Posted on 10/19/2005 9:58:40 PM PDT by neverdem
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 - The Hubble Space Telescope, which normally surveys the edges of the universe, has turned its attention to our nearby Moon and found mineral concentrations that might prove to be sources of oxygen for human visitors, researchers said Wednesday.
In an unusual use of the Hubble, astronomers trained the large Earth-orbiting telescope on the Moon in August to take the first high-resolution ultraviolet images of certain geologically interesting areas.
The images allow scientists to see areas of mineral variation within the crust and could help identify the most valuable sites for sending robotic and human missions.
"This allowed us to look at the Moon with new eyes," James Garvin, chief scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA and principal investigator for the project, said at a news conference. "We haven't had ultraviolet vision before to do this."
The Hubble Advanced Camera for Surveys took ultraviolet and visible-light images of geologically diverse areas on the side of the Moon nearest Earth, including the Aristarchus impact crater and the adjacent Schroter's Valley rille.
The camera also photographed the Apollo 15 and 17 landing sites, where astronauts collected rock and soil samples in 1971 and 1972.
The Aristarchus plateau has long been of interest to geologists because of its volcanic vents, collapsed lava tubes called rilles, ejected volcanic material and recent impact craters.
--snip--
The crater slices into the side of the plateau, exposing its interior layers and features.
The telescope's images showed a diversity of materials in the crater, including basalt, olivine, anorthosite and ilmenite. Researchers said ilmenite, a glassy mineral made up of titanium, iron and oxygen, was particularly interesting because it could be an oxygen source for visitors.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ping!
Sounds like it might produce building material as a buy product too.
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FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list. Anyone can post any unrelated link as they see fit.
I am waiting for my Moon mining contract...
:-)
Visitors? What, no colonists? I suppose having to live in a
shielded environment all the time, not to mention somewhat
limited sunlight may put a damper on the thrill of exploration.
It is made of gopher wood.
Gophers got wood?
The space program is a sore subject with me. I watched the first moon landing during nap time when I was in nursery school. Two people were awake; myself and the teacher.
I always believed we actually made it there in '69, and sort of laughed off the loonies who didn't believe we really went there. I heard all their stuff about this shadow is not at the right angle to the other shadows, etc. but never bought into it.
Remember, Kennedy said in about '62 that we were going to the moon by the end of the decade, and in seven years or so we were there (supposedly).
The reason for my doubts only came about late this year when NASA said we were going back to the moon. The dollar budget seems about right allowing for inflation, but with all of our improved technical capabilities since the '60s, WHY WILL IT TAKE 13 YEARS TO BUILD THE STUFF TO GET THERE NOW??????? I guess all of our Germans are retired now.
That being said, if we really did go to the moon, why in the world are we fooling around with the space station? The moon is the perfect place for a space port. Water has been "found". Raw materials and oxygen have now been found. Gravity is there but quite low for easy launches and soft(er) landings.
Anybody at NASA listening?
For another couple of takes, only about Mars, see the Ah-nold Schwarzenegger Movie "Total Recall" or the Isaac Asimov short story "The Martian Way".
Cheers!
> WHY WILL IT TAKE 13 YEARS TO BUILD THE STUFF TO GET THERE NOW???????
Because in the '60's, NASA got 4% of the Fed budget, and had one distinct goal: Apollo. Now they get less than 1%, and have to support the ISS.
bttt
Thanks for the link.
Hubble Prospects For Resources on The Moon (using ultraviolet spectroscopy)
A fluff event based on marginal news presided over by a quasi-competent investigatior (Garvin).
Ah! Ha! We finally found Noah's Ark!
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