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There are still many questions that remain about the Moon, which this book examines. From concentric craters to lunar swirls, water vapor and lunar reverberations on impact, Foster collects it all for a fascinating tour that will illuminate the backyard observer's understanding of this easily viewed, yet also imperfectly understood, celestial object. Data from Apollo and a flotilla of unmanned Moon orbiters, crashers, and landers have all contributed to our understanding of the Moon, but these mysteries linger despite decades of research.
When Project Apollo brought back lunar rocks and soil samples, it opened a new chapter of understanding Earth's lone natural satellite, a process that continues to this day, as old results are revisited and new techniques are used on existing samples. Topics such as the origin, evolution, structure and composition of the Moon, however, are still under debate.
Lunar research is still an active field of study. New technologies make it possible to continue to learn. But even so, the Moon continues to hold tight to some of its oldest and most cherished secrets. Foster examines many of the most interesting puzzles and what has been revealed by exploring them – as well as what questions remain.
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Vincent S. Foster Modern Mysteries of the Moon What We Still Don’t Know About Our Lunar Companion Astronomers’ Universe More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6960 Vincent S. Foster Modern Mysteries of the Moon What We Still Don’t Know About Our Lunar Companion Vincent S. Foster Waretown, NJ, USA ISSN 1614-659X ISSN 2197-6651 (electronic) Astronomers’ Universe ISBN 978-3-319-22119-9 ISBN 978-3-319-22120-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-22120-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015947273 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. iStock credit: iStock_000047641846 ©Igor Sokalski Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Dedicated to the two Kathys in my life, my wife and my granddaughter Preface Project Apollo was going to be the final chapter of an exciting celestial mystery novel. Scientists were supposed to take the 842 lb of lunar rocks and soil samples brought back from the Moon and with them piece together the origin, evolution, structure, and composition of the Moon. And voila! All the mysteries of the Moon would be solved. However, reality doesn’t always work that way. Data from Apollo and a flotilla of unmanned Moon orbiters, crashers, and landers have yielded many answers, but much remains unknown. For