Gravitation of the Moon
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Body Multiple of Earth gravity m/s² Sun 27.90 274.1 Mercury 0.3770 3.703 Venus 0.9032 8.872 Earth 1 (by definition) 9.8226[5] Moon 0.1655 1.625 Mars 0.3895 3.728 Jupiter 2.640 25.93 Saturn 1.139 11.19 Uranus 0.917 9.01 Neptune 1.148 11.28 Pluto 0.0621 0.610 cite journal |author=Paul Muller and William Sjogren |title=Masons: lunar mass concentrations |journal=Science |volume=161 |pages=680–684 |year=1968 |doi=10.1126/science.161.3842.680}}</ref> since navigation tests prior to the Apollo program experienced positioning errors much larger than mission specifications.
The origin of mascons are in part due to the presence of dense mare basaltic lava flows that fill some of the impact basins. However, lava flows by themselves can not explain the entirety of the gravitional variations, and uplift of the crust-mantle interface is required as well. Based on Lunar Prospector gravitational models, it has been suggested that some mascons exist that do not show evidence for mare basaltic volcanism.[1] The huge expanse of mare basaltic volcanism associated with Oceanus Procellarum does not possess a positive gravitational anomaly.
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