Amazing moon rock, page 1

Originally posted by ziggystar60
This is a cropped version of the image AS17-145-22136 from the Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal. The image can also be found at Lunar and Planetary Institute.

I have just increased contrast and decreased brightness a bit to make the features of this "rock" easier to see. So - what do you think? Strange rock, or what?

That photo and the very similar AS17-145-22137 were taken during EVA 3 at Geology Station 5 "Camelot Crater". During the time those photos were taken, Gene Cernan was breaking off two samples from a rock using his "Pick" tool. He took 3 whacks at the rock for each of the two samples. I think what were are seeing are the marks left by the tool.

Here is a picture taken by Harrison "Jack" Schmitt (the one in the OP was taken by Gene Cernan) that shows the same rock (albeit from a different angle) before the samples were picked off of it. You can see there are no marks on it yet (click the photo for the full size). This was cropped from the original which was AS17-133-20318:

Here is a transcript of the "sample gathering". I underlined and italicized to parts dealing with photographing the rock , then braking off samples, then photographing it again:

[Gene makes his way out of the boulder field to take cross-Suns from the south; Jack moves north out of the TV picture to take a cross-Sun from that direction.]
[Gene's photos are AS17-145- 22136 to 22138.]

[Jack's cross-Sun is AS17-133- 20328. Jack also takes a "locator" to the Rover, AS17-133- 20329.]
146:36:42 Cernan: (To himself) I've already cycled film.
146:36:44 Schmitt: We need to sample the structures, though, in this thing. We haven't really done that.

146:36:48 Cernan: We'll try and get a(n) "around-the-corner"...

146:36:50 Schmitt: And we've got to get...

146:36:51 Cernan: ...picture.

146:36:52 Schmitt: We need to get that stuff on the mantle, too. (Pause) I mean on the blocks.

[Gene gets the hammer out of his shin pocket.]
146:36:57 Cernan: Yup. Okay, we want to get an "around-the-corner" picture of one of those big ones, too. See if we can get the structure of it. Okay, you get your picture?
146:37:05 Schmitt: Yup. (Pause)

This was the picture Jack Schmitt took (AS17-133-20328) before the sample was taken (the picture from wich I cropped my image).

[Gene stands over the boulder and takes three low, nearly horizontal whacks at it.]
146:37:19 Cernan: Here's a piece right here.
146:37:20 Schmitt: Okay, can you hand me a bag, or I'll pick it up with a scoop, whichever you prefer. (Pause)

[Gene grabs the fragment with his tongs, then goes to Jack so that Jack can get a sample bag from him.]
146:37:29 Cernan: Get the bag? Let's see if we can fix your (sample) bag thing tonight. (Pause)
[Gene raises the tongs so that Jack can take the sample.]
146:37:41 Schmitt: Okay, I got it. (Pause) Okay, that looks like our old friend, the gabbro, all right. (Pause)
[Having examined the rock, Jack bags it. Gene dislodges another sample with three hammer blows.]
146:38:00 Cernan: How's that for a piece.
146:38:01 Schmitt: 462 is Gene's fairly freshly fractured rock.

[Once Jack finishes closing the first sample bag, Gene presents his SCB.]

Then in the below dialogue they talk about taking another picture of the now-broken rock -- when they say "lets get over there and get at least one of it", they mean a picture of the rock 'after' the broke off a sample:

146:38:52 Cernan: Okay.
146:38:53 Schmitt: (Bag number) 463. Is another of the same variety. Wish we'd started on that structured rock because we're going to run out of time. Let's go over there and get at least one off of it.

146:39:13 Cernan: Yeah, we'll get it.

146:39:14 Schmitt: Get the "after". (Pause) Whoops.

[Jack drops the scoop, then asks Gene if he's finished taking the picture.]

146:39:24 Schmitt: Got it?

146:39:26 Cernan: Got it. (Pause)

The full transcript from Geology Station 5 can be found here:
history.nasa.gov...

It seems to me by looking at the "before and after" photos that those marks are simply tool marks left by the astronauts.

[edit on 3/26/2008 by Soylent Green Is People]