NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
After Apollo - Fission origin of the moonThe present work maintains that the Apollo moon data substantiate the fission theory of the origin of the moon. It has been objected to this theory that prior to fission, the total mass and angular momentum of the earth-moon system would have to be greater than the present total of the earth and the moon, which would imply that angular momentum must have been lost since the fission. The present work states that this loss of momentum can be accounted for by the subsequent boiling off of a large amount of the original lunar mass. This would also mean that the moon ought to be greatly impoverished in volatiles, which it, indeed, is according to Apollo data. It is suggested that at one time the solar system was a binary star, namely, the sun and Jupiter. Successive fissions of Jupiter would have created other planets, which themselves could undergo fission, producing satellites.
Document ID
19740057269
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Okeefe, J. A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Md., United States)
Date Acquired
August 7, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1973
Publication Information
Publication: Science and Public Affairs
Volume: 29
Subject Category
Space Sciences
Accession Number
74A40019
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available