Formation of the Moon

[The Bad Astronomer]

While reading an email newsletter about astronomical events, I came across this passage talking about a conference on astrobiology:

"Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and the only scientist to walk
on the Moon, opened the conference with a talk called "Life among the
craters". He showed how the rocks returned from the Apollo 17 landing site
confirmed cataclysmic impacts on Earth nearly four billions years ago. Later
he expressed scepticism about the giant impact hypothesis for formation of
the Moon - that is, that a Mars-size planet collided with the Earth and the
debris from the impact formed our Moon."

That's all the newsletter said. I am interested in finding out what sort of skepticism Mr. Schmitt expressed; if anyone hears anything please post it here!

_________________
Phil Plait
The Bad Astronomer
http://www.badastronomy.com
badastro@badastronomy.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: The Bad Astronomer on 2002-10-29 15:17 ]</font>

[Valiant Dancer]

On 2002-10-29 12:04, The Bad Astronomer wrote:
While reading an email newsletter about astronomical events, I came across this passage talking about a conference on astrobiology:

"Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and the only scientist to walk
on the Moon, opened the conference with a talk called "Life among the
craters". He showed how the rocks returned from the Apollo 17 landing site
confirmed cataclysmic impacts on Earth nearly four billions years ago. Later
he expressed scepticism about the giant impact hypothesis for formation of
the Moon - that is, that a Mars-size planet collided with the Earth and the
debris from the impact formed our Moon."

That's all the newsletter said. I am interested in finding out what sort of skepticism Ms. Schmitt expressed; if anyone hears anything please post it here!



Mr. Schmitt expressed skeptism in a period of high levels of impact 3.9 billion years ago with quiet before and after. He expresses skeptism in the Planet V model.

He mentions that he believes to answer the questions brought up by the seeming rain of debris at around 3.9 billion years ago another set of missions to the lunar surface would be needed to pick up more cores and rock samples from big meteor craters, lunar poles, and the side of the moon people on earth don't get to see.

http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=1362

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/fifth_planet_020318.html

He may have written about it here as well.

Schmitt, H. H. 1999, Origin and evolution of the moon: Apollo 2000 model, in New Views of the Moon II, Abstracts of papers submitted to the second New Views of the Moon Conference, Flagstaff AZ, Lunar and Plnet. Sci. Inst., #1961.

Schmitt, H. H. 2000, Contrary views on the origin and thermal evolution of the Moon [expanded abs.], in Lunar and Planetary Science 31, Abstracts of papers submitted to the 31st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference: Houston, Lunar and Planet. Sci. Inst., #1691.

http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/FTI/pdf/fdm1122.pdf

In this he forwards a lunar origin by capture as being more plausable in relation to geophysical and geochemical details related to the lower lunar mantle.

(Note by lil ol me: could be planet V was captured?)


_________________
Valiant Dancer

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Valiant Dancer on 2002-10-29 12:43 ]</font>

[GrapesOfWrath]

This page (http://exn.ca/apollo/Science/) blends the giant impact hypothesis with Schmitt's discoveries on the moon, and links to an online book (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-350/toc.html), which Schmitt wrote chapter 14 (http://). It seems to start with a fully formed moon.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: GrapesOfWrath on 2002-10-29 12:42 ]</font>

<a name="2-10-31.C14"> page 2-10-31.C14 aka ch14{S}
On 2002-10-29 12:36, Valiant Dancer wrote: tO 6:54 A.M.
October 31, 2002 6:57 A.M. HUb' PLEAS LIMIT THIS, to this page ok HU
2-10-31
6:58 A.M. My theory was that the moon came into "ORBIT"
6:58 A.M. in the Same Galyear that Astolopolis
6:58 A.M.
6:58 A.M. became astroids {etc etc} GalOrb = now or NOW-1
6:58 A.M. for Logical positivist the Galyear was most
6:58 A.M. likely #36 ? maybe as high as 38
6:58 A.M. REMember using Asimov #'s
6:58 A.M.its 4 GalYears per Billion Years
6:58 A.M. {no i dont use that # }
6:58 A.M. {{ I use 24e7 to fit a clock FACE}
6:58 A.M.
;
6:58 A.M. So anyway the Moon Rocks
6:58 A.M.{formerly Pacific Basin}
6:58 A.M. have been in orbit
6:58 A.M.{only very briefly}
; as would be easily measured by dT
6:58 A.M. {where T = Tempature (see Ch1)
VD1 (http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/?id=1362)
6:59 A.M.I have not visited VD1 yet so see Ed1
vd2 (http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/fifth_planet_020318.html)
6:59 A.M.the Site I have chosen to study
2-10-31 Using the British CD "REDSHIFT"
7:00 A.M. was between ?Oswll&King {edit this line later}
7:00 A.M. and located on the other side of the mOON
7:00 A.M.the light weigt side
7:00 A.M. or the Asidic side // Granitic : Basaltic side
7:00 A.M.
vd3 (http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/FTI/pdf/fdm1122.pdf)
7:00 A.M. the feature to find
7:00 A.M. OF COURSE
7:00 A.M. would be FLAT EARTH rock
7:00 A.M. Sedimentary Rock would be a proper NOUN?
7:00 A.M. 7:12 A.M. ed 1 may follow
7:00 A.M. 7:16 A.M. VD1 { not a ghost chaser sorry}
7:00 A.M. 2-10-31 7:17 A.M. VD2 listen carefully? note THEY say
7:01 A.M. "FIFTH" Planet {shirley counting Mercury as #1}
7:01 A.M. HOWEVER according to my CaLuallLATER
7:01 A.M. Mercury did not exist at that instant
7:01 A.M. But Mercury was in fact part of the breakup and can actullly {IMO} be call an Astroid

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: HUb' on 2002-10-31 10:12 ]</font>

[The Bad Astronomer]

I found a much longer piece about Schmitt's views on CCNet Archive (http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc103102.html).