The objectives of the Apollo 16 mission to delineate the nature and origin of two major physiographic units of the central lunar highlands are discussed. Surface exploration plans, specific sampling procedures, operational constraints, and suites of samples that were collected for specific local objectives are described. Pre-mission hypotheses that favored a volcanic origin for the Cayley plains as well as the Descartes mountains were proved to be wrong by the mission results, but not enough samples have been studied to draw any other definite conclusions. Two contrasting schools of thought about the origin of the Apollo fragmental impact deposits are described: one maintains that the samples are predominantly of local origin, while the other suggests more distant, basin-related sources.
Mission objectives for geological exploration of the Apollo 16 landing site
Conference on the Lunar Highlands Crust ; 1979 ; Houston, TX
1980-01-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Apollo 13 third lunar landing mission
NTRS | 1970
Apollo 11 lunar landing mission - Press kit
NTRS | 1969
Paraphrased geological excerpts from Apollo 12 mission
NTRS | 1970
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