LBS_v_c_o_AKP (unnumbered - NAR, Aristarchus)
One of North American Rockwell's ambitious "Lunar Base Synthesis" proposals. An extract from Volume II of the proposal follows. The referenced figure is this photo:
"The Aristarchus plateau (Figure 5.1-7) is exceptionally rich in features some of which have been the subject of scientific inquiry for more than a century. The area appears to be a cratered volcanic plateau isolated in Mare Procellarum. Of historic interest to observers are Aristarchus, a high-albedo crater with central peak, and Schröter's Valley, a large sinuous rille which terminates abruptly in a crater or amphitheater-like feature called the ''Cobra Head." Transient events resembling glowing lights or eruptions of clouds have been seen by telescope in these areas. Schröter's Valley is perhaps the strangest of the lunar sinuous rilles. On its bottom is a subsidiary median rille which meanders much like a low gradient stream bed on earth, strongly suggestive of the former existence of flowing surface water on the moon.
The plateau area "Woodspot" is well-known for its low albedo and luminescence. The cause of the low luminescence has been attributed t o possible sulfide mineralization or simply to the presence of relatively young, dark basalt lava.
Smaller scale features of interest include many rilles, ridges, apparent fault scarps and depressions, many of which have preferred orientations forming a regional pattern caused by former crustal stresses. Craters and ejecta of all types may be expected and various types of slopes and slump phenomena provide useful subjects for erosion or mass wasting studies. The area is one of the richest in suspected sources of outgassing and active volcanism; hence, it may be well suited for the study of dynamic lunar processes. Stratigraphic relations and rocks important for absolute age dating are well exposed in the walls and ejecta of Aristarchus Crater and Schröter's Valley, which is extremely steep-walled and locally more than 2,500 feet deep."
LBS_v_c_o_AKP (unnumbered - NAR, Aristarchus)
One of North American Rockwell's ambitious "Lunar Base Synthesis" proposals. An extract from Volume II of the proposal follows. The referenced figure is this photo:
"The Aristarchus plateau (Figure 5.1-7) is exceptionally rich in features some of which have been the subject of scientific inquiry for more than a century. The area appears to be a cratered volcanic plateau isolated in Mare Procellarum. Of historic interest to observers are Aristarchus, a high-albedo crater with central peak, and Schröter's Valley, a large sinuous rille which terminates abruptly in a crater or amphitheater-like feature called the ''Cobra Head." Transient events resembling glowing lights or eruptions of clouds have been seen by telescope in these areas. Schröter's Valley is perhaps the strangest of the lunar sinuous rilles. On its bottom is a subsidiary median rille which meanders much like a low gradient stream bed on earth, strongly suggestive of the former existence of flowing surface water on the moon.
The plateau area "Woodspot" is well-known for its low albedo and luminescence. The cause of the low luminescence has been attributed t o possible sulfide mineralization or simply to the presence of relatively young, dark basalt lava.
Smaller scale features of interest include many rilles, ridges, apparent fault scarps and depressions, many of which have preferred orientations forming a regional pattern caused by former crustal stresses. Craters and ejecta of all types may be expected and various types of slopes and slump phenomena provide useful subjects for erosion or mass wasting studies. The area is one of the richest in suspected sources of outgassing and active volcanism; hence, it may be well suited for the study of dynamic lunar processes. Stratigraphic relations and rocks important for absolute age dating are well exposed in the walls and ejecta of Aristarchus Crater and Schröter's Valley, which is extremely steep-walled and locally more than 2,500 feet deep."