Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Dynamics
- 3 Solar Heating and Energy Transport
- 4 Planetary Atmospheres
- 5 Planetary Surfaces
- 6 Planetary Interiors
- 7 Magnetic Fields and Plasmas
- 8 Meteorites
- 9 Minor Planets
- 10 Comets
- 11 Planetary Rings
- 12 Extrasolar Planets
- 13 Planet Formation
- Appendix A List of Symbols Used
- Appendix B Acronyms Used
- Appendix C Units and Constants
- Appendix D Periodic Table of Elements
- Appendix E Observing Techniques
- Appendix F Interplanetary Spacecraft
- Appendix G Recent Planetary Images
- References
- Index
- Plate section
5 - Planetary Surfaces
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Dynamics
- 3 Solar Heating and Energy Transport
- 4 Planetary Atmospheres
- 5 Planetary Surfaces
- 6 Planetary Interiors
- 7 Magnetic Fields and Plasmas
- 8 Meteorites
- 9 Minor Planets
- 10 Comets
- 11 Planetary Rings
- 12 Extrasolar Planets
- 13 Planet Formation
- Appendix A List of Symbols Used
- Appendix B Acronyms Used
- Appendix C Units and Constants
- Appendix D Periodic Table of Elements
- Appendix E Observing Techniques
- Appendix F Interplanetary Spacecraft
- Appendix G Recent Planetary Images
- References
- Index
- Plate section
Summary
I believe this nation should commit itself to the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.
USA President John F. Kennedy, in a speech before Congress, 25 May 1961That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong, 20 July 1969, as he became the first human to set foot on the MoonThe four largest planets in our Solar System are gas giants, with very deep atmospheres and no detectable solid ‘surface’. All of the smaller bodies, the terrestrial planets, asteroids, moons and comets, have solid surfaces. These bodies display geological features that yield clues about their formation, as well as past and current geological activity. The surface reflectivity varies dramatically from one body to another; some surfaces have very low albedos (such as the maria on the Moon, carbonaceous asteroids, comet nuclei), while others are highly reflective (Europa, Enceladus). Large albedo variations may even be seen on a single object (Iapetus). Some bodies are almost completely covered by impact craters (Moon, Mercury, Mimas), while others showlittle or no sign of impacts (Io, Europa, Earth). The terrestrial planets and many of the larger moons show clear evidence of past volcanic activity, and some (Earth, Io, Enceladus, Triton) are active even today. Past volcanic activity may be seen in the form of volcanoes of different shapes and size (Earth, Mars, Venus) or large solidified lava lakes (Moon).
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- Planetary Sciences , pp. 152 - 240Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010