The South Pole Region of the Moon as Seen by Clementine

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Shoemaker, E. M., Robinson, M. S., Eliason, E. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1994
• Subjects: South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.266.5192.1851; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.266.5192.1851

The Clementine mission has provided the first comprehensive set of high-resolution images of the south pole region of the moon. Within 5° of latitude of the pole, an area of an estimated 30,000 square kilometers remained in shadow during a full lunar rotation and is a promising target for future exploration for ice deposits. The Schrödinger Basin (320 kilometers in diameter), centered at 75°S, is one of the two youngest, least modified, great multiring impact basins on the moon. A large maar-type volcano localized along a graben within the Schrödinger Basin probably erupted between 1 and 2 billion years ago.