As part of the run up to ESCONI's 70th Anniversary, here is Flashback Friday post #12. If you have pictures or stories to contribute, please send them over to [email protected]. Thanks!
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From the September 1969 edition of the ESCONI "The Earth Science News". Some Moon rocks were studied at Argonne National Laboratory in 1969 and the early 1970s.
Moon Rocks
In Room H 158 of Building 203 at Argonne National Laboratories is one of approximately 110 cogs in the wheel that may tell scientists what the noon is of and how it cot there.
In that room lies the 100 inch mass spectrometer, although the machine itself is much larger than 100 inches.
After September 15th, Paul Fields, an Argonne senior Chemist and Donald Metta and Herbert Diamond will be using the mass spectrometer on moon samples taken during the Apollo 11 trip.
And— after January 15 and May 15 of next year the three men Will be experimenting with samples from Apollo 12 or 13.
The purpose of the experiments is to look into "the possibility of elements existing on the moon". He will be searching for heavier mass elements such as uranium, plutonium, neptunium and others, and anything that might exist that is heavier.
The spectrometer, one of the most sensitive in the world, uses a magnetic principle in taking separated elements and comparing the mass of charged atoms in a magnetic field to the known mass of elements. There not many labs in the world that can do this.
Fields and the other 100 plus groups who are working on this have been given three months from the tine experiments begin to report findings. A conference in Houston on December 15, will be held to discuss findings.
Findings may prove facts about the noon's origin. The three present theories about the moon's origin could be narrowed to one. The most popular origin theory involves the moon coming very near the earth and being captured by earth's gravity. In this case, the moon may not be made of the same thing as the earth.
The second- and third theories, that the noon tore free from the earth many years ago, and that both the earth an-I the noon were formed simultaneously may be proven if the samplings resemble the earth' s core.
Fields feels there may be different types of samples found in either Apollo 12 or 13 because Apollo 11 landed "in flats and it also looked like a lava bed". The others will probably give probably give more scientific information.
He feels Mars should be the next step though, "landing man on Mars is a real undertaking".
Paul Fields discovered einsteinium and fermium and aided in the discovery of nobelium.