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A New Look at Lunar Soil Collected from the Sea of Tranquility during the Apollo 11 Mission

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2010

Carol Kiely ,
Gary Greenberg  and
Christopher J. Kiely
Carol Kiely*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015-3195, USA
Gary Greenberg
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Institute of Astronomy, Advanced Technology Research Center, HI 96768, USA
Christopher J. Kiely
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015-3195, USA
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: cak4@lehigh.edu
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Abstract

Complementary state-of-the-art optical, scanning electron, and X-ray microscopy techniques have been used to study the morphology of Apollo 11 lunar soil particles (10084-47). The combination of innovative lighting geometries with image processing of a through focal series of images has allowed us to obtain a unique collection of high-resolution light micrographs of these fascinating particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) stereo-pair imaging has been exploited to illustrate some of the unique morphological properties of lunar regolith. In addition, for the first time, X-ray micrographs with submicron resolution have been taken of individual particles using X-ray ultramicroscopy (XuM). This SEM-based technique lends itself readily to the imaging of pores, cracks, and inclusions and allows the internal structure of an entire particle to be viewed. Rotational SEM and XuM movies have also been constructed from a series of images collected at sequential angles through 360°. These offer a new and insightful view of these complex particles providing size, shape, and spatial information on many of their internal features.

Keywords

optical microscopyscanning electron microscopystereo microscopyX-ray ultramicroscopylunar regolith
Type
Cover Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 34 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2011

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Kiely supplementary material

Supplementary Movie 1. An SEM rotational movie of a ring agglutinate.

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Video 2.4 MB

Kiely supplementary material

Supplementary Movie 2. An XuM rotational movie of a glassy spherule.

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Video 3.8 MB

Kiely supplementary material

Supplementary Movie 3. An XuM rotational movie of a ring aggluntinate.

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Video 1.9 MB

Kiely supplementary material

Supplementary Movie 4. An XuM rotational movie of a lunar regolith particle containing plates of ilmenite.

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Video 5.5 MB