I fear for the future of humanity, I really do.
It's no secret that the Apollo 11 crew tried, without success, to view some transient lunar phenomena (TLPs) above Aristarchus, but they weren't looking for UFOs or alien spacecraft.
196>
<GET 76:57:07>
Houston (McCandless): Roger. And we've got an observation you can make if you have some time up there. There have been some lunar transient events reported in the vicinity of [the crater] Aristarchus.
Aldrin: Roger. We just went into spacecraft darkness. Until then – why, we couldn't see a thing down below us, but now with earthshine the visibility is – oh, pretty fair. I'm looking back behind me now. I can see the corona from where the sun has just set, and we'll get out the map and see what we can find out around Aristarchus.
Houston (McCandless): Okay, Aristarchus is angle Echo 9 on your ATO chart. It's about 394 miles north of track, however, at your present altitude, which is about 167 nautical miles. It ought to be over – that is, within view of your horizon, 23 degrees north, 47 west, and take a look and see if you see anything worth noting up there. Over.
Aldrin: Houston, eleven. It might help us a little bit if you could give us a time of crossing of 45 west... and then we'll know when to start searching for Aristarchus.
Houston (McCandless): Roger, you'll be crossing 45 west at 77:04:10 or about forty seconds from now. Over. Thirty seconds from now.
Aldrin: Houston, when a star sets up here there's just no doubt about it. One instant it's there and the next instant it's just completely gone.
Houston (McCandless): Roger, we copy.
Aldrin: Seems to me since we know orbits so precisely and know where the stars are so precisely and the time setting of a star or a planet to a very fine degree – that this might be a pretty good means of measuring the altitude of the horizon.
Houston (McCandless): Roger.
Armstrong: Hey, Houston. I'm looking north up toward Aristarchus now, and I can't really tell at that distance whether I really am looking at Aristarchus, but there's an area there that is considerably more illuminated than the surrounding area. It just has – seems to have a slight amount of fluorescence to it.
Houston (McCandless): Roger, eleven. We copy.
Aldrin: Looking out the same area now... well, at least there is one
<196
197>
wall of the crater that seems to be more illuminated than the others... I am not sure that I am really identifying any phosphorescence, but that definitely is lighter than anything else in the neighborhood.
Houston (McCandless): Can you discern any difference in color of the illumination and is that an inner or an outer wall from the crater? Over.
Aldrin: I judge an inner wall in the crater.
Collins: No, there doesn't appear to be any color involved in it, Bruce.
76:57:07 Capcom: Roger. And we've got an observation you can make if you have some time up there. There's been some lunar transient events reported in the vicinity of Aristarchus. Over.
76:57:28 Aldrin: Roger. We just went into spacecraft darkness. Until then, why, we couldn't see a thing down below us. But now, with earthshine, the visibility is pretty fair. Looking back behind me, now, I can see the corona from where the Sun has just set. And we'll get out the map and see what we can find around Aristarchus
76:57:54 Armstrong: We're coming upon Aristarchus right now - -
76:57:55 Capcom: - - Okay. Aristarchus is at angle Echo 9 on your ATO chart. It's about 394 miles north of track. However, at your present altitude, which is about 167 nautical miles, it ought to be over - that is within view of your horizon: 23 degrees north, 47 west. Take a look and see if you see anything worth noting up there. Over.
76:58:34 Armstrong: Both looking.
76:58:36 Capcom: Roger. Out.
76:58:xx PAO: That was Buzz Aldrin discussing the earth shine.
77:03:01 Aldrin: Houston, 11. It might help us a little bit if you could give us a time of crossing of 45 west.
77:03:09 Capcom: Say again, please, 11.
77:03:23 Aldrin: You might give us a time of crossing of 45 west, and then we'll know when to start searching for Aristarchus.
77:03:32 Capcom: Roger. You'll be crossing 45 west at 77:04:10 or about 40 seconds from now. Over. Thirty seconds from now.
77:03:45 Aldrin: Okay.
77:04:50 Capcom: Apollo 11, when we lose the S-Band, we'd like to get Omni Charlie from you. And update my last, that 77:04 was the time when Aristarchus should become visible over your horizon. 77:12 is point of closest approach south of it. Over.
77:05:14 Aldrin: Okay. That sounds better because we just went by Copernicus a little bit ago.
77:05:18 Capcom: Roger. We show you at about 27 degrees longitude right now.
77:05:25 Aldrin: Righto.
77:07:07 Aldrin: Houston, when a star sets up here, there's no doubt about it. One instant it's there, and the next instant it's just completely gone.
77:07:16 Capcom: Roger. We copy.
77:09:21 Capcom: Apollo 11, this is Houston. We request you use Omni Charlie at this time. Over.
77:09:29 Aldrin: Okay. Going to Omni Charlie.
77:09:32 Capcom: Roger. Out.
77:11:57 Aldrin: Houston, Apollo 11.
77:12:01 Capcom: Apollo 11, this is Houston. Go ahead.
77:12:06 Aldrin: Roger. Seems to me since we know orbits so precisely, and know where the stars are so precisely, and the time of setting of a star or a planet to so very fine a degree, that this might be a pretty good means of measuring the altitude of the horizon ...
77:12:32 Capcom: Roger.
77:12:51 Collins: Hey, Houston. I'm looking north up toward Aristarchus now, and I can't really tell at that distance whether I am really looking at Aristarchus, but there's an area that is considerably more illuminated than the surrounding area. It just has - seems to have a slight amount of fluorescence to it. A crater can be seen, and the area around the crater is quite bright.
77:13:-- ** Sighting of an illumination in the Aristarchus region. First time a lunar transient event sighted by an observer in space.
77:13:30 Capcom: Roger, 11. We copy.
77:14:23 Aldrin: Houston, Apollo 11. Looking up at the same area now and it does seem to be reflecting some of the earthshine. I'm not sure whether it was worked out to be about zero phase to - Well, at least there is one wall of the crater that seems to be more illuminated than the others, and that one - if we are lining up with the Earth correctly, does seem to put it about at zero phase. That area is definitely lighter than anything else that I could see out this window. I am not sure that I am really identifying any phosphorescence, but that definitely is lighter than anything else in the neighborhood.
77:15:15 Capcom: 11, this is Houston. Can you discern any difference in color of the illumination, and is that an inner or an outer wall from the crater? Over.
77:15:34 Collins: Roger. That's an inner wall of the crater.
77:15:43 Collins: No, there doesn't appear to be any color involved in it, Bruce.
77:15:47 Capcom: Roger. You said inner wall. Would that be the inner edge of the northern surface?
77:16:00 Collins: I guess it would be the inner edge of the west-northwest part, the part that would be more nearly normal if you were looking at it from the Earth.
77:16:20 Capcom: 11, Houston. Have you used the monocular on this? Over.
77:16:28 Aldrin: Stand by one.
77:17:59 Aldrin: Roger. Like you to know this quest for science has caused me to lose my E-memory program, it's in here somewhere, but I can't find it.
77:18:08 Capcom: 11, this is Houston. We're - we're hearing only a partial Comm. Say again please.
77:18:20 Armstrong: I think ...
77:18:41 Armstrong: Houston, we will give it a try if we have the opportunity on next - when we are not in the middle of lunch, and trying to find the monocular.
77:18:51 Capcom: Roger. Copied you that time. Expect in the next REV you will probably be getting ready for LOI-2.
77:19:09 Capcom: So, let's wind this up, and since we've got some other things to talk to you about in a few minutes. Over.
77:19:19 Aldrin: Okay.
I thought TLP of various kinds has been reported for hundreds of years, going right back to the Canterbury Monks in 1178 AD?
Researchers analysed samples of soil collected from the Moon by the Apollo missions and found it contained water in the form of compounds called hydroxyls.
The water was most likely formed on the surface of the Moon by the constant stream of charged particles ejected from the Sun known as "solar wind", the scientists said.
The traditional view that the Moon was entirely dry has been proven incorrect in recent years, with growing evidence that icy drops of water can be found on its surface.
In 2009, a Nasa satellite slammed into a crater and threw up a plume which scientists found contained an unexpectedly high amount of ice, and small amounts of water have also been found in powder and rock in the Moon's outer layer.
But although the discoveries have proven the existence of water, the problem which has continued to baffle scientists is where it came from.
Now a new paper by researchers from the University of Tennessee suggests the water was produced on the Moon's surface rather than being delivered there by a comet or other piece of space debris.
Solar wind is a flow of particles continually flowing away from the Sun. The Earth's magnetic field deflects them away from our planet, but the Moon has no such protection.
Researchers analysed the soil samples and found that they had similar chemical properties to charged hydrogen particles found in the solar wind.
The findings suggest the hydrogen was brought to the surface of the Moon in the solar wind, and then combined with oxygen to form hydroxyls, compounds similar to water which contain one hydrogen and one oxygen atom. These were then stored in the soil.
Youxue Zhang, one of the researchers, said: "Our work shows that the 'water' component, the hydroxyl, is widespread in lunar materials, although not in the form of ice or liquid water that can easily be used in a future manned lunar base."
Lead author Yang Liu added: "This also means that water likely exists on Mercury and on asteroids such as Vesta or Eros further within our solar system. These planetary bodies have very different environments, but all have the potential to produce water."
In an accompanying comment article in the Nature Geoscience Journal Dr Marc Chaussidon of the Université de Lorraine in France wrote that the findings were "opening the door to another source of water for inner Solar System bodies".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient_lunar_phenomenon