Planetary Science Seminar Fall 2006 The Moon Class meets Tuesday 4 p m Duane E126 Professor Bruce Jakosky Duane D 141 x2 8004 bruce jakosky lasp colorado edu Office hours Drop in or by appointment Format Students will give presentations on each topic using small groups Topics and course outline will be developed on the first day Grade Will be based on quality and depth of material presented quality of presentation participation in discussion attendance Final exam There is none But we will use the final exam time slot as an additional class session That is scheduled for Saturday 16 Dec 4 30 p m Useful resources Origin of the Earth and Moon edited by Canup and Righter Excellent recent synthesis of many aspects of the Earth Moon system Lunar Sourcebook edited by Heiken et al Compendium of Apollo and other lunar results Basaltic Volcanism Study Project Thorough synthesis of basaltic volcanism and everything related to it including interior structure and composition thermal history etc starting with the Earth and Moon and continuing beyond Dated pub 1980 but excellent for the Moon To a Rocky Moon by Don Wilhelms Outstanding synthesis of lunar science and Apollo missions from perspective of a scientist who lived through it Thoroughly readable and enjoyable memoirs important for understanding the context of the Apollo program The Geological History of the Moon U S G S Professional Paper 1348 Scientific results primarily from Don Wilhelms Geology of the Moon A Stratigraphic View by Thomas Mutch Sets out the principles of lunar stratigraphy and relative age dating as used in determining the history of the Moon Journals Meteoritics and Planetary Science Emphasis on sample analysis and relationship to geology Icarus Emphasis on geology atmosphere and dynamics Journal of Geophysical Research Planets Emphasis on geology and geophysics Major issues and questions How did the Moon form Arguments in favor of an impact origin and against other mechanisms Dynamics of formation by impact and implications for subsequent evolution How has the orbit of the Moon evolved through time and what has controlled it Tidal evolution of the lunar orbit Likely earliest history of where the Moon was Interesting aspects of the current orbital dynamics What were the characteristics of the terminal cataclysm late heavy bombardment Earliest impact basins on the Moon Age dating the lunar surface Late heavy bombardment versus gradual decay in impact rate What is the composition of the highland regions and how does that relate to the possible occurrence of a global magma ocean Composition and age of highlands Mechanism for formation Global magma ocean Why is there an asymmetry in the lunar surface of the near vs the far side Nature of the observed asymmetry When did the asymmetry likely originate Mechanisms for its formation How to distinguish Has there been reorientation of the principal axes of the Moon and why and how Observational evidence for change in orientation or shape Implications for history What geological and geophysical processes are responsible for producing the mare regions Observations of the mare regions physical chemical mineralogical Physical volcanism Chemical and mineralogical processes What has been the history of the interior and how does it relate to the history of the surface Composition and structure of the interior Is there a core Thermal history and geothermal heat flux Is the surface geologically active today as driven by endogenous processes Decline in activity level through time Ongoing volcanism or outgassing today What has the impact rate been through time History of impacts subsequent to the late heavy bombardment Impact rate in the last million to billion years Comparison with impact rate predicted from observed solar system small objects What is the nature of the lunar atmosphere and does it relate to ongoing outgassing Measurements of the atmosphere Where does it come from Where does it go What is the nature and abundance of polar volatiles and what was their history Evidence for polar volatiles Supply and loss Can it be mined for human use What is the nature of the solar wind interactions with the Moon Nature of interactions with a non magnetized planet The Moon as a comet What processes have controlled the evolution of the regolith including both space weathering and impact gardening Observations of the regolith composition particle size thickness etc Impact gardening and regolith formation Space weathering What does the Moon tell us about the history of the Earth our solar system or beyond Extrapolating impact rates to the rest of the solar system Impact rate on Earth and impact extinction of terrestrial life Using the Moon as a tie point for thermal and volcanic history Astrobiological implications How effective is human exploration of the Moon Human efficacy during Apollo What can humans reasonably be expected to accomplish on the Moon What are the engineering issues associated with lunar exploration Limits to robotic exploration Limits to human exploration What are the major scientific drivers of continued lunar exploration and how are they likely to be addressed or not by the Vision for Space Exploration What are the recent ongoing and upcoming lunar missions Ongoing and planned missions Vision for Space Exploration Scientific objectives for the Moon and how can they best be achieved Class meeting dates 29 Aug 5 Sept 12 Sept 19 Sept 26 Sept 3 Oct 10 Oct 17 Oct 24 Oct 31 Oct 7 Nov 14 Nov 21 Nov 28 Nov 5 Dec 12 Dec 16 Dec Overview of class Overview of history of the Moon How did the Moon form How has the Moon s orbit changed with time and what has controlled it What were the characteristics of the terminal cataclysm late heavy bombardment What is the composition of the highlands and how does it relate to a global magma ocean Why is there an asymmetry between the near and far side What geological and geophysical processes formed the mare regions What has been the history of the interior What has the impact rate been through time What is the nature of the lunar atmosphere What is the nature abundance and history of polar volatiles No class Thanksgiving week What is the nature of solar wind interactions with the Moon What has controlled the evolution of the regolith How effective is human exploration of the Moon What is the future of lunar exploration and the Space Exploration Vision