Scientific Applications of Lunar Laser Ranging

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XVII

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2. Maurice Ewing and the Exploration of the Oceans

   1. Maurice Ewing and the Exploration of the Oceans

      • James Dorman, Gary V. Latham

      Pages 1-8

3. Mathematical Modelling of Lunar Laser Measures and their Application to Improvement of Physical Parameters

   1. Mathematical Modelling of Lunar Laser Measures and their Application to Improvement of Physical Parameters

      • J. Derral Mulholland

      Pages 9-18

4. Lunar Science

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 19-19

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   2. Scientific Expectations in the Selenosciences

      • J. Kovalevsky

      Pages 21-36

   3. Present Scientific Achievements from Lunar Laser Ranging

      • J. G. Williams

      Pages 37-50

   4. Lunar Dynamics and Selenodesy: Results from Analysis of VLBI and Laser Data

      • R. W. King, C. C. Counselman III, I. I. Shapiro

      Pages 51-52

   5. Free Librations of the Moon from Lunar Laser Ranging

      • O. Calame

      Pages 53-63

   6. A Numerical Study of the Effects of Fourth Degree Terms in the Earth-Moon Mutual Potential on Lunar Physical Librations

      • W. J. Breedlove Jr.

      Pages 65-77

   7. Analytical Theory for the Rotation of the Moon

      • A. Migus

      Pages 79-86

5. Gravitation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 87-87

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   2. Verification of the Principle of Equivalence for Massive Bodies

      • I. I. Shapiro, C. C. Counselman III, R. W. King

      Pages 89-89

   3. Consequence of Integral Conservation Laws on Metric Parameters in the Analysis of the Nordtvedt Effect

      • Larry L. Smalley

      Pages 91-102

6. Geophysics and Geodesy

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 103-103

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   2. Whole Earth Dynamics and Lunar Laser Ranging

      • D. E. Smylie

      Pages 105-130

   3. Core-Resonance Effects on the Earth’s Angular Momentum Vector and Rotation Axis—A Generalized Model

      • Paul McClure

      Pages 131-132

   4. Effects of Oceanic Tides on the Rotation of the Earth

      • P. Brosche, J. Sündermann

      Pages 133-141

   5. Dynamics of Polar Motion and Plate Tectonics

      • R. O. Vicente

      Pages 143-148

   6. The Role of Extremely Accurate Surveying Techniques in Existing Geodetic Networks

      • Soren W. Henriksen

      Pages 149-156

   7. An Intermediate Term Strategy for Deployment of Mobile Laser Stations

      • Gary V. Latham, H. J. Dorman

      Pages 157-165

The progress of science during the past centuries has been in some measure energized by the development of new technologies. People are no more intelligent now than they were five centuries ago, or indeed five millenia ago. The differences are in the pool of past experience and the availability of means for manipulating the physical and mental environment. Until fairly recently, the development of new technologies in astronomy and geodesy has served primarily either to broaden the scope of phenomena that could be studied or to improve the precision with which one could examine already-studied phenomena. There seemed to be no likelihood that a situation could arise similar to that in particle physics, where the uncertainty principle indicates that the observation of the state of an object alters that state, affecting the observation. Indeed, we have not yet reached that point, but certain of the new techniques have introduced a degree of complication and inter­ dependence perhaps not previously encountered in the macro­ sciences. When observational capability is so fine that the data can be corrupted by the tidal motions of the instruments, for example, then there are a myriad of physical effects that must be considered in analyzing the data; the happy aspect of this is that the data can be used to study exactly these same effects. The complication does not, however, extend only to predictive computations against which the data are compared.

• Libration
• astronomy
• gravitation
• interferometry

• University of Texas at Austin, USA

  J. Derral Mulholland

• University of Texas Marine Science Institute, USA

  Creighton A. Burk

• University of Texas McDonald Observatory, USA

  Eric C. Silverberg

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