Fact sheet
71569 is an olivine-microporphyritic ilmenite basalt that was collected as a rake sample. There is some variability to the texture of 71569, but generally the groundmass is variolitic. Olivine phenocrysts are skeletal, often partially resorbed. Ilmenite is irregular or bladed in shape, often broken and sometimes acicular. There is a high proportion of ilmenite. Pyroxene and plagioclase dominate the assemblage and armalcolite and silica are also present.
The sample weighed 289.6 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.