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Science 14 January 1972:
Vol. 175. no. 4018, pp. 165 - 168
DOI: 10.1126/science.175.4018.165
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Articles

Lunar Gravity via Apollo 14 Doppler Radio Tracking

W. L. Sjogren 1, P. Gottlieb 1, P. M. Muller 1, and W. Wollenhaupt 2

1 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91103
2 Manned Spacecraft Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, Texas 77058

Gravity measurements at high resolution were obtained over a 100-kilometer band from + 70° to -70° of longitude during the orbits of low periapsis altitude (approximately 16 kilometers). The line-of-sight accelerations are plotted on Aeronautical Chart and Information Center mercator charts (scale 1 : 1,000,000) as contours at 10-milligal intervals. Direct correlations between gravity variations and surface features are easily determined. Theophilus, Hipparchus, and Ptolemaeus are negative features, whereas Mare Nectaris is a large positive region. The acceleration profiles over Mare Nectaris are suggestive of a broad disk near the surface rather than a deeply buried spherical body. These data are in good agreement with the short arc of Apollo 12 lunar module descent data.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Polarized Magnetic Field Fluctuations at the Apollo 15 Site: Possible Regional Influence on Lunar Induction.
G. Schubert, G. Schubert, B. F. Smith, C. P. Sonett, D. S. Colburn, and K. Schwartz (1974)
Science 183, 1194-1197
   Abstract »    PDF »
Lunar Topography: First Radar-Interferometer Measurements of the Alphonsus-Ptolemaeus-Arzachel Region.
S. H. Zisk and S. H. Zisk (1972)
Science 178, 977-980
   Abstract »    PDF »
Lunar Crust: Structure and Composition.
M. N. Toksoez, M. N. Toksoz, F. Press, K. Anderson, A. Dainty, G. Latham, M. Ewing, J. Dorman, D. Lammlein, G. Sutton, et al. (1972)
Science 176, 1012-1016
   Abstract »    PDF »


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