Lunar Metallic Particle ("Mini-Moon"): An Interpretation
David S. McKay 1,
James L. Carter 2, and
William R. Greenwood 3
1 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas 77058
2 Earth and Planetary Sciences Laboratory, University of Texas, Dallas 75230
3 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Manned Spacecraft Center
A troilite-rich nickel-iron particle ("mini-moon") recovered from the moon may be a mound detached from a sphere of silicate glass. Erosion and pitting of the particle may have been caused by passage through a cloud of hot gas and particulate matter formed by meteorite impact on the lunar surface. This explanation is in contrast to the theory that the particle was meteoritically derived molten material that was furrowed during solidification after lunar impact, subsequently pitted by high-velocity particles, and then abraded and polished by drifting dust while on the lunar surface.
