What was the mainstream theory (or competing theories)
about the evolution/composition of the planets, moons,
asteroids, etc. in our solar system just prior to the moon
landings?
Which aspects of such theories were confirmed by analysis
of moon rocks? Which aspects were refuted?
Was any moon rock evidence used to decide between theories?
Also, I recently watched a documentary on the moon landings,
and some footage showed an astronaut on the moon saying,
“Hey look orange dirt!” They immediately cut to an
interview of someone saying they didn’t have time to collect
all the samples they wanted.
So:
Did they collect the orange dirt?
If so, what did they learn from it? Or if not, what might
they have missed out on learning?
What would orange dirt mean to a geologist or planetary
astronomer at the time the moon landings occured?
During the Apollo 17 mission, Jack Schmitt and Gene Cernan did find orange soil surrounding the crater called “Shorty” and collected samples, including a three-foot soil core. During the mission, they and the geologists on earth assumed that this orange was evidence that Shorty was a volcanic vent, not an impact crater, and that the unusually colored soil was an alteration halo around a volcanic vent, where volcanic gases oxidized the surrounding soil.
Actually, later analysis showed that the situation was more complicated. The colorful soil (it was yellow, orange, purple and black) had been oxidized 3.5 billion years ago in a volcanic fire fountain. It was covered by a fresh lava flow which kept it from mixing with the surrounding soil. Finally, the impact which created Shorty exposed the orange dirt.
Geologists, please feel free to correct me if I’ve screwed up my summary of events.
I can’t answer all your other questions, but I would like to refer you to Andrew Chaikin’s excellent book A Man on the Moon which does a terrific job explaining the science learned as well as the personal stories of the astronauts. (That’s where I got my info on orange dirt, pp. 526-30.)
Oh, and the astronauts frequently felt they didn’t have enough time to collect all the samples they wanted to.
–Yersinia