 micrometer range along the length of the core of lunar surface material returned by Luna 16 were recorded by electrical impulse as well as sieve methods. The measurements are represented in the form of cumulative functions of the logarithm of size versus the logarithm of particle number, and also as the logarithm of size versus particle mass on a probability scale. The former functions at all depths consist of the super-positioning of two straight lines with slopes from 2.10 to 4.05. The second functions are near linear, which together with the closeness of the calculated asymmetries of the distribution to zero and the nearness of the calculated excess of the distributions to unity indicate the closeness of the recorded distributions to the logarithmically normal law. This agrees with the assumption that regolith particles were formed in a process of intensive mechanical grinding.

Stakheyev, Y. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Petrology of lunar rocks from the Sea of Fertility

Based on a comparative analysis of the petrochemistry of an integrated sample of gabbro basalts and a fine fraction from regolith returned by Luna 16 automatic station from the Sea of Fertility, with the mean compositions of various types of mare basalts, anorthosites, and regolith from the Sea of Tranquillity and the Ocean of Storms, with reference to several data on rare elements, the nature of the fine fractions is discussed. It is shown that the integrated sample of gabbro basalt from the coarse fraction in the lower part of the core can be represented as a mixture of mare basalts of the Sea of Tranquillity and nonmare basalts of the krip type in the ratio of about 3 to 2. It is confirmed that the compositions of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 regolith are complementary with the compositions of basalts and anorthosites of the Sea of Tranquillity and the Ocean of Storms.

Pavlenko, A. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Electron paramagnetic resonance of several lunar rock samples

The results are presented of investigating lunar rock samples returned by the Luna 16 automatic station, using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The EPR technique makes it possible to detect paramagnetic centers and investigate their nature, with high sensitivity. Regolith (finely dispersed material) and five particles from it, 0.3 mm in size, consisting mostly of olivine, were investigated with EPR.

Marov, P. N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Determination of copper, scandium, molybdenum, tin, lead, and iron group elements in lunar surface materials

Distribution regularities of copper, scandium, molybdenum, tin, lead, and iron group elements were investigated in basaltoid rocks of lunar and terrestrial origin. Samples of various regolith zones taken in the area of the Sea of Fertility were analyzed, along with samples of basic and ultrabasic rocks of the East African Rift for their content of the trace admixtures listed. Data obtained on the abundance of copper, scandium, molybdenum, tin, lead, cobalt, nickel, chromium, and vanadium in Luna 16 lunar surface material were compared with the abundance of these elements in samples of lunar rocks returned by Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 14, with the exception of scandium; its content in the latter samples was considerably higher.

Pavlenko, L. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Isotopic composition of lithium, potassium, rubidium, and strontium in lunar surface material

The isotopic composition of alkali and alkaline earth elements in the Luna 16 regolith was investigated by the method of thermionic emission, without chemical separation. The isotopic composition of the lithium in two regolith samples did not differ (within the limits 0.5 percent) from the mean of the terrestrial reference standard. At the same time, the observed difference (1 percent) in the isotopic composition of lithium between the samples requires further investigation and confirmation. The isotopic compositions of K and Rb did not differ within the limits of experimental error from the isotopic composition of the reference standard.

Zaslavskiy, V. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Inert gases in Sea of Fertility regolith

The content and isotopic composition were studied of inert gases -- He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe -- in samples of lunar regolith returned by the Luna 16 automatic station. The samples were taken from depths of about 12 and 30 cm. The high concentrations of inert gases exceed by several orders their concentrations observed in ordinary stony meteorites. The gases in lunar regolith were a complex mixture of gases of different origins: Solar, cosmogenic, radiogenic, and so on. Solar wind gases predominated, distributed in the thin surficial layer of the regolith grains. The concentrations of these gases in the surficial layer is several cubic centimeters per gram. The isotopic composition of the inert gases of solar origin approaches their composition measured in gas-rich meteorites.

Vinogradov, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Study of sample of Sea of Fertility lunar surface material by the track method

Tracks in crystals of feldspars, olivines, pyroxenes, and in several fragments of basalts from a sample of Luna 16 lunar surface material were studied. A high track density, exceeding 10 to the 8th power cm/2 was found. The tracks were produced mainly by iron group nuclei of cosmic galactic and solar rays.

Poupeau, G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Optical characteristics of regolith from the Sea of Fertility, Sea of Tranquillity, and Ocean of Storms

A diffuse reflection spectra analysis is reported for regolith returned by the Luna 16 automatic station and by the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 expeditions. The spectra of the specular reflection of Sea of Fertility regolith, as well as the spectra of diffuse reflection from polished sections of lunar rocks from the Sea of Tranquillity and the Ocean of Storms have no well-defined structures and are close to each other. The lowest reflectivity is exhibited by the Sea of Tranquillity regolith, and the highest -- by the Ocean of Storms regolith. A weak absorption band with a maximum near 1 nm is noted in the spectra, corresponding to the Fe-2(+) ion in the octahedral position in the lattice of regolith mineral constituents. When the indicatrix of scattering of the regolith was recorded, a specular component was detected.

Antipova-Karatayeva, I. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Infrared spectroscopy of lunar mare regolith

Spectra of reflection, emission, and transmission of regolith returned by the Luna 16 automatic station were investigated in the 1.8-13 micrometers region. A reflection maximum was shown to be present in the region 3 to 5 micrometer, along with a corresponding minimum in the emission coefficient. The spectra were interpreted based on a comparison of the optical properties with the chemical and structural properties of the regolith. The regolith in the entire array of properties in the infrared region differs appreciably from terrestrial objects. Spectra of diffuse reflection and the spectra at angles of incidence 0 deg and angles of reflection 15 and 30 deg with samples of the regolith returned by the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 missions revealed a similarity of the infrared reflection characteristics of the regolith from different lunar mare regions.

M. V. Akhmanova↗
NASA NTRS1974

Metallographic study of metallic fragment of lunar surface material

A high precision investigation of a metallic fragment from the lunar material returned by the Soviet Luna 16 automatic station revealed three characteristic temperature intervals with different kinetics of solid solution decomposition. The following were found in the structure of the iron-nickel-cobalt alloy: (1) delta-phase and alpha-ferrite of diffusional, displacement origin in the grain boundary and acicular forms; and (2) martensite of isothermal and athermal nature, acicular, lamellar, massive, and dendritic. The diversity of the shapes of structural constituents is associated with the effect on their formation of elastic distortions and various mechanisms of deformation relaxation processes.

Mints, R. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Exoelectronic emission of particles of lunar surface material

A secondary electron multiplier was used to study the thermostimulated exoelectronic emission of particles of lunar surface material returned by the Soviet Luna 16 automatic station. The natural exoemission from fragments of slag, glass, anorthosite, and a metallic particle was recorded in the isochronic and isothermal thermostimulation regimes. The temperature of emission onset depended on the type of regolith fragment. For the first three particles the isothermal drop in emission is described by first-order kinetic equations. For the anorthosite fragment, exoemission at constant temperature is characterized by a symmetric curve with a maximum. These data indicate the presence of active surface defects, whose nature can be due to the prehistory of the particles.

Mints, R. I.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Temperature emission spectrum of exoelectrons of lunar regolith

Thermostimulated exoelectronic emission of eight fragments of regolith returned by the Soviet Luna 16 automatic station was studied. The nature of the exoemission glove-curves was determined by particle type. Fragments of breccia, sinter, slag, anorthosite, glass plate, and leucocratic gabbro after the first heating disclosed a single exoemission maximum, whose temperature position is in the range 115 to 200 C. The data obtained indicate the complex and inhomogeneous energy structure of some regolith fragments. The presence of surface states capable of forming sorptive bonds can be assumed for most particles. The exoemission of anorthosite, olivine, and the glass spherule is due to the presence of formation defects at their surfaces.

Mints, R. I.↗