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At least 1,765 records · Page 98

Remanent magnetization of lunar samples.

The remanent magnetization of samples returned from the moon by the Apollo 11 and 12 missions consists, in most cases, of two distinct components. An unstable component is readily removed upon alternating field (AF) demagnetization in fields less than 100 Oe and is considered to be an isothermal remanence acquired during or after return to earth. The second component is unaltered by demagnetization in fields up to 400 Oe. It is probably a thermoremanent magnetization due to cooling from above 800 C in the presence of a field of a few thousand gammas. Chips from individual rocks have the same direction of magnetization after demagnetization, while the directions of different samples are random. This again demonstrates the high stability. Our data imply that the moon experienced a magnetic field that lasted at least from about 3.0 to 3.8 b.y., which is the age of Apollo 11 and 12 samples. One explanation of the origin of this field is that the moon had a liquid core and a self-exciting dynamo early in its history.

Strangway, D. W.↗

Petrology of Apollo 11 sample 10071 - A differentiated mini-igneous complex.

Sample 10071,33 is a thin section of Apollo 11 ferrobasalt showing an unusual dual texture. The major portion of the sample is very similar to other fine grained Apollo 11 basalts, but the thin section also includes materials with a distinct variolitic texture. The two areas are separated by a sharp boundary and the mineralogy and composition of the two textural types are quite distinct. The mineralogy and chemistry of the variolitic portion show it to be the product of rapid cooling of a liquid, intermediate between the typical Apollo 11 ferrobasalt and the associated Si and K-rich mesostasis. This liquid is the result of fractional crystallization of a magma of composition closely corresponding to the major portion of the 10071 system, followed by crystal-liquid separation. The sample provides strong and direct evidence for igneous differentiation on the lunar surface.

Drake, M. J.↗

On the selection of a sampling filter bandwidth for a digital data detector.

Consideration of the problem of selecting a low-pass sampling bandwidth for the digital mechanization of a matched-filter bit-synchronizer combination. An attempt is made to determine how large a data rate can be provided for a fixed sampling rate (limited by hardware considerations on the sampling device) without paying an excessive penalty in SNR performance.

Simon, M. K.↗

Supervisory sampling and control: Sources of suboptimality in a prediction task

A process supervisor is defined as a person who decides when to sample the process input and what values of a control variable to specify in order to maximize (minimize) a given value function of input sampling period, control setting, and process state. Presented experimental data in such a process where the value function is a time-averaged sampling cost plus mean squared difference between input and control variable. The task was unpaced prediction of the output of a second order filter driven by white noise. Experimental results, when compared to the optical strategy, reveal several consistently suboptimal behaviors. One is a tendency not to choose a long prediction interval even though the optimal strategy dictates that one should. Some results are also interpreted in terms of those input parameters according to which each subjects' behavior would have been nearest optimal. Differences of those parameters from actual input parameters served to quantify how subjects' prediction behavior differed from optimal.

Sheridan, T. B.↗

Microbiological sampling of spacecraft cabling, antennas, solar panels and thermal blankets

Sampling procedures and techniques described resulted from various flight project microbiological monitoring programs of unmanned planetary spacecraft. Concurrent with development of these procedures, compatibility evaluations were effected with the cognizant spacecraft subsystem engineers to assure that degradation factors would not be induced during the monitoring program. Of significance were those areas of the spacecraft configuration for which special handling precautions and/or nonstandard sample gathering techniques were evolved. These spacecraft component areas were: cabling, high gain antenna, solar panels, and thermal blankets. The compilation of these techniques provides a historical reference for both the qualification and quantification of sampling parameters as applied to the Mariner Spacecraft of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Koukol, R. C.↗

Magnetic hysteresis classification of the lunar surface and the interpretation of permanent remanence in lunar surface samples

A magnetic hysteresis classification of the lunar surface is presented. It was found that there is a distinct correlation between natural remanence (NRM), saturation magnetization, and the hysteresis ratios for the rock samples. The hysteresis classification is able to explain some aspects of time dependent magnetization in the lunar samples and relates the initial susceptibility to NRM, viscous remanence, and to other aspects of magnetization in lunar samples. It is also considered that since up to 60% of the iron in the lunar soil may be super paramagnetic at 400 K, and only 10% at 100 K, the 50% which becomes ferromagnetic over the cycle has the characteristics of thermoremanence and may provide for an enhancement in measurable field on the dark side during a subsatellite magnetometer circuit.

Wasilewski, P.↗

Apollo 16 special samples, part B

Information is presented concerning special samples which were collected for specific investigations. The methods of sample collection are described along with fillet and core samples.

Hoerz, F.↗

Cause of secondary magnetization in lunar samples, part C

The unstable component of the magnetization found in lunar samples was investigated by returning a demagnetized tracer igneous rock sample from Apollo 12 to the moon on Apollo 16. After the return of the sample, the soft component was similar to the original soft component of the first trip. It is concluded that the soft component is an artifact of the trip.

Pearce, G. W.↗

Image correlation and sampling study

The development of analytical approaches for solving image correlation and image sampling of multispectral data is discussed. Relevant multispectral image statistics which are applicable to image correlation and sampling are identified. The general image statistics include intensity mean, variance, amplitude histogram, power spectral density function, and autocorrelation function. The translation problem associated with digital image registration and the analytical means for comparing commonly used correlation techniques are considered. General expressions for determining the reconstruction error for specific image sampling strategies are developed.

Popp, D. J.↗

Apparatus for sampling particulates in gases

A device for sampling particulates in gases is described. The device is used to obtain samples of the upper atmosphere. The equipment used a common source of gas pressure to provide the driving gas of an air ejector pump. The sample collection cylinder has many slit impactors running longitudinally on the outer surface of a cylinder and terminating just short of each end of the cylinder.

Wood, R. C.↗

The development of a pseudo-nyquist analysis technique for hybrid sampled-data control systems

The stability characteristics of a launch vehicle, as a function of gain and phase variations at the thrust vector controller, cannot be obtained using classical sampled-data control theory if the launch vehicle attitude control system contains both sampled-data and continuous feedback control loops. A method was developed which can be used to generate a sampled-data pseudo-Nyquist plot for gain and phase variations at the controller. This method was developed and used to determine the stability characteristics of the Saturn 1B launch vehicle in the backup guidance mode.

Burnitt, M. G.↗

Geopotential representation with sampling functions.

Satellite-to-ocean altitudes measured to meter accuracy eventually can yield a geoid representation with significant short-wavelength structure over ocean areas. To cope conveniently with this expected detail, one suggested analytical technique would represent the geopotential or the geoid as an expansion in sampling functions that are linear combinations of spherical harmonics. Each of the sampling functions makes its principal contribution to the geopotential in a single geographical region. For a representation truncated after degree N, there are (N + 1) squared such functions associated with a like number of points distributed nearly regularly on the globe. The features of this geopotential representation can be illustrated by considering the case N = 22, for which an expansion in sampling functions can be produced that is equivalent to the geopotential of the 1969 Smithsonian standard earth.

Lundquist, C. A.↗

The organic analysis and carbon chemistry of lunar samples: Their significance for exobiology; Proceedings of the Conference, University of Maryland, College Park, Md., October 26-28, 1971.

Various methods used in the organic analysis of lunar samples are reviewed. The scope, advantages, and limitations of these methods are discussed, with particular emphasis on possible sources of contamination and experimental artifacts inherent in their use. A broad survey of the organogenic elements and compounds found in lunar samples covers the search for biogenic structures and viable organisms; the abundance and isotopic composition of various elements and compounds; the search for porphyrins, amino acids, or amino acid precursors; and the presence of heterocylics, aromatic hydrocarbons, and other organic compounds. The sources of the organogenic elements and compounds detected in lunar samples are discussed. The significance of the lunar organic analysis for exobiology is discussed in terms of its relevance to and implications for the studies of chemical evolution and terrestrial organic geochemistry. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Source record↗

Compounds of the organogenic elements in Apollo 11 and 12 lunar samples - A review.

Investigations of low molecular weight compounds of the organogenic elements on lunar samples are reviewed. The three general techniques of vacuum pyrolysis, acid hydrolysis, and crushing have been employed by most investigators. Vacuum pyrolysis of lunar fines produce a variety of gaseous species which are either: (1) indigenous, (2) solar wind products and/or (3) chemical reaction products of mineral phases found in the lunar samples. Acid hydrolysis of lunar fines using deuterium-labeled acids yields evidence for indigenous methane and ethane. Methane and ethane found in the lunar fines are largely derived from the solar wind with only trace amounts indigenous to the samples. Crushing experiments with lunar fines and breccias produce methane, ethane, hydrogen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and the rare gases.

Gibson, E. K., Jr.↗

A quest for porphyrins in lunar soil - Samples from Apollo 11, 12 and 14.

Analyses for porphyrins in the lunar samples were carried out by extracting the lunar soils as received by organic solvents followed by analytical demetallation using methanesulfonic acid after which free-base porphyrins, if present, were recovered and demonstrably recomplexed with divalent cations. Samples from Apollo 11 showed the presence of fluorescent substances attributed to exhaust from the descent engine. One sample from Apollo 12 showed pigments resembling porphyrins. The Apollo 14 results were negative.

Hodgson, G. W.↗

Terrestrial contamination in Apollo lunar samples.

The contamination prevention procedures adopted for controlling the collection, processing, and analysis of the Apollo lunar samples in order to keep them free of significant levels of terrestrial organic matter are described. The organic contaminants actually found in the samples by the various investigators are summarized. It is shown that the program succeeded in providing investigators with samples containing less than 0.1 ppm total contamination.

Flory, D. A.↗

Bulk, rare earth, and other trace elements in Apollo 14 and 15 and Luna 16 samples.

Measurement of 24 and 34 bulk, minor, and trace elements in lunar specimens by instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis shows greater Al2O3, Na2O, and K2O abundances and higher TiO2, FeO, MnO and Cr2O3 depletions in Apollo 14 soil samples as compared to Apollo 11 samples and to most of Apollo 12 samples. The uniform abundances in 14230 core tube soils and three other Apollo 14 soils indicate that the regolith is uniform to at least 22 cm depth and within about 200 m from the lunar module.

Laul, J. C.↗

Apollo 14 and 15 samples - Rb-Sr ages, trace elements, and lunar evolution.

Studies concerning Rb-Sr isotopic relations are discussed together with abundance measurements regarding K, Rb, Sr, and Ba in Apollo 14 and 15 rocks and soils. The studies include age determination by the internal isochron technique on one basaltic rock sample from each of the two missions. In addition, total sample measurements have been made on samples of fines material from both missions. Trace element abundances and Rb-Sr systematics in the various grain size fractions of three of the fines have also been analyzed.

Murthy, V. R.↗