Why was Taurus-Littrow chosen as the Apollo 17 landing site?
Taurus-Littrow was selected because it offered the chance to sample both ancient highland material and geologically young volcanic material at a single location. Ancient Tycho ejecta provided the highland samples, while volcanic crater-like features on the valley floor offered access to younger material. Other candidates including Tycho crater, Copernicus crater, and Tsiolkovskiy crater on the far side were rejected for safety, logistical, or scientific reasons.
How deep is Taurus-Littrow valley on the Moon?
The North and South massifs flanking Taurus-Littrow give the valley a depth greater than that of the Grand Canyon in the United States. A scarp on the western edge of the valley floor rises about 2 km above the plain.
What is Troctolite 76535 and why is it significant?
Troctolite 76535 is a 4.25 billion-year-old coarse-grained rock composed primarily of olivine and plagioclase, returned by Apollo 17 from Taurus-Littrow. Scientists have called it the most interesting sample ever returned from the Moon. Analysis of its nearly unidirectional magnetism supports the hypothesis that the Moon once had an active core dynamo that generated a magnetic field.
What caused the orange soil discovered at Shorty crater in Taurus-Littrow?
The orange soil at Shorty crater is attributed to tiny glass beads produced by ancient lava fountains that accompanied lava flows as they flooded the Taurus-Littrow region hundreds of millions of years after the Serenitatis basin formed. A fraction of these glass beads settled in a way that created the distinctive orange discoloration, while most beads are dark and contribute to the low reflectivity of Mare Serenitatis.
How old are the mountains surrounding Taurus-Littrow?
The mountains surrounding Taurus-Littrow formed between 3.8 and 3.9 billion years ago, when a large impactor struck the Moon and created the Serenitatis basin, pushing rock outward and upward to form the ring of mountains visible today.
Who were the Apollo 17 astronauts who explored Taurus-Littrow?
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt explored Taurus-Littrow in December 1972 as part of the Apollo 17 mission. Schmitt was a professional geologist and the only trained scientist to walk on the Moon. Bear Mountain within the valley was named after a mountain near Schmitt's hometown of Silver City, New Mexico.