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Science 3 November 1967:
Vol. 158. no. 3801, pp. 637 - 640
DOI: 10.1126/science.158.3801.637
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Articles

Surveyor V: Lunar Surface Mechanical Properties

E. M. Christensen 1, R. Choate 1, L. D. Jaffe 1, R. L. Spencer 1, F. B. Sperling 1, S. A. Batterson 2, H. E. Benson 3, R. E. Hutton 4, R. H. Jones 5, H. Y. Ko 6, F. N. Schmidt 7, R. F. Scott 8, and G. H. Sutton 9

1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
2 Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
3 Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas
4 TRW Systems, Redondo Beach, California
5 Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo, California
6 University of Colorado, Boulder
7 Bellcomm, Incorporated, Washington, D.C.
8 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
9 University of Hawaii, Honolulu

The mechanical properties of the lunar soil at the Surveyor V landing site seem to be generally consistent with values determined for soils at the landing sites of Surveyor I and III. These three maria sites are hundreds of kilometers apart. However, the static bearing capability may be somewhat lower than that at the previous landing sites (2 x 105 to 6 x 105 dynes per square centimeter or 3 to 8 pounds per square inch). The results of the erosion experiment, the spacecraft landing effects, and other observations indicate that the soil has significant amounts of fine-grained material and a measurable cohesion.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Surveyor V Landing: the Effect of Slope on Bearing Capacity.
L. L. Karfutiah and E. A. Nowatzki (1968)
Science 161, 601-602
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