Remote Sensing Studies of the Northeastern Portion of the Lunar Nearside

During the Galileo spacecraft enounter with the Earth-Moon system in December, 1992, a variety of spectral data and imagery were obtained for the eastern limb regon as well as much of the lunar nearside. In order to support this encounter, we have been collecting near-infra- red spectra and other remote sensing data for that portion of the northeastern nearside (NEN region) for which the highest resolution Galileo data were obtained. Analysis of spectra obtained for high- lands units in the NEN region indicates that most surface units are dominated by anorthositic norite. To date, no pure anorthosites have been identified in the region. Several dark-haloed impact craters have exposed mare material from beneath highlands-rich surface units.Hence, ancient mare volcanism occured in at least a portion of the NEN region. Endogenic dark-haloed craters in the region are the sources of localized dark mantle deposits (LDMD) of pyroclastic origin and at least two compositional groups are present