Ballistic Motion of Dust Particles in the "Collecting the Big Muley Lunar Rock" Sequence of the Apollo XVI Footage

This manuscript develops and integrates the previous study “_ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR TRACKING BODIES MOTIONS ON THE LUNAR SURFACE IN APOLLO XVI FOOTAGE_” https://doi.org/10.32388/IA8MXE.2 in order to introduce a robust analytical method to trace and analyze the movement of dust shot during the Apollo XVI mission on the lunar surface. By employing both 2D and 3D analysis techniques, we aim to provide a detailed comparison of the observed kinematic events against theoretical models. The paper extends a previous work focused on the kinematics of lunar dust utilizing footage from the “Grand Prix” sequence of the Apollo XVI mission "Ballistic motion of dust particles in the Lunar Roving Vehicle dust trails" published in 2012 in the American Journal of Physics by Mihaly Horanyi and Hsiang-Wen Hsu: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258468670 [Ann. 1 [https://www.apollolab.eu/tcc/wp-content/uploads/2020/TAXVIF/Annexes/01_AJP_2012.pdf] – Ann. 2 [https://www.apollolab.eu/tcc/wp-content/uploads/2020/TAXVIF/Annexes/02_roostertail.zip]]. In this further analysis, a sequence in which the astronaut Charles Duke collects an igneous rock (the so-called Big Muley) is tracked. A clearly visible trail of dust is kicked from the left foot of Duke and following a parabolic path, it will reach the lunar ground in the next 25 frames. By tracking the motion of the dust, we obtain information on its grain size and mechanical behavior in the lunar environment, about the validity of the expected motion models, and - last but not least - about the integrity of the original films in the digital transpositions to which we have access, in particular with respect to the played framerate.