Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You snap a few of the uncommon features to see what they might reveal.
This is the real-life decision that Jeff Klemaszewski would
make. He is a research specialist in planetary geology.
It is a good idea to snap away photos of the common features because these
will likely reveal the most about the moon's formation and evolutionary
history. But as a scientist, you shouldn't overlook the uncommon features.
Perhaps later when you're researching the features, you might wonder
if something in the areas just beyond the common features reveal any clues
about how the moon was formed. In this work, you can't simply take another
photo, so it pays to be thorough in your imaging.
"You have a limited number of pictures," says Klemaszewski. You also have
a limited amount of time, as space missions are costly adventures. This means
that your selection must be exact.
"You need to photograph all of the features you think will be important
in your research, and some that may become important at a later date."
To help understand what images to take, planetary geologists think about
what answers they are looking for. "Ask questions like which area is older,
which is younger?" says Klemaszewski.