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Spectral analysis of Mare Serenitatis has been carried out using Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ) data in order to map the compositional diversity of the basaltic units that exist in the basin. Mare Serenitatis is characterized by multiple basaltic flows of different ages indicating a prolonged volcanism subsequent to the basin formation event. Reflectance spectra of fresh craters...
Observations of the Moon obtained by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ) instrument were acquired at various local viewing geometries. To compensate for this, a visible near-infrared photometric correction for the M 3 observations of the lunar surface has been derived. Images are corrected to the standard geometry of 30° phase angle with an incidence of 30° and an emission of 0°. The...
The main objective of this study is to develop a new photometric correction that is suitable for global Chang’ E-1 (CE-1) Interference Imaging Spectrometer (IIM) data. We considered two improvements in the accuracy of the photometric correction: (1) classifying the whole Moon’s surface into four classes (very bright rays, mature highlands, low FeO basalts, and high FeO basalts) based on the FeO contents;...
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) provides multi-temporal and high resolution imaging of the north and south polar regions. These images delimit illuminated areas from those in shadow, and are used to analyze the illumination environment of the polar regions over the course of a lunar year. The Wide Angle Camera (WAC) provides repeat imaging of the north and south pole at a frequency...
The unusual shape of the Moon given its present rotational and orbital state has been explained as due to a fossil figure preserving a record of remnant rotational and tidal deformation (Jeffreys, H. [1915]. Mem. R. Astron. Soc. 60, 187–217; Lambeck, K., Pullan, S. [1980]. Phys. Earth Planet. Interiors 22, 29–35; Garrick-Bethell, I., Wisdom, J., Zuber, M.T. [2006]. Science 313, 652–655). However,...
Asteroids impacting the Earth partly volatilize, partly melt (O’Keefe, J.D., Ahrens, T.J. [1977]. Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 8, 3357–3374). While metal rapidly segregates out of the melt and sinks into the core, the vaporized material orbits the Earth and eventually rains back onto its surface. The content of the mantle in siderophile elements and their chondritic relative abundances hence is accounted...
Many lunar basins are characterized by prominent positive gravity anomalies over the basin interiors, referred to as mass concentrations or mascons. While a significant fraction of some near-side mascon anomalies can be explained as a result of the flexural support of the mare basalts within the basins, a number of basins, including Orientale, exhibit mascons in excess of those that can be plausibly...
We have attempted to constrain the lunar core size from electrical conductivity sounding by using magnetic field data from the Kaguya (KG) and Lunar Prospector (LP) satellites. As suggested by previous studies, the signature of induction in the core can sometimes be detected by the satellites as an internal dipole field when the Moon enters from the magnetosheath to the tail lobe of the Earth’s magnetosphere...
We present results of the highest-resolution simulations to date of potential Moon-forming impacts using a Lagrangian, particle-based method (smooth particle hydrodynamics, or SPH) and an Eulerian, grid-based method with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR-CTH). We consider a few candidate impacts advocated by recent works, directly comparing simulations performed at varying resolutions and with both numerical...
Schrödinger Basin provides a window into the stratigraphy of the lunar crust adjacent to the South Pole-Aitken Basin region that we have probed with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ), and crater-scaling relationships. The composition of materials that make up the basin wall, impact melt, and peak ring provide a cross-section of the lunar crust, which reveals products...
Precession of the orbit poles and spin poles for triaxial bodies, including the possibility of phase locking, is addressed here. We provide a simple derivation of the time-averaged gravitational potential and associated torque, thereby confirming the results of Gladman et al. (Gladman, B., Quinn, D., Nicholson, P., Rand, R. [1996]. Icarus 122, 166–192).
Saturn is orbited by a half dozen ice rich middle-sized moons (MSMs) of diverse geology and composition. These comprise ∼4.4% of Saturn’s satellite mass; the rest is Titan, more massive per planet than Jupiter’s satellites combined. Jupiter has no MSMs. Disk-based models to explain these differences exist, but have various challenges and assumptions. We introduce the hypothesis that Saturn originally...
Lunar basin-forming impacts produce enormous volumes (>10 5 km 3 ) of impact melt. All known basin-forming impacts combined may produce ∼10 8 km 3 of impact melt, ∼1/20th the volume of the lunar crust. Despite their volumetric importance, the geology and petrology of massive deposits of impact melt on the Moon have been little studied, in part because most basin...
Near-InfraRed (NIR) data obtained at the Moon by the SIR-2 instrument aboard Chandrayan-1 have been analyzed and classified according to their spectral absorption characteristics. This approach yielded a new NIR map, based on 10 spectral categories that we have identified, which cover a substantial portion of the lunar nearside. The inferred distribution of materials that share similar reflectance...
The Moon spends 20% of its orbit within the terrestrial magnetosphere. During this time it experiences a flux of ions from the Earth, which can be accelerated within the magnetosphere prior to impacting the Moon. Both 3D multi-fluid simulations and particle tracking were used to study the lunar environment while the Moon is inside the magnetosphere and quantify the energy and flux of ionospheric ions...
We report on our analysis of twilight observations of the lunar atmosphere as observed by the LAMP instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Using data collected between September 2009 and March 2013, we have examined over 7.7millions of integration time obtained when the surface was in darkness, but the atmosphere between the spacecraft and the surface was in sunlight. Using these data,...
Remote-sensing datasets obtained by each instrument aboard Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) and Chandrayaan-1 have not been compared directly, and the characteristics of each instrument’s data, which may reflect the observation conditions of each instrument and/or residual error in instrument calibration, are unknown. This paper describes the basic characteristics of the data derived...
Based on the equilibrium thermochemical approach and quenching theory, the formation of Na-, K-, Li-, Si-, Ca-, Al-, Mg-, and Fe-bearing molecules and dust particles in impact-produced clouds formed after collisions between meteoroids and the Moon is considered. Photolysis lifetimes and energies of photolysis products of oxides and hydroxides of the main elements are estimated. The estimated fraction...
The Orientale basin is the best-preserved multi-ring impact basin on the Moon, spanning ∼900km in diameter at its outermost ring. It consists of three concentric ring structures known as the Inner Rook, Outer Rook, and Cordillera. Based on geologic and topographic evidence, the Cordillera ring has been interpreted as forming through listric normal faulting from the inward collapse of the interior...
Several modern optical instruments orbited the Moon during 2008 and 2009 onboard the SELENE and Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and provided a welcomed feast of spectroscopic data to be used for scientific analyses. The different spatial and spectral resolutions of these sensors along with diverse illumination geometry during data acquisition make each set of data unique, and each instrument contributes...
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