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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 [8] In addition, three robotic Soviet Luna ...
The Moon's surface exhibits many other geological features. In addition to mountains, valleys, and impact craters, the following surface features have received names in the Lunar nomenclature , many of them named after a nearby crater or mountain.
The far side of the lunar surface is on average about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) higher than that of the near side. [1] The discovery of fault scarp cliffs suggest that the Moon has shrunk by about 90 metres (300 ft) within the past billion years. [122] Similar shrinkage features exist on Mercury. Mare Frigoris, a basin near the north pole long assumed to ...
By one estimate, the solar wind has deposited more than 1 million tons of helium-3 (3 He) on the Moon's surface. [62] Materials on the Moon's surface contain helium-3 at concentrations estimated between 1.4 and 15 parts per billion (ppb) in sunlit areas, [1] [63] [64] and may contain concentrations as much as 50 ppb in permanently shadowed ...
Schematic illustration of the internal structure of the Moon. Several lines of evidence imply that the lunar core is small, with a radius of about 350 km or less. [5] The diameter of the lunar core is only about 20% the diameter of the Moon itself, in contrast to about 50% as is the case for most other terrestrial bodies.
Soil studied by India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission near the lunar south pole adds support to the theory that the moon once had a magma ... (103-meter) region of the lunar surface, located within 164 ...
The Apollo 12 Lunar Module Intrepid prepares to descend towards the surface of the Moon. 1969 NASA photo by Richard F. Gordon Jr.. The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made a deliberate impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959.
Once the craft had first entered the moon's orbit, ahead of it was 16 days of additional maneuvers to take the lander closer to the lunar surface before it attempts a landing March 2.