Scientist-Astronaut Harrison J. Schmitt discovered the orange soil at Shorty Crater. The orange particles, which are intermixed with black and black-speckled grains, are about the same size as the particles that compose silt on Earth. But unlike the Apollo 11 samples, the orange soil is unexplainably rich in zinc. The orange soil is probably of volcanic origin and not the product of meteorite impact. This image of Copernicus was acquired on the Lunar Orbiter 5 Mission.
Image shows crater floor, floor mounds, rim, and rayed ejecta.
This is an oblique view of the large crater Copernicus on the lunar nearside, as phtographed from the Apollo 17 spacecraft in lunar orbit. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement .