Presented by: Sydney Brewer, Erin Manuel, Julie Ponton, Shannon Smith, and Caroline Stasiowski Seton Keough High School, Baltimore, Maryland

Transcription

1 Presented by: Sydney Brewer, Erin Manuel, Julie Ponton, Shannon Smith, and Caroline Stasiowski Seton Keough High School, Baltimore, Maryland

2 Questions: What are the differences between a complex and simple crater? Does the difference in size and weight change the type of crater created? How do different objects that crash into the moon affect the depth and width of craters? What implications does the study of moon craters have on our understanding of how the moon was formed? This image from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows an enhanced view of moon craters on the South Pole Aitken basin. CREDIT: NASA/Goddard

3 Hypothesis: A simple crater is a shallow crater caused by a smaller object. A complex crater is deeper than a simple crater but is larger and typically contains a central peak. Simple Crater Complex Crater

4 What is a simple crater? A simple crater is smooth, bowled depression in the Moon s surface. Lunar and Planetary Institute

5 What is a complex crater? A complex crater may have a central peak. The walls of the crater are typically rigid and lined with cliffs. Lunar and Planetary Institute

6 Method: Visually distinguish between simple and complex craters by recording their type, size, and special features. Determine the size the craters by measuring the number of pixels and translating that into a measurement in meters. Image of the moon taken by the crew of Apollo 11.

7 Demonstration of Crater Formation This video helps explain the formation of craters, and how central peaks are created. We thought this would illustrate how the force of gravity plays a major role in the creation of a crater.

8 Why Apollo 11? This mission was the first of its kind where humans walked on the Moon. Apollo 11 was a significant part of human history. This mission was a huge success for the United States and set an example for many other nations. President Kennedy charged NASA with beating the Soviet Union to the Moon, which they accomplished.

9 Where on the Moon is the Apollo 11 landing site? Image was taken from crew on Apollo 11 Mission The Apollo 11 landing site, Mare Tranquillitatis, was chosen by NASA from a list of 30 sites. Mare Tranquillitatis was considered of the ocean of the moon, and contains smooth fields of basaltic lavas and equatorial position, which was ideal for the first landing site.

10 The Craters We Measured:

11 Measurements (Ascending): Complex Crater Measurements Simple Crater Measurements After sorting them by the type of crater as well as size, we can conclude that complex craters are considerably larger.

12 Comparisons of Data: After recording our data, we noticed the extreme difference between complex and simple craters. Complex craters are usually large in length and width, and were not found near the landing site. These craters were clustered on the outside of the landing site. Simple craters were much smaller in length and width, and some were perfectly the same length and width. These craters were found closer to the landing site. This comparison led us to the discovery that many of the simple craters were formed recently while complex craters are older in age. Also, the complex craters are older in age because the more clumps of craters the older they are; therefore, since complex craters are clustered together we can deduce that they were formed first. This photo of the moon was taken by the Galileo spacecraft and shows the mineral composition of the moon. Photo: NASA/JPL

13 Conclusion: Through our method of visualizing the size of each crater we were able to conclude that the size and weight of the impact affect the type of crater it becomes. We believe that since there are clusters of complex craters outside the landing site, and scattered simple craters in the landing area, some event in the moon s history led to the creation of complex craters. We were able to deduce this concept because when complex craters are formed the size, speed, and angle determine the type of crater it creates. The initial impact causes there to be a bowl shaped crater disbursing materials in every direction. Debris from the impact begin to form terraces by the inner wall and collapse due to gravity. The final result is a central peak along with a crater surrounded by debris from the impact. Simple craters were formed more recently because of their position on the landing site, and it seems that there was less dramatic event that created them due to their placement in this picture we studied. Simple craters had a less climatic creation. Their formation evolves through the steep upper walls of the crater collapsing, and the ejected material being disbursed. The force of gravity is not as significant because the size, speed, and angle of the impact did not generate a large enough output to create a larger crater.

14 Works Cited: ering.shtml cratering.blogspot.com/