WHAT WE CAN INFER ABOUT THE GEOLOGY OF THE APOLLO 17 LANDING SITE FROM RECENT REMOTE SENSING DATA

Over the past decade, a suite of new orbital data has provided a trove of insight into the geology of the lunar surface. Of particular interest is understanding the Apollo and Luna sample return sites, where the samples are placed into a local and regional context. The orbital data, which ranges from the half meter scale with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images to the kilometer scale of GRAIL data, provides valuable insight into the composition, structure, and properties of the lunar surface. Here we summarize recent observations of the Apollo 17 landing site in the Taurus-Littrow Valley and how they improve our understanding of the geology of the region.

1 - High Resolution Images: LROC NAC images over a range of illumination conditions reveal heretofore unseen geologic features in the Taurus-Littrow Valley. For example, a previously unrecognized volcanic deposit abutting the North Massif appears to originate from a volcanic fissure observed in Mini-RF radar data. The images also provide context for the collection of samples on the surface, such as a sample of impact melt (sample 70019) from a small crater near the Lunar Module. The NAC images allow for the precise identification of the source crater, and the orientation of the sample to be determined.

2 – Near-IR Spectra: Data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper reveal a diverse array of mafic mineralogies in the Sculptured Hills as well as associated with the above described volcanic deposit. This diversity of compositions provides insight into possible sources of unusual samples, such as the boulder from Station 8, and unusual compositions sampled at Station 5 (Camelot Crater).

3 – Thermal and Radar Data: Data from Diviner and Mini-RF on LRO provides insight into the properties of the regolith at the cm and ~1m depth scales. This suite of data is extremely useful for interpreting regolith variations, particularly across the 4 distinct regions of the valley floor: 1- the Central Cluster, 2- the old avalanche deposit, 3- the younger avalanche deposit, and 4- the “original” valley floor.