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.


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    Title :

    Mission objectives for geological exploration of the Apollo 16 landing site


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    Conference on the Lunar Highlands Crust ; 1979 ; Houston, TX


    Publication date :

    1980-01-01


    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English