-Colors of the Moon(May 2,2007)

At first glance, the Moon seems thoroughly gray, but astronomers have long known that lunar terrain is full of subtle color.

What do the colors mean? Blue denotes areas rich in titanium, while orange is titanium poor. The titanium-rich zones are particularly interesting to NASA. Most lunar titanium is bound to oxygen; the common lunar mineral ilmenite, for instance, is rich in titanium oxides. This oxygen may be easily extracted, providing future explorers a source of air to breath and oxidizer for rocket engines.

May 2,2007

April 26,2007

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-Topography of the Moon(August 19,2005)

From afar, the moon is clearly divided into two types of terrain.The are large, dark plains called maria(the latin for seas) and also brighter,undulating,heavily cratered highland regions.

The whole surface was initially covered with craters,most of which were produced during a time of massive bombardment.

The rate at which asteroids have been striking the moon has decreased  over the last 4 billion years.

Around 4 billion years ago, the moon was also volcanically active.

Lava rose to the surface through cracks and fissures,filling the lower parts of the large craters to produce the dark plains.

The plains reflect only about 4 per cent of the sunlight that hits them,whereas the mountains reflect about 11 per cent.

[source: Universe book]

You can see spaceships landing site on the moon in this picture.

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