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To: B-Chan
>Please, sir ... The Lunar Module’s tiny engine (9,900 lbs thrust) was powerful enough to blow the top layer of powder away, but nowhere near hot or energetic enough to gouge out a crater

Without tin foil, why
would the internet exist?
(The crater "question"

still applies. Some pics
show moon dust at the landing,
footsteps by the LEM,

that kind of thing. So,
it wasn't blown away by
engines at landing.

Then why don't we see
a specific depression
in whatever's there?)

52 posted on 10/20/2003 2:54:59 PM PDT by theFIRMbss
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To: theFIRMbss
The crater "question" still applies. Some pics show moon dust at the landing, footsteps by the LEM, that kind of thing. So, it wasn't blown away by engines at landing. Then why don't we see a specific depression in whatever's there?

The dust beneath the LM was blown away by the engine’s jet exhaust, leaving bare rock and tightly-compacted regolith there. (As I explained previously, no crater was formed in the rock and regolith beneath the LM because the LM engine wasn’t stron enough to blast a crater into it.)

As for the footprints: the dust surrounding the LM wasn’t directly under the engine and therefore did not get blown away. Remember, the Moon has no atmosphere to speak of; only the dust that was directly beneath the LM's exhaust plume would be affected by it. Other dust (even if it were only a few feet away) would be undisturbed by the engine blast because there is no “wind” to carry the force of the engine’s exhaust.

53 posted on 10/20/2003 3:13:24 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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