Shape and Internal Structure of the Moon.

D. L. Lamar

ResearchPublished 1964

A study correlating current data with theories of the shape and internal structure of the moon. Charts prepared from Russian photographs of a portion of the moon's far side reveal that the continental-maria distribution is opposite from that required to explain the moment-of-inertia data, which assumes a spherically symmetrical density distribution within the moon. A moon with random lumpiness, as envisioned by Urey, Elsasser, and Rochester (1959), or one in isostatic equilibrium and thermal convention would satisfy our current knowledge of the moon. A study correlating current data with theories of the shape and internal structure of the moon. Charts prepared from Russian photographs of a portion of the moon's far side reveal that the continental-maria distribution is opposite from that required to explain the moment-of-inertia data, which assumes a spherically symmetrical density distribution within the moon. A moon with random lumpiness, as envisioned by Urey, Elsasser, and Rochester (1959), or one in isostatic equilibrium and thermal convention would satisfy our current knowledge of the moon. 40 pp. Bibliog

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Lamar, D. L., Shape and Internal Structure of the Moon. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1964. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_memoranda/RM3964.html.
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