Friday, October 4, 2019

MONS RÜMKER PHOTOGRAPHED BY APOLLO 15 MISSION




APOLLO 15 MISSION (July 26, 1971-August 7. 1971) 
Mons Rümker (1,100m -  3,609 ft) 
The Moon 

This picture of the Mons Rümker was taken from the NASA Apollo 15 mission while in lunar orbit. 

The mountain 
Mons Rümker (1,100m -  3,609 ft) is an isolated volcanic formation that is located in the northwest part of the Moon's near side, at selenographic coordinates 40.8° N, 58.1° W and is the planned landing site of the Chang'e 5 mission. The feature forms a large, elevated mound in the northern part of the Oceanus Procellarum. The mound has a diameter of 70 kilometres, and climbs to a maximum elevation of about 1,100 metres above the surrounding plain. It was named after the german astronomer Karl L. C. Rümker (1788-1822). 
Mons Rümker has a concentration of 30 lunar domes—rounded bulges across the top, some of which contain a small craterlet at the peak.  These are wide, circular features with a gentle slope rising in elevation a few hundred meters to the midpoint. Lunar domes are similar to shield volcanoes, and are the result of lava erupting from localized vents followed by relatively slow cooling.
Mons Rümker is surrounded by a scarp that separates it from the adjacent mare. The plateau rises to an altitude of 900 m in the west, 1,100 m in the south and 650 m in the east. The surface of Mons Rümker is relatively uniform, with a strong spectroscopic signature of lunar mare material. The estimated volume of lava extruded to create this feature is 1,800 km3.

The mission
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the United States' Apollo program, the fourth to land on the Moon, and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed
"J missions", long stays on the Moon, with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous missions. It was also the first mission on which the Lunar Roving Vehicle was used.
The mission began on July 26, 1971, and ended on August 7. At the time, NASA called it the most successful manned flight ever achieved.
Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin spent three days on the Moon, including 18Ѕ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activity (EVA). The mission landed near Hadley rille, in an area of the Mare Imbrium called Palus Putredinus (Marsh of Decay). The crew explored the area using the first lunar rover, which allowed them to travel much farther from the Lunar Module (LM) than had been possible on missions without the rover. They collected 77 kilograms (170 lb) of lunar surface material. At the same time, Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden orbited the Moon, using a Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) in the Service Module (SM) to study the lunar surface and environment in great detail with a panoramic camera, a gamma-ray spectrometer, a mapping camera, a laser altimeter, a mass spectrometer, and a lunar sub-satellite deployed at the end of Apollo 15's stay in lunar orbit (an Apollo program first).
The mission successfully accomplished its objectives. Ironically, this mission was one of very few that had been honored with the issue of a commemorative US stamp, with this first use of a lunar rover happening one decade after the first Mercury astronaut launch.

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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau