Fact sheet
77517 is a fragmental breccia with aphanitic matrix. It is light-colored and appears unique. Sample 77517 may be exotic to the Apollo 17 site because it contains mineral fragments of pink aluminous spinel (see rotation 1), aluminous enstatite and forsterite – not normally components at Apollo 17. 77517 has abundant mineral and lithic clasts in a highly porous, poorly sintered matrix. The mineral fragments are loosely held in the fragmental matrix. Lithic clast include anorthosite, norite, troctolite and spinel cataclasite.
The sample weighed 45.6 grams before analysis and has not been dated.
Further details of this and other Apollo samples are here: http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/
Apollo 17, the final manned landing mission, had two objectives: to obtain samples of ancient rocks from the lunar highlands and to look for evidence of younger volcanic activity on the valley floor.
This small Collection contains material deriving from both periods, including igneous rocks around 4.3 billion years old from the lunar highlands as well as younger volcanic samples dating from about 3.6 billion years ago.
Apollo 17 was launched on 7 December 1972.