Abstract
A number of experiments carried in orbit on the Apollo 15 and 16 spacecraft were used in the compositional mapping of the lunar surface. The observations involved measurements of secondary (fluorescent) X-rays, gamma rays and alpha particle emissions. A large scale compositional map of over 20% of the lunar surface was obtained for the first time. It was possible to demonstrate significant chemical differences between the mare and the highlands, to find specific areas of high radioactivity and to learn something about the composition of the Moon's hidden side.
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Paper dedicated to Professor Harold C. Urey on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 29 April 1973.
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Adler, I., Trombka, J.I., Lowman, P. et al. Apollo 15 and 16 results of the integrated geochemical experiment. The Moon 7, 487–504 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00564649
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00564649