Lunar highlands in the context of "Lunar science"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about Lunar highlands in the context of "Lunar science"
Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Lunar highlands

The geology of the Moon (sometimes called selenology, although the latter term can refer more generally to "lunar science") is the structure and composition of the Moon, which is quite different from that of Earth. The Moon lacks a true atmosphere outside of a sparse layer of gas. Because of this, the absence of free oxygen and water eliminates erosion due to weather. Instead, the surface is eroded much more slowly through the bombardment of the lunar surface by micrometeorites. It does not have any known form of plate tectonics, along with having a lower gravity compared to Earth. Because of its small size, it cooled faster in the early days of its formation. In addition to impacts, the geomorphology of the lunar surface has been shaped by volcanism, which is now thought to have ended less than 50 million years ago. The Moon is a differentiated body, with a crust, mantle, and core.

Geological studies of the Moon are based on a combination of Earth-based telescope observations, measurements from orbiting spacecraft, lunar samples, and geophysical data. Six locations were sampled directly during the crewed Apollo program landings from 1969 to 1972, which returned 382 kilograms (842 lb) of lunar rock and lunar soil to Earth. In addition, three robotic Soviet Luna spacecraft returned another 301 grams (10.6 oz) of samples, and the Chinese robotic Chang'e 5 returned a sample of 1,731 g (61.1 oz) in 2020.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier

Lunar highlands in the context of Apollo 17

Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the eleventh and final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the sixth and most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, while Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans orbited above. Schmitt was the only professional geologist to land on the Moon; he was selected in place of Joe Engle, as NASA had been under pressure to send a scientist to the Moon. The mission's heavy emphasis on science meant the inclusion of a number of new experiments, including a biological experiment containing five mice that was carried in the command module.

Mission planners had two primary goals in deciding on the landing site: to sample lunar highland material older than that at Mare Imbrium and to investigate the possibility of relatively recent volcanic activity. They therefore selected Taurus–Littrow, where formations that had been viewed and pictured from orbit were thought to be volcanic in nature. Since all three crew members had backed up previous Apollo lunar missions, they were familiar with the Apollo spacecraft and had more time for geology training.

↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Apollo 17
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Lunar maria → KREEP → Pre-Nectarian → Nectarian → Imbrian → Eratosthenian → Copernican period → Lunar science → The Moon → Earth → Atmosphere of the Moon → Free oxygen → Erosion → Weather → Micrometeorites → Plate tectonics → Gravity → Geomorphology → Volcanism → Planetary differentiation → Crust (geology) → Mantle (geology) → Planetary core → Geology → Telescope → Exploration of the Moon → Moon rock → Geophysical → Apollo program → Lunar rock → Lunar soil → Soviet space program → Luna programme → Chang'e 5 →