Evening star., 1960-08-14

/
on hills and knobs, fairly easy
on level areas between knobs
and on crater bottoms of Copper
nicuS and Kepler except fol-
central peaks.
Movement moderately diff
cult on hills and knobs,
easy on level areas between
knobs and on (certainD craters
except difficult on inner slope
near rim of Copernicus because
Of extensive circular faulting.
Construction moderately
difficult on hills and knobs be-
cause of somewhat blocky ma
terial and slopes; difficult ex-
cavation through lava flows in
level areas between knobs; gen.
orally easy on (certain) craters
except for central peaks and
inner slopes near rim of Cop
ernicus."
One thing the explorers will
not have to worry about. the
mappers said, is lunar quick
sand" There has been a be-
lief. held by some astronomers
that the invitingly level parts
OF the moon may be covered by
hundreds of feet of fine dust
in which any object would sink
out of sight.
Not so, says Col. Haseman
There may be an inch or so
but study Of photographs rules
out any deep drifts.
The first explorers may be
lucky enough to find some
caves. Col. Haseman said
These will be high-domed af.
fairs in lava flows following 9
meteor collision. Earthly grav.
ity which would cause many
such caves to collapse is siS
times as great as that on the
moon.
There will be no limestone
caverns like those around Lu-
ray because there is no water
to create them.
Value Of Caves
| If caves are found, Col. Hase-
man said, they will undoubt-
edly be regarded as ideal living
quarters. In contrast to above.
surface temperatures which
vary more than 200 degree.
above and below zero from day
to night. the temperature in 6
typical cave would be a com
Portable" 40 below zero, he
said.
The mappers think they may
have cleared up apparent con-
fusion over the height of noun
tains on the moon. Some OBJ
servers believe the craters are
walled by massive peaks rival
ing Everest in size and present
ing steep faces to would-be
climbers. Others have beer
quoted as saying the mountains
are low and the slopes gentle
1T depends on what you
measure FROM" Col. Hasemar
said. IF you measure from
the southern tip of India to the
top of the Himalayas, the av.
erage slope is very gentle. Il
you measure from the bottom
of the Himalayas to the top
it's pretty steep"
Some lunar mountains are
10000 feet high. but Everest il
nearly 10000 feet above the
oceans lowest point. he ex.
planned.
Similarly, the average slope
from the bottom of Copernicu'
near its center to the peak,
ringing it % miles away anc
II 900 feet up. is about ia pei
cent. The mountains them
selves are quite steep. measured
from the foot.
! Another deceptive thins
about lunar heights is thai
there is no Zero datum" likt
sea level on earth. So th'
height of a moon mountain
may be given differently b!
different authorities, Col Has
eman explained.
I An example would be, again
the mountains ringing Copern
icus. Measured from the Low
point inside the crater. the.
average 1000 feet in height
Measured from the lunar plail
outside the crater, they ar,
only about 5000 feet high.
Moons Surface Study
The geologic mappers be
lieve the moons surface as /
now exists came about in thre,
different ways. The roughes
part. and greatest in extent
is probably made of the orig
. inal stuff of which the mool
was formed - "accretionar,
, material, q, in large part pos
sibly comparable to ston,
meteorites."
The next most extensive area
. the maria or seas" are prob
!, ably lava flows composed o
. thick sheets of basalt with
, low. sinuous ridges so to 40
feet high. in places parable
and elsewhere en- echelon," il
the words of the report &C
cOmpanylng Jne maps.
THE great. generally leve
, maria seem to have n
other possible origin than a
tremendous outnows of lavs
Catastrophe impacts of plan
etoid size (much larger thai
ordinary meteors) would be re
quired to produce (these) larg
|, structural features"
Copernicus. Kepler and tn
other "post-maria" craters wer
probably formed when smaller
but still substantial. meteors hi
the moon. The cratering effec
is similar to that observed o,
earth in such craters as tn
large one in northern Arizona
The fact that the moon ha
no atmosphere to slow dowr