Lunar Science: A Post-Apollo View: Scientific Results and Insights from the Lunar Samples explains the scientific results and discoveries of the manned Apollo lunar missions as they are understood. The emphasis is less on sample description and data and more on the interpretative aspects of the study, with the aim of providing a coherent story of the evolution of the moon and its origin as revealed by the lunar samples and the Apollo missions. This text has seven chapters; the first of which provides a historical background of efforts to study the moon prior to the Apollo missions, including lunar photogeologic mapping and direct exploration by spacecraft. Attention then turns to the Apollo missions and the lunar samples collected, beginning with Apollo 11 that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 and followed by more missions. The next chapter describes the geology of the moon, with emphasis on craters, central peaks and peak rings, the large ringed basins, rilles, and maria lava flows. The reader is also introduced to the nature of the lunar surface material, the maria basalts, the highlands, and the moon's interior. This book concludes with a discussion on the evidence that has been gathered by the Apollo missions that offers insights into the origin and evolution of the moon. An epilogue reflects on the usefulness of manned space flight. This book will appeal to lunar scientists as well as to those with an interest in astronomy and space exploration.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1 Introduction 1.1 The Pre-Apollo Setting 1.2 The Apollo Landings and the Lunar SamplesChapter 2 Lunar Geology 2.1 The Face of the Moon 2.2 Stratigraphy of the Lunar Surface 2.3 Stratigraphic and Absolute Age Scales 2.4 Lunar Topography 2.5 The Larger Lunar Craters 2.6 Central Peaks and Peak Rings 2.7 The Large Ringed Basins 2.8 Relation of Ringed Basins and Smooth-Plains-Forming Deposits 2.9 Layering in the Highlands 2.10 Maria Lava Flows 2.11 Rilles 2.12 Wrinkle Ridges 2.13 Low Albedo Areas 2.14 SwirlsChapter 3 The Surface of the Moon 3.1 The Extreme Upper Surface 3.2 The Regolith 3.3 Structure of the Regolith 3.4 Chemistry of the Regolith 3.5 "Age" of the Soils 3.6 Glasses 3.7 Tektites 3.8 The Mega-Regolith 3.9 Craters and Cratering Rates 3.10 Microcraters and Micrometeorites 3.11 Meteorite Flux 3.12 Solar and Galactic Cosmic Rays 3.13 Fossil Track Studies 3.14 Cosmogenic Radionuclides 3.15 Rare Gases 3.16 Volatilization of Elements at the Lunar Surface 3.17 Lunar Atmosphere 3.18 Exobiology 3.19 Organic GeochemistryChapter 4 The Maria 4.1 The Lavas 4.2 Types of Maria Basalts 4.3 Emerald Green and Orange Glasses 4.4 Composition of Maria Basalts 4.5 The Large Cations 4.6 The Rare Earth Elements 4.7 The Europium Anomaly 4.8 The Large, High-Valency Cations 4.9 The Ferromagnesian Elements 4.10 Sulfur and the Chalcophile Elements 4.11 The Siderophile Elements 4.12 Oxygen and Carbon Isotopes 4.13 Cosmochemical Implications of the Trace Element Abundances 4.14 Ages of Maria Basalts 4.15 Sources of the Maria Basalts 4.16 Impact Melting 4.17 Partial Melting in the Interior 4.18 Cooling and Crystallization of the Lavas 4.19 Fractional CrystallizationChapter 5 The Highlands 5.1 The Highland Crust 5.2 Breccias 5.3 Impact-Induced Melting 5.4 Element Migration in Breccias 5.5 Sampling of the Highland Crust 5.6 Highland Rock Types 5.7 Experimental Petrology and the Source of the Highland Rock Types 5.8 The Orbital Chemical Data 5.9 Inter-Element Correlations 5.10 The Chemical Composition of the Highlands 5.11 The Ancient Meteoritic Component 5.12 Ages of the Highland RocksChapter 6 The Interior of the Moon 6.1 Radius, Density, and Moment of Inertia 6.2 Lunar Gravity and the Mascons 6.3 Lunar Seismicity 6.4 Structure of the Lunar Interior 6.5 Temperatures within the Moon 6.6 Lunar Magnetism 6.7 Origin of the Lunar Magnetic FieldChapter 7 The Origin and Evolution of the Moon 7.1 The New Moon 7.2 The Boundary Conditions from the Apollo Missions 7.3 Homogeneous Versus Heterogeneous Accretion 7.4 The Overall Composition of the Moon 7.5 Rare Earth Patterns in the Lunar Interior 7.6 Geochemical Evolution of the Moon 7.7 Lunar Origins 7.8 The Double Planet Hypothesis 7.9 Fission Hypothesis 7.10 Capture Hypotheses 7.11 The Solar NebulaEpilogue On the Usefulness of Manned Space FlightAppendix I Reference AbbreviationsAppendix II Primary Data SourcesGlossaryAuthor IndexSubject Index