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The level of detail is impressive. On the other hand, unlike the surface of the earth, which exhibits high variability in a large number of important characteri
by Koshkin 4y ago
The level of detail is impressive. On the other hand, unlike the surface of the earth, which exhibits high variability in a large number of important characteristics, the moon’s surface is much less diverse (save for its geometry, which may be important for landers), so, what practical purpose this kind of detailed map can serve, other than being a curiosity or to show the prowess of its creators or sophistication of the technique, etc.? (It’s a genuine question, because this looks somewhat like trying to create a microscopic map of the entire surface of, say, a soccer ball.)
- political12345 4y agoif we are ever to build cities on the moon, this is a neccessity. Europeans made maps of the american continents even though they only lived on the coast at first
- ttyprintk 4y agoI don’t agree; if we are ever to stake claims on the moon, this is a necessity. Those imperial Europeans sought mining investiture and the fountain of youth, to relieve their war budgets. Mapping the moon is not path-dependent on mapping the Americas, but would be interesting if it was.
- dotancohen 4y agoHow were the continental interiors mapped?
- defrost 4y agoIn multiple successive waves, each adding further detail. eg: Radiometric K-U-Th urface layer contour maps are still being composited for complete coverage of some continents. [1] https://www.usgs.gov/maps/aerial-gamma-ray-color-contour-maps-regional-surface-concentrations-potassium-uranium-thorium https://www.usgs.gov/maps/aerial-gamma-ray-color-contour-map...
- defrost 4y ago> But be warned! The file is 150 MB. ie. It's not all that detailed per unit area compared to mineral exploration maps of this planet where, for example, one large transnational has a 16 TB database just of global soil geochemistry data alone. The practical purpose here is asa framework for even more detailed work that can lead to sufficient information to begin moon based bootstrap operations of the future that source specific minerals from the surface rather than bringing them up the gravity well from earth. Other knowledge that can build on this is improved understanding of solar system formation and whether detail here supports of undercuts existing ideas about impact history and earth | moon formation. The objects that have impacted th moon and left their trace in ejecta and craters tell a story about material accrection in other parts of the solar system.
- fnordpiglet 4y agoI would imagine a geologist would really appreciate a map of the moon. Because they’re interested in how geology forms and a detailed map of an alien geology not subject to certain forces present on earth could help provide explanation for how features are formed on the earth.