PDS logoPlanetary Data System
PDS Information
Find a Node - Use these links to navigate to any of the 8 publicly accessible PDS Nodes.

This bar indicates that you are within the PDS enterprise which includes 6 science discipline nodes and 2 support nodes which are overseen by the Project Management Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Each node is led by an expert in the subject discipline, supported by an advisory group of other practitioners of that discipline, and subject to selection and approval under a regular NASA Research Announcement.
Click here to return to the Photojournal Home Page Click here to view a list of Photojournal Image Galleries Photojournal_inner_header
Latest Images  |  Spacecraft & Technology  |  Animations  |  Space Images App  |  Feedback  |  Photojournal Search  

PIA14030: Impact Melt on Klute W Wall
 Target Name:  Moon
 Is a satellite of:  Earth
 Mission:  Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
 Spacecraft:  Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
 Instrument:  Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (NAC)
 Product Size:  1400 x 1400 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Arizona State University
 Other  
Information: 
More details and images at LROC
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA14030.tif (1.962 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA14030.jpg (220.9 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Impact melt deposits on interior wall of Klute W crater. Image is 900 meters wide, LROC NAC M143201144RE.

Further down the wall of Klute W crater (38.2°N, 143.0°W) relative to yesterday's featured image, the landslide rubble appears to have either been mixed with, or deposited adjacent to, impact melt. The melt deposits produce lobate margins appearing much like lava flows, and the smoother surfaces present more small impact craters than the nearby rough surfaces. Unlike the unconsolidated (loosely packed) landslide debris, the melt surfaces should be solid rock, having formed from rapidly cooling melt following the Klute W impact. Melt surfaces are therefore expected to preserve craters better than landslide materials (see PIA14029).

Click here for larger image of PIA14030
Click on image for larger version
LROC WAC monochrome mosaic of Klute W and its surroundings

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center built and manages the mission for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera was designed to acquire data for landing site certification and to conduct polar illumination studies and global mapping. Operated by Arizona State University, LROC consists of a pair of narrow-angle cameras (NAC) and a single wide-angle camera (WAC). The mission is expected to return over 70 terabytes of image data.

Image Credit:
NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Image Addition Date:
2011-04-01