Sample records for early lunar differentiation

  1. The Effect of Thermal Cycling on Crystal-Liquid Separation During Lunar Magma Ocean Differentiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mills, Ryan D.

    2013-01-01

    Differentiation of magma oceans likely involves a mixture of fractional and equilibrium crystallization [1]. The existence of: 1) large volumes of anorthosite in the lunar highlands and 2) the incompatible- rich (KREEP) reservoir suggests that fractional crystallization may have dominated during differentiation of the Moon. For this to have occurred, crystal fractionation must have been remarkably efficient. Several authors [e.g. 2, 3] have hypothesized that equilibrium crystallization would have dominated early in differentiation of magma oceans because of crystal entrainment during turbulent convection. However, recent numerical modeling [4] suggests that crystal settling could have occurred throughout the entire solidification history of the lunar magma ocean if crystals were large and crystal fraction was low. These results indicate that the crystal size distribution could have played an important role in differentiation of the lunar magma ocean. Here, I suggest that thermal cycling from tidal heating during lunar magma ocean crystallization caused crystals to coarsen, leading to efficient crystal-liquid separation.

  2. Early differentiation of the Moon: Experimental and modeling studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Longhi, J.

    1986-01-01

    Major accomplishments include the mapping out of liquidus boundaries of lunar and meteoritic basalts at low pressure; the refinement of computer models that simulate low pressure fractional crystallization; the development of a computer model to calculate high pressure partial melting of the lunar and Martian interiors; and the proposal of a hypothesis of early lunar differentiation based upon terrestrial analogs.

  3. Excess lead in "rusty rock" 66095 and implications for an early lunar differentiation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nunes, P.D.; Tatsumoto, M.

    1973-01-01

    Apollo 16 breccia 66095 contains a remarkably high amount of lead (15 part's per million), 85 percent of which is not supported by uranium and thorium in the rock. An acid leach experiment coupled with separate analyses of the whole rock and mineral fractions for uranium, thorium, and lead indicate that the excess lead has a lunar source and was apparently introduced about 4.0 X 109 years ago. The data also suggest that a major lunar crustal differentiation occurred about 4.47 X 109 years ago.

  4. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Analysis and U-Pb Geochronology of the Oldest Lunar Zircon: Constraining Early Lunar Differentiation and Dating Impact-Related Deformation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Timms, Nick; Nemchin, Alexander; Grange, Marion; Reddy, Steve; Pidgeon, Bob; Geisler, Thorsten; Meyer, Chuck

    2009-01-01

    The evolution of the early moon was dominated by two processes (i) crystallization of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) and differentiation of potassium-rare earth element-phosphorous-rich residual magma reservoir referred to as KREEP, and (ii) an intense meteorite bombardment referred to as lunar cataclysm . The exact timing of these processes is disputed, and resolution relies on collection and interpretation of precise age data. This study examines the microstructure and geochronology of zircon from lunar impact breccias collected during the Apollo 17 mission. A large zircon clast within lunar breccia 72215,195 shows sector zoning in optical microscopy, cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and Raman mapping, and indicates that it was a relict fragment of a much larger magmatic grain. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb analysis of the zircon shows that U and Th concentration correlate with sector zoning, with darkest CL domains corresponding with high-U and Th (approx.150 and approx.100 ppm respectively), and the brightest-CL sectors containing approx.30-50 ppm U and approx.10-20 ppm Th. This indicates that variations in optical CL and Raman properties correspond to differential accumulation of alpha-radiation damage in each sector. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping shows that the quality of electron backscatter patterns (band contrast) varies with sector zoning, with the poorest quality patterns obtained from high-U and Th, dark-CL zones. EBSD mapping also reveals a deformation microstructure that is cryptic in optical, CL and Raman imaging. Two orthogonal sets of straight discrete and gradational low-angle boundaries accommodate approx.12 misorientation across the grain. The deformation bands are parallel to the crystallographic {a}-planes of the zircon, have misorientation axes parallel to the c-axis, and are geometrically consistent with formation by dislocation creep associated with <100>{010} slip. The deformation bands are unlike

  5. Differential thermal analysis of lunar soil simulant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tucker, D.; Setzer, A.

    1991-01-01

    Differential thermal analysis of a lunar soil simulant, 'Minnesota Lunar Simulant-1' (MLS-1) was performed. The MLS-1 was tested in as-received form (in glass form) and with another silica. The silica addition was seen to depress nucleation events which lead to a better glass former.

  6. Pb-isotopic systematics of lunar highland rocks (>3.9 Ga): Constraints on early lunar evolution

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Premo, W.R.; Tatsumoto, M.; Misawa, K.; Nakamuka, N.; Kita, N.I.

    1999-01-01

    The present lead (Pb)-isotopic database of over 200 analyses from nearly 90 samples of non-mare basalt, lunar highland rocks (>3.9 Ga) delineate at least three isotopically distinct signatures that in some combination can be interpreted to characterize the systematics of the entire database. Two are fairly new sets of lunar data and are typical of Pb data from other solar-system objects, describing nearly linear arrays slightly above the 'geochron' values, with 207Pb/206Pb values 500). Although the age and origin of this exotic Pb is not well constrained, it is interpreted to be related to the entrapment of incompatible-element-rich (U, Th) melts within the lunar upper mantle and crust between 4.36 and 4.46 Ga (urKREEP residuum?). The latest discovered Pb signature is found only in lunar meteorites and is characterized by relatively low source ?? values between 10 and 50 at 3.9 Ga. The fact that most lunar crustal rocks (>3.9 Ga) exhibit high 207Pb/206Pb values requires that they were derived from, mixed with, or contaminated by Pb produced from early-formed, high-?? sources. The ubiquity of these U-Pb characteristics in the sample collection is probably an artifact of Apollo and Luna sampling sites, all located on the near side of the Moon, which was deeply excavated during the basin-forming event(s). However, the newest Pb-isotopic data support the idea that the Moon originally had a ?? value of ~8 to 35, slightly elevated from Earth values, and that progressive U-Pb fractionations occurred within the Moon during later stages of differentiation between 4.36 and 4.46 Ga.

  7. Pristine Igneous Rocks and the Early Differentiation of Planetary Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warren, Paul H.

    2005-01-01

    Our studies are highly interdisciplinary, but are focused on the processes and products of early planetary and asteroidal differentiation, especially the genesis of the ancient lunar crust. The compositional diversity that we explore is the residue of process diversity, which has strong relevance for comparative planetology. Most of the accessible lunar crust consists of materials hybridized by impact-mixing. Our lunar research concentrates on the rare pristine (unmixed) samples that reflect the original genetic diversity of the early crust. Among HED basalts (eucrites and clasts in howardites), we distinguish as pristine the small minority that escaped the pervasive thermal metamorphism of the parent asteroid's crust. We have found a correlation between metamorphically pristine HED basalts and the similarly small minority of compositionally evolved "Stannern trend" samples, which are enriched in incompatible elements and titanium compared to main group eucrites, and yet have relatively high mg ratios. Other topics under investigation included: lunar and SNC (martian?) meteorites; igneous meteorites in general; impact breccias, especially metal-rich Apollo samples and polymict eucrites; siderophile compositions of the lunar and martian mantles; and planetary bulk compositions and origins.

  8. Zircons as a Probe of Early Lunar Impact History

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crow, C. A.; McKeegan, K. D.; Gilmour, J. D.; Crowther, S. A.; Taylor, D. J.

    2013-08-01

    Zircons are ideal for investigating the early lunar bombardment because we can measure both U-Pb crystallization ages and fissiongenic Xe degassing ages for the same crystal. We report U-Pb, Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages for two lunar zircons.

  9. Impact melting early in lunar history

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lange, M. A.; Ahrens, T. J.

    1979-01-01

    The total amount of impact melt produced during early lunar history is examined in light of theoretically and experimentally determined relations between crater diameter (D) and impact melt volume. The time dependence of the melt production is given by the time dependent impact rate as derived from cratering statistics for two different crater-size classes. Results show that small scale cratering (D less than or equal to 30 km) leads to melt volumes which fit selected observations specifying the amount of impact melt contained in the lunar regolith and in craters with diameters less than 10 km. Larger craters (D greater than 30 km) are capable of forming the abundant impact melt breccias found on the lunar surface. The group of large craters (D greater than 30 km) produces nearly 10 times as much impact melt as all the smaller craters, and thus, the large impacts dominate the modification of the lunar surface. A contradiction between the distribution of radiometric rock ages and a model of exponentially decreasing cratering rate going back to 4.5 b.y. is reflected in uncertainty in the distribution of impact melt as a function of time on the moon.

  10. Lunar initial Nd-143/Nd-144 - Differential evolution of the lunar crust and mantle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lugmair, G. W.; Marti, K.

    1978-01-01

    The Sm-Nd evolution of Apollo 15 green glass is discussed. The ICE age (intercept with chondritic evolution) of 3.8 + or - 0.4 eons overlaps the range of reported (Ar-39)-(Ar-40) ages and implies a distinct source region for green glass, characterized by very low and unfractionated REE abundances. Evidence is presented that LINd (lunar initial Nd) is compatible with a 'chondritic'-type Nd isotopic evolution as observed in the Juvinas meteorite. This normalization is used to study the Sm-Nd system of various lunar rock types. The results obtained from a limited number of rocks clearly indicate differential Sm-Nd evolution for the lunar crust and mantle. High-Ti basalts returned by the Apollo 11 and 17 missions were derived from distinct source regions. The Nd-143 evolution in KREEP requires a source region which is clearly distinct from any mantle reservoir.

  11. Early differentiation of the silicate Earth : new constraints from isotopic investigation of rocks from the lunar highlands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boyet, M.; Carlson, R.; Borg, L.; Connelly, J.; Horan, M.

    2012-04-01

    The isotopic similarity in O, Mo, W, Si, and Fe between lunar and terrestrial samples suggests that the two planetary bodies were equilibrated in the energetic aftermath of the giant impact that gave birth to the Moon [1]. Coupled 142Nd-143Nd isotope systematics of lunar samples including both low-Ti and high-Ti mare basalts along with KREEP basalts have been used to constrain the age of crystallization of the lunar interior [2-5]. These studies show that the Sm-Nd system in the lunar mantle closed in the interval of 180-250 Ma after the beginning of solar system formation, depending on the model considered for lunar mantle differentiation (1 or 2 stage-model and initial lunar Sm/Nd ratio). Does this age represent the age of Moon formation? A prolonged lunar magma ocean (LMO) might be expected given the insulating effect of the thick plagioclase crust, so closure of the Sm-Nd system in the lunar mantle, particularly in a late stage LMO component like KREEP, might substantially post-date lunar formation. We have recently determined a new age of 4360±3 Ma for the ferroan anorthosite (FAN) 60025 using the 207Pb-206Pb, 147Sm-143Nd and 146Sm-142Nd isotope systems [6]. This study is the first in which a single sample of FAN yielded consistent ages from multiple isotope dating techniques, strongly suggesting that this age indicates the time at which the sample crystallized. In order to pursue the question of whether Moon formation occurred over 100 Ma after solar system formation, we have investigated a number of lunar rocks sampling the highland crust from both the FAN and the Mg-suite groups. Internal Sm-Nd isochron on the norite 77215 yields an age of 4296±20 Ma, in agreement with the young age determined on 60025. We will show that our new data obtained on the 146Sm-142Nd systematics of the lunar crust support the scenario of a relative young age for the Moon. Thus, these results offer a unique opportunity to better constrain the composition of the terrestrial

  12. Chronology and complexity of early lunar crust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dasch, E. J.; Ryder, G.; Nyquist, L. E.

    1989-01-01

    The petrology and chronology of early lunar crust is examined using the least equivocal of the available petrographic and age data on lunar rock samples, and the possible processes which produced the lunar crust are discussed. The results suggest that the lunar anorthositic crust was formed by about 120 Ma after the primary accretion of the moon at 4.56 Ga. At least some members of the diverse Mg-suites of rocks, such as norites, troctolites, and dunites, crystallized within a very few 100s of Ma after 4.56 Ga. A trace-element-rich material (KREEP) was formed by about 4.3 Ga ago, and this residue was subsequently reworked in melting and impact processes such that most samples which contain it have ages around 3.9-4.0 Ga. The findings also suggest that the onset of ferrous mare basalt volcanism began about 4.33 Ga, much earlier than was once assumed, and was still in process before the end of the most intense period of bombardment (3.9-4.0 Ga ago).

  13. Lunar Geoscience: Key Questions for Future Lunar Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Head, James

    2014-05-01

    Lunar Geoscience: Key Questions for Future Lunar Exploration James W. Head, Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 USA. (Invited paper/solicited talk for EGU 2014 PS2.3 Lunar session, Bernard H. Foing, Convener EGU PS2.3) The last several decades of intensive robotic exploration of the Moon has built on early Apollo and Luna exploration to provide fundamental knowledge of Earth's satellite and an excellent perspective on the most well-documented planetary body other than Earth. This new planetological perspective has raised substantial new questions about the nature of the origin of the Moon, its early differentiation and bombardment history, its internal thermal evolution, the production of its secondary crust as exemplified by the lunar maria, and tertiary crust as potentially seen in steep-sided domes and impact melt differentiates, the abundance of interior volatiles and their role in volcanic eruptions, and the abundance of surface volatiles and their concentration in polar regions. On the basis of this new information, a series of specific outstanding geoscience questions can be identified that can serve as guides for future human and robotic exploration. These include: 1) What is the nature and abundance of impact melt seas and what rock types do they produce upon differentiation and solidification? 2) Where are lunar mantle samples located on the lunar surface and what processes are responsible for placing them there? 3) What processes are responsible for producing the silica-rich viscous domes, such as those seen at Gruithuisen? 4) What are the volatile species involved in the emplacement of lunar pyroclastic deposits and what clues do they provide about deep magmatic volatiles and shallow volatile formation processes? 5) How do we account for the differing characteristics of regional dark mantling pyroclastic deposits? 6) When did mare basalt volcanism begin (earliest cryptmaria) and how and where is it manifested? 7

  14. Construction operations for an early lunar base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Graf, John

    1988-01-01

    Six construction tasks identified as activities likely to be performed at an early lunar base are described: initializing the habitation module, preparing a landing site, transferring payload off the lander, smoothing roads, constructing the inflatable structure, and excavating for lunar oxygen production. Requirements for each task are given, and a point design capable of meeting the task requirements is described. EVA needs are listed for each task. The equipment used to perform these tasks is described. It is noted that all the tasks can be performed with three common vehicles (a rover, a truck, and an excavator) and some shared equipment.

  15. Lunar basalt chronology, mantle differentiation and implications for determining the age of the Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Snape, Joshua F.; Nemchin, Alexander A.; Bellucci, Jeremy J.; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Tartèse, Romain; Barnes, Jessica J.; Anand, Mahesh; Crawford, Ian A.; Joy, Katherine H.

    2016-10-01

    Despite more than 40 years of studying Apollo samples, the age and early evolution of the Moon remain contentious. Following the formation of the Moon in the aftermath of a giant impact, the resulting Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) is predicted to have generated major geochemically distinct silicate reservoirs, including the sources of lunar basalts. Samples of these basalts, therefore, provide a unique opportunity to characterize these reservoirs. However, the precise timing and extent of geochemical fractionation is poorly constrained, not least due to the difficulty in determining accurate ages and initial Pb isotopic compositions of lunar basalts. Application of an in situ ion microprobe approach to Pb isotope analysis has allowed us to obtain precise crystallization ages from six lunar basalts, typically with an uncertainty of about ± 10 Ma, as well as constrain their initial Pb-isotopic compositions. This has enabled construction of a two-stage model for the Pb-isotopic evolution of lunar silicate reservoirs, which necessitates the prolonged existence of high-μ reservoirs in order to explain the very radiogenic compositions of the samples. Further, once firm constraints on U and Pb partitioning behaviour are established, this model has the potential to help distinguish between conflicting estimates for the age of the Moon. Nonetheless, we are able to constrain the timing of a lunar mantle reservoir differentiation event at 4376 ± 18 Ma, which is consistent with that derived from the Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotopic systems, and is interpreted as an average estimate of the time at which the high-μ urKREEP reservoir was established and the Ferroan Anorthosite (FAN) suite was formed.

  16. Rocks of the early lunar crust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    James, O. B.

    1980-01-01

    Data are summarized which suggest a model for the early evolution of the lunar crust. According to the model, during the final stages of accretion, the outer part of the moon melted to form a magma ocean approximately 300 km deep. This ocean fractionated to form mafic and ultramafic cumulates at depth and an overlying anorthositic crust made up of ferroan anorthosites. Subsequent partial melting in the primitive mantle underlying the crystallized magma ocean produced melts which segregated, moved upward, intruded the primordial crust, and crystallized to form layered plutons consisting of Mg-rich plutonic rocks. Intense impact bombardment at the lunar surface mixed and melted the rocks of the two suites to form a thick layer of granulated debris, granulitic breccias, and impact-melt rocks.

  17. Pristine Igneous Rocks and the Early Differentiation of Planetary Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warren, Paul H.

    1998-01-01

    Our studies are highly interdisciplinary, but are focused on the processes and products of early planetary and asteroidal differentiation, especially the genesis of the ancient lunar crust. Most of the accessible lunar crust consists of materials hybridized by impact-mixing. Rare pristine (unmixed) samples reflect the original genetic diversity of the early crust. We studied the relative importance of internally generated melt (including the putative magma ocean) versus large impact melts in early lunar magmatism, through both sample analysis and physical modeling. Other topics under investigation included: lunar and SNC (martian?) meteorites; igneous meteorites in general; impact breccias, especially metal-rich Apollo samples and polymict eucrites; effects of regolith/megaregolith insulation on thermal evolution and geochronology; and planetary bulk compositions and origins. We investigated the theoretical petrology of impact melts, especially those formed in large masses, such as the unejected parts of the melts of the largest lunar and terrestrial impact basins. We developed constraints on several key effects that variations in melting/displacement ratio (a strong function of both crater size and planetary g) have on impact melt petrology. Modeling results indicate that the impact melt-derived rock in the sampled, megaregolith part of the Moon is probably material that was ejected from deeper average levels than the non-impact-melted material (fragmental breccias and unbrecciated pristine rocks). In the largest lunar impacts, most of the impact melt is of mantle origin and avoids ejection from the crater, while most of the crust, and virtually all of the impact-melted crust, in the area of the crater is ejected. We investigated numerous extraordinary meteorites and Apollo rocks, emphasizing pristine rocks, siderophile and volatile trace elements, and the identification of primary partial melts, as opposed to partial cumulates. Apollo 15 sample 15434,28 is an

  18. Lunar resources: Toward living off the lunar land

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haskin, Larry A.; Colson, Russell O.

    1990-01-01

    The following topics are addressed: (1) lunar resources and surface conditions; (2) guidelines for early lunar technologies; (3) the lunar farm; (4) the lunar filling station; (5) lunar construction materials; (6) the lunar power company; (7) the electrolysis of molten silicate as a means of producing oxygen and metals for use on the Moon and in near-Earth space.

  19. A basal magma ocean dynamo to explain the early lunar magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scheinberg, Aaron L.; Soderlund, Krista M.; Elkins-Tanton, Linda T.

    2018-06-01

    The source of the ancient lunar magnetic field is an unsolved problem in the Moon's evolution. Theoretical work invoking a core dynamo has been unable to explain the magnitude of the observed field, falling instead one to two orders of magnitude below it. Since surface magnetic field strength is highly sensitive to the depth and size of the dynamo region, we instead hypothesize that the early lunar dynamo was driven by convection in a basal magma ocean formed from the final stages of an early lunar magma ocean; this material is expected to be dense, radioactive, and metalliferous. Here we use numerical convection models to predict the longevity and heat flow of such a basal magma ocean and use scaling laws to estimate the resulting magnetic field strength. We show that, if sufficiently electrically conducting, a magma ocean could have produced an early dynamo with surface fields consistent with the paleomagnetic observations.

  20. The Case Against an Early Lunar Dynamo Powered by Core Convection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, Alexander J.; Tikoo, Sonia M.; Andrews-Hanna, Jeffrey C.

    2018-01-01

    Paleomagnetic analyses of lunar samples indicate that the Moon had a dynamo-generated magnetic field with 50 μT surface field intensities between 3.85 and 3.56 Ga followed by a period of much lower (≤ 5 μT) intensities that persisted beyond 2.5 Ga. However, we determine herein that there is insufficient energy associated with core convection—the process commonly recognized to generate long-lived magnetic fields in planetary bodies—to sustain a lunar dynamo for the duration and intensities indicated. We find that a lunar surface field of ≤1.9 μT could have persisted until 200 Ma, but the 50 μT paleointensities recorded by lunar samples between 3.85 and 3.56 Ga could not have been sustained by a convective dynamo for more than 28 Myr. Thus, for a continuously operating, convective dynamo to be consistent with the early lunar paleomagnetic record, either an exotic mechanism or unknown energy source must be primarily responsible for the ancient lunar magnetic field.

  1. Lunar cement and lunar concrete

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lin, T. D.

    1991-01-01

    Results of a study to investigate methods of producing cements from lunar materials are presented. A chemical process and a differential volatilization process to enrich lime content in selected lunar materials were identified. One new cement made from lime and anorthite developed compressive strengths of 39 Mpa (5500 psi) for 1 inch paste cubes. The second, a hypothetical composition based on differential volatilization of basalt, formed a mineral glass which was activated with an alkaline additive. The 1 inch paste cubes, cured at 100C and 100 percent humidity, developed compressive strengths in excess of 49 Mpa (7100 psi). Also discussed are tests made with Apollo 16 lunar soil and an ongoing investigation of a proposed dry mix/steam injection procedure for casting concrete on the Moon.

  2. Critical early mission design considerations for lunar data systems architecture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hei, Donald J., Jr.; Stephens, Elaine

    1992-01-01

    This paper outlines recent early mission design activites for a lunar data systems architecture. Each major functional element is shown to be strikingly similar when viewed in a common reference system. While this similarity probably deviates with lower levels of decomposition, the sub-functions can always be arranged into similar and dissimilar categories. Similar functions can be implemented as objects - implemented once and reused several times like today's advanced integrated circuits. This approach to mission data systems, applied to other NASA programs, may result in substantial agency implementation and maintenance savings. In today's zero-sum-game budgetary environment, this approach could help to enable a lunar exploration program in the next decade. Several early mission studies leading to such an object-oriented data systems design are recommended.

  3. Overturn of magma ocean ilmenite cumulate layer: Implications for lunar magmatic evolution and formation of a lunar core

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hess, P. C.; Parmentier, E. M.

    1993-01-01

    We explore a model for the chemical evolution of the lunar interior that explains the origin and evolution of lunar magmatism and possibly the existence of a lunar core. A magma ocean formed during accretion differentiates into the anorthositic crust and chemically stratified cumulate mantle. The cumulative mantle is gravitationally unstable with dense ilmenite cumulate layers overlying olivine-orthopyroxene cumulates with Fe/Mg that decreases with depth. The dense ilmenite layer sinks to the center of the moon forming the core. The remainder of the gravitationally unstable cumulate pile also overturns. Any remaining primitive lunar mantle rises to its level of neutral buoyancy in the cumulate pile. Perhaps melting of primitive lunar mantle due to this decompression results in early lunar Mg-rich magmatism. Because of its high concentration of incompatible heat producing elements, the ilmenite core heats the overlying orthopyroxene-bearing cumulates. As a conductively thickening thermal boundary layer becomes unstable, the resulting mantle plumes rise, decompress, and partially melt to generate the mare basalts. This model explains both the timing and chemical characteristics of lunar magmatism.

  4. Thermal diffusion of the lunar magma ocean and the formation of the lunar crust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, D.; Wang, S.

    2010-12-01

    The magma ocean hypothesis is consistent with several lines of evidence including planet formation, core-mantle differentiation and geochemical observations, and it is proved as an inevitable stage in the early evolution of planets. The magma ocean is assumed to be homogeneous in previous models during solidification or crystallization[1]. Based on the recent advance and our new data in experimental igneous petrology[2], we question this assumption and propose that an gabbrotic melt, from which the anorthositic lunar crust crystallized, can be produced by thermal diffusion, rather than by magma fractionation. This novel model can provide explanations for the absence of the advection in lunar magma ocean[3] and the old age of the anorthositic lunar crust[4-5]. 1. Solomatov, V., Magma Oceans and Primordial Mantle Differentiation, in Treatise on Geophysics, S. Gerald, Editor. 2007, Elsevier: Amsterdam. p. 91-119. 2. Huang, F., et al., Chemical and isotopic fractionation of wet andesite in a temperature gradient: Experiments and models suggesting a new mechanism of magma differentiation. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 2009. 73(3): p. 729-749. 3. Turcotte, D.L. and L.H. Kellogg, Implications of isotope data for the origin of the Moon, in Origin of the Moon, W.K. Hartmann, R.J. Phillips, and G.J. Taylor, Editors. 1986, Lunar and Planet. Inst.: Houston, TX. p. 311-329. 4. Alibert, C., M.D. Norman, and M.T. McCulloch, An ancient Sm-Nd age for a ferroan noritic anorthosite clast from lunar breccia 67016. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 1994. 58(13): p. 2921-2926. 5. Touboul, M., et al., Tungsten isotopes in ferroan anorthosites: Implications for the age of the Moon and lifetime of its magma ocean. Icarus, 2009. 199(2): p. 245-249.

  5. Lunar Gravity Field Determination Using SELENE Same-Beam Differential VLBI Tracking Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goossens, S.; Matsumoto, K.; Liu, Q.; Kikuchi, F.; Sato, K.; Hanada, H.; Ishihara, Y.; Noda, H.; Kawano, N.; Namiki, N.; hide

    2010-01-01

    A lunar gravity field model up to degree and order 100 in spherical harmonics, named SGM 100i, has been determined from SELENE and historical tracking data, with an emphasis on using same-beam S-band differential VLBI data obtained in the SELENE mission between January 2008 and February 2009. Orbit consistency throughout the entire mission period of SELENE as determined from orbit overlaps for the two sub-satellites of SELENE involved in the VLBI tracking improved consistently from several hundreds of metres to several tens of metres by including differential VLBI data. Through orbits that are better determined, the gravity field model is also improved by including these data. Orbit determination performance for the new model shows improvements over earlier 100th degree and order models, especially for edge-on orbits over the deep far side. Lunar Prospector orbit determination shows an improvement of orbit consistency from I-day predictions for 2-day arcs of 6 m in a total sense, with most improvement in the along and cross-track directions. Data fit for the types and satellites involved is also improved. Formal errors for the lower degrees are smaller, and the new model also shows increased correlations with topography over the far side. The estimated value for the lunar GM for this model equals 4902.80080 +/- 0.0009 cu km/sq s (10 sigma). The lunar degree 2 potential Love number k2 was also estimated, and has a value of 0.0255 +/- 0.0016 (10 sigma as well).

  6. Lunar and terrestrial crust formation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walker, D.

    1983-11-15

    Planetary crusts may be accreted, produced in primordial differentiation, or built up piecemeal by serial magmatism. The existence of old, polygenetic, laterally heterogeneous, partial melt rocks in the lunar highlands suggests that the moon produced its early crust by serial magmatism. This view can be reconciled with lunar Eu anomalies, previously thought to support the magma ocean model of crust formation, if complications in the fractionation of mare basalts are reconized. Phase equilibrium and magmatic density information for mare basalts suggest a model in which plagioclase fractionation can occur even though plagioclase is not a near-liquidus phase. The crytic fractionationmore » of clinopryoxene in MORB provides a precedent for this model. The necessity for a lunar magma ocean is questioned, but a role for a terrestrial magma ocean of sorts at depth is suggested.« less

  7. A small scale lunar launcher for early lunar material utilization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snow, W. R.; Kubby, J. A.; Dunbar, R. S.

    1981-01-01

    A system for the launching of lunar derived oxygen or raw materials into low lunar orbit or to L2 for transfer to low earth orbit is presented. The system described is a greatly simplified version of the conventional and sophisticated approach suggested by O'Neill using mass drivers with recirculating buckets. An electromagnetic accelerator is located on the lunar surface which launches 125 kg 'smart' containers of liquid oxygen or raw materials into a transfer orbit. Upon reaching apolune a kick motor is fired to circularize the orbit at 100 km altitude or L2. These containers are collected and their payloads transferred to a tanker OTV. The empty containers then have their kick motors refurbished and then are returned to the launcher site on the lunar surface for reuse. Initial launch capability is designed for about 500T of liquid oxygen delivered to low earth orbit per year with upgrading to higher levels, delivery of lunar soil for shielding, or raw materials for processing given the demand.

  8. Early differentiation of the Earth and the Moon.

    PubMed

    Bourdon, Bernard; Touboul, Mathieu; Caro, Guillaume; Kleine, Thorsten

    2008-11-28

    We examine the implications of new 182W and 142Nd data for Mars and the Moon for the early evolution of the Earth. The similarity of 182W in the terrestrial and lunar mantles and their apparently differing Hf/W ratios indicate that the Moon-forming giant impact most probably took place more than 60Ma after the formation of calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (4.568Gyr). This is not inconsistent with the apparent U-Pb age of the Earth. The new 142Nd data for Martian meteorites show that Mars probably has a super-chondritic Sm/Nd that could coincide with that of the Earth and the Moon. If this is interpreted by an early mantle differentiation event, this requires a buried enriched reservoir for the three objects. This is highly unlikely. For the Earth, we show, based on new mass-balance calculations for Nd isotopes, that the presence of a hidden reservoir is difficult to reconcile with the combined 142Nd-143Nd systematics of the Earth's mantle. We argue that a likely possibility is that the missing component was lost during or prior to accretion. Furthermore, the 142Nd data for the Moon that were used to argue for the solidification of the magma ocean at ca 200Myr are reinterpreted. Cumulate overturn, magma mixing and melting following lunar magma ocean crystallization at 50-100Myr could have yielded the 200Myr model age.

  9. New Lunar Paleointensity Measurements, Ancient Lunar Dynamo or Lunar Dud?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, K. P.; Johnson, C. L.; Tauxe, L.; Gee, J. S.

    2007-12-01

    We analyze published and new paleointensity data from Apollo samples to reexamine the hypothesis of an early (3.9 to 3.6 Ga) lunar dynamo. Our new paleointensity experiments on four Apollo samples use modern absolute and relative measurement techniques. Our samples (60015, 76535, 72215, 62235) have ages ranging from 3.3 to 4.2 Ga, bracketing the putative period of a lunar dynamo. Samples 60015 (anorthosite) and 76535 (troctolite) failed during absolute paleointensity experiments, using the IZZI-modified Thellier-Thellier method. Samples 72215 and 62235 recorded a complicated, multi-component magnetic history that includes a low temperature (< 500°C) component with a high intensity (~90 μT), and a high temperature (> 500°C) component with a low intensity (~2 μT). These two samples were also subjected to a relative paleointensity experiment (sIRM), from which neither provided unambiguous evidence for a thermal origin of the recorded remanent magnetization. We found similar multi-component behavior in several published experiments on lunar samples. We test and present several magnetization scenarios in an attempt to explain the complex magnetization recorded in lunar samples. Specifically, an overprint from exposure to a small magnetic field (i.e. IRM) results in multi-component behavior (similar to lunar sample results), from which we could not recover the correct magnitude of the original TRM. The non-unique interpretation of these multi-component results combined with IRM (isothermal remanent magnetization) contamination during Apollo sample return ( Strangway et al., 1973), indicates that techniques incapable of distinguishing between single- and multi-component records (e.g., sIRM), cannot be reliably used to infer magnetic conditions of the early Moon. In light of these new experiments and a thorough reevaluation of existing paleointensity measurements, we conclude that there is a paucity of lunar samples that demonstrate a primary thermal remanent

  10. The Lunar Transit Telescope (LTT) - An early lunar-based science and engineering mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcgraw, John T.

    1992-01-01

    The Sentinel, the soft-landed lunar telescope of the LTT project, is described. The Sentinel is a two-meter telescope with virtually no moving parts which accomplishes an imaging survey of the sky over almost five octaves of the electromagnetic spectrum from the ultraviolet into the infrared, with an angular resolution better than 0.1 arsec/pixel. The Sentinel will incorporate innovative techniques of interest for future lunar-based telescopes and will return significant engineering data which can be incorporated into future lunar missions. The discussion covers thermal mapping of the Sentinel, measurement of the cosmic ray flux, lunar dust, micrometeoroid flux, the lunar atmosphere, and lunar regolith stability and seismic activity.

  11. Phase equilibria of a low S and C lunar core: Implications for an early lunar dynamo and physical state of the current core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Righter, K.; Go, B. M.; Pando, K. A.; Danielson, L.; Ross, D. K.; Rahman, Z.; Keller, L. P.

    2017-04-01

    Multiple lines of geochemical and geophysical evidence suggest the Moon has a small metallic core, yet the composition of the core is poorly constrained. The physical state of the core (now or in the past) depends on detailed knowledge of its composition, and unfortunately, there is little available data on relevant multicomponent systems (i.e., Fe-Ni-S-C) at lunar interior conditions. In particular, there is a dearth of phase equilibrium data to elucidate whether a specific core composition could help to explain an early lunar geodynamo and magnetic field intensities, or current solid inner core/liquid outer core states. We utilize geochemical information to estimate the Ni, S and C contents of the lunar core, and then carry out phase equilibria experiments on several possible core compositions at the pressure and temperature conditions relevant to the lunar interior. The first composition is 0.5 wt% S and 0.375 wt% C, based on S and C contents of Apollo glasses. A second composition contains 1 wt% each of S and C, and assumes that the lunar mantle experienced degassing of up to 50% of its S and C. Finally a third composition contains C as the dominant light element. Phase equilibrium experiments were completed at 1, 3 and 5 GPa, using piston cylinder and multi-anvil techniques. The first composition has a liquidus near 1550 °C and solidus near 1250 °C. The second composition has a narrower liquidus and solidus temperatures of 1400 and 1270 °C, respectively, while the third composition is molten down to 1150 °C. As the composition crystallizes, the residual liquid becomes enriched in S and C, but S enrichment is greater due to the incorporation of C (but not S) into solid metallic FeNi. Comparison of these results to thermal models for the Moon allow an evaluation of which composition is consistent with the geophysical data of an early dynamo and a currently solid inner and liquid outer core. Composition 1 has a high enough liquidus to start crystallizing

  12. The early history of the lunar inclination. [effect of tidal friction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rubincam, D. P.

    1973-01-01

    The effect of tidal friction on the inclination of the lunar orbit to the earth's equator for earth-moon distances of less than 10 earth radii is examined. The results obtained bear on a conclusion drawn by Gerstenkorn and others which has been raised as a fatal objection to the fission hypothesis of lunar origin, namely, that the present nonzero inclination of the moon's orbit to the ecliptic implies a steep inclination of the moon's orbit to the earth's equatorial plane in the early history of the earth-moon system. This conclusion is shown to be valid only for particular rheological models of the earth. The earth is assumed to behave like a highly viscous fluid in response to tides raised in it by the moon. The moon is assumed to be tideless and in a circular orbit about the earth. The equations of tidal friction are integrated numerically to give inclination of the lunar orbit as a function of earth-moon distance.

  13. Proceedings of the 38th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2007-01-01

    The sessions in the conference include: Titan, Mars Volcanism, Mars Polar Layered Deposits, Early Solar System Isotopes, SPECIAL SESSION: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: New Ways of Studying the Red Planet, Achondrites: Exploring Oxygen Isotopes and Parent-Body Processes, Solar System Formation and Evolution, SPECIAL SESSION: SMART-1, . Impact Cratering: Observations and Experiments, SPECIAL SESSION: Volcanism and Tectonism on Saturnian Satellites, Solar Nebula Composition, Mars Fluvial Geomorphology, Asteroid Observations: Spectra, Mostly, Mars Sediments and Geochemistry: View from the Surface, Mars Tectonics and Crustal Dichotomy, Stardust: Wild-2 Revealed, Impact Cratering from Observations and Interpretations, Mars Sediments and Geochemistry: The Map View, Chondrules and Their Formation, Enceladus, Asteroids and Deep Impact: Structure, Dynamics, and Experiments, Mars Surface Process and Evolution, Martian Meteorites: Nakhlites, Experiments, and the Great Shergottite Age Debate, Stardust: Mainly Mineralogy, Astrobiology, Wind-Surface Interactions on Mars and Earth, Icy Satellite Surfaces, Venus, Lunar Remote Sensing, Space Weathering, and Impact Effects, Interplanetary Dust/Genesis, Mars Cratering: Counts and Catastrophes?, Chondrites: Secondary Processes, Mars Sediments and Geochemistry: Atmosphere, Soils, Brines, and Minerals, Lunar Interior and Differentiation, Mars Magnetics and Atmosphere: Core to Ionosphere, Metal-rich Chondrites, Organics in Chondrites, Lunar Impacts and Meteorites, Presolar/Solar Grains, Topics for Print Only papers are: Outer Planets/Satellites, Early Solar System, Interplanetary Dust, Comets and Kuiper Belt Objects, Asteroids and Meteoroids, Chondrites, Achondrites, Meteorite Related, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars, Astrobiology, Planetary Differentiation, Impacts, Mercury, Lunar Samples and Modeling, Venus, Missions and Instruments, Global Warming, Education and Public Outreach, Poster sessions are: Asteroids/Kuiper Belt Objects

  14. Proceedings of the 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2009-01-01

    The 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference included sessions on: Phoenix: Exploration of the Martian Arctic; Origin and Early Evolution of the Moon; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Astrobiology: Meteorites, Microbes, Hydrous Habitats, and Irradiated Ices; Phoenix: Soil, Chemistry, and Habitability; Planetary Differentiation; Presolar Grains: Structures and Origins; SPECIAL SESSION: Venus Atmosphere: Venus Express and Future Missions; Mars Polar Caps: Past and Present; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part I; 5 Early Nebula Processes and Models; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Cosmic Gymnasts; Mars: Ground Ice and Climate Change; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part II; Chondrite Parent-Body Processes; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Salubrious Surfaces; SNC Meteorites; Ancient Martian Crust: Primary Mineralogy and Aqueous Alteration; SPECIAL SESSION: Messenger at Mercury: A Global Perspective on the Innermost Planet; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Small Bodies: Shapes of Things to Come; Sulfur on Mars: Rocks, Soils, and Cycling Processes; Mercury: Evolution and Tectonics; Venus Geology, Volcanism, Tectonics, and Resurfacing; Asteroid-Meteorite Connections; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Mars: Aqueous Processes; Magmatic Volatiles and Eruptive Conditions of Lunar Basalts; Comparative Planetology; Interstellar Matter: Origins and Relationships; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Mars Analogs I: Geological; Exploring the Diversity of Lunar Lithologies with Sample Analyses and Remote Sensing; Chondrite Accretion and Early History; Science Instruments for the Mars Science Lander; . Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Volcanism; Early Solar System Chronology

  15. Genesis lunar outpost: An evolutionary lunar habitat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Gary T. (Compiler); Baschiera, Dino; Fieber, Joe; Moths, Janis

    1990-01-01

    Students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Agriculture undertook a series of studies of lunar habitats during the 1989 to 1990 academic year. Undergraduate students from architecture and mechanical and structural engineering with backgrounds in interior design, biology and construction technology were involved in a seminar in the fall semester followed by a design studio in the spring. The studies resulted in three design alternatives for lunar habitation and an integrated design for an early stage lunar outpost.

  16. Lunar Crustal History Recorded in Lunar Anorthosites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nyquist, Laurence E.; Shih, C.-Y.; Reese, D.; Park, J.; Bogard. D.; Garrison, D.; Yamaguchi, A.

    2010-01-01

    Anorthosites occur ubiquitously within the lunar crust at depths of 3-30 km in apparent confirmation of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) hypothesis. We have dated lunar anorthosite 67075, a Feldspathic Fragmental Breccia (FFB) collected near the rim of North Ray Crater by the Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr techniques. We also have dated an anorthositic white clast (WC) in lunar meteorite Dhofar 908 by the Ar-39-Ar-40 technique and measured whole rock (WR) Sm-Nd data for a companion sample. We discuss the significance of the ages determined for these and other anorthosites for the early magmatic and bombardment history of the moon.

  17. Magma oceanography. I - Thermal evolution. [of lunar surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Solomon, S. C.; Longhi, J.

    1977-01-01

    Fractional crystallization and flotation of cumulate plagioclase in a cooling 'magma ocean' provides the simplest explanation for early emplacement of a thick feldspar-rich lunar crust. The complementary mafic cumulates resulting from the differentiation of such a magma ocean have been identified as the ultimate source of mare basalt liquids on the basis or rare-earth abundance patterns and experimental petrology studies. A study is conducted concerning the thermal evolution of the early differentiation processes. A range of models of increasing sophistication are considered. The models developed contain the essence of the energetics and the time scale for magma ocean differentiation. Attention is given to constraints on a magma ocean, modeling procedures, single-component magma oceans, fractionating magma oceans, and evolving magma oceans.

  18. Cooling rates of lunar volcanic glass beads

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hui, H.; Hess, K. U.; Zhang, Y.; Peslier, A. H.; Lange, R. A.; Dingwell, D. B.; Neal, C. R.

    2016-12-01

    It is widely accepted that the Apollo 15 green and Apollo 17 orange glass beads are of volcanic origin. The diffusion profiles of volatiles in these glass beads are believed to be due to degassing during eruption (Saal et al., 2008). The degree of degassing depends on the initial temperature and cooling rate. Therefore, the estimations of volatiles in parental magmas of lunar pyroclastic deposits depend on melt cooling rates. Furthermore, lunar glass beads may have cooled in volcanic environments on the moon. Therefore, the cooling rates may be used to assess the atmospheric condition in an early moon, when volcanic activities were common. The cooling rates of glasses can be inferred from direct heat capacity measurements on the glasses themselves (Wilding et al., 1995, 1996a,b). This method does not require knowledge of glass cooling environments and has been applied to calculate the cooling rates of natural silicate glasses formed in different terrestrial environments. We have carried out heat capacity measurements on hand-picked lunar glass beads using a Netzsch DSC 404C Pegasus differential scanning calorimeter at University of Munich. Our preliminary results suggest that the cooling rate of Apollo 17 orange glass beads may be 12 K/min, based on the correlation between temperature of the heat capacity curve peak in the glass transition range and glass cooling rate. The results imply that the parental magmas of lunar pyroclastic deposits may have contained more water initially than the early estimations (Saal et al., 2008), which used higher cooling rates, 60-180 K/min in the modeling. Furthermore, lunar volcanic glass beads could have been cooled in a hot gaseous medium released from volcanic eruptions, not during free flight. Therefore, our results may shed light on atmospheric condition in an early moon.

  19. Cooling Rates of Lunar Volcanic Glass Beads

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hui, Hejiu; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Zhang, Youxue; Peslier, Anne; Lange, Rebecca; Dingwell, Donald; Neal, Clive

    2016-01-01

    It is widely accepted that the Apollo 15 green and Apollo 17 orange glass beads are of volcanic origin. The diffusion profiles of volatiles in these glass beads are believed to be due to degassing during eruption (Saal et al., 2008). The degree of degassing depends on the initial temperature and cooling rate. Therefore, the estimations of volatiles in parental magmas of lunar pyroclastic deposits depend on melt cooling rates. Furthermore, lunar glass beads may have cooled in volcanic environments on the moon. Therefore, the cooling rates may be used to assess the atmospheric condition in an early moon, when volcanic activities were common. The cooling rates of glasses can be inferred from direct heat capacity measurements on the glasses themselves (Wilding et al., 1995, 1996a,b). This method does not require knowledge of glass cooling environments and has been applied to calculate the cooling rates of natural silicate glasses formed in different terrestrial environments. We have carried out heat capacity measurements on hand-picked lunar glass beads using a Netzsch DSC 404C Pegasus differential scanning calorimeter at University of Munich. Our preliminary results suggest that the cooling rate of Apollo 17 orange glass beads may be 12 K/min, based on the correlation between temperature of the heat capacity curve peak in the glass transition range and glass cooling rate. The results imply that the parental magmas of lunar pyroclastic deposits may have contained more water initially than the early estimations (Saal et al., 2008), which used higher cooling rates, 60-180 K/min in the modeling. Furthermore, lunar volcanic glass beads could have been cooled in a hot gaseous medium released from volcanic eruptions, not during free flight. Therefore, our results may shed light on atmospheric condition in an early moon.

  20. Apollo 14 Mission image - Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission, stands by the deployed U.S. flag on the lunar surface during the early moments of the first extravehicular activity (EVA-1) of the mission.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1971-02-05

    AS14-66-9233 (5 Feb. 1971) --- Astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission, stands by the deployed U.S. flag on the lunar surface during the early moments of the first extravehicular activity (EVA) of the mission. He was photographed by astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., mission commander, using a 70mm modified lunar surface Hasselblad camera. While astronauts Shepard and Mitchell descended in the Lunar Module (LM) "Antares" to explore the Fra Mauro region of the moon, astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "Kitty Hawk" in lunar orbit.

  1. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Lunar Geophysics: Rockin' and a-Reelin'

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    This document contained the following topics: The Influence of Tidal, Despinning, and Magma Ocean Cooling Stresses on the Magnitude and Orientation of the Moon#s Early Global Stress Field; New Approach to Development of Moon Rotation Theory; Lunar Core and Tides; Lunar Interior Studies Using Lunar Prospector Line-of-Sight Acceleration Data; A First Crustal Thickness Map of the Moon with Apollo Seismic Data; New Events Discovered in the Apollo Lunar Seismic Data; More Far-Side Deep Moonquake Nests Discovered; and Manifestation of Gas-Dust Streams from Double Stars on Lunar Seismicity.

  2. Lunar orbiting prospector

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    One of the prime reasons for establishing a manned lunar presence is the possibility of using the potential lunar resources. The Lunar Orbital Prospector (LOP) is a lunar orbiting platform whose mission is to prospect and explore the Moon from orbit in support of early lunar colonization and exploitation efforts. The LOP mission is divided into three primary phases: transport from Earth to low lunar orbit (LLO), operation in lunar orbit, and platform servicing in lunar orbit. The platform alters its orbit to obtain the desired surface viewing, and the orbit can be changed periodically as needed. After completion of the inital remote sensing mission, more ambitious and/or complicated prospecting and exploration missions can be contemplated. A refueled propulsion module, updated instruments, or additional remote sensing packages can be flown up from the lunar base to the platform.

  3. Pb-Pb systematics of lunar rocks: differentiation, magmatic and impact history of the Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nemchin, A.; Martin, W.; Norman, M. D.; Snape, J.; Bellucci, J. J.; Grange, M.

    2016-12-01

    Two independent decay chains in U-Pb system allow the determination of both ages and initial isotope compositions by analyzing only Pb in the samples. A typical Pb analysis represents a mixture of radiogenic Pb produced from the in situ U decay, initial Pb and laboratory contamination. Utilizing the ability of ion probes to analyse 10-30 micrometer-sized spots in the samples while avoiding fractures and other imperfections that commonly host contamination, permits extraction of pure lunar Pb compositions from the three component mixtures. This results in both accurate and precise ages of the rocks and their initial compositions. Lunar Mare and KREEP basalts postdating the major lunar bombardment are likely to represent such three component mixtures and are therefore appropriate for this approach, also giving an opportunity to investigate Pb evolution in their sources. A source evolution model constrained using available data indicates a major differentiation on the Moon at 4376±18 Ma and very radiogenic lunar mantle at this time. This age is likely to reflect the mean time of KREEP formation during the last stage of Magma Ocean differentiation. Rocks older than about 3.9 Ga are more complex than basalts and may include an extra Pb component, if modified by impacts. An example of this is presented by Pb-Pb data obtained for the anorthosite sample 62236, where the age of the rock is determined as 4367±29 Ma from analyses of CPx lamellae inside the large Opx grains: however large plagioclase crystals do not contain Pb in quantities sufficient for ion probe analysis, precluding determination of the initial Pb composition of the sample. Most of Pb is found in the brecciated parts of the anorthosite between the large grains. The composition of this Pb is similar to the initial Pb of 3909±17 Ma Apollo 16 breccia 66095, suggesting that is was injected into the anorthosite during a 3.9 Ga impact. Similar ca 3.9 Ga ages were determined for 1-2 millimeter size feldspathic

  4. Moonage Daydream: Reassessing the Simple Model for Lunar Magma Ocean Crystallization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

    2016-01-01

    Details of the differentiation of a global-scale lunar magma ocean (LMO) remain enigmatic, as the Moon is not simply composed of highlands anorthosite and a suite of mare basalts as inferred from early studies. Results from recent orbital missions, and the increasingly detailed study of lunar samples, have revealed a much larger range of lithologies, from relatively MgO-rich and "purest anorthosite" discovered on the lunar far side by the M3 instrument on Chandraayan-1 to more exotic lithologies such as Si-rich domes and spinel-rich clasts distributed globally. To understand this increasingly complex geology, we must understand the initial formation and evolution of the LMO, and the composition of the cumulates this differentiation could have produced. Several attempts at modelling such a crystallization sequence have been made, and have raised as many questions as they have answered. We present results from our ongoing experimental simulations of magma ocean crystallization, investigating two end-member bulk compositions (TWM and LPUM) under fully fractional crystallization conditions. These simulations represent melting of the entire silicate portion of the Moon, as an end-member starting point from which to begin assessing the evolution of the lunar interior and formation of the lunar crust.

  5. U-Th-Pb systematics of some Apollo 16 lunar samples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nunes, P. D.; Tatsumoto, M.; Knight, R. J.; Unruh, D. M.; Doe, B. R.

    1973-01-01

    U, Th, and Pb concentrations and lead isotopic compositions of Apollo 16 samples are interpreted as follows: (1) an early period of lunar differentiation of either global or regional scale occurred about 4.47 b.y. ago; (2) the Imbrian impact event affected many Apollo 16 samples about 3.99 b.y. ago; (3) some Apollo 16 metaclastic rocks and breccias contain a large amount of KREEP-like material; (4) lead produced in the early history of the moon has been concentrated in lunar highland soils yielding high Pb-207/Pb-206 ratios corresponding to apparent ages of more than 4.8 b.y.; and (5) South Ray Crater soils reflect the approximately 2-b.y.-old event previously proposed for the Apollo 12 and 14 samples.

  6. Structure and Evolution of the Lunar Interior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Andrews-Hanna, J. C.; Weber, R. C.; Ishihara, Y.; Kamata, S.; Keane, J.; Kiefer, W. S.; Matsuyama, I.; Siegler, M.; Warren, P.

    2017-01-01

    Early in its evolution, the Moon underwent a magma ocean phase leading to its differentiation into a feldspathic crust, cumulate mantle, and iron core. However, far from the simplest view of a uniform plagioclase flotation crust, the present-day crust of the Moon varies greatly in thickness, composition, and physical properties. Recent significant improvements in both data and analysis techniques have yielded fundamental advances in our understanding of the structure and evolution of the lunar interior. The structure of the crust is revealed by gravity, topography, magnetics, seismic, radar, electromagnetic, and VNIR remote sensing data. The mantle structure of the Moon is revealed primarily by seismic and laser ranging data. Together, this data paints a picture of a Moon that is heterogeneous in all directions and across all scales, whose structure is a result of its unique formation, differentiation, and subsequent evolution. This brief review highlights a small number of recent advances in our understanding of lunar structure.

  7. Constraining the volatile budget of the lunar interior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potts, N. J.; Bromiley, G. D.

    2017-12-01

    Measurements of volatiles (F, Cl, S, H2O) in a range of lunar samples confirm the presence of volatile material in lunar magmas. It remains unknown, however, where this volatile material is stored and when it was delivered to the Moon. On Earth, point defects within mantle olivine, and its high-pressure polymorphs, are thought to be the largest reservoir of volatile material. However, as volatiles have been cycled into and out of the Earth's mantle throughout geological time, via subduction and volcanism, this masks any original volatile signatures. As the Moon has no plate tectonics, it is expected that any volatile material present in the deep lunar interior would have been inherited during accretion and differentiation, providing insight into the delivery of volatiles to the early Earth-Moon system. Our aim was, therefore, to test the volatile storage capacity of the deep lunar mantle and determine mineral/melt partitioning for key volatiles. Experiments were performed in a primitive lunar mantle composition and run at relevant T, P, and at fO2 below the IW buffer. Experiments replicated the initial stages of LMO solidification with either olivine + melt, olivine + pyroxene + melt, or pyroxene + melt as the only phases present. Mineral-melt partition coefficients (Dx) derived for volatile material (F, Cl, S, H2O) vary significantly compared to those derived for terrestrial conditions. An order of magnitude more H2O was found to partition into lunar olivine compared to the terrestrial upper mantle. DF derived for lunar olivine are comparable to the highest terrestrial derived values whilst no Cl was found to partition into lunar olivine under these conditions. Furthermore, an inverse trend between DF and DOH hints towards coupled-substitution mechanisms between H and F under low-fO2/lunar bulk composition. These results suggest that if volatile material was present in the LMO a significant proportion could be partitioned into the lower lunar mantle. The

  8. Inheritance of silicate differentiation during lunar origin by giant impact

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warren, Paul H.

    1992-01-01

    It is pointed out that the implication of the popular giant impact model of lunar origin (e.g., Hartmann and Davis, 1975; Cameron and Ward, 1976; Stevenson, 1987) is that any depth-related silicate differentiation within the impactor (and/or the earth) at the time of the impact must be partly inherited by the preferentially peripheral matter that forms the moon. This paper presents calculations of the magnitude of the net differentiation of the protolunar matter for a variety of elements and scenarios, with different assumptions regarding the geometries of the 'sampled' peripheral zones, the relative proportions of the earth-derived to impactor-derived matter in the final moon, and the degree to which the impactor mantle had crystallized prior to the giant impact. It is shown that these differention effects constrain the overall plausibility of the giant impact hypothesis.

  9. The Early Lunar Orbit and Principal Moments of Inertia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garrick-Bethell, I.; Zuber, M. T.

    2007-12-01

    rather specific set of circumstances. For the high-eccentricity (e = 0.49) synchronous solution to the moments of inertia, we have found that dissipation at e = 0.49 is several orders higher than 1014 W for QM less than 500 and k2 = 1.5 (where k2 is the second degree tidal Love number), and therefore freeze-in during such a scenario is almost completely ruled out (in agreement with Wisdom, unpublished notes). During the magma ocean phase of lunar history it is also possible that the lunar gravity field was too homogeneous to provide a sufficient permanent (B-A)/C for even synchronous rotation. In this case the Moon would achieve an asymptotic spin rate slightly faster than synchronous [4]. If during this very early time in lunar evolution, the Moon froze in even a small amount of its shape, it would be entirely rotational, and provide an alternative explanation for the high relative amount of rotational potential in the present degree-two gravity field. References: [1] Garrick-Bethell, I., Wisdom, J., Zuber, M. T. (2006) Science 313, 652-655. [2] Anderson, J. D. et al. (2001) J. of Geophys. Res. 106, 32963-32970. [3] Wisdom, J. (2007), in press. [4] Peale, S. J.; Gold, T. (1965) Nature 206, 1240.

  10. The Violent Early Solar System, as Told by Lunar Sample Geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cohen, B. A.

    2012-12-01

    the lunar surface was resurfaced; on Earth, this would scale to ~23,000 large impacts in a brief time. Impact ages in ordinary chondrites, HED meteorites, and the Martian meteorite ALH 84001 suggest that this early bombardment event affected the entire inner solar system. If true, the late heavy bombardment may have directly affected the evolution of life on Earth and our understanding of "habitable" planets. Lunar sample ages have also been used to drive large-scale dynamical modeling of solar system formation. These new models of planetary dynamics show a violent beginning to our solar system, where the late formation or outward migration of the gas giant planets destabilizes the Kuiper belt and main-belt asteroids, sending a cascade of impactors into the Moon and all the inner planets. The existence of an early bombardment has even been postulated in extrasolar planetary systems. Even after 40+ years of study, the provenance of returned lunar samples and ages of key events continue to be a focus of research and a topic of debate. One of the most important lessons learned from Apollo missions is that small samples yield a wealth of information and are gifts that keep on giving. The legacy of Apollo samples serves as a model and impetus for future sample return missions from the Moon, Mars, and asteroids.

  11. NASA's International Lunar Network Anchor Nodes and Robotic Lunar Lander Project Update

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morse, Brian J.; Reed, Cheryl L. B.; Kirby, Karen W.; Cohen, Barbara A.; Bassler, Julie A.; Harris, Danny W.; Chavers, D. Gregory

    2010-01-01

    In early 2008, NASA established the Lunar Quest Program, a new lunar science research program within NASA s Science Mission Directorate. The program included the establishment of the anchor nodes of the International Lunar Network (ILN), a network of lunar science stations envisioned to be emplaced by multiple nations. This paper describes the current status of the ILN Anchor Nodes mission development and the lander risk-reduction design and test activities implemented jointly by NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The lunar lander concepts developed by this team are applicable to multiple science missions, and this paper will describe a mission combining the functionality of an ILN node with an investigation of lunar polar volatiles.

  12. Electrical power integration for lunar operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Woodcock, Gordon

    1992-01-01

    Electrical power for future lunar operations is expected to range from a few kilowatts for an early human outpost to many megawatts for industrial operations in the 21st century. All electrical power must be imported as chemical, solar, nuclear, or directed energy. The slow rotation of the Moon and consequent long lunar night impose severe mass penalties on solar systems needing night delivery from storage. The cost of power depends on the cost of the power systems the cost of its transportation to the Moon, operating cost, and, of course, the life of the power system. The economic feasibility of some proposed lunar ventures depends in part on the cost of power. This paper explores power integration issues, costs, and affordability in the context of the following representative lunar ventures: (1) early human outpost (10 kWe); (2) early permanent lunar base, including experimental ISMU activities (100 kWe); (3) lunar oxygen production serving an evolved lunar base (500 kWe); (4) lunar base production of specialized high-value products for use on Earth (5 kWe); and (5) lunar mining and production of helium-3 (500 kWe). The schema of the paper is to project likely costs of power alternatives (including integration factors) in these power ranges, to select the most economic, to determine power cost contribution to the product or activities, to estimate whether the power cost is economically acceptable, and, finally, to offer suggestions for reaching acceptability where cost problems exist.

  13. The differentiation history of the terrestrial planets as recorded on the moon

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Borg, L

    2007-02-20

    The outline for this report is: (1) Factors Leading to Lunar Magma Ocean Model for Planetary Differentiation (2) Rationale for Magma Oceans on Other Planets Means for early efficient differentiation (Works on Moon why not here?) (3) Some Inconsistencies between the Lunar Magma Ocean Model and Observations. The conclusions are: (1) Differentiation via solidification of a magma ocean is derived from geologic observations of the Moon (2) Although geologic observations on other bodies are often consistent with differentiation via magma ocean solidification, it is not generally required. (3) There are some fundamental inconsistencies between observed lunar data and the model,more » that will require this model to be modified (4) Nevertheless, the Moon is the only location we know of to study magma ocean process in detail.« less

  14. Formation of the Lunar Fossil Bulges and its Implication for the Early Earth and Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, C.; Zhong, S.; Phillips, R. J.

    2017-12-01

    First recognized by Laplace more than two centuries ago, the lunar gravitational and shape anomalies associated with rotational and tidal bulges are significantly larger than predicted from the hydrostatic theory. The harmonic degree-2 gravitational coefficients of the Moon, C20 and C22 (measuring the size of the rotational and tidal bulges), are 17 and 14 times of their hydrostatic counterparts, respectively, after removal of the effect from large impact basins. The bulges are commonly considered as remnant hydrostatic features, "frozen-in" when the Moon was closer to the Earth, experiencing larger tidal-rotational forces. The extant hypothesis is that as the Moon cooled and migrated outwards, a strong outer layer (lithosphere) thickened and reached a stress state that supported the bulges, which no longer tracked the hydrostatic ellipticity. However, this process is poorly understood and an appropriate dynamical model has not been engaged. Here we present the first dynamically self-consistent model of lunar bulge formation that couples a lunar interior thermal evolution model to the tidal-rotational forcing of the Moon. The forcing magnitude decreases with time as the Moon despins on the receding orbit, while the recession rate is controlled by the Earth's tidal dissipation factor Q. Assuming a viscoelastic rheology, the cooling of the Moon is described by a model with high viscosity lithosphere thickening with time. While conventional methods are not suitable for models with time-dependent viscoelastic structure, a semi-analytical method has been developed to address this problem. We show that the bulge formation is controlled by the relative timing of lithosphere thickening and lunar orbit recession. Based on our calculations, we conclude that the development of the fossil bulges may have taken as long as 400 million years after the formation of lunar lithosphere and was complete when the lunar orbit semi-major axis, a, was 32 Earth's radius, RE. We find a

  15. Chlorine in Lunar Basalts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barnes, J. J.; Anand, M.; Franchi, I. A.

    2017-01-01

    In the context of the lunar magma ocean (LMO) model, it is anticipated that chlorine (and other volatiles) should have been concentrated in the late-stage LMO residual melts (i.e., the dregs enriched in incompatible elements such as K, REEs, and P, collectively called KREEP, and in its primitive form - urKREEP, [1]), given its incompatibility in mafic minerals like olivine and pyroxene, which were the dominant phases that crystallized early in the cumulate pile of the LMO (e.g., [2]). When compared to chondritic meteorites and terrestrial rocks (e.g., [3-4]), lunar samples often display heavy chlorine isotope compositions [5-9]. Boyce et al. [8] found a correlation between delta Cl-37 (sub Ap) and bulk-rock incompatible trace elements (ITEs) in lunar basalts, and used this to propose that early degassing of Cl (likely as metal chlorides) from the LMO led to progressive enrichment in remaining LMO melt in Cl-37over Cl-35- the early degassing model. Barnes et al. [9] suggested that relatively late degassing of chlorine from urKREEP (to yield delta Cl-37 (sub urKREEP greater than +25 per mille) followed by variable mixing between KREEPy melts and mantle cumulates (characterized by delta Cl-370 per mille) could explain the majority of Cl isotope data from igneous lunar samples. In order to better understand the processes involved in giving rise to the heavy chlorine isotope compositions of lunar samples, we have performed an in situ study of chlorine isotopes and abundances of volatiles in lunar apatite from a diverse suite of lunar basalts spanning a range of geochemical types.

  16. The Moon is a Planet Too: Lunar Science and Robotic Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, Barbara

    2008-01-01

    The first decades of the 21st century will be marked by major lunar science and exploration activities. The Moon is a witness to 4.5 billion years of solar system history, recording that history more completely and more clearly than any other planetary body. Lunar science encompasses early planetary evolution and differentiation, lava eruptions and fire fountains, impact scars throughout time, and billions of years of volatile input. I will cover the main outstanding issues in lunar science today and the most intriguing scientific opportunities made possible by renewed robotic and human lunar exploration. Barbara is a planetary scientist at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center. She studies meteorites from the Moon, Mars and asteroids and has been to Antarctica twice to hunt for them. Barbara also works on the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity and has an asteroid named after her. She is currently helping the Lunar Precursor Robotics Program on the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project, a project tasked by the Exploration System Mission Directorate (ESMD) to develop maps and tools of the Moon to benefit the Constellation Program lunar planning. She is also supporting the Science Mission Directorate s (SMD) lunar flight projects line at Marshall as the co-chair of the Science Definition Team for NASA s next robotic landers, which will be nodes of the International Lunar Network, providing geophysical information about the Moon s interior structure and composition.

  17. Lunar Orbit Insertion Targeting and Associated Outbound Mission Design for Lunar Sortie Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Condon, Gerald L.

    2007-01-01

    This report details the Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) arrival targeting and associated mission design philosophy for Lunar sortie missions with up to a 7-day surface stay and with global Lunar landing site access. It also documents the assumptions, methodology, and requirements validated by TDS-04-013, Integrated Transit Nominal and Abort Characterization and Sensitivity Study. This report examines the generation of the Lunar arrival parking orbit inclination and Longitude of the Ascending Node (LAN) targets supporting surface missions with global Lunar landing site access. These targets support the Constellation Program requirement for anytime abort (early return) by providing for a minimized worst-case wedge angle [and an associated minimum plane change delta-velocity (V) cost] between the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and the Lunar Surface Access Module (LSAM) for an LSAM launch anytime during the Lunar surface stay.

  18. Proceedings of the 39th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2008-01-01

    Sessions with oral presentations include: A SPECIAL SESSION: MESSENGER at Mercury, Mars: Pingos, Polygons, and Other Puzzles, Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation, Asteroids, Comets, and Small Bodies, Mars: Ice On the Ground and In the Ground, SPECIAL SESSION: Results from Kaguya (SELENE) Mission to the Moon, Outer Planet Satellites: Not Titan, Not Enceladus, SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Science: Past, Present, and Future, Mars: North Pole, South Pole - Structure and Evolution, Refractory Inclusions, Impact Events: Modeling, Experiments, and Observations, Mars Sedimentary Processes from Victoria Crater to the Columbia Hills, Formation and Alteration of Carbonaceous Chondrites, New Achondrite GRA 06128/GRA 06129 - Origins Unknown, The Science Behind Lunar Missions, Mars Volcanics and Tectonics, From Dust to Planets (Planetary Formation and Planetesimals):When, Where, and Kaboom! Astrobiology: Biosignatures, Impacts, Habitability, Excavating a Comet, Mars Interior Dynamics to Exterior Impacts, Achondrites, Lunar Remote Sensing, Mars Aeolian Processes and Gully Formation Mechanisms, Solar Nebula Shake and Bake: Mixing and Isotopes, Lunar Geophysics, Meteorites from Mars: Shergottite and Nakhlite Invasion, Mars Fluvial Geomorphology, Chondrules and Chondrule Formation, Lunar Samples: Chronology, Geochemistry, and Petrology, Enceladus, Venus: Resurfacing and Topography (with Pancakes!), Overview of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission, Mars Sulfates, Phyllosilicates, and Their Aqueous Sources, Ordinary and Enstatite Chondrites, Impact Calibration and Effects, Comparative Planetology, Analogs: Environments and Materials, Mars: The Orbital View of Sediments and Aqueous Mineralogy, Planetary Differentiation, Titan, Presolar Grains: Still More Isotopes Out of This World, Poster sessions include: Education and Public Outreach Programs, Early Solar System and Planet Formation, Solar Wind and Genesis, Asteroids, Comets, and Small Bodies, Carbonaceous

  19. A layer of neutrally buoyant olivine in the early stages of a deep lunar magma ocean and a possible consecutive overturn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krättli, G.; Schmidt, M. W.

    2017-12-01

    The moon is thought to have undergone a completely molten stage during its accretion, the lunar magma ocean. In order to understand the evolution and first differentiation of the lunar magma ocean, we performed a series of consecutive liquidus experiments at pressures of the lower half of the lunar magma ocean. In these experiments, we determined the liquidus, crystallized some amount of minerals (typically 10-20%) and then stepped to a new bulk composition representing the residual liquid after fractionation of these minerals. Mineral and melt densities were then calculated in order to decide whether minerals would float or sink. The bulk lunar composition used in this study (Taylor 1982) results in extensive early olivine crystallization with high XMg (94-90) for all experimental pressures, the liquidus temperature slightly decreasing from 1900 to 1850°C from 4.5 to 3.5 GPa. Crystallization begins at the core-mantle boundary, but calculations indicate that olivine initially floats and becomes neutrally buoyant at 3.5-3.7 GPa, leading to a stable olivine layer of several 100 km thickness at this depth. This layer should rapidly compact yielding two chemically separated magma reservoirs. Olivine crystallization is followed by orthopyroxene (1650°C, twm_fr2), minor garnet (1600°C, twm_fr3), clinopyroxene and spinel (1550°C, twm_fr3) in the lower magma ocean. Despite continuously decreasing XMg and increasing Ca/Al, further experiments indicate that the more extensively fractionated lower magma should become finally buoyant, possibly causing an overturn of the previously layered structure. Additionally, few centrifuge assisted experiments at 2.5-3.5 GPa were performed showing decreasing olivine-melt density contrasts with increasing pressure. Slightly higher pressures would be necessary to positively prove the neutral buoyancy of olivine at 3.6 GPa, currently we are improving the piston cylinder on the centrifuge to reach 4 GPa. Taylor, Stuart Ross. Planetary

  20. The Moon is a Planet Too: Lunar Science and Robotic Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, Barbara A.

    2009-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews some of what is known about the moon, and draws parallels between the moon and any other terrestrial planet. The Moon is a cornerstone for all rocky planets The Moon is a terrestrial body, formed and evolved similarly to Earth, Mars, Mercury, Venus, and large asteroids The Moon is a differentiated body, with a layered internal structure (crust, mantle, and core) The Moon is a cratered body, preserving a record of bombardment history in the inner solar system The Moon is an active body, experiencing moonquakes, releasing primordial heat, conducting electricity, sustaining bombardment, and trapping volatile molecules Lunar robotic missions provide early science return to obtain important science and engineering objectives, rebuild a lunar science community, and keep our eyes on the Moon. These lunar missions, both past and future are reviewed.

  1. The earliest Lunar Magma Ocean differentiation recorded in Fe isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Kun; Jacobsen, Stein B.; Sedaghatpour, Fatemeh; Chen, Heng; Korotev, Randy L.

    2015-11-01

    Recent high-precision isotopic measurements show that the isotopic similarity of Earth and Moon is unique among all known planetary bodies in our Solar System. These observations provide fundamental constraints on the origin of Earth-Moon system, likely a catastrophic Giant Impact event. However, in contrast to the isotopic composition of many elements (e.g., O, Mg, Si, K, Ti, Cr, and W), the Fe isotopic compositions of all lunar samples are significantly different from those of the bulk silicate Earth. Such a global Fe isotopic difference between the Moon and Earth provides an important constraint on the lunar formation - such as the amount of Fe evaporation as a result of a Giant Impact origin of the Moon. Here, we show through high-precision Fe isotopic measurements of one of the oldest lunar rocks (4.51 ± 0.10 Gyr dunite 72 415), compared with Fe isotope results of other lunar samples from the Apollo program, and lunar meteorites, that the lunar dunite is enriched in light Fe isotopes, complementing the heavy Fe isotope enrichment in other lunar samples. Thus, the earliest olivine accumulation in the Lunar Magma Ocean may have been enriched in light Fe isotopes. This new observation allows the Fe isotopic composition of the bulk silicate Moon to be identical to that of the bulk silicate Earth, by balancing light Fe in the deep Moon with heavy Fe in the shallow Moon rather than the Moon having a heavier Fe isotope composition than Earth as a result of Giant Impact vaporization.

  2. Late Accreted Material on the Lunar Surface: Constraints from Highly Siderophile and Chalcophile Elements in Ancient Lunar Impactites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gleißner, P.; Becker, H.

    2017-05-01

    Abundances of HSE, Te, Se, and S in ancient lunar impactites constrain accretion of differentiated and primitive material (including carbonaceous chondrite-like material) and variable mixing of their compositions on the lunar surface.

  3. Observations of Lunar Swirls by the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glotch, T. D.; Greenhagen, B. T.; Lucey, P. G.; Bandfield, J. L.; Hayne, Paul O.; Allen, Carlton C.; Elphic, Richard C.; Paige, D. A.

    2012-01-01

    The presence of anomalous, high albedo markings on the lunar surface has been known since the Apollo era. These features, collectively known as lunar swirls, occur on both the mare and highlands. Some swirls are associated with the antipodes of major impact basins, while all are associated with magnetic field anomalies of varying strength. Three mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of the swirls: (1) solar wind standoff due to the presence of magnetic fields, (2) micrometeoroid or comet swarms impacting and disturbing the lunar surface, revealing unweathered regolith, and (3) transport and deposition of fine-grained feldspathic material. Diviner s unique capabilities to determine silicate composition and degree of space weathering of the lunar surface, in addition to its capabilities to determine thermophysical properties from night-time temperature measurements, make it an ideal instrument to examine the swirls and help differentiate among the three proposed formation mechanisms.

  4. Apollo Missions to the Lunar Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Graff, Paige V.

    2018-01-01

    Six Apollo missions to the Moon, from 1969-1972, enabled astronauts to collect and bring lunar rocks and materials from the lunar surface to Earth. Apollo lunar samples are curated by NASA Astromaterials at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. Samples continue to be studied and provide clues about our early Solar System. Learn more and view collected samples at: https://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar.

  5. REE Partitioning in Lunar Minerals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rapp, J. F.; Lapen, T. J.; Draper, D. S.

    2015-01-01

    Rare earth elements (REE) are an extremely useful tool in modeling lunar magmatic processes. Here we present the first experimentally derived plagioclase/melt partition coefficients in lunar compositions covering the entire suite of REE. Positive europium anomalies are ubiquitous in the plagioclase-rich rocks of the lunar highlands, and complementary negative Eu anomalies are found in most lunar basalts. These features are taken as evidence of a large-scale differentiation event, with crystallization of a global-scale lunar magma ocean (LMO) resulting in a plagioclase flotation crust and a mafic lunar interior from which mare basalts were subsequently derived. However, the extent of the Eu anomaly in lunar rocks is variable. Fagan and Neal [1] reported highly anorthitic plagioclase grains in lunar impact melt rock 60635,19 that displayed negative Eu anomalies as well as the more usual positive anomalies. Indeed some grains in the sample are reported to display both positive and negative anomalies. Judging from cathodoluminescence images, these anomalies do not appear to be associated with crystal overgrowths or zones.

  6. Constellation Architecture Team-Lunar: Lunar Habitat Concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Toups, Larry; Kennedy, Kriss J.

    2008-01-01

    This paper will describe lunar habitat concepts that were defined as part of the Constellation Architecture Team-Lunar (CxAT-Lunar) in support of the Vision for Space Exploration. There are many challenges to designing lunar habitats such as mission objectives, launch packaging, lander capability, and risks. Surface habitats are required in support of sustaining human life to meet the mission objectives of lunar exploration, operations, and sustainability. Lunar surface operations consist of crew operations, mission operations, EVA operations, science operations, and logistics operations. Habitats are crewed pressurized vessels that include surface mission operations, science laboratories, living support capabilities, EVA support, logistics, and maintenance facilities. The challenge is to deliver, unload, and deploy self-contained habitats and laboratories to the lunar surface. The CxAT-Lunar surface campaign analysis focused on three primary trade sets of analysis. Trade set one (TS1) investigated sustaining a crew of four for six months with full outpost capability and the ability to perform long surface mission excursions using large mobility systems. Two basic habitat concepts of a hard metallic horizontal cylinder and a larger inflatable torus concept were investigated as options in response to the surface exploration architecture campaign analysis. Figure 1 and 2 depicts the notional outpost configurations for this trade set. Trade set two (TS2) investigated a mobile architecture approach with the campaign focused on early exploration using two small pressurized rovers and a mobile logistics support capability. This exploration concept will not be described in this paper. Trade set three (TS3) investigated delivery of a "core' habitation capability in support of an early outpost that would mature into the TS1 full outpost capability. Three core habitat concepts were defined for this campaign analysis. One with a four port core habitat, another with a 2 port

  7. Lunar feldspathic meteorites: Constraints on the geology of the lunar highlands, and the origin of the lunar crust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gross, Juliane; Treiman, Allan H.; Mercer, Celestine N.

    2014-02-01

    The composition of the lunar crust provides clues about the processes that formed it and hence contains information on the origin and evolution of the Moon. Current understanding of lunar evolution is built on the Lunar Magma Ocean hypothesis that early in its history, the Moon was wholly or mostly molten. This hypothesis is based on analyses of Apollo samples of ferroan anorthosites (>90% plagioclase; molar Mg/(Mg+Fe)=Mg#<75) and the assumption that they are globally distributed. However, new results from lunar meteorites, which are random samples of the Moon's surface, and remote sensing data, show that ferroan anorthosites are not globally distributed and that the Apollo highland samples, used as a basis for the model, are influenced by ejecta from the Imbrium basin. In this study we evaluate anorthosites from all currently available adequately described lunar highland meteorites, representing a more widespread sampling of the lunar highlands than Apollo samples alone, and find that ∼80% of them are significantly more magnesian than Apollo ferroan anorthosites. Interestingly, Luna mission anorthosites, collected outside the continuous Imbrium ejecta, are also highly magnesian. If the lunar highland crust consists dominantly of magnesian anorthosites, as suggested by their abundance in samples sourced outside Imbrium ejecta, a reevaluation of the Lunar Magma Ocean model is a sensible step forward in the endeavor to understand lunar evolution. Our results demonstrate that lunar anorthosites are more similar in their chemical trends and mineral abundance to terrestrial massif anorthosites than to anorthosites predicted in a Lunar Magma Ocean. This analysis does not invalidate the idea of a Lunar Magma Ocean, which seems a necessity under the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the moon. However, it does indicate that most rocks now seen at the Moon's surface are not primary products of a magma ocean alone, but are products of more complex crustal processes.

  8. Man-Made Debris In and From Lunar Orbit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Nicholas L.; McKay, Gordon A. (Technical Monitor)

    1999-01-01

    During 1966-1976, as part of the first phase of lunar exploration, 29 manned and robotic missions placed more than 40 objects into lunar orbit. Whereas several vehicles later successfully landed on the Moon and/or returned to Earth, others were either abandoned in orbit or intentionally sent to their destruction on the lunar surface. The former now constitute a small population of lunar orbital debris; the latter, including four Lunar Orbiters and four Lunar Module ascent stages, have contributed to nearly 50 lunar sites of man's refuse. Other lunar satellites are known or suspected of having fallen from orbit. Unlike Earth satellite orbital decays and deorbits, lunar satellites impact the lunar surface unscathed by atmospheric burning or melting. Fragmentations of lunar satellites, which would produce clouds of numerous orbital debris, have not yet been detected. The return to lunar orbit in the 1990's by the Hagoromo, Hiten, Clementine, and Lunar Prospector spacecraft and plans for increased lunar exploration early in the 21st century, raise questions of how best to minimize and to dispose of lunar orbital debris. Some of the lessons learned from more than 40 years of Earth orbit exploitation can be applied to the lunar orbital environment. For the near-term, perhaps the most important of these is postmission passivation. Unique solutions, e.g., lunar equatorial dumps, may also prove attractive. However, as with Earth satellites, debris mitigation measures are most effectively adopted early in the concept and design phase, and prevention is less costly than remediation.

  9. Exploration of the Moon to Enable Lunar and Planetary Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neal, C. R.

    2014-12-01

    The Moon represents an enabling Solar System exploration asset because of its proximity, resources, and size. Its location has facilitated robotic missions from 5 different space agencies this century. The proximity of the Moon has stimulated commercial space activity, which is critical for sustainable space exploration. Since 2000, a new view of the Moon is coming into focus, which is very different from that of the 20th century. The documented presence of volatiles on the lunar surface, coupled with mature ilmenite-rich regolith locations, represent known resources that could be used for life support on the lunar surface for extended human stays, as well as fuel for robotic and human exploration deeper into the Solar System. The Moon also represents a natural laboratory to explore the terrestrial planets and Solar System processes. For example, it is an end-member in terrestrial planetary body differentiation. Ever since the return of the first lunar samples by Apollo 11, the magma ocean concept was developed and has been applied to both Earth and Mars. Because of the small size of the Moon, planetary differentiation was halted at an early (primary?) stage. However, we still know very little about the lunar interior, despite the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments, and to understand the structure of the Moon will require establishing a global lunar geophysical network, something Apollo did not achieve. Also, constraining the impact chronology of the Moon allows the surfaces of other terrestrial planets to be dated and the cratering history of the inner Solar System to be constrained. The Moon also represents a natural laboratory to study space weathering of airless bodies. It is apparent, then, that human and robotic missions to the Moon will enable both science and exploration. For example, the next step in resource exploration is prospecting on the surface those deposits identified from orbit to understand the yield that can be expected. Such prospecting will also

  10. Experimental Fractional Crystallization of the Lunar Magma Ocean

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

    2012-01-01

    The current paradigm for lunar evolution is of crystallization of a global scale magma ocean, giving rise to the anorthositic crust and mafic cumulate interior. It is thought that all other lunar rocks have arisen from this differentiated interior. However, until recently this paradigm has remained untested experimentally. Presented here are the first experimental results of fractional crystallization of a Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) using the Taylor Whole Moon (TWM) bulk lunar composition [1].

  11. Strategies for a permanent lunar base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duke, M. B.; Mendell, W. W.; Roberts, B. B.

    1985-01-01

    One or more of three possible objectives, encompassing scientific research, lunar resource exploitation for space infrastructure construction, and lunar environment self-sufficiency refinement with a view to future planetary habitation, may be the purpose of manned lunar base activities. Attention is presently given to the possibility that the early phases of all three lunar base orientations may be developed in such a way as to share the greatest number of common elements. An evaluation is made of the cost and complexity of the lunar base, and the Space Transportation System used in conjunction with it, as functions of long term base use strategy.

  12. The search for indigenous lunar organic matter.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sagan, C.

    1972-01-01

    It is argued that the absence of organic compounds from returned lunar samples is to be expected even for a lunar history rich in primordial organics. The sites most likely to yield lunar organic compounds have not been investigated, and there may be an area of investigation conceivably critical to problems in prebiological chemistry and the early history of the solar system awaiting continued lunar exploration, manned or unmanned.

  13. Lunar Receiving Laboratory Project History

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mangus, Susan; Larsen, William

    2004-01-01

    As early as 1959, the Working Group on Lunar Exploration within NASA advocated that 'one of the prime objectives of the first lunar landing mission should be the collection of samples for return to Earth, where they could be subjected to detailed study and analysis.' Within NASA, neither this group nor any other scientists working with the Agency were concerned about back contamination issues. Outside of NASA, back contamination concerns had been raised as early as 1960. Although NASA did not seem to pay any attention to the concerns at that time, the scientific community continued to be interested in the topic. In 1962 and again in 1963, as the Apollo Program loomed large, further discussions were held. These early discussions of back contamination did not make their way into NASA's administration, however, and when Manned Spacecraft Center personnel began to articulate early concepts for the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL), the back contamination issue was not considered. Once this concern became a major focus, however, the LRL's development became increasingly complex. This is the history of that development.

  14. Lunar sample contracts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, R. M.

    1974-01-01

    The major scientific accomplishments through 1971 are reported for the particle track studies of lunar samples. Results are discussed of nuclear track measurements by optical and electron microscopy, thermoluminescence, X-ray diffraction, and differential thermal analysis.

  15. A long-lived lunar dynamo driven by continuous mechanical stirring.

    PubMed

    Dwyer, C A; Stevenson, D J; Nimmo, F

    2011-11-09

    Lunar rocks contain a record of an ancient magnetic field that seems to have persisted for more than 400 million years and which has been attributed to a lunar dynamo. Models of conventional dynamos driven by thermal or compositional convection have had difficulty reproducing the existence and apparently long duration of the lunar dynamo. Here we investigate an alternative mechanism of dynamo generation: continuous mechanical stirring arising from the differential motion, due to Earth-driven precession of the lunar spin axis, between the solid silicate mantle and the liquid core beneath. We show that the fluid motions and the power required to drive a dynamo operating continuously for more than one billion years and generating a magnetic field that had an intensity of more than one microtesla 4.2 billion years ago are readily obtained by mechanical stirring. The magnetic field is predicted to decrease with time and to shut off naturally when the Moon recedes far enough from Earth that the dissipated power is insufficient to drive a dynamo; in our nominal model, this occurred at about 48 Earth radii (2.7 billion years ago). Thus, lunar palaeomagnetic measurements may be able to constrain the poorly known early orbital evolution of the Moon. This mechanism may also be applicable to dynamos in other bodies, such as large asteroids.

  16. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Terrestrial Planets: Building Blocks and Differentiation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    The session "Terrestrial Planets: Building Blocks and Differentiation: included the following topics:Magnesium Isotopes in the Earth, Moon, Mars, and Pallasite Parent Body: High-Precision Analysis of Olivine by Laser-Ablation Multi-Collector ICPMS; Meteoritic Constraints on Collision Rates in the Primordial Asteroid Belt and Its Origin; New Constraints on the Origin of the Highly Siderophile Elements in the Earth's Upper Mantle; Further Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd Isotopic Data on Planetary Materials and Consequences for Planetary Differentiation; A Deep Lunar Magma Ocean Based on Neodymium, Strontium and Hafnium Isotope Mass Balance Partial Resetting on Hf-W System by Giant Impacts; On the Problem of Metal-Silicate Equilibration During Planet Formation: Significance for Hf-W Chronometry ; Solid Metal-Liquid Metal Partitioning of Pt, Re, and Os: The Effect of Carbon; Siderophile Element Abundances in Fe-S-Ni-O Melts Segregated from Partially Molten Ordinary Chondrite Under Dynamic Conditions; Activity Coefficients of Silicon in Iron-Nickel Alloys: Experimental Determination and Relevance for Planetary Differentiation; Reinvestigation of the Ni and Co Metal-Silicate Partitioning; Metal/Silicate Paritioning of P, Ga, and W at High Pressures and Temperatures: Dependence on Silicate Melt Composition; and Closure of the Fe-S-Si Liquid Miscibility Gap at High Pressure and Its Implications for Planetary Core Formation.

  17. Early Planetary Differentiation: Comparative Planetology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, John H.

    2006-01-01

    We currently have extensive data for four different terrestrial bodies of the inner solar system: Earth, the Moon, Mars, and the Eucrite Parent Body [EPB]. All formed early cores; but all(?) have mantles with elevated concentrations of highly sidero-phile elements, suggestive of the addition of a late "veneer". Two appear to have undergone extensive differentiation consistent with a global magma ocean. One appears to be inconsistent with a simple model of "low-pressure" chondritic differentiation. Thus, there seems to be no single, simple paradigm for understand-ing early differentiation.

  18. Self-unloading, reusable, lunar lander project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Arseculeratne, Ruwan; Cavazos, Melissa; Euker, John; Ghavidel, Fred; Hinkel, Todd J.; Hitzfelder, John; Leitner, Jesse; Nevik, James; Paynter, Scott; Zolondek, Allen

    1990-01-01

    In the early 21st century, NASA will return to the Moon and establish a permanent base. To achieve this goal safely and economically, B&T Engineering has designed an unmanned, reusable, self-unloading lunar lander. The lander is designed to deliver 15,000 kg payloads from an orbit transfer vehicle (OTV) in a low lunar polar orbit and an altitude of 200 km to any location on the lunar surface.

  19. Drilling and Digging Techniques for the Early Lunar Outpost

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boles, Walter W.

    1992-01-01

    The theme of this workshop is lunar resource assessment. Topics include identification, quantification, and location of useful elements on and below the lunar surface. The objective of this paper is to look at another side of the issue--how to remove soil from the stiff lunar-soil matrix once useful deposits are located. The goal of this paper is to cause those who think that digging or excavating on the Moon is a trivial problem to rethink the reasons for their opinions. Another goal is to encourage them to view total reliance upon terrestrial heuristics with suspicion. This paper will focus primarily upon digging.

  20. The Moon as a recorder of organic evolution in the early solar system: a lunar regolith analog study.

    PubMed

    Matthewman, Richard; Court, Richard W; Crawford, Ian A; Jones, Adrian P; Joy, Katherine H; Sephton, Mark A

    2015-02-01

    The organic record of Earth older than ∼3.8 Ga has been effectively erased. Some insight is provided to us by meteorites as well as remote and direct observations of asteroids and comets left over from the formation of the Solar System. These primitive objects provide a record of early chemical evolution and a sample of material that has been delivered to Earth's surface throughout the past 4.5 billion years. Yet an effective chronicle of organic evolution on all Solar System objects, including that on planetary surfaces, is more difficult to find. Fortunately, early Earth would not have been the only recipient of organic matter-containing objects in the early Solar System. For example, a recently proposed model suggests the possibility that volatiles, including organic material, remain archived in buried paleoregolith deposits intercalated with lava flows on the Moon. Where asteroids and comets allow the study of processes before planet formation, the lunar record could extend that chronicle to early biological evolution on the planets. In this study, we use selected free and polymeric organic materials to assess the hypothesis that organic matter can survive the effects of heating in the lunar regolith by overlying lava flows. Results indicate that the presence of lunar regolith simulant appears to promote polymerization and, therefore, preservation of organic matter. Once polymerized, the mineral-hosted newly formed organic network is relatively protected from further thermal degradation. Our findings reveal the thermal conditions under which preservation of organic matter on the Moon is viable.

  1. Altair Lunar Lander Development Status: Enabling Lunar Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laurini, Kathleen C.; Connolly, John F.

    2009-01-01

    As a critical part of the NASA Constellation Program lunar transportation architecture, the Altair lunar lander will return humans to the moon and enable a sustained program of lunar exploration. The Altair is to deliver up to four crew to the surface of the moon and return them to low lunar orbit at the completion of their mission. Altair will also be used to deliver large cargo elements to the lunar surface, enabling the buildup of an outpost. The Altair Project initialized its design using a "minimum functionality" approach that identified critical functionality required to meet a minimum set of Altair requirements. The Altair team then performed several analysis cycles using risk-informed design to selectively add back components and functionality to increase the vehicle's safety and reliability. The analysis cycle results were captured in a reference Altair design. This design was reviewed at the Constellation Lunar Capabilities Concept Review, a Mission Concept Review, where key driving requirements were confirmed and the Altair Project was given authorization to began Phase A project formulation. A key objective of Phase A is to revisit the Altair vehicle configuration, to better optimize it to complete its broad range of crew and cargo delivery missions. Industry was invited to partner with NASA early in the design to provide their insights regarding Altair configuration and key engineering challenges. NASA intends to continue to seek industry involvement in project formulation activities. This paper will update the international coimmunity on the status of the Altair Project as it addresses the challenges of project formulation, including optinuzing a vehicle configuration based on the work of the NASA Altair Project team, industry inputs and the plans going forward in designing the Altair lunar lander.

  2. Detection of the lunar body tide by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter.

    PubMed

    Mazarico, Erwan; Barker, Michael K; Neumann, Gregory A; Zuber, Maria T; Smith, David E

    2014-04-16

    The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft collected more than 5 billion measurements in the nominal 50 km orbit over ∼10,000 orbits. The data precision, geodetic accuracy, and spatial distribution enable two-dimensional crossovers to be used to infer relative radial position corrections between tracks to better than ∼1 m. We use nearly 500,000 altimetric crossovers to separate remaining high-frequency spacecraft trajectory errors from the periodic radial surface tidal deformation. The unusual sampling of the lunar body tide from polar lunar orbit limits the size of the typical differential signal expected at ground track intersections to ∼10 cm. Nevertheless, we reliably detect the topographic tidal signal and estimate the associated Love number h 2 to be 0.0371 ± 0.0033, which is consistent with but lower than recent results from lunar laser ranging. Altimetric data are used to create radial constraints on the tidal deformationThe body tide amplitude is estimated from the crossover dataThe estimated Love number is consistent with previous estimates but more precise.

  3. Detection of the lunar body tide by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter

    PubMed Central

    Mazarico, Erwan; Barker, Michael K; Neumann, Gregory A; Zuber, Maria T; Smith, David E

    2014-01-01

    The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft collected more than 5 billion measurements in the nominal 50 km orbit over ∼10,000 orbits. The data precision, geodetic accuracy, and spatial distribution enable two-dimensional crossovers to be used to infer relative radial position corrections between tracks to better than ∼1 m. We use nearly 500,000 altimetric crossovers to separate remaining high-frequency spacecraft trajectory errors from the periodic radial surface tidal deformation. The unusual sampling of the lunar body tide from polar lunar orbit limits the size of the typical differential signal expected at ground track intersections to ∼10 cm. Nevertheless, we reliably detect the topographic tidal signal and estimate the associated Love number h2 to be 0.0371 ± 0.0033, which is consistent with but lower than recent results from lunar laser ranging. Key Points Altimetric data are used to create radial constraints on the tidal deformationThe body tide amplitude is estimated from the crossover dataThe estimated Love number is consistent with previous estimates but more precise PMID:26074646

  4. An experimental and petrologic investigation of the source regions of lunar magmatism in the context of the primordial differentiation of the moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elardo, Stephen M.

    The primordial differentiation of the Moon via a global magma ocean has become the paradigm under which all lunar data are interpreted. The success of this model in explaining multiple geochemical, petrologic, and isotopic characteristics lunar geology has led to magma oceans becoming the preferred model for the differentiation of Earth, Mars, Mercury, Vesta, and other large terrestrial bodies. The goal of this work is to combine petrologic analyses of lunar samples with high pressure, high temperature petrologic experiments to place new and detailed constraints the petrogenetic processes that operated during different stages of lunar magmatism, the processes that have acted upon these magmas to obscure their relationship to their mantle source regions, and how those source regions fit into the context of the lunar magma ocean model. This work focuses on two important phases of lunar magmatism: the ancient crust-building plutonic lithologies of the Mg-suite dating to ~4.3 Ga, and the most recent known mare basaltic magmas dating to ~3 Ga. These samples provide insight into the petrogenesis of magmas and interior thermal state when the Moon was a hot, juvenile planet, and also during the last gasps of magmatism from a cooling planet. Chapter 1, focusing on Mg-suite troctolite 76535, presents data on chromite symplectites, olivine-hosted melt inclusions, intercumulus mineral assemblages, and cumulus mineral chemistry to argue that the 76535 was altered by metasomatism by a migrating basaltic melt. This process could effectively raise radioisotope systems above their mineral-specific blocking temperatures and help explain some of the Mg-suite-FAN age overlap. Chapter 2 focuses on lunar meteorites NWA 4734, 032, and LAP 02205, which are 3 of the 5 youngest igneous samples from the Moon. Using geochemical and isotopic data combined with partial melting models, it is shown that these basalts do not have a link to the KREEP reservoir, and a model is presented for low

  5. Early Results from the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elphic, R. C.; Hine, B.; Delory, G. T.; Mahaffy, Paul; Benna, Mehdi; Horanyi, Mihaly; Colaprete, Anthony; Noble, Sarah

    2014-01-01

    On 6 September, 2013, a near-perfect launch of the first Minotaur V rocket successfully carried NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) into a high-eccentricity geocentric orbit. After 30 days of phasing, LADEE arrived at the Moon on 6 October, 2013. LADEE's science objectives are twofold: (1) Determine the composition of the lunar atmosphere, investigate processes controlling its distribution and variability, including sources, sinks, and surface interactions; (2) Characterize the lunar exospheric dust environment, measure its spatial and temporal variability, and effects on the lunar atmosphere, if any. After a successful commissioning phase, the three science instruments have made systematic observations of the lunar dust and exospheric environment. These include initial observations of argon, neon and helium exospheres, and their diurnal variations; the lunar micrometeoroid impact ejecta cloud and its variations; spatial and temporal variations of the sodium exosphere; and the search for sunlight extinction caused by dust. LADEE also made observations of the effects of the Chang'e 3 landing on 14 December 2013.

  6. Precision Selenodesy via Differential Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry. Ph.D. Thesis; [Apollo lunar surface experiments package

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    King, R. W., Jr.

    1975-01-01

    The technique of differential very-long baseline interferometry was used to measure the relative positions of the ALSEP transmitters at the Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 lunar landing sites with uncertainties less than 0.005 of geocentric arc. These measurements yielded improved determinations of the selenodetic coordinates of the Apollo landing sites, and of the physical libration of the moon. By means of a new device, the differential Doppler receiver (DDR), instrumental errors were reduced to less than the equivalent of 0.001. DDRs were installed in six stations of the NASA spaceflight tracking and data network and used in an extensive program of observations beginning in March 1973.

  7. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 15th, Houston, TX, March 12-16, 1984, Proceedings. Part 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ryder, G. (Editor); Schubert, G. (Editor)

    1985-01-01

    Subjects of lunar petrology are discussed, taking into account Apollo 14 aluminous mare basalts and their possible relationship to KREEP, the petrology and geochemistry of clasts from consortium breccia, the depths of the mare basalt source region, the origin of olivine at Copernicus, a transient heating event in the history of a highlands troctolite from Apollo 12 soil, and the composition and evolution of the lunar crust in the Descartes highlands. Other topics explored are related to early earth and magmatic processes, differentiated meteorites, chondritic meteorites, other planets and remote sensing, and cratering. Attention is given to the gravity field of Venus at constant altitude and comparison with earth, a spectral analog of Martian soil, dark halo craters and the thickness of grooved terrain on Ganymede, the geomorphology of Rhea, a Monte Carlo model of lunar megaregolith development, the scaling of complex craters, crustal radiogenic heat production and the selective survival of ancient continental crust, and the formation of an impact-generated H2O atmosphere and its implications for the early thermal history of the earth.

  8. Isotopic Composition of Oxygen in Lunar Zircons

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nemchin, A. A.; Whitehouse, M. J.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Meyer, C.

    2005-01-01

    The recent discovery of heavy oxygen in zircons from the Jack Hills conglomerates Wilde et al. and Mojzsis et al. was interpreted as an indication of presence of liquid water on the surface of Early Earth. The distribution of ages of Jack Hills zircons and lunar zircons appears to be very similar and therefore analysis of oxygen in the lunar grains may provide a reference frame for further study of the early history of the Earth as well as give additional information regarding processes that operated on the Moon. In the present study we have analysed the oxygen isotopic composition of zircon grains from three lunar samples using the Swedish Museum of Natural History CAMECA 1270 ion microprobe. The samples were selected as likely tests for variations in lunar oxygen isotopic composition. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

  9. Global Lunar Gravity Field Recovery from SELENE

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matsumoto, Koji; Heki, Kosuke; Hanada, Hideo

    2002-01-01

    Results of numerical simulation are presented to examine the global gravity field recovery capability of the Japanese lunar exploration project SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) which will be launched in 2005. New characteristics of the SELENE lunar gravimetry include four-way satellite-to-satellite Doppler tracking of main orbiter and differential VLBI tracking of two small free-flier satellites. It is shown that planned satellites configuration will improve lunar gravity field in wide range of wavelength as well as far-side selenoid.

  10. Characterizing the Mineralogy of Potential Lunar Landing Sites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pieters, Carle; Head, James W., III; Mustard, Jack; Boardman, Joe; Buratti, Bonnie; Clark, Roger; Green, Rob; Head, James W, III; McCord, Thomas B.; Mustard, Jack; hide

    2006-01-01

    Many processes active on the early Moon are common to most terrestrial planets, including the record of early and late impact bombardment. The Moon's surface provides a record of the earliest era of terrestrial planet evolution, and the type and composition of minerals that comprise a planetary surface are a direct result of the initial composition and subsequent thermal and physical processing. Lunar mineralogy seen today is thus a direct record of the early evolution of the lunar crust and subsequent geologic processes. Specifically, the distribution and concentration of specific minerals is closely tied to magma ocean products, lenses of intruded or remelted plutons, basaltic volcanism and fire-fountaining, and any process (e.g. cratering) that might redistribute or transform primary and secondary lunar crustal materials. The association of several lunar minerals with key geologic processes is illustrated in Figure 1. The geologic history of potential landing sites on the Moon can be read from the character and context of local mineralogy.

  11. The Moon as a Recorder of Organic Evolution in the Early Solar System: A Lunar Regolith Analog Study

    PubMed Central

    Court, Richard W.; Crawford, Ian A.; Jones, Adrian P.; Joy, Katherine H.; Sephton, Mark A.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract The organic record of Earth older than ∼3.8 Ga has been effectively erased. Some insight is provided to us by meteorites as well as remote and direct observations of asteroids and comets left over from the formation of the Solar System. These primitive objects provide a record of early chemical evolution and a sample of material that has been delivered to Earth's surface throughout the past 4.5 billion years. Yet an effective chronicle of organic evolution on all Solar System objects, including that on planetary surfaces, is more difficult to find. Fortunately, early Earth would not have been the only recipient of organic matter–containing objects in the early Solar System. For example, a recently proposed model suggests the possibility that volatiles, including organic material, remain archived in buried paleoregolith deposits intercalated with lava flows on the Moon. Where asteroids and comets allow the study of processes before planet formation, the lunar record could extend that chronicle to early biological evolution on the planets. In this study, we use selected free and polymeric organic materials to assess the hypothesis that organic matter can survive the effects of heating in the lunar regolith by overlying lava flows. Results indicate that the presence of lunar regolith simulant appears to promote polymerization and, therefore, preservation of organic matter. Once polymerized, the mineral-hosted newly formed organic network is relatively protected from further thermal degradation. Our findings reveal the thermal conditions under which preservation of organic matter on the Moon is viable. Key Words: Moon—Regolith—Organic preservation—Biomarkers. Astrobiology 15, 154–168. PMID:25615648

  12. Altair Lunar Lander Development Status: Enabling Human Lunar Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laurini, Kathleen C.; Connolly, John F.

    2009-01-01

    As a critical part of the NASA Constellation Program lunar transportation architecture, the Altair lunar lander will return humans to the moon and enable a sustained program of lunar exploration. The Altair is to deliver up to four crew to the surface of the moon and return them to low lunar orbit at the completion of their mission. Altair will also be used to deliver large cargo elements to the lunar surface, enabling the buildup of an outpost. The Altair Project initialized its design using a minimum functionality approach that identified critical functionality required to meet a minimum set of Altair requirements. The Altair team then performed several analysis cycles using risk-informed design to selectively add back components and functionality to increase the vehicles safety and reliability. The analysis cycle results were captured in a reference Altair design. This design was reviewed at the Constellation Lunar Capabilities Concept Review, a Mission Concept Review, where key driving requirements were confirmed and the Altair Project was given authorization to begin Phase A project formulation. A key objective of Phase A is to revisit the Altair vehicle configuration, to better optimize it to complete its broad range of crew and cargo delivery missions. Industry was invited to partner with NASA early in the design to provide their insights regarding Altair configuration and key engineering challenges. A blended NASA-industry team will continue to refine the lander configuration and mature the vehicle design over the next few years. This paper will update the international community on the status of the Altair Project as it addresses the challenges of project formulation, including optimizing a vehicle configuration based on the work of the NASA Altair Project team, industry inputs and the plans going forward in designing the Altair lunar lander.

  13. Heterogeneity in lunar anorthosite meteorites: implications for the lunar magma ocean model.

    PubMed

    Russell, Sara S; Joy, Katherine H; Jeffries, Teresa E; Consolmagno, Guy J; Kearsley, Anton

    2014-09-13

    The lunar magma ocean model is a well-established theory of the early evolution of the Moon. By this model, the Moon was initially largely molten and the anorthositic crust that now covers much of the lunar surface directly crystallized from this enormous magma source. We are undertaking a study of the geochemical characteristics of anorthosites from lunar meteorites to test this model. Rare earth and other element abundances have been measured in situ in relict anorthosite clasts from two feldspathic lunar meteorites: Dhofar 908 and Dhofar 081. The rare earth elements were present in abundances of approximately 0.1 to approximately 10× chondritic (CI) abundance. Every plagioclase exhibited a positive Eu-anomaly, with Eu abundances of up to approximately 20×CI. Calculations of the melt in equilibrium with anorthite show that it apparently crystallized from a magma that was unfractionated with respect to rare earth elements and ranged in abundance from 8 to 80×CI. Comparisons of our data with other lunar meteorites and Apollo samples suggest that there is notable heterogeneity in the trace element abundances of lunar anorthosites, suggesting these samples did not all crystallize from a common magma source. Compositional and isotopic data from other authors also suggest that lunar anorthosites are chemically heterogeneous and have a wide range of ages. These observations may support other models of crust formation on the Moon or suggest that there are complexities in the lunar magma ocean scenario to allow for multiple generations of anorthosite formation. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  14. Heterogeneity in lunar anorthosite meteorites: implications for the lunar magma ocean model

    PubMed Central

    Russell, Sara S.; Joy, Katherine H.; Jeffries, Teresa E.; Consolmagno, Guy J.; Kearsley, Anton

    2014-01-01

    The lunar magma ocean model is a well-established theory of the early evolution of the Moon. By this model, the Moon was initially largely molten and the anorthositic crust that now covers much of the lunar surface directly crystallized from this enormous magma source. We are undertaking a study of the geochemical characteristics of anorthosites from lunar meteorites to test this model. Rare earth and other element abundances have been measured in situ in relict anorthosite clasts from two feldspathic lunar meteorites: Dhofar 908 and Dhofar 081. The rare earth elements were present in abundances of approximately 0.1 to approximately 10× chondritic (CI) abundance. Every plagioclase exhibited a positive Eu-anomaly, with Eu abundances of up to approximately 20×CI. Calculations of the melt in equilibrium with anorthite show that it apparently crystallized from a magma that was unfractionated with respect to rare earth elements and ranged in abundance from 8 to 80×CI. Comparisons of our data with other lunar meteorites and Apollo samples suggest that there is notable heterogeneity in the trace element abundances of lunar anorthosites, suggesting these samples did not all crystallize from a common magma source. Compositional and isotopic data from other authors also suggest that lunar anorthosites are chemically heterogeneous and have a wide range of ages. These observations may support other models of crust formation on the Moon or suggest that there are complexities in the lunar magma ocean scenario to allow for multiple generations of anorthosite formation. PMID:25114312

  15. NASA's future plans for lunar astronomy and astrophysics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stachnik, Robert V.; Kaplan, Michael S.

    1994-01-01

    An expanding scientific interest in astronomical observations from the Moon has led the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a two-part strategy for lunar-astrophysics planning. The strategy emphasizes a systematic review process involving both the external scientific community and internal NASA engineering teams, coupled with the rigorous exclusion of projects inappropriate to lunar emplacement. Five major candidate lunar-astronomy projects are described, together with a modest derivative of one of them that could be implemented early in the establishment of a lunar base.

  16. A survey of surface structures and subsurface developments for lunar bases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hypes, Warren D.; Wright, Robert L.

    1990-01-01

    Concepts proposed for lunar-base structures and shelters include those fabricated on earth, fabricated locally using lunar materials, and developed from subsurface features. Early bases may rely on evolutionary growth using Space Station modules and nodes covered with regolith for protection against thermal and radiative stresses. Expandable/inflatable shelters used alone on the surface or in conjunction with subselene (beneath the lunar surface) features and spent portions of the Space Shuttle's fuel tanks offer early alternatives. More mature lunar bases may need larger volumes provided by erectable buildings, hybrid inflatable/rigid spheres, modular concrete buildings using locally derived cement, or larger subselene developments.

  17. LUNAR SAMPLES - APOLLO 11 - MSC

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-07-28

    S69-45025 (27 July 1969) --- This is the first lunar sample that was photographed in detail in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center. The photograph shows a granular, fine-grained, mafic (iron magnesium rich) rock. At this early stage of the examination, this rock appears similar to several igneous rock types found on Earth. The scale is printed backwards due to the photographic configuration in the Vacuum Chamber. The sample number is 10003. This rock was among the samples collected by astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. during their lunar surface extravehicular activity on July 20, 1969.

  18. LUNAR SAMPLES - APOLLO XI - MSC

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-07-28

    S69-45009 (27 July 1969) --- This is the first lunar sample that was photographed in detail in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). The photograph shows a granular, fine-grained, mafic (iron magnesium rich) rock. At this early stage of the examination, this rock appears similar to several igneous rock types found on Earth. The scale is printed backwards due to the photographic configuration in the Vacuum Chamber. The sample number is 10003. This rock was among the samples collected by astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. during their lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) on July 20, 1969.

  19. Horizons and opportunities in lunar sample science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    The Moon is the cornerstone of planetary science. Lunar sample studies were fundamental in developing an understanding of the early evolution and continued development of planetary bodies, and have led to major revisions in understanding of processes for the accumulation of planetesimals and the formation of planets. Studies of lunar samples have increased an understanding of impact cratering, meteoroid and micrometeoroid fluxes, the interaction of planetary surfaces with radiations and particles, and even the history of the Sun. The lunar sample research program was especially productive, but by no means have all the important answers been determined; continued study of lunar samples will further illuminate the shadows of our knowledge about the solar system. Further, the treasures returned through the Apollo program provide information that is required for a return to the Moon, beginning with new exploration (Lunar Geoscience Observer (LGO)), followed by intensive study (new sample return missions), and eventually culminating in a lunar base and lunar resource utilization.

  20. Cautionary Notes on Cosmogenic W-182 and Other Nuclei in Lunar Samples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yin, Qingzhu; Jacobsen, Stein B.; Wasserburg, G. J.

    2003-01-01

    Leya et al. (2000) showed that neutron capture on Ta-181 results in a production rate of Ta-182 (decays with a half-life of 114 days to W-182) sufficiently high to cause significant shifts in W-182 abundances considering the neutron fluences due to the cosmic ray cascade that were known to occur near the lunar surface. Leya et al. concluded that this cosmogenic production of W-182 may explain the large positive epsilon(sub W-182) values that Lee et al. (1997) had reported in some lunar samples rather than being produced from decay of now extinct Hf-182 (bar tau = 13 x 10(exp 6) yr). If the large range in epsilon(sub W-182) of lunar samples (0 to +11 in whole rock samples) was due to decay of now extinct Hf-182, it would require a very early time of formation and differentiation of the lunar crust-mantle system (with high Hf/W ratios) during the earliest stages of Earth s accretion. This result was both surprising and difficult to understand. The ability to explain these results by a more plausible mechanism is therefore very attractive. In a recent report Lee et al. (2002) showed that there were excesses of W-182 and that epsilon(sub W-182) was correlated with the Ta/W ratios in the mineral phases of individual lunar rock samples. This is in accord with W-182 variations in lunar samples being produced by cosmic-ray induced neutron capture on Ta-182.

  1. The magma ocean concept and lunar evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warren, P. H.

    1985-01-01

    The model of lunar evolution in which the anorthositic plagioclase-rich oldest crust of the moon is formed over a period of 300 Myr or less by crystallization as it floats on a global ocean of magma tens or hundreds of km thick is examined in a review of petrological and theoretical studies. Consideration is given to the classification of lunar rocks, the evidence for primordial deep global differentiation, constraints on the depth of the molten zone, the effects of pressure on mineral stability relationships, mainly-liquid vs mainly-magmifer ocean models, and the evidence for multiple ancient differentiation episodes. A synthesis of the model of primordial differentiation and its aftereffects is presented, and the generalization of the model to the earth and to Mars, Mercury, Venus, and the asteroids is discussed.

  2. Origin of the lunar highlands Mg-suite: An integrated petrology, geochemistry, chronology, and remote sensing perspective

    DOE PAGES

    Shearer, C. K.; Elardo, S. M.; Petro, N. E.; ...

    2014-12-23

    The Mg-suite represents an enigmatic episode of lunar highlands magmatism that presumably represents the first stage of crustal building following primordial differentiation. This review examines the mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, chronology, and the planetary-scale distribution of this suite of highlands plutonic rocks, presents models for their origin, examines petrogenetic relationships to other highlands rocks, and explores the link between this style of magmatism and early stages of lunar differentiation. Of the models considered for the origin of the parent magmas for the Mg-suite, the data best fit a process in which hot (solidus temperature at ≥2 GPa = 1600 to 1800more » °C) and less dense (r ~3100 kg/m3) early lunar magma ocean cumulates rise to the base of the crust during cumulate pile overturn. Some decompressional melting would occur, but placing a hot cumulate horizon adjacent to the plagioclase-rich primordial crust and KREEP-rich lithologies (at temperatures of <1300 °C) would result in the hybridization of these divergent primordial lithologies, producing Mg-suite parent magmas. As urKREEP (primeval KREEP) is not the “petrologic driver” of this style of magmatism, outside of the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), Mg-suite magmas are not required to have a KREEP signature. Evaluation of the chronology of this episode of highlands evolution indicates that Mg-suite magmatism was initiated soon after primordial differentiation (<10 m.y.). Alternatively, the thermal event associated with the mantle overturn may have disrupted the chronometers utilized to date the primordial crust. Petrogenetic relationships between the Mg-suite and other highlands suites (e.g., alkali-suite and magnesian anorthositic granulites) are consistent with both fractional crystallization processes and melting of distinctly different hybrid sources.« less

  3. Adaption of space station technology for lunar operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garvey, J. M.

    1992-01-01

    Space Station Freedom technology will have the potential for numerous applications in an early lunar base program. The benefits of utilizing station technology in such a fashion include reduced development and facility costs for lunar base systems, shorter schedules, and verification of such technology through space station experience. This paper presents an assessment of opportunities for using station technology in a lunar base program, particularly in the lander/ascent vehicles and surface modules.

  4. Evolution of the Moon's Mantle and Crust as Reflected in Trace-Element Microbeam Studies of Lunar Magmatism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shearer, C. K.; Floss, C.

    Ion microprobe trace-element studies of lunar cumulates [ferroan anorthosites (FAN), highlands Mg suite (HMS), and highlands alkali suite (HAS)] and volcanic glasses have provided an additional perspective in reconstructing lunar magmatism and early differentiation. Calculated melt compositions for the FANs indicate that a simple lunar magma ocean (LMO) model does not account for differences between FANs with highly magnesian mafic minerals and “typical” ferroan anorthosites. The HMS and HAS appear to have crystallized from magmas that had incompatible trace-element concentrations equal to or greater than KREEP. Partial melting of distinct, hybridized sources is consistent with these calculated melt compositions. However, the high-Mg silicates with relatively low Ni content that are observed in the HMS are suggestive of other possible processes (reduction, metal removal). The compositions of the picritic glasses indicate that they were produced by melting of hybrid cumulate sources produced by mixing of early and late LMO cumulates. The wide compositional range of near-primitive mare basalts indicates small degrees of localized melting preserved the signature of distinct mantle reservoirs. The relationship between ilmenite anomalies and 182W in the mare basalts suggests that the LMO crystallized over a short period of time.

  5. GENESIS 2: Advanced lunar outpost

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Gary T.

    1991-01-01

    Advanced, second-generation lunar habitats for astronauts and mission specialists working on the Moon are investigated. The work was based on design constraints set forth in previous publications. Design recommendations are based on environmental response to the lunar environment, habitability, safety, near-term technology, replaceability and modularity, and suitability for NASA lunar research missions in the early 21st century. Scientists, engineers, and architects from NASA/JSC, Wisconsin aeronautical industry, and area universities gave technical input and offered critiques at design reviews throughout the process. The recommended design uses a lunar lava tube, with construction using a combination of Space Station Freedom-derived modules and lightweight Kevlar-laminate inflatables. The outpost includes research laboratories and biotron, crew quarters and support facility, mission control, health maintenance facility, and related areas for functional and psychological requirements. Furniture, specialized equipment, and lighting are included in the design analysis.

  6. Regional elemental abundances within South Pole-Aitken basin as measured with lunar prospector gamma-ray spectrometer data.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lawrence, David J.; Pieters, Carlé M.; Elphic, R. C.

    2003-01-01

    South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin has been a target of intense study since it is one of the largest impact basins in the solar system. It is thought that SPA basin excavated deep into the lunar crust and possibly even the mantle. Such conclusions have been supported by the observed mafic and thorium composition anomalies seen across the entire basin. One of the major goals of lunar and planetary science has been to measure and understand the composition of the non-mare materials within SPA basin. It is expected that this information will help to increase our understanding of the formation andmore » differentiation processes that occurred early on the Moon.« less

  7. Pristine Igneous Rocks and the Genesis of Early Planetary Crusts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warren, Paul H.; Lindstrom, David (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Our studies are highly interdisciplinary, but are focused on the processes and products of early planetary and asteroidal differentiation, especially the genesis of the ancient lunar crust. The compositional diversity that we explore is the residue of process diversity, which has strong relevance for comparative planetology.

  8. The Outsized Influence of a Primordial Lunar Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saxena, Prabal; Elkins-Tanton, Linda T.; Petro, Noah; Mandell, Avi

    2016-10-01

    Immediately following formation of the moon, its surface was subject to radiative influences from the Lunar Magma Ocean, an early Earth that radiated like a mid type M Dwarf Star, and the early Sun. These contributions have been hypothesized to have produced a vapor pressure atmosphere on the Moon. We model the early atmosphere of the Moon using an atmospheric model originally developed for Io. We also use a magma ocean crystallization model that finds that heating from the early Earth delays crystallization of the Lunar Magma Ocean and contributes to a moderate pressure and collapsing metal-dominated atmosphere on the earthside of the Moon until lid formation. The atmosphere is characterized by maximum pressures ~1 bar and strong horizontal supersonic winds that decreased as the Moon's orbital separation increased. Crustal and other compositional asymmetries may have been influenced by this atmosphere. The atmosphere transported significant amounts of mass horizontally and may have been a source for present day depletions and heterogeneities of moderately volatile elements on the lunar surface.

  9. RESOLVE: Bridge between early lunar ISRU and science objectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, G.; Sanders, G.; Larson, W.; Johnson, K.

    2007-08-01

    THE NEED FOR RESOURCES: When mankind returns to the moon, there will be an aspect of the architecture that will totally change how we explore the solar system. We will take the first steps towards breaking our reliance on Earth supplied consumables by extracting resources from planetary bodies. Our first efforts in this area, known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), will be to extract the abundant oxygen found in the lunar regolith. But the "holy grail" of lunar ISRU will be finding an exploitable source of lunar hydrogen. If we can find a source of extractable hydrogen, it would provide a foundation for true independence from Earth. With in-situ hydrogen (or water) and oxygen we can produce many of the major consumables needed to operate a lunar outpost. We would have water to drink, oxygen to breath, as well as rocket propellants and fuel cell reagents to enable extended access and operations on the moon. These items make up a huge percentage of the mass launched from the Earth. Producing them in-situ would significantly reduce the cost of operating a lunar outpost while increasing payload availability for science. PROSPECTING: The Lunar Prospector found evidence of elevated hydrogen at the lunar poles, and measurements made at these locations from the Clementine mission bistatic radar have been interpreted as correlating to water/ice concentrations. At the South Pole, there is reasonably strong correlation between the elevated areas of hydrogen and permanently shadowed craters. However, there is considerable debate on the form and concentration of this hydrogen since the orbiting satellites had limited resolution and their data can be interpreted in different ways. The varying interpretations are based on differing opinions and theories of lunar environment, evolution, and cometary bombardment within the lunar Science community. The only way to truly answer this question from both a Science and resource availability perspective is to go to the lunar poles

  10. Theories for the origin of lunar magnetism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daily, W. D.; Dyal, P.

    1979-01-01

    This paper reviews the major theories which have been proposed to explain the remanent magnetism found in the lunar crust. A total of nine different mechanisms for lunar magnetism are discussed and evaluated in light of the theoretical and experimental constraints pertinent to lunar magnetism. It is concluded that none of these theories in their present state of development satisfy all the known constraints. However, the theories which agree best with the present understanding of the moon are meteorite impact magnetization, thermoelectric dynamo field generation, and an early solar wind field.

  11. Robotic Lunar Landers for Science and Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, B. A.; Bassler, J. A.; Hammond, M. S.; Harris, D. W.; Hill, L. A.; Kirby, K. W.; Morse, B. J.; Mulac, B. D.; Reed, C. L. B.

    2010-01-01

    The Moon provides an important window into the early history of the Earth, containing information about planetary composition, magmatic evolution, surface bombardment, and exposure to the space environment. Robotic lunar landers to achieve science goals and to provide precursor technology development and site characterization are an important part of program balance within NASA s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). A Robotic Lunar Lan-der mission complements SMD's initiatives to build a robust lunar science community through R&A lines and increases international participation in NASA's robotic exploration of the Moon.

  12. Interaction between Escherichia coli and lunar fines

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johansson, K. R.

    1983-01-01

    A sample of mature lunar fines (10084.151) was solubilized to a high degree (about 17 percent) by the chelating agent salicylic acid (0.01. M). The neutralized (pH adjusted to 7.0) leachate was found to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli (ATCC 259922) in a minimial mineral salts glucose medium; however, the inhibition was somewhat less than that caused by neutralized salicylic acid alone. The presence of lunar fines in the minimal medium was highly stimulatory to growth of E. coli following an early inhibitory response. The bacterium survived less well in the lunar leachate than in distilled water, no doubt because of the salicylate. It was concluded that the sample of lunar soil tested has nutritional value to E. coli and that certain products of fermentation helped to solubilize the lunar soil.

  13. Status and future of lunar geoscience

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    The Moon is of special interest among the many and diverse bodies of the solar system because it serves as a scientific baseline for understanding the terrestrial planets, its origin is closely tied to the early history of the Earth, and its proximity permits a variety of space applications such as mining and establishment of bases and colonies. Data acquisition and analysis have enabled advances to be made and the remaining questions in many fields of lunar geoscience to be identified. The status and unresolved problems of lunar science are discussed. Immediate needs, new unmanned missions, and a return to the Moon (a lunar base) are examined.

  14. Interpreting statistics of small lunar craters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schultz, P. H.; Gault, D.; Greeley, R.

    1977-01-01

    Some of the wide variations in the crater-size distributions in lunar photography and in the resulting statistics were interpreted as different degradation rates on different surfaces, different scaling laws in different targets, and a possible population of endogenic craters. These possibilities are reexamined for statistics of 26 different regions. In contrast to most other studies, crater diameters as small as 5 m were measured from enlarged Lunar Orbiter framelets. According to the results of the reported analysis, the different crater distribution types appear to be most consistent with the hypotheses of differential degradation and a superposed crater population. Differential degradation can account for the low level of equilibrium in incompetent materials such as ejecta deposits, mantle deposits, and deep regoliths where scaling law changes and catastrophic processes introduce contradictions with other observations.

  15. U-Th-Pb, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd isotopic systematics of lunar troctolitic cumulate 76535 - Implications on the age and origin of this early lunar, deep-seated cumulate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Premo, Wayne R.; Tatsumoto, M.

    1992-01-01

    The U-Th-Pb, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd isotopic systematics of four lightly leached residues of pristine, high-Mg, troctolitic cumulate 76535 were analyzed in order to determine their ages and magma sources. The data indicate that the cumulate was in isotopic equilibrium with a fluid or magma characterized by a high U-238/Pb-204 (mu) value of 600 at 4.236 Ga. Two and three stage Pb evolution calculations define even greater source mu values of about 1000, assuming low lunar initial mu values between 5 and 40 prior to about 4.43 Ga. These results are similar to mu values for KREEP sources and are also consistent with values from 78235, suggesting that at least some high-Mg suite rocks were derived from magma sources with high-mu values similar to KREEP, and support that idea that these rocks postdate primary lunar differentiation and formation of ferroan anorthosites.

  16. Simulated Lunar Environment Spectra of Silicic Volcanic Rocks: Application to Lunar Domes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glotch, T. D.; Shirley, K.; Greenhagen, B. T.

    2016-12-01

    Lunar volcanism was dominated by flood-style basaltic volcanism associated with the lunar mare. However, since the Apollo era it has been suggested that some regions, termed "red spots," are the result of non-basaltic volcanic activity. These early suggestions of non-mare volcanism were based on interpretations of rugged geomorphology resulting from viscous lava flows and relatively featureless, red-sloped VNIR spectra. Mid-infrared data from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have confirmed that many of the red spot features, including Hansteen Alpha, the Gruithuisen Domes, the Mairan Domes, Lassell Massif, and Compton Belkovich are silicic volcanic domes. Additional detections of silicic material in the Aristarchus central peak and ejecta suggest excavation of a subsurface silicic pluton. Other red spots, including the Helmet and Copernicus have relatively low Diviner Christiansen feature positions, but they are not as felsic as the features listed above. To date, the SiO2 content of the silicic dome features has been difficult to quantitatively determine due to the limited spectral resolution of Diviner and lack of terrestrial analog spectra acquired in an appropriate environment. Based on spectra of pure mineral and glass separates, preliminary estimates suggest that the rocks comprising the lunar silicic domes are > 65 wt.% SiO2. In an effort to better constrain this value, we have acquired spectra of andesite, dacite, rhyolite, pumice, and obsidian rock samples under a simulated lunar environment in the Planetary and Asteroid Regolith Spectroscopy Environmental Chamber (PARSEC) at the Center for Planetary Exploration at Stony Brook University. This presentation will discuss the spectra of these materials and how they relate to the Diviner measurements of the lunar silicic dome features.

  17. Conceptual Design of Simulation Models in an Early Development Phase of Lunar Spacecraft Simulator Using SMP2 Standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hoon Hee; Koo, Cheol Hea; Moon, Sung Tae; Han, Sang Hyuck; Ju, Gwang Hyeok

    2013-08-01

    The conceptual study for Korean lunar orbiter/lander prototype has been performed in Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Across diverse space programs around European countries, a variety of simulation application has been developed using SMP2 (Simulation Modelling Platform) standard related to portability and reuse of simulation models by various model users. KARI has not only first-hand experience of a development of SMP compatible simulation environment but also an ongoing study to apply the SMP2 development process of simulation model to a simulator development project for lunar missions. KARI has tried to extend the coverage of the development domain based on SMP2 standard across the whole simulation model life-cycle from software design to its validation through a lunar exploration project. Figure. 1 shows a snapshot from a visualization tool for the simulation of lunar lander motion. In reality, a demonstrator prototype on the right-hand side of image was made and tested in 2012. In an early phase of simulator development prior to a kick-off start in the near future, targeted hardware to be modelled has been investigated and indentified at the end of 2012. The architectural breakdown of the lunar simulator at system level was performed and the architecture with a hierarchical tree of models from the system to parts at lower level has been established. Finally, SMP Documents such as Catalogue, Assembly, Schedule and so on were converted using a XML(eXtensible Mark-up Language) converter. To obtain benefits of the suggested approaches and design mechanisms in SMP2 standard as far as possible, the object-oriented and component-based design concepts were strictly chosen throughout a whole model development process.

  18. Gamma Ray and Neutron Spectrometer for the Lunar Resource Mapper

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moss, C. E.; Byrd, R. C.; Drake, D. M.; Feldman, W. C.; Martin, R. A.; Merrigan, M. A.; Reedy, R. C.

    1992-01-01

    One of the early Space Exploration Initiatives will be a lunar orbiter to map the elemental composition of the Moon. This mission will support further lunar exploration and habitation and will provide a valuable dataset for understanding lunar geological processes. The proposed payload will consist of the gamma ray and neutron spectrometers which are discussed, an x ray fluorescence imager, and possibly one or two other instruments.

  19. Some thoughts on the origin of lunar ANT-KREEP and mare basalts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wakita, H.; Laul, J. C.; Schmitt, R. A.

    1975-01-01

    It is suggested that a series of ANT (anorthosite-norite-troctolite)-KREEP type rocks and the source material for mare basalts sampled by Apollo 11, 12, 15, and 17 may have been derived from a common magmatic differentiation. This differentiation is studied on the basis of a model which proposes that, in the early history of the moon, extensive melting occurred in the outer lunar shell and a magma layer of 100-200 km was formed. The presence of a residual liquid which has not yet been sampled is suspected between high-K KREEP and the Apollo 11 basalt materials. This residual liquid would have a FeO/MgO ratio greater than one and would be significantly enriched in apatite, zircon, K-feldspar, and ilmenite minerals.

  20. Lunar crescent visibility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doggett, Leroy E.; Schaefer, Bradley E.

    1994-01-01

    We report the results of five Moonwatches, in which more than 2000 observers throughout North America attempted to sight the thin lunar crescent. For each Moonwatch we were able to determine the position of the Lunar Date Line (LDL), the line along which a normal observer has a 50% probability of spotting the Moon. The observational LDLs were then compared with predicted LDLs derived from crescent visibility prediction algorithms. We find that ancient and medieval rules are higly unreliable. More recent empirical criteria, based on the relative altitude and azimuth of the Moon at the time of sunset, have a reasonable accuracy, with the best specific formulation being due to Yallop. The modern theoretical model by Schaefer (based on the physiology of the human eye and the local observing conditions) is found to have the least systematic error, the least average error, and the least maximum error of all models tested. Analysis of the observations also provided information about atmospheric, optical and human factors that affect the observations. We show that observational lunar calendars have a natural bias to begin early.

  1. Endogenous Lunar Volatiles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McCubbin, F. M.; Liu, Y.; Barnes, J. J.; Boyce, J. W.; Day, J. M. D.; Elardo, S. M.; Hui, H.; Magna, T.; Ni, P.; Tartese, R.; hide

    2017-01-01

    The chapter will begin with an introduction that defines magmatic volatiles (e.g., H, F, Cl, S) versus geochemical volatiles (e.g., K, Rb, Zn). We will discuss our approach of understanding both types of volatiles in lunar samples and lay the ground work for how we will determine the overall volatile budget of the Moon. We will then discuss the importance of endogenous volatiles in shaping the "Newer Views of the Moon", specifically how endogenous volatiles feed forward into processes such as the origin of the Moon, magmatic differentiation, volcanism, and secondary processes during surface and crustal interactions. After the introduction, we will include a re-view/synthesis on the current state of 1) apatite compositions (volatile abundances and isotopic compositions); 2) nominally anhydrous mineral phases (moderately to highly volatile); 3) volatile (moderately to highly volatile) abundances in and isotopic compositions of lunar pyroclastic glass beads; 4) volatile (moderately to highly volatile) abundances in and isotopic compositions of lunar basalts; 5) volatile (moderately to highly volatile) abundances in and isotopic compositions of melt inclusions; and finally 6) experimental constraints on mineral-melt partitioning of moderately to highly volatile elements under lunar conditions. We anticipate that each section will summarize results since 2007 and focus on new results published since the 2015 Am Min review paper on lunar volatiles [9]. The next section will discuss how to use sample abundances of volatiles to understand the source region and potential caveats in estimating source abundances of volatiles. The following section will include our best estimates of volatile abundances and isotopic compositions (where permitted by available data) for each volatile element of interest in a number of important lunar reservoirs, including the crust, mantle, KREEP, and bulk Moon. The final section of the chapter will focus upon future work, outstanding questions

  2. Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program - Space Rocks for Classrooms, Museums, Science Centers, and Libraries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Jaclyn; Luckey, M.; McInturff, B.; Huynh, P.; Tobola, K.; Loftin, L.

    2010-01-01

    NASA is eager for students and the public to experience lunar Apollo samples and meteorites first hand. Lunar rocks and soil, embedded in Lucite disks, are available for educators to use in their classrooms, museums, science centers, and public libraries for education activities and display. The sample education disks are valuable tools for engaging students in the exploration of the Solar System. Scientific research conducted on the Apollo rocks reveals the early history of our Earth-Moon system and meteorites reveal much of the history of the early solar system. The rocks help educators make the connections to this ancient history of our planet and solar system and the basic processes accretion, differentiation, impact and volcanism. With these samples, educators in museums, science centers, libraries, and classrooms can help students and the public understand the key questions pursued by many NASA planetary missions. The Office of the Curator at Johnson Space Center is in the process of reorganizing and renewing the Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program to increase reach, security and accountability. The new program expands the reach of these exciting extraterrestrial rocks through increased access to training and educator borrowing. One of the expanded opportunities is that trained certified educators from science centers, museums, and libraries may now borrow the extraterrestrial rock samples. Previously the loan program was only open to classroom educators so the expansion will increase the public access to the samples and allow educators to make the critical connections to the exciting exploration missions taking place in our solar system. Each Lunar Disk contains three lunar rocks and three regolith soils embedded in Lucite. The anorthosite sample is a part of the magma ocean formed on the surface of Moon in the early melting period, the basalt is part of the extensive lunar mare lava flows, and the breccias sample is an important example of the

  3. Early Operations Flight Correlation of the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peabody, Hume; Yang, Kan; Nguyen, Daniel; Cornwell, Donald

    2015-01-01

    The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission launched on September 7, 2013 with a one month cruise before lunar insertion. The LADEE spacecraft is a power limited, octagonal, composite bus structure with solar panels on all eight sides with four vertical segments per side and 2 panels dedicated to instruments. One of these panels has the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD), which represents a furthering of the laser communications technology demonstration proved out by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LLCD increases the bandwidth of communication to and from the moon with less mass and power than LROs technology demonstrator. The LLCD Modem and Controller boxes are mounted to an internal cruciform composite panel and have no dedicated radiator. The thermal design relies on power cycling of the boxes and radiation of waste heat to the inside of the panels, which then reject the heat when facing cold space. The LADEE mission includes a slow roll and numerous attitudes to accommodate the challenging thermal requirements for all the instruments on board. During the cruise phase, the internal Modem and Controller avionics for LLCD were warmer than predicted by more than modeling uncertainty would suggest. This caused concern that if the boxes were considerably warmer than expected while off, they would also be warmer when operating and could limit the operational time when in lunar orbit. The thermal group at Goddard Space Flight Center evaluated the models and design for these critical avionics for LLCD. Upon receipt of the spacecraft models and audit was performed and data was collected from the flight telemetry to perform a sanity check of the models and to correlate to flight where possible. This paper describes the efforts to correlate the model to flight data and to predict the thermal performance when in lunar orbit and presents some lessons learned.

  4. Astronaut Eugene Cernan drives the Lunar Roving Vehicle during first EVA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1972-12-10

    AS17-147-22527 (11 Dec. 1972) --- Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 17 mission commander, makes a short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. The Lunar Module is in the background. This photograph was taken by scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot.

  5. The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noble, S. K.; Nall, M. E.; French, R. A.; Muery, K. G.

    2009-12-01

    commercial community, the lunar education and public outreach (E/PO) community, and anyone else interested in accessing or utilizing lunar data. A beta version of the portal and visualization systems is expected to be released in late 2009, with a version 1 release planned for early 2011.

  6. Microcratering within the lunar regolith--a theory and observation.

    PubMed

    Hammond, E C; Berry, F D; Mitchell, F; Barron, D; Cohen, S H

    2000-01-01

    Since the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, there has been substantial analysis of the lunar rocks and soil grains, utilizing more recent advances in electron probe technologies. It is the objective of this research to revisit the theories concerning the microcratering within the lunar regolith. Recent theories have included the idea that the microcratering phenomenon was caused by meteoric impacting onto the lunar surface during early lunar history. Other theories have suggested that the microcratering was a result of secondary ejector associated with micrometeoric and meteoric impact. This research team suggests that microcratering may have been associated with primordial dust during and before the formation of our solar system.

  7. Modeling Respiratory Toxicity of Authentic Lunar Dust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Santana, Patricia A.; James, John T.; Lam, Chiu-Wing

    2010-01-01

    The lunar expeditions of the Apollo operations from the 60 s and early 70 s have generated awareness about lunar dust exposures and their implication towards future lunar explorations. Critical analyses on the reports from the Apollo crew members suggest that lunar dust is a mild respiratory and ocular irritant. Currently, NASA s space toxicology group is functioning with the Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Assessment Group (LADTAG) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to investigate and examine toxic effects to the respiratory system of rats in order to establish permissible exposure levels (PELs) for human exposure to lunar dust. In collaboration with the space toxicology group, LADTAG and NIOSH the goal of the present research is to analyze dose-response curves from rat exposures seven and twenty-eight days after intrapharyngeal instillations, and model the response using BenchMark Dose Software (BMDS) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Via this analysis, the relative toxicities of three types of Apollo 14 lunar dust samples and two control dust samples, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and quartz will be determined. This will be executed for several toxicity endpoints such as cell counts and biochemical markers in bronchoaveolar lavage fluid (BALF) harvested from the rats.

  8. Volatiles in High-K Lunar Basalts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barnes, Jessica J.; McCubbin, Francis M.; Messenger, Scott R.; Nguyen, Ann; Boyce, Jeremy

    2017-01-01

    Chlorine is an unusual isotopic system, being essentially unfractionated ((delta)Cl-37 approximately 0 per mille ) between bulk terrestrial samples and chondritic meteorites and yet showing large variations in lunar (approximately -4 to +81 per mille), martian, and vestan (HED) samples. Among lunar samples, the volatile-bearing mineral apatite (Ca5(PO4)3[F,Cl,OH]) has been studied for volatiles in K-, REE-, and P (KREEP), very high potassium (VHK), low-Ti and high-Ti basalts, as well as samples from the lunar highlands. These studies revealed a positive correlation between in-situ (delta)Cl-37 measurements and bulk incompatible trace elements (ITEs) and ratios. Such trends were interpreted to originate from Cl isotopic fractionation during the degassing of metal chlorides during or shortly after the differentiation of the Moon via a magma ocean. In this study, we investigate the volatile inventories of a group of samples for which new-era volatile data have yet to be reported - the high-K (greater than 2000 ppm bulk K2O), high-Ti, trace element-rich mare basalts. We used isotope imaging on the Cameca NanoSIMS 50L at JSC to obtain the Cl isotopic composition [((Cl-37/(35)Clsample/C-37l/(35)Clstandard)-1)×1000, to get a value in per thousand (per mille)] which ranges from approximately -2.7 +/- 2 per mille to +16.1 +/- 2 per mille (2sigma), as well as volatile abundances (F & Cl) of apatite in samples 10017, 10024 & 10049. Simply following prior models, as lunar rocks with high bulk-rock abundances of ITEs we might expect the high-K, high-Ti basalts to contain apatite characterized by heavily fractionated (delta)Cl-37 values, i.e., Cl obtained from mixing between unfractionated mantle Cl (approximately 0 per mille) and the urKREEP reservoir (possibly fractionated to greater than +25 per mille.). However, the data obtained for the studied samples do not conform to either the early degassing or mixing models. Existing petrogentic models for the origin of the high

  9. The simulation of lunar gravity field recovery from D-VLBI of Chang’E-1 and SELENE lunar orbiters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Jianguo; Ping, Jingsong; Matsumoto, K.; Li, Fei

    2008-07-01

    The lunar gravity field is a foundation to study the lunar interior structure, and to recover the evolution history of the Moon. It is still an open and key topic for lunar science. For above mentioned reasons, it becomes one of the important scientific objectives of recent lunar missions, such as KAGUYA (SELENE) the Japanese lunar mission and Chang’E-1, the Chinese lunar mission. The Chang’E-1 and the SELENE were successfully launched in 2007. It is estimated that these two missions can fly around the Moon longer than 6 months simultaneously. In these two missions, the Chinese new VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) network will be applied for precise orbit determination (POD) by using a differential VLBI (D-VLBI) method during the mission period. The same-beam D-VLBI technique will contribute to recover the lunar gravity field together with other conventional observables, i.e. R&RR (Range and Range Rate) and multi-way Doppler. Taking VLBI tracking conditions into consideration and using the GEODYNII/SOVLE software of GSFC/NASA/USA [Rowlands, D.D., Marshall, J.A., Mccarthy, J., et al. GEODYN II System Description, vols. 1 5. Contractor Report, Hughes STX Corp. Greenbelt, MD, 1997; Ullman, R.E. SOLVE program: mathematical formulation and guide to user input, Hughes/STX Contractor Report, Contract NAS5-31760. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, 1994], we simulated the lunar gravity field recovering ability with and without D-VLBI between the Chang’E-1 and SELENE main satellite. The cases of overlapped flying and tracking period of 30 days, 60 days and 90 days have been analyzed, respectively. The results show that D-VLBI tracking between two lunar satellites can improve the gravity field recovery remarkably. The results and methods introduced in this paper will benefit the actual missions.

  10. Sudbury Igneous Complex: Impact melt or igneous rock? Implications for lunar magmatism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norman, Marc D.

    1992-01-01

    The recent suggestion that the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) is a fractionated impact melt may have profound implications for understanding the lunar crust and the magmatic history of the Moon. A cornerstone of much current thought on the Moon is that the development of the lunar crust can be traced through the lineage of 'pristine' igneous rocks. However, if rocks closely resembling those from layered igneous intrusions can be produced by differentiation of a large impact melt sheet, then much of what is thought to be known about the Moon may be called into question. This paper presents a brief evaluation of the SIC as a differentiated impact melt vs. endogenous igneous magma and possible implications for the magmatic history of the lunar crust.

  11. Nebular chemistry and theories of lunar origin

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larimer, John W.

    1986-01-01

    The cosmic history of planetary matter is traced from nucleosynthesis through accretion in an attempt to understand the origin of the moon. It is noted that nebular processes must be considered in any theory of lunar origin and that planetary differentiation and volcanism determine the final character of lunar rocks. The moon's unique blend of nebular components suggests that the earth and moon accreted from the same mix of components as the proto-moon orbited the proto-earth, with the earth winning and the moon progressively losing, its solar complement of the components.

  12. The Violent Early Solar System, as Told by Lunar Sample Geochronology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, Barbara

    2012-01-01

    One of the legacies of the samples collected by the Apollo and Luna missions is the link forged between radiometric ages of rocks and relative ages according to stratigraphic relationships and impact crater size-frequency distributions. Our current understanding of the history of the inner solar system is based on the relative chronology of individual planets, tied to the absolute geochronology of the Moon via these important samples. Samples from these nearside locations reveal a preponderance of impact-disturbed or recrystallized ages between 3.75 and 3.95 billion years. Argon and lead loss (and correlated disturbances in the Rb-Sr system) have been attributed to metamorphism of the lunar crust by an enormous number of impacts in a brief pulse of time, called the Lunar Cataclysm or Late Heavy Bombardment. Subsequent high-precision geochronometric analyses of Apollo samples and lunar highlands meteorites show a wider range of ages, but very few older than 4 Ga. The paucity of ancient impact melt rocks has been interpreted to mean that either that most impact basins formed at this time, or that ejecta from the large, near-side, young basins dominates the Apollo samples. Selenochronology is getting more complicated: new results question meaning of sample ages, crater counts, crater production functions, and the solar system itself. Improved geological mapping of lunar geologic units and boundaries using multiple remote sensing datasets. High-resolution image-based crater counting of discrete geologic units and relating them to location. Improved understanding of the regolith thickness and its global variation (GRAIL). Tying the sampling of impact-melt rocks to the lunar impact flux. Using improved techniques (magnetic fields, diffusion studies, isotopic analysis) on existing samples. New sample return from benchmark craters, particularly SPA, which appears in 2013 Decadal Survey.

  13. Observing Solar Radio Bursts from the Lunar Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    MacDowall, R. J.; Gopalswamy, N.; Kaiser, M. L.; Lazio, T. J.; Jones, D. L.; Bale, S. D.; Burns, J.; Kasper, J. C.; Weiler, K. W.

    2011-01-01

    Locating low frequency radio observatories on the lunar surface has a number of advantages, including fixes locations for the antennas and no terrestrial interference on the far side of the moon. Here, we describe the Radio Observatory for Lunar Sortie Science (ROLSS), a concept for a low frequency, radio imaging interferometric array designed to study particle acceleration in the corona and inner heliosphere. ROLSS would be deployed during an early lunar sortie or by a robotic rover as part of an unmanned landing. The prime science mission is to image type II and type III solar radio bursts with the aim of determining the sites at and mechanisms by which the radiating particles are accelerated. Secondary science goals include constraining the density of the lunar ionosphere by searching for a low radio frequency cutoff of the solar radio emissions and constraining the low energy electron population in astrophysical sources. Furthermore, ROLSS serves a pathfinder function for larger lunar radio arrays designed for faint sources.

  14. Concepts for manned lunar habitats

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hypes, W. D.; Butterfield, A. J.; King, C. B.; Qualls, G. D.; Davis, W. T.; Gould, M. J.; Nealy, J. E.; Simonsen, L. C.

    1991-01-01

    The design philosophy that will guide the design of early lunar habitats will be based on a compromise between the desired capabilities of the base and the economics of its development and implantation. Preferred design will be simple, make use of existing technologies, require the least amount of lunar surface preparation, and minimize crew activity. Three concepts for an initial habitat supporting a crew of four for 28 to 30 days are proposed. Two of these are based on using Space Station Freedom structural elements modified for use in a lunar-gravity environment. A third concept is proposed that is based on an earlier technology based on expandable modules. The expandable modules offer significant advantages in launch mass and packaged volume reductions. It appears feasible to design a transport spacecraft lander that, once landed, can serve as a habitat and a stand-off for supporting a regolith environmental shield. A permanent lunar base habitat supporting a crew of twelve for an indefinite period can be evolved by using multiple initial habitats. There appears to be no compelling need for an entirely different structure of larger volume and increased complexity of implantation.

  15. Analysis of Lunar Surface Charging for a Candidate Spacecraft Using NASCAP-2K

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parker, Linda; Minow, Joseph; Blackwell, William, Jr.

    2007-01-01

    The characterization of the electromagnetic interaction for a spacecraft in the lunar environment, and identification of viable charging mitigation strategies, is a critical lunar mission design task, as spacecraft charging has important implications both for science applications and for astronaut safety. To that end, we have performed surface charging calculations of a candidate lunar spacecraft for lunar orbiting and lunar landing missions. We construct a model of the spacecraft with candidate materials having appropriate electrical properties using Object Toolkit and perform the spacecraft charging analysis using Nascap-2k, the NASA/AFRL sponsored spacecraft charging analysis tool. We use nominal and atypical lunar environments appropriate for lunar orbiting and lunar landing missions to establish current collection of lunar ions and electrons. In addition, we include a geostationary orbit case to demonstrate a bounding example of extreme (negative) charging of a lunar spacecraft in the geostationary orbit environment. Results from the charging analysis demonstrate that minimal differential potentials (and resulting threat of electrostatic discharge) occur when the spacecraft is constructed entirely of conducting materials, as expected. We compare charging results to data taken during previous lunar orbiting or lunar flyby spacecraft missions.

  16. Apollo 9 Lunar Module in lunar landing configuration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1969-01-01

    View of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module, in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed form the Command/Service Module on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the Lunar Module 'Spider' has been deployed. Note Lunar Module's upper hatch and docking tunnel.

  17. CEV Trajectory Design Considerations for Lunar Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Condon, Gerald L.; Dawn, Timothy; Merriam, Robert S.; Sostaric, Ronald; Westhelle, Carlos H.

    2007-01-01

    The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) translational maneuver Delta-V budget must support both the successful completion of a nominal lunar mission and an "anytime" emergency crew return with the potential for much more demanding orbital maneuvers. This translational Delta-V budget accounts for Earth-based LEO rendezvous with the lunar surface access module (LSAM)/Earth departure stage (EDS) stack, orbit maintenance during the lunar surface stay, an on-orbit plane change to align the CEV orbit for an in-plane LSAM ascent, and the Moon-to-Earth trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver sequence as well as post-TEI TCMs. Additionally, the CEV will have to execute TEI maneuver sequences while observing Earth atmospheric entry interface objectives for lunar high-latitude to equatorial sortie missions as well as near-polar sortie and long duration missions. The combination of these objectives places a premium on appropriately designed trajectories both to and from the Moon to accurately size the translational V and associated propellant mass in the CEV reference configuration and to demonstrate the feasibility of anytime Earth return for all lunar missions. This report examines the design of the primary CEV translational maneuvers (or maneuver sequences) including associated mission design philosophy, associated assumptions, and methodology for lunar sortie missions with up to a 7-day surface stay and with global lunar landing site access as well as for long duration (outpost) missions with up to a 210-day surface stay at or near the polar regions. The analyses presented in this report supports the Constellation Program and CEV project requirement for nominal and anytime abort (early return) by providing for minimum wedge angles, lunar orbit maintenance maneuvers, phasing orbit inclination changes, and lunar departure maneuvers for a CEV supporting an LSAM launch and subsequent CEV TEI to Earth return, anytime during the lunar surface stay.

  18. Microwave Permittivity and Permeability Measurement on Lunar Soils

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barmatz, Martin; Steinfeld, David; Begley, Shelley B.; Winterhalter, Daniel; Allen, Carlton

    2011-01-01

    There has been interest in finding ways to process the lunar regolith since the early analyses of lunar samples returned from the Apollo moon missions. This fact has led to proposals for using microwaves to perform in-situ processing of the lunar soil to support future colonization of the moon. More recently, there has been speculation that the excellent microwave absorption of lunar soil came from the nanophase iron content in the regolith. The motivation for the present study was to begin obtaining a more fundamental understanding of the dielectric and magnetic properties of the regolith at microwave frequencies. A major objective of this study was to obtain information that would help answer the question about whether nanophase iron plays a major role in heating lunar soils. These new measurements over a wide frequency range can also determine the magnitude of the dielectric and magnetic absorption and if there are any resonant features that could be used to enhance processing of the regolith in the future. In addition, these microwave measurements would be useful in confirming that new simulants being developed, particularly those containing nanophase iron, would have the correct composition to simulate the lunar regolith. The results of this study suggest that nanophase iron does not play a major role in heating lunar regolith.

  19. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 17

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    The following topics were discussed: A Model for the Formation of Paterae on Io; LIBS-based Detection of As, Br, C, Cl, P, and S in the VUV Spectral Region in a Mars Atmosphere; Mass Independent Sulfur in Achondrites: Possible Evidence of Photochemistry in the Solar Nebula; Grain Size-dependent Viscosity and Oceans in Icy Satellites; Claritas Paleolake Studied from the MEX HRSC Data; Mars Express HRSC Colors of White Rock, Arabia, Mars; Lava and Flows of the Arcadia Region of Mars; Isotopic Composition of Lunar Soils and the Early Differentiation of the Moon; Trace Element Analysis of Lunar Soils by ICP-MS; Highly Siderophile Elements and Osmium Isotope Systematics in Ureilites: Are the Carbonaceous Veins Primary Components?; Evaporative Evolution of Martian Brines Based on Halogens in Nakhlites and MER Samples; Io from High-Resolution Galileo PPR Data Taken Simultaneously with SSI or NIMS Observations; Loki, Io: Groundbased Observations and a Model for Periodic Overturn; Deconstructing a Few Myths in the Interpretation of Satellite-Altitude Crustal Magnetic Field: Examples from Mars Global Surveyor; Semi-Autonomous Rover Operations: A Mars Technology Program Demonstration; Rotational Studies of Asteroids with Small Telescopes; Mineralogy and Temperature-induced Spectral Investigations of A-type Asteroids 246 Asporina and 446 Aeternitas; and Thermal History Calculations Versus Full Convection Models: Application to the Thermal Evolution of Mercury. Recent Solar-Proton Fluxes

  20. Possible lunar ores

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gillett, Stephen L.

    1991-01-01

    Despite the conventional wisdom that there are no lunar ores, geochemical considerations suggest that local concentrations of useful rare elements exist on the Moon in spite of its extreme dryness. The Moon underwent protracted igneous activity in its history, and certain magmatic processes can concentrate incompatible elements even if anhydrous. Such processes include: (1) separation of a magma into immiscible liquid phases (depending on composition, these could be silicate-silicate, silicate-oxide, silicate-sulfide, or silicate-salt); (2) cumulate deposits in layered igneous intrusions; and (3) concentrations of rare, refractory, lithophile elements (e.g., Be, Li, Zr) in highly differentiated, silica-rich magmas, as in the lunar granites. Terrestrial mining experience indicates that the single most important characteristic of a potential ore is its concentration of the desire element. The utility of a planet as a resource base is that the welter of interacting processes over geologic time can concentrate rare element automatically. This advantage is squandered if adequate exploration for ores is not first carried out.

  1. First Results from NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elphic, R. C.; Colaprete, A.; Horanyi, M.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Delory, G. T.; Noble, S. K.; Boroson, D.; Hine, B.; Salute, J.

    2013-12-01

    As of early August, 2013, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission is scheduled for launch on a Minotaur V rocket from Wallops Flight Facility during a five-day launch period that opens on Sept. 6, 2013 (early Sept. 7 UTC). LADEE will address 40 year-old mysteries of the lunar atmosphere and the question of levitated lunar dust. It will also pioneer the next generation of optical space communications. LADEE will assess the composition of the lunar atmosphere and investigate the processes that control its distribution and variability, including sources, sinks, and surface interactions. LADEE will also determine whether dust is present in the lunar exosphere, and reveal its sources and variability. These investigations are relevant to our understanding of surface boundary exospheres and dust processes occurring at many objects throughout the solar system, address questions regarding the origin and evolution of lunar volatiles, and have potential implications for future exploration activities. Following a successful launch, LADEE will enter a series of phasing orbits, which allows the spacecraft to arrive at the Moon at the proper time and phase. This approach accommodates any dispersion in the Minotaur V launch injection. LADEE's arrival at the moon depends on the launch date, but with the Sept. 6 launch date it should arrive at the Moon in early October. The spacecraft will approach the moon from its leading edge, travel behind the Moon out of sight of the Earth, and then re-emerge and execute a three-minute Lunar Orbit Insertion maneuver. This will place LADEE in an elliptical retrograde equatorial orbit with an orbital period of approximately 24 hours. A series of maneuvers is then performed to reduce the orbit to become nearly circular with a 156-mile (250-kilometer) altitude. Spacecraft checkout and science instrument commissioning will commence in early-October and will nominally span 30 days but can be extended for an additional 30

  2. First Results from NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elphic, R.; Colaprete, A.; Horanyi, M; Mahaffy, Paul; Boroson, D.; Delory, G.; Noble, s; Hine, B; Salute, J.

    2013-01-01

    As of early August, 2013, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission is scheduled for launch on a Minotaur V rocket from Wallops Flight Facility during a five-day launch period that opens on Sept. 6, 2013 (early Sept. 7 UTC). LADEE will address 40 year-old mysteries of the lunar atmosphere and the question of levitated lunar dust. It will also pioneer the next generation of optical space communications. LADEE will assess the composition of the lunar atmosphere and investigate the processes that control its distribution and variability, including sources, sinks, and surface interactions. LADEE will also determine whether dust is present in the lunar exosphere, and reveal its sources and variability. These investigations are relevant to our understanding of surface boundary exospheres and dust processes occurring at many objects throughout the solar system, address questions regarding the origin and evolution of lunar volatiles, and have potential implications for future exploration activities. Following a successful launch, LADEE will enter a series of phasing orbits, which allows the spacecraft to arrive at the Moon at the proper time and phase. This approach accommodates any dispersion in the Minotaur V launch injection. LADEE's arrival at the moon in early October. The spacecraft will approach the moon from its leading edge, travel behind the Moon out of sight of the Earth, and then re-emerge and execute a three-minute Lunar Orbit Insertion maneuver. This will place LADEE in an elliptical retrograde equatorial orbit with an orbital period of approximately 24 hours. A series of maneuvers is then performed to reduce the orbit to become nearly circular with a 156-mile (250- kilometer) altitude. Spacecraft checkout and science instrument commissioning will commence in early-October and will nominally span 30 days but can be extended for an additional 30 days in the event of contingencies. Following commissioning, the 100-day Science Phase is

  3. Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Experiment (LUTE), phase A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcbrayer, Robert O.

    1994-01-01

    The Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Experiment (LUTE) is a 1-meter telescope for imaging from the lunar surface the ultraviolet spectrum between 1,000 and 3,500 angstroms. There have been several endorsements of the scientific value of a LUTE. In addition to the scientific value of LUTE, its educational value and the information it can provide on the design of operating hardware for long-term exposure in the lunar environment are important considerations. This report provides the results of the LUTE phase A activity begun at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in early 1992. It describes the objective of LUTE (science, engineering, and education), a feasible reference design concept that has evolved, and the subsystem trades that were accomplished during the phase A.

  4. Electrostatic Power Generation from Negatively Charged, Simulated Lunar Regolith

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Choi, Sang H.; King, Glen C.; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Yeonjoon

    2010-01-01

    Research was conducted to develop an electrostatic power generator for future lunar missions that facilitate the utilization of lunar resources. The lunar surface is known to be negatively charged from the constant bombardment of electrons and protons from the solar wind. The resulting negative electrostatic charge on the dust particles, in the lunar vacuum, causes them to repel each other minimizing the potential. The result is a layer of suspended dust about one meter above the lunar surface. This phenomenon was observed by both Clementine and Surveyor spacecrafts. During the Apollo 17 lunar landing, the charged dust was a major hindrance, as it was attracted to the astronauts' spacesuits, equipment, and the lunar buggies. The dust accumulated on the spacesuits caused reduced visibility for the astronauts, and was unavoidably transported inside the spacecraft where it caused breathing irritation [1]. In the lunar vacuum, the maximum charge on the particles can be extremely high. An article in the journal "Nature", titled "Moon too static for astronauts?" (Feb 2, 2007) estimates that the lunar surface is charged with up to several thousand volts [2]. The electrostatic power generator was devised to alleviate the hazardous effects of negatively charged lunar soil by neutralizing the charged particles through capacitive coupling and thereby simultaneously harnessing power through electric charging [3]. The amount of power generated or collected is dependent on the areal coverage of the device and hovering speed over the lunar soil surface. A thin-film array of capacitors can be continuously charged and sequentially discharged using a time-differentiated trigger discharge process to produce a pulse train of discharge for DC mode output. By controlling the pulse interval, the DC mode power can be modulated for powering devices and equipment. In conjunction with a power storage system, the electrostatic power generator can be a power source for a lunar rover or other

  5. The terrestrial late veneer from core disruption of a lunar-sized impactor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Genda, H.; Brasser, R.; Mojzsis, S. J.

    2017-12-01

    Overabundances in highly siderophile elements (HSEs) of Earth's mantle can be explained by conveyance from a singular, immense (D ∼ 3000 km) ;Late Veneer; impactor of chondritic composition, subsequent to lunar formation and terrestrial core-closure. Such rocky objects of approximately lunar mass (∼0.01 M⊕) ought to be differentiated, such that nearly all of their HSE payload is sequestered into iron cores. Here, we analyze the mechanical and chemical fate of the core of such a Late Veneer impactor, and trace how its HSEs are suspended - and thus pollute - the mantle. For the statistically most-likely oblique collision (∼45°), the impactor's core elongates and thereafter disintegrates into a metallic hail of small particles (∼10 m). Some strike the orbiting Moon as sesquinary impactors, but most re-accrete to Earth as secondaries with further fragmentation. We show that a single oblique impactor provides an adequate amount of HSEs to the primordial terrestrial silicate reservoirs via oxidation of (early Hadean Earth.

  6. Proceedings of a workshop on Lunar Volcanic Glasses: Scientific and Resource Potential

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delano, John W. (Editor); Heiken, Grant H. (Editor)

    1990-01-01

    This workshop on lunar mare volcanism was the first since 1975 to deal with the major scientific advances that have occurred in this general subject, and the first ever to deal specifically with volcanic glasses. Lunar volcanic glasses are increasingly being recognized as the best geochemical and petrologic probes into the lunar mantle. Lunar volcanic glasses, of which 25 compositional varieties are presently known, appear to represent primary magmas that were produced by partial melting of differentiated mantle source regions at depths of perhaps 400 to 500 km. These high-magnesian picritic magmas were erupted onto the lunar surface in fire fountains associated with the release of indigenous lunar volatiles. The cosmic significance of this volatile component, in an otherwise depleted Moon, remains a lingering puzzle. The resource potential, if any, of the surface-correlated volatile sublimates on the volcanic glass spherules had not been systematically addressed prior to this workshop.

  7. Production of Lunar Concrete Using Molten Sulfur

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Omar, Husam A.

    1993-01-01

    The United States has made a commitment to go back to the moon to stay in the early part of the next century. In order to achieve this objective it became evident to NASA that a Lunar Outpost will be needed to house scientists and astronauts who will be living on the moon for extended periods of time. A study has been undertaken by the authors and supported by NASA to study the feasibility of using lunar regolith with different binders such as molten sulfur, epoxy or hydraulic cement as a construction material for different lunar structures. The basic premise of this study is that it will be more logical and cost effective to manufacture lunar construction materials utilizing indigenous resources rather than transporting needed materials from earth. Lunar concrete (made from Hydraulic Cement and lunar soil) has been studied and suggested as the construction material of choice for some of the lunar projects. Unfortunately, its hydration requires water which is going to be a precious commodity on the moon. Therefore this study explores the feasibility of using binders other than hydraulic cement such as sulfur or epoxy with lunar regolith as a construction material. This report describes findings of this study which deals specifically with using molten sulfur as a binder for Lunar concrete. It describes laboratory experiments in which the sulfur to lunar soil simulant ratios by weight were varied to study the minimum amount of sulfur required to produce a particular strength. The compressive and tensile strengths of these mixes were evaluated. Metal and fiber glass fibers were added to some of the mixes to study their effects on the compressive and tensile strengths. This report also describes experiments where the sulfur is melted and mixed with the lunar regolith in a specially designed vacuum chamber. The properties of the produced concrete were compared to those of concrete produced under normal pressure.

  8. Early Dynamics of the Moon's Core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cuk, Matija; Hamilton, Douglas; Stewart, Sarah T.

    2018-04-01

    The Moon has a small molten iron core (Williams et al. 2006). Remanent magnetization in lunar rocks likely derives from a past lunar dynamo (Wieczorek 2018 and references therein), which may have been powered by differential precession between the mantle and the core. The rotations of the lunar mantle and core were largely decoupled for much of lunar history, with a large mutual offset during the Cassini State Transition (Meyer and Wisdom, 2011). It is likely that the past work underestimated lunar obliquities, and therefore core offsets, during early lunar history (Cuk et al. 2016). Here we investigate the dynamics of the lunar core and mantle using a Lie-Poisson numerical integrator (Touma and Wisdom 2001) which includes interactions between triaxial core and mantle, as well as all gravitational and tidal effects included in the model of Cuk et al. (2016). Since we assume a rigid triaxial mantle, this model is applicable to the Moon only once it has acquired its current shape, which probably happened before the Moon reached 25 Earth radii. While some details of the core dynamics depend on our assumptions about the shape of the lunar core-mantle boundary, we can report some robust preliminary findings. The presence of the core does not change significantly the evolutionary scenario of Cuk et al. (2016). The core and mantle are indeed decoupled, with the core having a much smaller obliquity to the ecliptic than the mantle for almost all of the lunar history. The core was largely in an equivalent of Cassini State 2, with the vernal equinoxes (wrt the ecliptic) of the core and the mantle being anti-aligned. The core-mantle spin axis offset has been very large during the Moon's first billion years (this is true both in canonical and high-inclination tidal evolution), causing the lunar core to be sub-synchronous. If the ancient lunar magnetic dipole was rotating around the core axis that was inclined to the Moon's spin axis, then the magnetic poles would move across

  9. Low-energy Lunar Trajectories with Lunar Flybys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, B. W.; Li, Y. S.

    2017-09-01

    The low-energy lunar trajectories with lunar flybys are investigated in the Sun-Earth-Moon bicircular problem (BCP). Accordingly, the characteristics of the distribution of trajectories in the phase space are summarized. To begin with, by using invariant manifolds of the BCP system, the low-energy lunar trajectories with lunar flybys are sought based on the BCP model. Secondly, through the treating time as an augmented dimension in the phase space of nonautonomous system, the state space map that reveals the distribution of these lunar trajectories in the phase space is given. As a result, it is become clear that low-energy lunar trajectories exist in families, and every moment of a Sun-Earth-Moon synodic period can be the departure date. Finally, the changing rule of departure impulse, midcourse impulse at Poincaré section, transfer duration, and system energy of different families are analyzed. Consequently, the impulse optimal family and transfer duration optimal family are obtained respectively.

  10. Progress of the NASAUSGS Lunar Regolith Simulant Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rickman, Douglas; McLemore, C.; Stoeser, D.; Schrader, C.; Fikes, J.; Street, K.

    2009-01-01

    Beginning in 2004 personnel at MSFC began serious efforts to develop a new generation of lunar simulants. The first two products were a replication of the previous JSC-1 simulant under a contract to Orbitec and a major workshop in 2005 on future simulant development. It was recognized in early 2006 there were serious limitations with the standard approach of simply taking a single terrestrial rock and grinding it. To a geologist, even a cursory examination of the Lunar Sourcebook shows that matching lunar heterogeneity, crystal size, relative mineral abundances, lack of H2O, plagioclase chemistry and glass abundance simply can not be done with any simple combination of terrestrial rocks. Thus the project refocused its efforts and approached simulant development in a new and more comprehensive manner, examining new approaches in simulant development and ways to more accurately compare simulants to actual lunar materials. This led to a multi-year effort with five major tasks running in parallel. The five tasks are Requirements, Lunar Analysis, Process Development, Feed Stocks, and Standards.

  11. Apollo 9 Lunar Module in lunar landing configuration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1969-01-01

    View of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module, in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed form the Command/Service Module on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 earth-orbital mission. The Lunar Module 'Spider' is flying upside down in relation to the earth below. The landing gear on the 'Spider' had been deployed. Lunar surface probes (sensors) extend out from the landing gear foot pads.

  12. Viscous relaxation of the Moho under large lunar basins

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, C. David; Grimm, Robert E.

    1993-01-01

    Viscously relaxed topography on the Moon is evidence of a period in lunar history of higher internal temperatures and greater surface activity. Previous work has demonstrated the viscous relaxation of the Tranquilitatis basin surface. Profiles of the lunar Moho under nine basins were constructed from an inversion of lunar gravity data. These profiles show a pattern of increasingly subdued relief with age, for which two explanations have been proposed. First, ancient basins may have initially had extreme Moho relief like that of younger basins like Orientale, but, due to higher internal temperatures in early lunar history, this relief viscously relaxed to that observed today. Second, ductile flow in the crust immediately after basin formation resulted in an initially shallow basin and subdued mantle uplift. The intent is to test the first hypothesis.

  13. Ocular Toxicity Testing of Lunar Dust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyers, Valerie E.

    2010-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the use of ocular testing to determine the toxicity of lunar dust. The OECD recommendations are reviewed. With these recommendations in mind the test methodology was to use EpiOcular, tissues derived from normal human epidermal keratinocytes, the cells of which have been differentiated on cell culture inserts to form a multi-layered structure, which closely parallels the corneal epithelium and to dose the tissue with 100 mg dust from various sources. The in-vitro study provides evidence that lunar dust is not severely corrosive or irritating, however, in vitro tests have limitations, and in vivo tests provides a more complete scenario, and information, it is recommended that in vivo tests be performed.

  14. Lunar rover navigation concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burke, James D.

    1993-01-01

    With regard to the navigation of mobile lunar vehicles on the surface, candidate techniques are reviewed and progress of simulations and experiments made up to now are described. Progress that can be made through precursor investigations on Earth is considered. In the early seventies the problem was examined in a series of relevant tests made in the California desert. Meanwhile, Apollo rovers made short exploratory sorties and robotic Lunokhods traveled over modest distances on the Moon. In these early missions some of the required methods were demonstrated. The navigation problem for a lunar traverse can be viewed in three parts: to determine the starting point with enough accuracy to enable the desired mission; to determine the event sequence required to reach the site of each traverse objective; and to redetermine actual positions enroute. The navigator's first tool is a map made from overhead imagery. The Moon was almost completely photographed at moderate resolution by spacecraft launched in the sixties, but that data set provides imprecise topographic and selenodetic information. Therefore, more advanced orbital missions are now proposed as part of a resumed lunar exploration program. With the mapping coverage expected from such orbiters, it will be possible to use a combination of visual landmark navigation and external radio and optical references (Earth and Sun) to achieve accurate surface navigation almost everywhere on the near side of the Moon. On the far side and in permanently dark polar areas, there are interesting exploration targets where additional techniques will have to be used.

  15. Workshop on Pristine Highlands Rocks and the early History of the Moon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Longhi, J. (Editor); Ryder, G. (Editor)

    1983-01-01

    Oxide composition of the Moon, evidence for an initially totally molten Moon, geophysical contraints on lunar composition, random sampling of a layered intrusion, lunar highland rocks, early evolution of the Moon, mineralogy and petrology of the pristine rocks, relationship of the pristine nonmore rocks to the highlands soils and breccias, ferroan anorthositic norite, early lunar igneous history, compositional variation in ferroan anosthosites, a lunar magma ocean, deposits of lunar pristine rocks, lunar and planetary compositions and early fractionation in the solar nebula, Moon composition models, petrogenesis in a Moon with a chondritic refractory lithophile pattern, a terrestrial analog of lunar ilmenite bearing camulates, and the lunar magma ocean are summarized.

  16. Lunar Exploration Orbiter (LEO)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaumann, R.; Spohn, T.; Hiesinger, H.; Jessberger, E. K.; Neukum, G.; Oberst, J.; Helbert, J.; Christensen, U.; Keller, H. U.; Mall, U.; Böhnhardt, H.; Hartogh, P.; Glassmeier, K.-H.; Auster, H.-U.; Moreira, A.; Werner, M.; Pätzold, M.; Palme, H.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R.; Mandea, M.; Lesur, V.; Häusler, B.; Hördt, A.; Eichentopf, K.; Hauber, E.; Hoffmann, H.; Köhler, U.; Kührt, E.; Michaelis, H.; Pauer, M.; Sohl, F.; Denk, T.; van Gasselt, S.

    2007-08-01

    The Moon is an integral part of the Earth-Moon system, it is a witness to more than 4.5 b. y. of solar system history, and it is the only planetary body except Earth for which we have samples from known locations. The Moon is our closest companion and can easily be reached from Earth at any time, even with a relatively modest financial budget. Consequently, the Moon was the first logical step in the exploration of our solar system before we pursued more distant targets such as Mars and beyond. The vast amount of knowledge gained from the Apollo and other lunar missions of the late 1960's and early 1970's demonstrates how valuable the Moon is for the understanding of our planetary system. Even today, the Moon remains an extremely interesting target scientifically and technologically, as ever since, new data have helped to address some of our questions about the Earth-Moon system, many questions remained. Therefore, returning to the Moon is the critical stepping-stone to further exploring our immediate planetary neighborhood. In this concept study, we present scientific and technological arguments for a national German lunar mission, the Lunar Explorations Orbiter (LEO). Numerous space-faring nations have realized and identified the unique opportunities related to lunar exploration and have planned missions to the Moon within the next few years. Among these missions, LEO will be unique, because it will globally explore the Moon in unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. LEO will significantly improve our understanding of the lunar surface composition, surface ages, mineralogy, physical properties, interior, thermal history, gravity field, regolith structure, and magnetic field. The Lunar Explorations Orbiter will carry an entire suite of innovative, complementary technologies, including high-resolution camera systems, several spectrometers that cover previously unexplored parts of the electromagnetic spectrum over a broad range of wavelengths, microwave and

  17. Lunar Roving Vehicle photographed against lunar background during EVA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1971-08-01

    AS15-88-11901 (31 July-2 Aug. 1971) --- The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is photographed alone against the desolate lunar background during the third Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. This view is looking north. The west edge of Mount Hadley is at the upper right edge of the picture. Mount Hadley rises approximately 4,500 meters (about 4,765 feet) above the plain. The most distant lunar feature visible is approximately 25 kilometers (about 15.5 statute miles) away. While astronauts David R. Scott, commander; and James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM) "Falcon" to explore the moon, astronaut Alfred M. Worden, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit.

  18. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Lunar Rocks from Outer Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    The following topics were discussed: Mineralogy and Petrology of Unbrecciated Lunar Basaltic Meteorite LAP 02205; LAP02205 Lunar Meteorite: Lunar Mare Basalt with Similarities to the Apollo 12 Ilmenite Basalt; Mineral Chemistry of LaPaz Ice Field 02205 - A New Lunar Basalt; Petrography of Lunar Meteorite LAP 02205, a New Low-Ti Basalt Possibly Launch Paired with NWA 032; KREEP-rich Basaltic Magmatism: Diversity of Composition and Consistency of Age; Mineralogy of Yamato 983885 Lunar Polymict Breccia with Alkali-rich and Mg-rich Rocks; Ar-Ar Studies of Dhofar Clast-rich Feldspathic Highland Meteorites: 025, 026, 280, 303; Can Granulite Metamorphic Conditions Reset 40Ar-39Ar Ages in Lunar Rocks? [#1009] A Ferroan Gabbronorite Clast in Lunar Meteorite ALHA81005: Major and Trace Element Composition, and Origin; Petrography of Lunar Meteorite PCA02007, a New Feldspathic Regolith Breccia; and Troilite Formed by Sulfurization: A Crystal Structure of Synthetic Analogue

  19. Coupled 182W-142Nd constraint for early Earth differentiation

    PubMed Central

    Moynier, Frederic; Yin, Qing-Zhu; Irisawa, Keita; Boyet, Maud; Jacobsen, Benjamin; Rosing, Minik T.

    2010-01-01

    Recent high precision 142Nd isotope measurements showed that global silicate differentiation may have occurred as early as 30–75 Myr after the Solar System formation [Bennett V, et al. (2007) Science 318:1907–1910]. This time scale is almost contemporaneous with Earth’s core formation at ∼30 Myr [Yin Q, et al. (2002) Nature 418:949–952]. The 182Hf-182W system provides a powerful complement to the 142Nd results for early silicate differentiation, because both core formation and silicate differentiation fractionate Hf from W. Here we show that eleven terrestrial samples from diverse tectonic settings, including five early Archean samples from Isua, Greenland, of which three have been previously shown with 142Nd anomalies, all have a homogeneous W isotopic composition, which is ∼2ε-unit more radiogenic than the chondritic value. By using a 3-stage model calculation that describes the isotopic evolution in chondritic reservoir and core segregation, as well as silicate differentiation, we show that the W isotopic composition of terrestrial samples provides the most stringent time constraint for early core formation (27.5–38 Myr) followed by early terrestrial silicate differentiation (38–75 Myr) that is consistent with the terrestrial 142Nd anomalies. PMID:20534492

  20. Lunar Flashlight and Other Lunar Cubesats

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, Barbara

    2017-01-01

    Water is a human-exploitable resource. Lunar Flashlight is a Cubesat mission to detect and map lunar surface ice in permanently-shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. EM-1 will carry 13 Cubesat-class missions to further smallsat science and exploration capabilities; much room to infuse LEO cubesat methodology, models, and technology. Exploring the value of concurrent measurements to measure dynamical processes of water sources and sinks.

  1. Differentiation and volcanism in the lunar highlands: photogeologic evidence and Apollo 16 implications

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Trask, N.J.; McCauley, J.F.

    1972-01-01

    Materials of possible volcanic origin in the lunar highlands include (1) highland plains materials, (2) materials forming closely spaced hills in which summit furrows and chains of craters are common and (3) materials forming closely spaced hills (some of which parallel the lunar grid) on which summit furrows and chain craters are rare. The highland plains materials probably are basaltic lavas with less Fe and Ti than the mare plains materials. The two hilly units appear to consist of materials that, if volcanic, were more viscous in the molten state than any of the lunar plains units; thus these materials may be significantly enriched in felsic components. Most of the highland materials of possible volcanic origin formed after the Imbrium multi-ring basin but before mare material completed flooding parts of the moon; they therefore postdate accretion of the moon and may represent several episodes of premare volcanism. ?? 1972.

  2. Apollo 9 Lunar Module in lunar landing configuration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1969-01-01

    View of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module, in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed form the Command/Service Module on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the 'Spider' has been deployed. Lunar surface probes (sensors) extend out from the landing gear foot pads. Inside the 'Spider' were Astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot.

  3. Space Launch System Trans Lunar Payload Delivery Capability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackman, A. L.; Smith, D. A.

    2016-01-01

    NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) of the heavy lift Space Launch System (SLS) and is working towards first flight of the vehicle in 2018. SLS will begin flying crewed missions with an Orion to a lunar vicinity every year after the first 2 flights starting in the early 2020's. So as early as 2021 these Orion flights will deliver ancillary payload, termed "Co-Manifested Payload", with a mass of at least 5.5 metric tons and volume up to 280 cubic meters to a cis-lunar destination. Later SLS flights have a goal of delivering as much as 10 metric tons to a cis-lunar destination. This presentation will describe the ground and flight accommodations, interfaces, and resources planned to be made available to Co-Manifested Payload providers as part of the SLS system. An additional intention is to promote a two-way dialogue between vehicle developers and potential payload users in order to most efficiently evolve required SLS capabilities to meet diverse payload requirements.

  4. Our Lunar Destiny: Creating a Lunar Economy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rohwer, Christopher J.

    2000-01-01

    "Our Lunar Destiny: Creating a Lunar Economy" supports a vision of people moving freely and economically between the earth and the Moon in an expansive space and lunar economy. It makes the economic case for the creation of a lunar space economy and projects the business plan that will make the venture an economic success. In addition, this paper argues that this vision can be created and sustained only by private enterprise and the legal right of private property in space and on the Moon. Finally, this paper advocates the use of lunar land grants as the key to unleashing the needed capital and the economic power of private enterprise in the creation of a 21st century lunar space economy. It is clear that the history of our United States economic system proves the value of private property rights in the creation of any new economy. It also teaches us that the successful development of new frontiers-those that provide economic opportunity for freedom-loving people-are frontiers that encourage, respect and protect the possession of private property and the fruits of labor and industry. Any new 21st century space and lunar economy should therefore be founded on this same principle.

  5. Lunar Resources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Edmunson, Jennifer

    2010-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the lunar resources that we know are available for human use while exploration of the moon. Some of the lunar resources that are available for use are minerals, sunlight, solar wind, water and water ice, rocks and regolith. The locations for some of the lunar resouces and temperatures are reviewed. The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission, and its findings are reviewed. There is also discussion about water retention in Permament Shadowed Regions of the Moon. There is also discussion about the Rock types on the lunar surface. There is also discussion of the lunar regolith, the type and the usages that we can have from it.

  6. Astronaut Eugene Cernan drives the Lunar Roving Vehicle during first EVA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1972-12-10

    AS17-147-22526 (11 Dec. 1972) --- Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander, makes a short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during the early part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. This view of the "stripped down" LRV is prior to loading up. Equipment later loaded onto the LRV included the ground-controlled television assembly, the lunar communications relay unit, hi-gain antenna, low-gain antenna, aft tool pallet, lunar tools and scientific gear. This photograph was taken by scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. The mountain in the right background is the east end of South Massif. While astronauts Cernan and Schmitt descended in the Lunar Module (LM) "Challenger" to explore the moon, astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "America" in lunar orbit.

  7. Lunar Analog

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cromwell, Ronita L.

    2009-01-01

    In this viewgraph presentation, a ground-based lunar analog is developed for the return of manned space flight to the Moon. The contents include: 1) Digital Astronaut; 2) Bed Design; 3) Lunar Analog Feasibility Study; 4) Preliminary Data; 5) Pre-pilot Study; 6) Selection of Stockings; 7) Lunar Analog Pilot Study; 8) Bed Design for Lunar Analog Pilot.

  8. Electrostatic Beneficiation of Lunar Simulant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trigwell, Steve; Captain, James; Captain, Janine; Arens, Ellen; Quinn, Jacqueline; Calle, Carlos

    2006-01-01

    Electrostatic beneficiation of lunar regolith is a method allowing refinement of specific minerals in the material for processing on the moon. The use of tribocharging the regolith prior to separation was investigated on the lunar simulant MLS-I by passing the dust through static mixers constructed from different materials; aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The amount of charge acquired by the simulant was dependent upon the difference in the work function of the dust and the charging material. XPS and SEM were used to characterize the simulant after it was sieved into five size fractions (> 100 pm, 75-100 pm, 50- 75 pm, 50-25 pm, and < 25 pm), where very little difference in surface composition was observed between the sizes. Samples of the smallest (< 25 pm) and largest (> 100 pm) size fractions were beneficiated through a charge separator using the aluminum (charged the simulant negatively) and PTFE (charged positively) mixers. The mass fractions of the separated simulant revealed that for the larger particle size, significant unipolar charging was observed for both mixers, whereas for the smaller particle sizes, more bipolar charging was observed, probably due to the finer simulant adhering to the inside of the mixers shielding the dust from the charging material. Subsequent XPS analysis of the beneficiated fractions showed the larger particle size fraction having some species differentiation, but very little difference for the smaller.size. Although MLS-1 was made to have similar chemistry to actual lunar dust, its mineralogy is quite different. On-going experiments are using NASA JSC-1 lunar simulant. A vacuum chamber has been constructed, and future experiments are planned in a simulated lunar environment.

  9. Apollo 9 Lunar Module in lunar landing configuration

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-03-07

    AS09-21-3199 (7 March 1969) --- Excellent view of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module, "Spider," in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed from the Command and Service Modules on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the "Spider" has been deployed. Lunar surface probes (sensors) extend out from the landing gear foot pads. Inside the "Spider" were astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the Command Module, "Gumdrop," while the other two astronauts checked out the Lunar Module.

  10. Apollo 9 Lunar Module in lunar landing configuration

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-03-07

    AS09-21-3212 (7 March 1969) --- A view of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module (LM), "Spider", in a lunar landing configuration, as photographed from the Command and Service Modules (CSM) on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the "Spider" has been deployed. Lunar surface probes (sensors) extend out from landing gear foot pads. Inside the "Spider" were astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander, and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the Command Module (CM), "Gumdrop", while the other two astronauts checked out the Lunar Module.

  11. Lunar Flashlight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, John; Cohen, Barbara; Walden, Amy

    2015-01-01

    The Lunar Flashlight is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory project, with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) serving as the principal investigator and providing the solar sail propulsion system. The goal of Lunar Flashlight is to determine the presence and abundance of exposed lunar water ice within permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar south pole, and to map its concentration at the 1-2 kilometer scale to support future exploration and use. After being ejected in cis-lunar space by the launch vehicle, Lunar Flashlight deploys solar panels and an 85-square-meter solar sail and maneuvers into a low-energy transfer to lunar orbit. The solar sail and attitude control system work to bring the satellite into an elliptical polar orbit, spiraling down over a period of 18 months to a perilune of 30-10 kilometers above the south pole for data collection. Lunar Flashlight uses its solar sail to shine reflected sunlight onto the lunar surface, measuring surface reflectance with a four-filter point spectrometer. The spectrometer measures water ice absorption features (1.5, 1.95 microns) and the continuum between them (1.1, 1.9 microns). The ratios of water ice bands to the continuum will provide a measure of the abundance of surface frost and its variability across PSRs. Water ice abundance will be correlated with other data from previous missions, such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, to provide future human and robotic explorers with a map of potential resources. The mission is enabled by the use of an 85-square-meter solar sail being developed by MSFC.

  12. Lunar Prospector: a Preliminary Surface Remote Sensing Resource Assessment for the Moon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mardon, A. A.

    1992-01-01

    The potential existence of lunar volatiles is a scientific discovery that could distinctly change the direction of pathways of inner solar system human expansion. With a dedicated germanium gamma ray spectrometer launched in the early 1990's, surface water concentrations of 0.7 percent could be detected immediately upon full lunar polar orbit operations. The expense of lunar base construction and operation would be dramatically reduced over a scenario with no lunar volatile resources. Global surface mineral distribution could be mapped out and integrated into a GIS database for lunar base site selection. Extensive surface lunar mapping would also result in the utilization of archived Apollo images. A variety of remote sensing systems and their parameters have been proposed for use in the detection of these lunar ice masses. The detection or nondetection of subsurface and surface ice masses in lunar polar crater floors could dramatically direct the development pathways that the human race might follow in its radiation from the Earth to habitable locales in the inner terran solar system. Potential sources of lunar volatiles are described. The use of remote sensing to detect lunar volatiles is addressed.

  13. The granulite suite: Impact melts and metamorphic breccias of the early lunar crust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cushing, J. A.; Taylor, G. J.; Norman, M. D.; Keil, K.

    1993-03-01

    The granulite suite consists of two major types of rocks. One is coarse-grained and poikilitic with many euhedral crystals of olivine and plagioclase. These characteristics indicate crystallization from a melt; the poikilitic granulites are impact melt breccias. The other group is finer-grained and granoblastic, with numerous triple junctions; the granoblastic granulites are metamorphic rocks. Compositional groups identified by Lindstrom and Lindstrom contain both textural types. Two pyroxene thermometry indicates that both groups equilibrated at 1000 to 1150 C. Calculations suggest that the granoblastic group, which has an average grain size of about 80 microns, was annealed for less than 6 x 10 exp 4 y at 1000 C, and for less than 2500 y at 1150 C. Similar equilibration temperatures suggest that both groups were physically associated after impact events produced the poikilitic melts. Granulitic impactites hold important information about the pre-Nectarian bombardment history of the Moon, and the composition and thermal evolution of the early lunar crust. Granulitic impactites are widely considered to be an important rock type in the lunar crust, but how they formed is poorly understood. Metal compositions and elevated concentrations of meteoritic siderophile elements suggest that most lunar granulites are impact breccias. Their occurrence as clasts in approximately 3.9 Ga breccias, and Ar-(40-39) ages greater than or = 4.2 Ga for some granulites show that they represent a component of the lunar crust which formed prior to the Nectarian cataclysm. Petrographic characteristics of lunar granulites indicate at least two endmember textural variants which apparently formed in fundamentally different ways. One type has granoblastic textures consisting of equant, polygonal to rounded grains, and abundant triple junctions with small dispersions around 120 degrees indicating a close approach to textural equilibrium. As suggested by many authors, granoblastic granulites

  14. The granulite suite: Impact melts and metamorphic breccias of the early lunar crust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cushing, J. A.; Taylor, G. J.; Norman, M. D.; Keil, K.

    1993-01-01

    The granulite suite consists of two major types of rocks. One is coarse-grained and poikilitic with many euhedral crystals of olivine and plagioclase. These characteristics indicate crystallization from a melt; the poikilitic granulites are impact melt breccias. The other group is finer-grained and granoblastic, with numerous triple junctions; the granoblastic granulites are metamorphic rocks. Compositional groups identified by Lindstrom and Lindstrom contain both textural types. Two pyroxene thermometry indicates that both groups equilibrated at 1000 to 1150 C. Calculations suggest that the granoblastic group, which has an average grain size of about 80 microns, was annealed for less than 6 x 10 exp 4 y at 1000 C, and for less than 2500 y at 1150 C. Similar equilibration temperatures suggest that both groups were physically associated after impact events produced the poikilitic melts. Granulitic impactites hold important information about the pre-Nectarian bombardment history of the Moon, and the composition and thermal evolution of the early lunar crust. Granulitic impactites are widely considered to be an important rock type in the lunar crust, but how they formed is poorly understood. Metal compositions and elevated concentrations of meteoritic siderophile elements suggest that most lunar granulites are impact breccias. Their occurrence as clasts in approximately 3.9 Ga breccias, and Ar-(40-39) ages greater than or = 4.2 Ga for some granulites show that they represent a component of the lunar crust which formed prior to the Nectarian cataclysm. Petrographic characteristics of lunar granulites indicate at least two endmember textural variants which apparently formed in fundamentally different ways. One type has granoblastic textures consisting of equant, polygonal to rounded grains, and abundant triple junctions with small dispersions around 120 degrees indicating a close approach to textural equilibrium. As suggested by many authors, granoblastic granulites

  15. Astronaut Charles Conrad uses lunar equipment conveyer at Lunar Module

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-11-19

    Astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., commander, uses the lunar equipment conveyer (LEC) at the Lunar Module during the Apollo 12 extravehicular activity on the lunar surface. This photograph was taken by Astronaut Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot.

  16. Environmental control and life support system selection for the first Lunar outpost habitat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, Alan

    1993-01-01

    The planning for and feasibility study of an early human return mission to the lunar surface has been undertaken. The First Lunar Outpost (FLO) Mission philosophy is to use existing or near-term technology to achieve a human landing on the lunar surface in the year 2000. To support the crew the lunar habitat for the FLO mission incorporates an environmental control/life support system (ECLSS) design which meets the mission requirements and balances fixed mass and consumable mass. This tradeoff becomes one of regenerable life support systems versus open-loop systems.

  17. Candidate samples for the earliest lunar crust

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jovanovic, S.; Reed, G.W. Jr.

    1980-01-01

    A group of non-mare samples has a Cl/P/sub 2/O/sub 5/ ratio that is much lower than in other lunar samples. Two clusters of samples with order(s) of magnitude differences in minor and trace element contents make up the group. They were all returned from non-mare sites; no mare basalt or Apollo 16 anorthositic samples are included. It is proposed that these samples could be relics from an original lunar crustal layer which evolved more or less independently but concurrently with the differentiation of an underlying deep magma ocean from which all other samples were eventually derived. 2 tables.

  18. Genesis of the Lunar Landing Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gelzer, Christian

    2009-01-01

    The author examines early research regarding return flight from a Moon landing made prior to President Kennedy's 1961 challenge to put men on the Moon before the end of the decade. Organizations involved in early research include NACA, the Flight Research Center (now Dryden) Bell Aircraft Corporation. The discussion focuses on development of a flight simulator to model the Moon's reduced gravity and development of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle.

  19. Lunar studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gold, T.

    1979-01-01

    Experimental and theoretical research, concerning lunar surface processes and the nature, origin and derivation of the lunar surface cover, conducted during the period of February 1, 1971 through January 31, 1976 is presented. The principle research involved were: (1) electrostatic dust motion and transport process; (2) seismology properties of fine rock powders in lunar conditions; (3) surface processes that darken the lunar soil and affect the surface chemical properties of the soil grains; (4) laser simulation of micrometeorite impacts (estimation of the erosion rate caused by the microemeteorite flux); (5) the exposure history of the lunar regolith; and (6) destruction of amino acids by exposure to a simulation of the solar wind at the lunar surface. Research papers are presented which cover these general topics.

  20. Chemical Convention in the Lunar Core from Melting Experiments on the Ironsulfur System

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, J.; Liu, J.; Chen, B.

    2012-03-26

    By reanalyzing Apollo lunar seismograms using array-processing methods, a recent study suggests that the Moon has a solid inner core and a fluid outer core, much like the Earth. The volume fraction of the lunar inner core is 38%, compared with 4% for the Earth. The pressure at the Moon's core-mantle boundary is 4.8 GPa, and that at the ICB is 5.2 GPa. The partially molten state of the lunar core provides constraints on the thermal and chemical states of the Moon: The temperature at the inner core boundary (ICB) corresponds to the liquidus of the outer core composition, andmore » the mass fraction of the solid core allows us to infer the bulk composition of the core from an estimated thermal profile. Moreover, knowledge on the extent of core solidification can be used to evaluate the role of chemical convection in the origin of early lunar core dynamo. Sulfur is considered an antifreeze component in the lunar core. Here we investigate the melting behavior of the Fe-S system at the pressure conditions of the lunar core, using the multi-anvil apparatus and synchrotron and laboratory-based analytical methods. Our goal is to understand compositionally driven convection in the lunar core and assess its role in generating an internal magnetic field in the early history of the Moon.« less

  1. Lunar true polar wander inferred from polar hydrogen.

    PubMed

    Siegler, M A; Miller, R S; Keane, J T; Laneuville, M; Paige, D A; Matsuyama, I; Lawrence, D J; Crotts, A; Poston, M J

    2016-03-24

    The earliest dynamic and thermal history of the Moon is not well understood. The hydrogen content of deposits near the lunar poles may yield insight into this history, because these deposits (which are probably composed of water ice) survive only if they remain in permanent shadow. If the orientation of the Moon has changed, then the locations of the shadowed regions will also have changed. The polar hydrogen deposits have been mapped by orbiting neutron spectrometers, and their observed spatial distribution does not match the expected distribution of water ice inferred from present-day lunar temperatures. This finding is in contrast to the distribution of volatiles observed in similar thermal environments at Mercury's poles. Here we show that polar hydrogen preserves evidence that the spin axis of the Moon has shifted: the hydrogen deposits are antipodal and displaced equally from each pole along opposite longitudes. From the direction and magnitude of the inferred reorientation, and from analysis of the moments of inertia of the Moon, we hypothesize that this change in the spin axis, known as true polar wander, was caused by a low-density thermal anomaly beneath the Procellarum region. Radiogenic heating within this region resulted in the bulk of lunar mare volcanism and altered the density structure of the Moon, changing its moments of inertia. This resulted in true polar wander consistent with the observed remnant polar hydrogen. This thermal anomaly still exists and, in part, controls the current orientation of the Moon. The Procellarum region was most geologically active early in lunar history, which implies that polar wander initiated billions of years ago and that a large portion of the measured polar hydrogen is ancient, recording early delivery of water to the inner Solar System. Our hypothesis provides an explanation for the antipodal distribution of lunar polar hydrogen, and connects polar volatiles to the geologic and geophysical evolution of the Moon

  2. Lunar Observer Laser Altimeter observations for lunar base site selection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garvin, James B.; Bufton, Jack L.

    1992-01-01

    One of the critical datasets for optimal selection of future lunar landing sites is local- to regional-scale topography. Lunar base site selection will require such data for both engineering and scientific operations purposes. The Lunar Geoscience Orbiter or Lunar Observer is the ideal precursory science mission from which to obtain this required information. We suggest that a simple laser altimeter instrument could be employed to measure local-scale slopes, heights, and depths of lunar surface features important to lunar base planning and design. For this reason, we have designed and are currently constructing a breadboard of a Lunar Observer Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument capable of acquiring contiguous-footprint topographic profiles with both 30-m and 300-m along-track resolution. This instrument meets all the severe weight, power, size, and data rate limitations imposed by Observer-class spacecraft. In addition, LOLA would be capable of measuring the within-footprint vertical roughness of the lunar surface, and the 1.06-micron relative surface reflectivity at normal incidence. We have used airborne laser altimeter data for a few representative lunar analog landforms to simulate and analyze LOLA performance in a 100-km lunar orbit. We demonstrate that this system in its highest resolution mode (30-m diameter footprints) would quantify the topography of all but the very smallest lunar landforms. At its global mapping resolution (300-m diameter footprints), LOLA would establish the topographic context for lunar landing site selection by providing the basis for constructing a 1-2 km spatial resolution global, geodetic topographic grid that would contain a high density of observations (e.g., approximately 1000 observations per each 1 deg by 1 deg cell at the lunar equator). The high spatial and vertical resolution measurements made with a LOLA-class instrument on a precursory Lunar Observer would be highly synergistic with high-resolution imaging datasets, and

  3. Lunar phases and zodiac signs do not influence quality of radical cystectomy--a statistical analysis of 452 patients with invasive bladder cancer.

    PubMed

    May, Matthias; Braun, Kay-Patrick; Helke, Christian; Richter, Willi; Vogler, Horst; Hoschke, Bernd; Siegsmund, Michael

    2007-01-01

    To determine the influence of the lunar phases and the position of the moon in the zodiac on the frequency of complications and the survival of bladder cancer patients after radical cystectomy. It has been postulated that radical cystectomy performed during the waxing moon, or particularly at full moon, or at the zodiac sign Libra is associated with a poorer outcome. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating the progression-free survival, the complication rate and the re-operation rate for 452 consecutive patients after radical cystectomy. In this retrospective review, the dates of surgery were allocated to the lunar phases and the zodiac signs. Based on these classifications, the patients were placed in groups which combined the lunar phase laws and differentiated between evidently unfavorable (full moon or waxing moon and/or the zodiac sign Libra; assigned to group 1) and favorable periods for surgery (new moon or waning moon and other signs of the zodiac apart from Libra; assigned to group 2). The mean follow-up was 49 months (range 0-158 months). A total of 244 patients (54%) were operated during an unfavorable period (group 1) and 208 (46%) patients during the auspicious period (group 2). The mean age, gender and kind of urinary derivation did not differ significantly in the two groups. Pathological tumor stages were evenly distributed according to the lunar phase groups (P = 0.713). We found no significant differences in the perioperative mortality rates, early re-operation rates, early complications, and late complications across the two groups. No significant differences in progression-free survival were observed when timing of cystectomy during the lunar cycle was considered (P = 0.231). Our analysis demonstrated no predictable influence of the lunar phase on survival or complications. Although this was not a prospective randomized trial, the statistical magnitude of the results do not support any recommendations for scheduling patients for radical

  4. Modelling of Lunar Laser Ranging in the Geocentric Frame and Comparison with the Common-View Double-Difference Lunar Laser Ranging Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Svehla, D.; Rothacher, M.

    2016-12-01

    Is it possible to process Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements in the geocentric frame in a similar way SLR measurements are modelled for GPS satellites and estimate all global reference frame parameters like in the case of GPS? The answer is yes. We managed to process Lunar laser measurements to Apollo and Luna retro-reflectors on the Moon in a similar way we are processing SLR measurements to GPS satellites. We make use of the latest Lunar libration models and DE430 ephemerides given in the Solar system baricentric frame and model uplink and downlink Lunar laser ranges in the geocentric frame as one way measurements, similar to SLR measurements to GPS satellites. In the first part of this contribution we present the estimation of the Lunar orbit as well as the Earth orientation parameters (including UT1 or UT0) with this new formulation. In the second part, we form common-view double-difference LLR measurements between two Lunar retro-reflectors and two LLR telescopes to show the actual noise of the LLR measurements. Since, by forming double-differences of LLR measurements, all range biases are removed and orbit errors are significantly reduced (the Lunar orbit is much farther away than the GPS orbits), one can consider double-difference LLR as an "orbit-free" and "bias-free" differential approach. In the end, we make a comparison with the SLR double-difference approach with Galileo satellites, where we already demonstrated submillimeter precision, and discuss possible combination of LLR and SLR to GNSS satellites using double-difference approach.

  5. Fast Track Lunar NTR Systems Assessment for NASA's First Lunar Outpost and Its Evolvability to Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Borowski, Stanley K.; Alexander, Stephen W.

    1995-01-01

    Integrated systems and missions studies are presented for an evolutionary lunar-to-Mars space transportation system (STS) based on nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) technology. A 'standardized' set of engine and stage components are identified and used in a 'building block' fashion to configure a variety of piloted and cargo, lunar and Mars vehicles. The reference NTR characteristics include a thrust of 50 thousand pounds force (klbf), specific impulse (I(sub sp)) of 900 seconds, and an engine thrust-to-weight ratio of 4. 3. For the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) First Lunar Outpost (FLO) mission, and expendable NTR stage powered by two such engines can deliver approximately 96 metric tonnes (t) to trans-lunar injection (TLI) conditions for an initial mass in low Earth orbit (IMLEO) of approximately 198 t compared to 250 t for a cryogenic chemical system. The stage liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank has a diameter, length, and capacity of 10 m, 14.5 m and 66 t, respectively. By extending the stage length and LH2 capacity to approximately 20 m and 96 t, a single launch Mars cargo vehicle could deliver to an elliptical Mars parking orbit a 63 t Mars excursion vehicle (MEV) with a 45 t surface payload. Three 50 klbf engines and the two standardized LH2 tanks developed for the lunar and Mars cargo vehicles are used to configure the vehicles supporting piloted Mars missions as early as 2010. The 'modular' NTR vehicle approach forms the basis for an efficient STS able to handle the needs of a wide spectrum of lunar and Mars missions.

  6. The Evolution and Development of the Lunar Regolith and Implications for Lunar Surface Operations and Construction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McKay, David

    2009-01-01

    The lunar regolith consists of about 90% submillimeter particles traditionally termed lunar soil. The remainder consists of larger particles ranging up to boulder size rocks. At the lower size end, soil particles in the 10s of nanometer sizes are present in all soil samples. Lunar regolith overlies bedrock which consists of either lava flows in mare regions or impact-produced megaregolith in highland regions. Lunar regolith has been produced over billions of years by a combination of breaking and communition of bedrock by meteorite bombardment coupled with a variety of complex space weathering processes including solar wind implantation, solar flare and cosmic ray bombardment with attendant radiation damage, melting, vaporization, and vapor condensation driven by impact, and gardening and turnover of the resultant soil. Lunar regolith is poorly sorted compared to most terrestrial soils, and has interesting engineering properties including strong grain adhesion, over-compacted soil density, an abundance of agglutinates with sharp corners, and a variety of properties related to soil maturity. The NASA program has supported a variety of engineering test research projects, the production of bricks by solar or microwave sintering, the production of concrete, the in situ sintering and glazing of regolith by microwave, and the extraction of useful resources such as oxygen, hydrogen, iron, aluminum, silicon and other products. Future requirements for a lunar surface base or outpost will include construction of protective berms, construction of paved roadways, construction of shelters, movement and emplacement of regolith for radiation shielding and thermal control, and extraction of useful products. One early need is for light weight but powerful digging, trenching, and regolith-moving equipment.

  7. Past orientation of the lunar spin axis.

    PubMed

    Ward, W R

    1975-08-01

    The orientation of the lunar spin axis is traced from the early history of the earth-moon system to the present day. Tides raised on the earth by the moon have caused an expansion of the lunar orbit. Tides raised on the moon by the earth have de-spun the moon to synchronous rotation and driven its spin axis to a Cassini state-that is, in a coprecessing configuration, coplanar with the lunar orbit normal and the normal to the Laplacian plane (which is at present coincident with the normal to the ecliptic). This combination of events has resulted in a complex history for the lunar spin axis. For much of the period during which its orbital semimajor axis expanded between 30 and 40 earth radii, the obliquity of the moon was of order 25 degrees to 50 degrees . In fact, for a brief period the obliquity periodically attained a value as high as 77 degrees ; that is, the spin axis of the moon was only 13 degrees from lying in its orbit plane.

  8. Past orientation of the lunar spin axis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ward, W. R.

    1975-01-01

    The orientation of the lunar spin axis is traced from the early history of the earth-moon system to the present day. Tides raised on the earth by the moon have caused an expansion of the lunar orbit. Tides raised on the moon by the earth have de-spun the moon to synchronous rotation and driven its spin axis to a Cassini state - that is, in a coprecessing configuration, coplanar with the lunar orbit normal and the normal to the Laplacian plane (which is at present coincident with the normal to the ecliptic). This combination of events has resulted in a complex history for the lunar spin axis. For much of the period during which its orbital semimajor axis expanded between 30 and 40 earth radii, the obliquity of the moon was of order 25 to 50 deg. In fact, for a brief period the obliquity periodically attained a value as high as 77 deg; that is, the spin axis of the moon was only 13 deg from lying in its orbit plane.

  9. The third stage of Lunar Prospector's Athena is lifted at LC 46 at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The third stage of the Lockheed Martin Athena launch vehicle is lifted at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Station before mating to the second stage already on the pad. Athena is scheduled to carry the Lunar Prospector spacecraft for an 18- month mission that will orbit the Earth's moon to collect data from the lunar surface. Scientific experiments to be conducted by the Prospector include locating water ice that may exist near the lunar poles, gathering data to understand the evolution of the lunar highland crust and the lunar magnetic field, finding radon outgassing events, and describing the lunar gravity field by means of Doppler tracking. The launch is now scheduled for early- January 1998.

  10. Endogenous Lunar Volatiles: Insights into the Abundances of Volatiles in the Moon from Lunar Apatite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McCubbin, Francis

    2016-01-01

    At the time of publication of New Views of the Moon, it was thought that the Moon was bone dry with less than about 1 ppb H2O. However in 2007, initial reports at the 38th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference speculated that H-species were present in both apatites and pyroclastic volcanic lunar glasses. These early reports were later confirmed through peer-review, which motivated many subsequent studies on magmatic volatiles in and on the Moon within the last decade. Some of these studies have cast into question the post-Apollo view of lunar formation, the distribution and sources of volatiles in the Earth-Moon system, and the thermal and magmatic evolution of the Moon. The mineral apatite has been one of the pillars of this new field of study, and it will be the primary focus of this abstract. Although apatite has been used both to understand the abundances of volatiles in lunar systems as well as the isotopic compositions of those volatiles, the focus here will be on the abundances of F, Cl, and H2O. This work demonstrates the utility of apatite in advancing our understanding of lunar volatiles, hence apatite should be among the topics covered in the endogenous lunar volatile chapter in NVM II. Truncated ternary plot of apatite X-site occupancy (mol%) from highlands apatite and mare basalt apatite plotted on the relative volatile abundance diagram from. The solid black lines delineate fields of relative abundances of F, Cl, and H2O (on a weight basis) in the melt from which the apatite crystallized. The diagram was constructed using available apatite/melt partitioning data for fluorine, chlorine, and hydroxyl.

  11. Lunar base - A stepping stone to Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duke, M. B.; Mendell, W. W.; Roberts, B. B.

    1985-01-01

    Basic elements of technology and programmatic development are identified that appear relevant to the Case for Mars, starting from a base on the moon. The moon is a logical stepping stone toward human exploration of Mars because a lunar base can provide the first test of human ability to use the resources of another planetary body to provide basic materials for life support. A lunar base can provide the first long-term test of human capability to work and live in a reduced (but not zero) gravity field. A lunar base requires creation of the elements of a space transportation system that will be necessary to deliver large payloads to Mars and the space operations capability and experience necessary to carry out a Mars habitation program efficiently and with high reliability. A lunar base is feasible for the first decade of the 21st Century. Scenarios have been studied that provide advanced capability by 2015 within budget levels that are less than historical U.S. space expenditures (Apollo). Early return on the investment in terms of knowledge, practical experience and lunar products are important in gaining momentum for an expanded human exploration of the solar system and the eventual colonization of Mars.

  12. Lunar Science from and for Planet Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pieters, M. C.; Hiesinger, H.; Head, J. W., III

    2008-09-01

    Our Moon Every person on Earth is familiar with the Moon. Every resident with nominal eyesight on each continent has seen this near-by planetary body with their own eyes countless times. Those fortunate enough to have binoculars or access to a telescope have explored the craters, valleys, domes, and plains across the lunar surface as changing lighting conditions highlight the mysteries of this marvellously foreign landscape. Schoolchildren learn that the daily rhythm and flow of tides along the coastlines of our oceans are due to the interaction of the Earth and the Moon. This continuous direct and personal link is but one of the many reasons lunar science is fundamental to humanity. The Earth-Moon System In the context of space exploration, our understanding of the Earth-Moon system has grown enormously. The Moon has become the cornerstone for most aspects of planetary science that relate to the terrestrial (rocky) planets. The scientific context for exploration of the Moon is presented in a recent report by a subcommittee of the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council [free from the website: http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11954]. Figure 1 captures the interwoven themes surrounding lunar science recognized and discussed in that report. In particular, it is now recognized that the Earth and the Moon have been intimately linked in their early history. Although they subsequently took very different evolutionary paths, the Moon provides a unique and valuable window both into processes that occurred during the first 600 Million years of solar system evolution (planetary differentiation and the heavy bombardment record) as well as the (ultimately dangerous) impact record of more recent times. This additional role of the Moon as keystone is because the Earth and the Moon share the same environment at 1 AU, but only the Moon retains a continuous record of cosmic events. An Initial Bloom of Exploration and Drought The space age celebrated its 50th

  13. Astronaut Alan Bean deploys Lunar Surface Magnetometer on lunar surface

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-11-19

    Astronaut Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot, deploys the Lunar Surface Magnetometer (LSM) during the first Apollo 12 extravehicular activity on the Moon. The LSM is a component of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP). The Lunar Module can be seen in the left background.

  14. Astronaut Alan Bean deploys Lunar Surface Magnetometer on lunar surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1969-01-01

    Astronaut Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot, deploys the Lunar Surface Magnetometer (LSM) during the first Apollo 12 extravehicular activity on the Moon. The LSM is a component of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP). The Lunar Module can be seen in the left background.

  15. The third stage of Lunar Prospector's Athena arrives at LC 46 at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The third stage of the Lockheed Martin Athena launch vehicle arrives at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Station before it is mated to the second stage. The protective covering for safe transportation is removed before the third stage is lifted on the launch pad. Athena is scheduled to carry the Lunar Prospector spacecraft for an 18-month mission that will orbit the Earth's moon to collect data from the lunar surface. Scientific experiments to be conducted by the Prospector include locating water ice that may exist near the lunar poles, gathering data to understand the evolution of the lunar highland crust and the lunar magnetic field, finding radon outgassing events, and describing the lunar gravity field by means of Doppler tracking. The launch is now scheduled for early-January 1998.

  16. Early Phase Contingency Trajectory Design for the Failure of the First Lunar Orbit Insertion Maneuver: Direct Recovery Options

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Young-Joo; Bae, Jonghee; Kim, Young-Rok; Kim, Bang-Yeop

    2017-12-01

    To ensure the successful launch of the Korea pathfinder lunar orbiter (KPLO) mission, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is now performing extensive trajectory design and analysis studies. From the trajectory design perspective, it is crucial to prepare contingency trajectory options for the failure of the first lunar brake or the failure of the first lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver. As part of the early phase trajectory design and analysis activities, the required time of flight (TOF) and associated delta-V magnitudes for each recovery maneuver (RM) to recover the KPLO mission trajectory are analyzed. There are two typical trajectory recovery options, direct recovery and low energy recovery. The current work is focused on the direct recovery option. Results indicate that a quicker execution of the first RM after the failure of the first LOI plays a significant role in saving the magnitudes of the RMs. Under the conditions of the extremely tight delta-V budget that is currently allocated for the KPLO mission, it is found that the recovery of the KPLO without altering the originally planned mission orbit (a 100 km circular orbit) cannot be achieved via direct recovery options. However, feasible recovery options are suggested within the boundaries of the currently planned delta-V budget. By changing the shape and orientation of the recovered final mission orbit, it is expected that the KPLO mission may partially pursue its scientific mission after successful recovery, though it will be limited.

  17. Workshop on Moon in Transition: Apollo 14, KREEP, and Evolved Lunar Rocks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Taylor, G. J. (Editor); Warren, P. H. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    Lunar rocks provide material for analyzing lunar history and now new evaluation procedures are available for discovering new information from the Fra Mauro highlands rocks, which are different from any other lunar samples. These and other topics were discussed at this workshop, including a new evaluation of the nature and history of KREEP, granite, and other evolved lunar rock types, and ultimately a fresh evaluation of the transition of the moon from its early anorthosite-forming period to its later stages of KREEPy, granitic, and mare magmatism. The summary of presentations and discussion is based on notes taken by the respective summarizers during the workshop.

  18. Lunar Ice Cube: Searching for Lunar Volatiles with a lunar cubesat orbiter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Pamela E.; Malphrus, Ben; Brown, Kevin; Hurford, Terry; Brambora, Cliff; MacDowall, Robert; Folta, David; Tsay, Michael; Brandon, Carl; Lunar Ice Cube Team

    2016-10-01

    Lunar Ice Cube, a NASA HEOMD NextSTEP science requirements-driven deep space exploration 6U cubesat, will be deployed, with 12 others, by NASA's EM1 mission. The mission's high priority science application is understanding volatile origin, distribution, and ongoing processes in the inner solar system. JPL's Lunar Flashlight, and Arizona State University's LunaH-Map, also lunar orbiters to be deployed by EM1, will provide complementary observations. Lunar Ice Cube utilizes a versatile GSFC-developed payload: BIRCHES, Broadband InfraRed Compact, High-resolution Exploration Spectrometer, a miniaturized version of OVIRS on OSIRIS-REx. BIRCHES is a compact (1.5U, 2 kg, 20 W including cryocooler) point spectrometer with a compact cryocooled HgCdTe focal plane array for broadband (1 to 4 micron) measurements and Linear Variable Filter enabling 10 nm spectral resolution. The instrument will achieve sufficient SNR to identify water in various forms, mineral bands, and potentially other volatiles seen by LCROSS (e.g., CH4) as well. GSFC is developing compact instrument electronics easily configurable for H1RG family of focal plane arrays. The Lunar Ice Cube team is led by Morehead State University, who will provide build, integrate and test the spacecraft and provide mission operations. Onboard communication will be provided by the X-band JPL Iris Radio and dual X-band patch antennas. Ground communication will be provided by the DSN X-band network, particularly the Morehead State University 21-meter substation. Flight Dynamics support is provided by GSFC. The Busek micropropulsion system in a low energy trajectory will allow the spacecraft to achieve the science orbit less than a year. The high inclination, equatorial periapsis orbit will allow coverage of overlapping swaths once every lunar cycle at up to six different times of day (from dawn to dusk) as the mission progresses during its nominal six month science mapping period. Led by the JPL Science PI, the Lunar Ice Cube

  19. Rare Earth Element Partitioning in Lunar Minerals: An Experimental Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McIntosh, E. C.; Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

    2016-01-01

    The partitioning behavior of rare earth elements (REE) between minerals and melts is widely used to interpret the petrogenesis and geologic context of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples. REE are important tools for modelling the evolution of the lunar interior. The ubiquitous negative Eu anomaly in lunar basalts is one of the main lines of evidence to support the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis, by which the plagioclase-rich lunar highlands were formed as a flotation crust during differentiation of a global-scale magma ocean. The separation of plagioclase from the mafic cumulates is thought to be the source of the Eu depletion, as Eu is very compatible in plagioclase. Lunar basalts and volcanic glasses are commonly depleted in light REEs (LREE), and more enriched in heavy REEs (HREE). However, there is very little experimental data available on REE partitioning between lunar minerals and melts. In order to interpret the source of these distinctive REE patterns, and to model lunar petrogenetic processes, REE partition coefficients (D) between lunar minerals and melts are needed at conditions relevant to lunar processes. New data on D(sub REE) for plagioclase, and pyroxenes are now available, but there is limited available data for olivine/melt D(sub REE), particularly at pressures higher than 1 bar, and in Fe-rich and reduced compositions - all conditions relevant to the lunar mantle. Based on terrestrial data, REE are highly incompatible in olivine (i.e. D much less than 1), however olivine is the predominant mineral in the lunar interior, so it is important to understand whether it is capable of storing even small amounts of REE, and how the REEs might be fractionatied, in order to understand the trace element budget of the lunar interior. This abstract presents results from high-pressure and temperature experiments investigating REE partitioning between olivine and melt in a composition relevant to lunar magmatism.

  20. Lunar History

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Edmunson, Jennifer E.

    2009-01-01

    This section of the workshop describes the history of the moon, and offers explanations for the importance of understanding lunar history for engineers and users of lunar simulants. Included are summaries of the initial impact that is currently in favor as explaining the moon's formation, the crust generation, the creation of craters by impactors, the era of the lunar cataclysm, which some believe effected the evolution of life on earth, the nature of lunar impacts, crater morphology, which includes pictures of lunar craters that show the different types of craters, more recent events include effect of micrometeorites, solar wind, radiation and generation of agglutinates. Also included is a glossary of terms.

  1. Characterizing the Early Impact Bombardment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bogard, Donald D.

    2005-01-01

    The early bombardment revealed in the larger impact craters and basins on the moon was a major planetary process that affected all bodies in the inner solar system, including the Earth and Mars. Understanding the nature and timing of this bombardment is a fundamental planetary problem. The surface density of lunar impact craters within a given size range on a given lunar surface is a measure of the age of that surface relative to other lunar surfaces. When crater densities are combined with absolute radiometric ages determined on lunar rocks returned to Earth, the flux of large lunar impactors through time can be estimated. These studies suggest that the flux of impactors producing craters greater than 1 km in diameter has been approximately constant over the past approx. 3 Gyr. However, prior to 3.0 - 3.5 Gyr the impactor flux was much larger and defines an early bombardment period. Unfortunately, no lunar surface feature older than approx. 4 Gyr is accurately dated, and the surface density of craters are saturated in most of the lunar highlands. This means that such data cannot define the impactor flux between lunar formation and approx. 4 Gyr ago.

  2. Lunar impact basins: Stratigraphy, sequence and ages from superposed impact crater populations measured from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fassett, C. I.; Head, J. W.; Kadish, S. J.; Mazarico, E.; Neumann, G. A.; Smith, D. E.; Zuber, M. T.

    2012-02-01

    Impact basin formation is a fundamental process in the evolution of the Moon and records the history of impactors in the early solar system. In order to assess the stratigraphy, sequence, and ages of impact basins and the impactor population as a function of time, we have used topography from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to measure the superposed impact crater size-frequency distributions for 30 lunar basins (D ≥ 300 km). These data generally support the widely used Wilhelms sequence of lunar basins, although we find significantly higher densities of superposed craters on many lunar basins than derived by Wilhelms (50% higher densities). Our data also provide new insight into the timing of the transition between distinct crater populations characteristic of ancient and young lunar terrains. The transition from a lunar impact flux dominated by Population 1 to Population 2 occurred before the mid-Nectarian. This is before the end of the period of rapid cratering, and potentially before the end of the hypothesized Late Heavy Bombardment. LOLA-derived crater densities also suggest that many Pre-Nectarian basins, such as South Pole-Aitken, have been cratered to saturation equilibrium. Finally, both crater counts and stratigraphic observations based on LOLA data are applicable to specific basin stratigraphic problems of interest; for example, using these data, we suggest that Serenitatis is older than Nectaris, and Humboldtianum is younger than Crisium. Sample return missions to specific basins can anchor these measurements to a Pre-Imbrian absolute chronology.

  3. Lunar Impact Basins: Stratigraphy, Sequence and Ages from Superposed Impact Crater Populations Measured from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fassett, C. I.; Head, J. W.; Kadish, S. J.; Mazarico, E.; Neumann, G. A.; Smith, D. E.; Zuber, M. T.

    2012-01-01

    Impact basin formation is a fundamental process in the evolution of the Moon and records the history of impactors in the early solar system. In order to assess the stratigraphy, sequence, and ages of impact basins and the impactor population as a function of time, we have used topography from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to measure the superposed impact crater size-frequency distributions for 30 lunar basins (D = 300 km). These data generally support the widely used Wilhelms sequence of lunar basins, although we find significantly higher densities of superposed craters on many lunar basins than derived by Wilhelms (50% higher densities). Our data also provide new insight into the timing of the transition between distinct crater populations characteristic of ancient and young lunar terrains. The transition from a lunar impact flux dominated by Population 1 to Population 2 occurred before the mid-Nectarian. This is before the end of the period of rapid cratering, and potentially before the end of the hypothesized Late Heavy Bombardment. LOLA-derived crater densities also suggest that many Pre-Nectarian basins, such as South Pole-Aitken, have been cratered to saturation equilibrium. Finally, both crater counts and stratigraphic observations based on LOLA data are applicable to specific basin stratigraphic problems of interest; for example, using these data, we suggest that Serenitatis is older than Nectaris, and Humboldtianum is younger than Crisium. Sample return missions to specific basins can anchor these measurements to a Pre-Imbrian absolute chronology.

  4. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 5

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    Topics discussed include: Automation Recognition oF Crater-Like Structures in Terrestrial and Plantary Images; Condensation from Cluster-IDP Enriched Vapor Inside the Snow Line: Implications for Mercury, Asteroids, and Enstatite Chondrites; Tomographic Location of Potential Melt-Bearing Phenocrysts in Lunar Glass Spherules; Source and Evolution of Vapor Due to Impacts into Layered Carbonates and Silicates; Noble Gases and I-Xe Ages of the Zag Meteorite; The MArs Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) for the 209 Mars Science Laboratory; The Sedimentary Rocks of Meridiani Planum, in Context; Three-System Isotopic of Lunar Norite 78238: Rb-Sr Results; Constraints on the Role of Curium-247 as a Source of Fission Xenon in the Early Solar System; New Features in the ADS Abstract Service; Cassini RADAR's First Look at Titan; Volcanism and Volatile Recycling on Venus from Lithospheric Delamination; The Fate of Water in the Martian Magma Ocean and the Formation of an Early Atmosphere; Mars Odyssey Neutron Spectrometer Water-Equivalent Hydrogen: Comparison with Glacial; Landforms on Tharsis; Using Models of Permanent Shadow to Constrain Lunar Polar Water Ice Abundances; Martian Radiative Transfer Modeling Using the Optimal Spectral Sampling Method; Petrological and Geochemical Consideration on the Tuserkanite Meteorite; and Mineralogy of Asteroids from Observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope.

  5. Lunar Simulation in the Lunar Dust Adhesion Bell Jar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gaier, James R.; Sechkar, Edward A.

    2007-01-01

    The Lunar Dust Adhesion Bell Jar has been assembled at the NASA Glenn Research Center to provide a high fidelity lunar simulation facility to test the interactions of lunar dust and lunar dust simulant with candidate aerospace materials and coatings. It has a sophisticated design which enables it to treat dust in a way that will remove adsorbed gases and create a chemically reactive surface. It can simulate the vacuum, thermal, and radiation environments of the Moon, including proximate areas of illuminated heat and extremely cold shadow. It is expected to be a valuable tool in the development of dust repellant and cleaning technologies for lunar surface systems.

  6. Lunar map showing traverse plans for Apollo 14 lunar landing mission

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1970-09-01

    This lunar map shows the traverse plans for the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission. Areas marked include Lunar module landing site, areas for the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP) and areas for gathering of core samples.

  7. Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Experiment: Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1972-11-30

    S72-37257 (November 1972) --- The Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment (S-202), one of the experiments of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package which will be carried on the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission. The purpose of this experiment is to measure the physical parameters of primary and secondary particles impacting the lunar surface.

  8. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systematics of the lunar Mg-suite: the age of the lunar crust and its relation to the time of Moon formation

    PubMed Central

    Carlson, Richard W.; Borg, Lars E.; Gaffney, Amy M.; Boyet, Maud

    2014-01-01

    New Rb-Sr, 146,147Sm-142,143Nd and Lu-Hf isotopic analyses of Mg-suite lunar crustal rocks 67667, 76335, 77215 and 78238, including an internal isochron for norite 77215, were undertaken to better define the time and duration of lunar crust formation and the history of the source materials of the Mg-suite. Isochron ages determined in this study for 77215 are: Rb-Sr=4450±270 Ma, 147Sm-143Nd=4283±23 Ma and Lu-Hf=4421±68 Ma. The data define an initial 146Sm/144Sm ratio of 0.00193±0.00092 corresponding to ages between 4348 and 4413 Ma depending on the half-life and initial abundance used for 146Sm. The initial Nd and Hf isotopic compositions of all samples indicate a source region with slight enrichment in the incompatible elements in accord with previous suggestions that the Mg-suite crustal rocks contain a component of KREEP. The Sm/Nd—142Nd/144Nd correlation shown by both ferroan anorthosite and Mg-suite rocks is coincident with the trend defined by mare and KREEP basalts, the slope of which corresponds to ages between 4.35 and 4.45 Ga. These data, along with similar ages for various early Earth differentiation events, are in accord with the model of lunar formation via giant impact into Earth at ca 4.4 Ga. PMID:25114305

  9. Lunar Module 4 moved for mating with Lunar Module Adapter at KSC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1969-01-01

    Lunar Module 4 in the Kennedy Space Center's Manned Spacecraft Operations Bldg being moved into position for mating with Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter (SLA) 13 (17809);Lunar Module 4 being moved for mating with the Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter in the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Manned Spacecraft Operations Building. Lunar module 4 will be flown on the Apollo 10 (Spacecraft 106/Saturn 505) lunar orbit mission (17810).

  10. Lunar Riometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazio, J.; Jones, D. L.; MacDowall, R. J.; Burns, J. O.; Kasper, J. C.

    2011-12-01

    The lunar exosphere is the exemplar of a plasma near the surface of an airless body. Exposed to both the solar and interstellar radiation fields, the lunar exosphere is mostly ionized, and enduring questions regarding its properties include its density and vertical extent and its behavior over time, including modification by landers. Relative ionospheric measurements (riometry) are based on the simple physical principle that electromagnetic waves cannot propagate through a partially or fully ionized medium below the plasma frequency, and riometers have been deployed on the Earth in numerous remote and hostile environments. A multi-frequency riometer on the lunar surface would be able to monitor, in situ, the peak plasma density of the lunar exosphere over time. We describe a concept for a riometer implemented as a secondary science payload on future lunar landers, such as those recommended in the recent Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey report. While the prime mission of such a riometer would be probing the lunar exosphere, our concept would also be capable to measuring the properties of nanometer- to micron-scale dust. The LUNAR consortium is funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute to investigate concepts for astrophysical observatories on the Moon. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA.

  11. Radiation Analysis for the Human Lunar Return Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, J. W.; Simonsen, L. C.; Shinn, J. L.; Kim, M.; Dubey, R. R.; Jordan, W.

    1997-01-01

    An analysis of the radiation hazards that are anticipated on an early Human Lunar Return (HLR) mission in support of NASA deep space exploration activities is presented. The HLR mission study emphasized a low cost lunar return to expand human capabilities in exploration, to answer fundamental science questions, and to seek opportunities for commercial development. As such, the radiation issues are cost related because the parasitic shield mass is expensive due to high launch costs. The present analysis examines the shield requirements and their impact on shield design.

  12. Lunar surface vehicle model competition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    During Fall and Winter quarters, Georgia Tech's School of Mechanical Engineering students designed machines and devices related to Lunar Base construction tasks. These include joint projects with Textile Engineering students. Topics studied included lunar environment simulator via drop tower technology, lunar rated fasteners, lunar habitat shelter, design of a lunar surface trenching machine, lunar support system, lunar worksite illumination (daytime), lunar regolith bagging system, sunlight diffusing tent for lunar worksite, service apparatus for lunar launch vehicles, lunar communication/power cables and teleoperated deployment machine, lunar regolith bag collection and emplacement device, soil stabilization mat for lunar launch/landing site, lunar rated fastening systems for robotic implementation, lunar surface cable/conduit and automated deployment system, lunar regolith bagging system, and lunar rated fasteners and fastening systems. A special topics team of five Spring quarter students designed and constructed a remotely controlled crane implement for the SKITTER model.

  13. Collisionless encounters and the origin of the lunar inclination.

    PubMed

    Pahlevan, Kaveh; Morbidelli, Alessandro

    2015-11-26

    The Moon is generally thought to have formed from the debris ejected by the impact of a planet-sized object with the proto-Earth towards the end of planetary accretion. Models of the impact process predict that the lunar material was disaggregated into a circumplanetary disk and that lunar accretion subsequently placed the Moon in a near-equatorial orbit. Forward integration of the lunar orbit from this initial state predicts a modern inclination at least an order of magnitude smaller than the lunar value--a long-standing discrepancy known as the lunar inclination problem. Here we show that the modern lunar orbit provides a sensitive record of gravitational interactions with Earth-crossing planetesimals that were not yet accreted at the time of the Moon-forming event. The currently observed lunar orbit can naturally be reproduced via interaction with a small quantity of mass (corresponding to 0.0075-0.015 Earth masses eventually accreted to the Earth) carried by a few bodies, consistent with the constraints and models of late accretion. Although the encounter process has a stochastic element, the observed value of the lunar inclination is among the most likely outcomes for a wide range of parameters. The excitation of the lunar orbit is most readily reproduced via collisionless encounters of planetesimals with the Earth-Moon system with strong dissipation of tidal energy on the early Earth. This mechanism obviates the need for previously proposed (but idealized) excitation mechanisms, places the Moon-forming event in the context of the formation of Earth, and constrains the pristineness of the dynamical state of the Earth-Moon system.

  14. A One-Piece Lunar Regolith-Bag Garage Prototype

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithers, Gweneth A.; Nehls, Mary K.; Hovater, Mary A.; Evans, Steven W.; Miller, J. Scott; Broughton, Roy M., Jr.; Beale, David; Killinc-Balci, Fatma

    2006-01-01

    Shelter structures on the moon, even in early phases of exploration, should incorporate lunar materials as much as possible. We designed and constructed a prototype for a one-piece regolith-bag unpressurized garage concept, and, in parallel, we conducted a materials testing program to investigate six candidate fabrics to learn how they might perform in the lunar environment. In our concept, a lightweight fabric form is launched from Earth to be landed on the lunar surface and robotically filled with raw lunar regolith. In the materials testing program, regolith-bag fabric candidates included: VectranTM, NextelTM, Gore PTFE FabricTM, ZylonTM TwaronTM and NomexTM. Tensile (including post radiation exposure), fold, abrasion, and hypervelocity impact testing were performed under ambient conditions, and, within our current means, we also performed these tests under cold and elevated temperatures. In some cases, lunar simulant (JSC-1) was used in conjunction with testing. Our ambition is to continuously refine our testing to reach lunar environmental conditions to the extent possible. A series of preliminary structures were constructed during design of the final prototype. Design is based on the principles of the classic masonry arch. The prototype was constructed of KevlarTM and filled with vermiculite (fairly close to the weight of lunar regolith on the moon). The structure is free-standing, but has not yet been load tested. Our plan for the future would be to construct higher fidelty mockups with each iteration, and to conduct appropriate tests of the structure.

  15. A One-Piece Lunar Regolith-Bag Garage Prototype

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithers, Gweneth A.; Nehls, Mary K.; Hovater, Mary A.; Evans, Steven W.; Miller, J. Scott; Broughton, Roy M.; Beale, David; Killing-Balci, Fatma

    2007-01-01

    Shelter structures on the moon, even in early phases of exploration, should incorporate lunar materials as much as possible. We designed and constructed a prototype for a one-piece regolith-bag unpressurized garage concept, and, in parallel, we conducted a materials testing program to investigate six candidate fabrics to learn how they might perform in the lunar environment. In our concept, a lightweight fabric form is launched from Earth to be landed on the lunar surface and robotically filled with raw lunar regolith. In the materials testing program, regolith-bag fabric candidates included: Vectran(TM), Nextel(TM), Gore PTFE Fabric(TM), Zylon(TM), Twaron(TM), and Nomex(TM). Tensile (including post radiation exposure), fold, abrasion, and hypervelocity impact testing were performed under ambient conditions, and, within our current means, we also performed these tests under cold and elevated temperatures. In some cases, lunar simulant (JSC-1) was used in conjunction with testing. Our ambition is to continuously refine our testing to reach lunar environmental conditions to the extent possible. A series of preliminary structures were constructed during design of the final prototype. Design is based on the principles of the classic masonry arch. The prototype was constructed of Kevlar(TM) and filled with vermiculite (fairly close to the weight of lunar regolith on the moon). The structure is free-standing, but has not yet been load tested. Our plan for the future would be to construct higher fidelity mockups with each iteration, and to conduct appropriate tests of the structure.

  16. SP-100 reactor with Brayton conversion for lunar surface applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mason, Lee S.; Rodriguez, Carlos D.; Mckissock, Barbara I.; Hanlon, James C.; Mansfield, Brian C.

    1992-01-01

    Examined here is the potential for integrating Brayton-cycle power conversion with the SP-100 reactor for lunar surface power system applications. Two designs were characterized and modeled. The first design integrates a 100-kWe SP-100 Brayton power system with a lunar lander. This system is intended to meet early lunar mission power needs while minimizing on-site installation requirements. Man-rated radiation protection is provided by an integral multilayer, cylindrical lithium hydride/tungsten (LiH/W) shield encircling the reactor vessel. Design emphasis is on ease of deployment, safety, and reliability, while utilizing relatively near-term technology. The second design combines Brayton conversion with the SP-100 reactor in a erectable 550-kWe powerplant concept intended to satisfy later-phase lunar base power requirements. This system capitalizes on experience gained from operating the initial 100-kWe module and incorporates some technology improvements. For this system, the reactor is emplaced in a lunar regolith excavation to provide man-rated shielding, and the Brayton engines and radiators are mounted on the lunar surface and extend radially from the central reactor. Design emphasis is on performance, safety, long life, and operational flexibility.

  17. Perspectives on Lunar Helium-3

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt, Harrison H.

    1999-01-01

    return on investment, access to capital markets for a lunar 3He and terrestrial fusion power business will require a near-term return on investment, based on early applications of IEC fusion technology (10).

  18. Formation of lunar basin rings

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hodges, C.A.; Wilhelms, D.E.

    1978-01-01

    The origin of the multiple concentric rings that characterize lunar impact basins, and the probable depth and diameter of the transient crater have been widely debated. As an alternative to prevailing "megaterrace" hypotheses, we propose that the outer scarps or mountain rings that delineate the topographic rims of basins-the Cordilleran at Orientale, the Apennine at Imbrium, and the Altai at Nectaris-define the transient cavities, enlarged relatively little by slumping, and thus are analogous to the rim crests of craters like Copernicus; inner rings are uplifted rims of craters nested within the transient cavity. The magnitude of slumping that occurs on all scarps is insufficient to produce major inner rings from the outer. These conclusions are based largely on the observed gradational sequence in lunar central uplifts:. from simple peaks through somewhat annular clusters of peaks, peak and ring combinations and double ring basins, culminating in multiring structures that may also include peaks. In contrast, belts of slump terraces are not gradational with inner rings. Terrestrial analogs suggest two possible mechanisms for producing rings. In some cases, peaks may expand into rings as material is ejected from their cores, as apparently occurred at Gosses Bluff, Australia. A second process, differential excavation of lithologically diverse layers, has produced nested experimental craters and is, we suspect, instrumental in the formation of terrestrial ringed impact craters. Peak expansion could produce double-ring structures in homogeneous materials, but differential excavation is probably required to produce multiring and peak-in-ring configurations in large lunar impact structures. Our interpretation of the representative lunar multiring basin Orientale is consistent with formation of three rings in three layers detected seismically in part of the Moon-the Cordillera (basin-bounding) ring in the upper crust, the composite Montes Rook ring in the underlying

  19. Lunar Missions and Datasets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, Barbara A.

    2009-01-01

    There are two slide presentations contained in this document. The first reviews the lunar missions from Surveyor, Galileo, Clementine, the Lunar Prospector, to upcoming lunar missions, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Crater Observation & Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon's Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS), Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), Lunar Atmosphere, Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE), ILN and a possible Robotic sample return mission. The information that the missions about the moon is reviewed. The second set of slides reviews the lunar meteorites, and the importance of lunar meteorites to adding to our understanding of the moon.

  20. The Second Great Thermal Event from the History of the Solar System as Origin of the Lunar Asymmetries and Paleomagnetism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neagu, A.

    1993-07-01

    To explain the origin of the natural remanent magnetism (NRM) of lunar rocks [1,2] and lunar asymmetries [3-5], many models suppose an asymmetric arrangement of matter within the early Moon [6,7]. Presented here is a model of lunar evolution that explains both the appearance of the lunar asymmetries and the presence of a high lunar palaeomagnetic field in the vicinity of 3.9 Ga starting from a symmetrically differentiated Moon. According to this model, less than 0.2 Ga after its formation as a completely molten planetary body, the Moon differentiated in concentric layers to form an anorthositic crust, a mantle, and an iron core [8]. Lunar asymmetries appeared at about 3.9 Ga ago when the Sun underwent a very violent explosive phase, generating the second great thermal event (SGTE) from the history of the solar system. Solar plasma into expansion interacted with the solar system bodies, erasing previous records on a large part of their surfaces and generating thermal effects of various kinds. Figure 1 presents the manner in which the solar plasma "excavated" within the lunar crust. The result was the displacement of the lunar center-of-figure (CF) and center-of mass (CM) from O in their present positions [3-5]. A similar "excavation" within the primordial crust of the Earth generated the appearance of a protocontinental land (Proto-Pangaea). Eccentric placement of the lunar core immediately after SGTE occurrence and its movement toward the new position of the lunar CM, along with change of the lunar spin into a synchronous rotation, generated lunar internal motions vigorously enough to drive lunar dynamo. Figure 2 presents the lunar palaeomagnetic field intensity as a function of time according to this scenario. Immediately after SGTE occurrence, the lunar crust was subjected to intensive bombardment with impacting masses belonging to Population II impactors [9]. The larger impacts generated zones of weakness and fissures within the lunar crust, but the isostatic

  1. Reduction of lunar landing fuel requirements by utilizing lunar ballistic capture.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Michael D; Belbruno, Edward A

    2005-12-01

    Ballistic lunar capture trajectories have been successfully utilized for lunar orbital missions since 1991. Recent interest in lunar landing trajectories has occurred due to a directive from President Bush to return humans to the Moon by 2015. NASA requirements for humans to return to the lunar surface include separation of crew and cargo missions, all lunar surface access, and anytime-abort to return to Earth. Such requirements are very demanding from a propellant standpoint. The subject of this paper is the application of lunar ballistic capture for the reduction of lunar landing propellant requirements. Preliminary studies of the application of weak stability boundary (WSB) trajectories and ballistic capture have shown that considerable savings in low Earth orbit (LEO) mission mass may be realized, on the order of 36% less than conventional Hohmann transfer orbit missions. Other advantages, such as reduction in launch window constraints and reduction of lunar orbit maintenance propellant requirements, have also surfaced from this study.

  2. CIS-lunar space infrastructure lunar technologies: Executive summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Faller, W.; Hoehn, A.; Johnson, S.; Moos, P.; Wiltberger, N.

    1989-01-01

    Technologies necessary for the creation of a cis-Lunar infrastructure, namely: (1) automation and robotics; (2) life support systems; (3) fluid management; (4) propulsion; and (5) rotating technologies, are explored. The technological focal point is on the development of automated and robotic systems for the implementation of a Lunar Oasis produced by Automation and Robotics (LOAR). Under direction from the NASA Office of Exploration, automation and robotics were extensively utilized as an initiating stage in the return to the Moon. A pair of autonomous rovers, modular in design and built from interchangeable and specialized components, is proposed. Utilizing a buddy system, these rovers will be able to support each other and to enhance their individual capabilities. One rover primarily explores and maps while the second rover tests the feasibility of various materials-processing techniques. The automated missions emphasize availability and potential uses of Lunar resources, and the deployment and operations of the LOAR program. An experimental bio-volume is put into place as the precursor to a Lunar environmentally controlled life support system. The bio-volume will determine the reproduction, growth and production characteristics of various life forms housed on the Lunar surface. Physicochemical regenerative technologies and stored resources will be used to buffer biological disturbances of the bio-volume environment. The in situ Lunar resources will be both tested and used within this bio-volume. Second phase development on the Lunar surface calls for manned operations. Repairs and re-configuration of the initial framework will ensue. An autonomously-initiated manned Lunar oasis can become an essential component of the United States space program.

  3. Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    A preview animation of the Super Moon Lunar Eclipse On the evening of September 27, 2015 in the Americas (early morning on September 28 in Europe and most of Africa), the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse, the last of four visible in the Western Hemisphere in a span of 18 months. This animation shows the changing appearance of the Moon as it travels into and out of the Earth’s shadow. NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  4. Automation and robotics considerations for a lunar base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sliwa, Nancy E.; Harrison, F. Wallace, Jr.; Soloway, Donald I.; Mckinney, William S., Jr.; Cornils, Karin; Doggett, William R.; Cooper, Eric G.; Alberts, Thomas E.

    1992-01-01

    An envisioned lunar outpost shares with other NASA missions many of the same criteria that have prompted the development of intelligent automation techniques with NASA. Because of increased radiation hazards, crew surface activities will probably be even more restricted than current extravehicular activity in low Earth orbit. Crew availability for routine and repetitive tasks will be at least as limited as that envisioned for the space station, particularly in the early phases of lunar development. Certain tasks are better suited to the untiring watchfulness of computers, such as the monitoring and diagnosis of multiple complex systems, and the perception and analysis of slowly developing faults in such systems. In addition, mounting costs and constrained budgets require that human resource requirements for ground control be minimized. This paper provides a glimpse of certain lunar base tasks as seen through the lens of automation and robotic (A&R) considerations. This can allow a more efficient focusing of research and development not only in A&R, but also in those technologies that will depend on A&R in the lunar environment.

  5. The Evolution of Mission Architectures for Human Lunar Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Everett, S. F.

    1995-01-01

    Defining transportation architectures for the human exploration of the Moon is a complex task due to the multitude of mission scenarios available. The mission transportation architecture recently proposed for the First Lunar Outpost (FLO) was not designed from carefully predetermined mission requirements and goals, but evolved from an initial set of requirements, which were continually modified as studies revealed that some early assumptions were not optimal. This paper focuses on the mission architectures proposed for FLO and investigates how these transportation architectures evolved. A comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the three distinct mission architectures are discussed, namely (1) Lunar Orbit Rendezvous, (2) staging from the Cislunar Libration Point, and (3) direct to the lunar surface. In addition, several new and revolutionary architectures are discussed.

  6. Russian plans for lunar investiagtions. Stage 1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zelenyi, L.; Mitrofanov, I.; Petrukovich, A.; Khartov, V.; Martynov, M.; Lukianchikov, A.

    2014-04-01

    Lunar Race of 60-ies and 70-ies between US and Soviet Union produced outstanding results for lunar science. For many technical reasons mostly near equatorial and mid-latitude Lunar regions were investigated at this glorious time. New epoch of Lunar investigations began at the late 90-ies. It gradually shaped the image of a new wet moon at least at the vicinity of its polar regions. Strong interest to the mechanisms of the formation of a near polar volatiles deposits, their migration and their composition (including the bisotope one) became the central theme of the Russian program of lunar investigations for next 10 years. Certainly the number of other outstanding scientific topics like the properties of Lunar dust, peculiarities of regolith interaction with the supersonic solar wind flow, characteristics of the Lunar magnetic and gravitational anomalies, etc., are planned to be studied both from the orbit and from the surface. First stage of the Russian Lunar Program consists of a four missions: Lunas 25, 26, 27, 28. (The numeration follows Lunar missions of a Soviet Epoch - last successful regolith sample delivery have been accomplished by Luna 24 in 1976). Luna 25 will land to the southern polar site, which would be the most suitable for engineering reasons and also interesting for the science. Second lander Luna 27 will have more sophisticated payload with the additional instruments in comparison with Luna 25. Luna 27 should be landed to the selected landing site at the vicinity of the South Pole, which could be the most promising for installation of the future Lunar Base. It is very important that Luna 27 will be equipped by the subsurface drill to get samples from the permafrost shallow subsurface (one attractive option now is that this drill will be provided by our ESA colleagues having the experience of designing and manufacturing of a similar drill for the Exomars project). The principal difference of the drilling at Luna 27 in comparison with the early

  7. A One-Piece Lunar Regolith Bag Garage Prototype

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smithers, G. A.; Nehls, M. K.; Hovater, M. A.; Evans, S. W.; Miller, J. S.; Broughton, R. M., Jr.; Beale, D.; Kilinc-Balci, F.

    2007-01-01

    Shelter structures on the moon, even in early phases of exploration, should incorporate lunar materials as much as possible. This Technical Memorandum details the design and construction of a prototype for a one-piece regolith bag unpressurized garage concept and a materials testing program to investigate six candidate fabrics to learn how they might perform in the lunar environment. The conceptualization was that a lightweight fabric form be launched from Earth and landed on the lunar surface to be robotically filled with raw lunar regolith. Regolith bag fabric candidates included: Vectran(TM), Nextel(TM), Gore PTFE Fabric(TM), Zylon(TM), Twaron(TM), and Nomex(TM). Tensile (including post radiation exposure), fold, abrasion, and hypervelocity impact testing were performed under ambient conditions, and also performed under cold and elevated temperatures. In some cases, Johnson Space Center lunar simulant (JSC-1) was used in conjunction with testing. A series of preliminary structures was constructed during final prototype design based on the principles of the classic masonry arch. The prototype was constructed of Kevlar(TM) and filled with vermiculite. The structure is free-standing, but has not yet been load tested. Future plans would be to construct higher fidelity prototypes and to conduct appropriate tests of the structure.

  8. Lunar material resources: An overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carter, James L.

    1992-01-01

    The analysis of returned lunar samples and a comparison of the physical and chemical processes operating on the Moon and on the Earth provide a basis for predicting both the possible types of material resources (especially minerals and rocks) and the physical characteristics of ore deposits potentially available on the Moon. The lack of free water on the Moon eliminates the classes of ore deposits that are most exploitable on Earth; namely, (1) hydrothermal, (2) secondary mobilization and enrichment, (3) precipitation from a body of water, and (4) placer. The types of lunar materials available for exploitation are whole rocks and their contained minerals, regolith, fumarolic and vapor deposits, and nonlunar materials, including solar wind implantations. Early exploitation of lunar material resources will be primarily the use of regolith materials for bulk shielding; the extraction from regolith fines of igneous minerals such as plagioclase feldspars and ilmenite for the production of oxygen, structural metals, and water; and possibly the separation from regolith fines of solar-wind-implanted volatiles. The only element, compound, or mineral, that by itself has been identified as having the economic potential for mining, processing, and return to Earth is helium-3.

  9. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Lunar Workshops for Educators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, A. P.; Hsu, B. C.; Hessen, K.; Bleacher, L.

    2012-12-01

    The Lunar Workshops for Educators (LWEs) are a series of weeklong professional development workshops, accompanied by quarterly follow-up sessions, designed to educate and inspire grade 6-12 science teachers, sponsored by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Participants learn about lunar science and exploration, gain tools to help address common student misconceptions about the Moon, find out about the latest research results from LRO scientists, work with data from LRO and other lunar missions, and learn how to bring these data to their students using hands-on activities aligned with grade 6-12 National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks and through authentic research experiences. LWEs are held around the country, primarily in locations underserved with respect to NASA workshops. Where possible, workshops also include tours of science facilities or field trips intended to help participants better understand mission operations or geologic processes relevant to the Moon. Scientist and engineer involvement is a central tenant of the LWEs. LRO scientists and engineers, as well as scientists working on other lunar missions, present their research or activities to the workshop participants and answer questions about lunar science and exploration. This interaction with the scientists and engineers is consistently ranked by the LWE participants as one of the most interesting and inspiring components of the workshops. Evaluation results from the 2010 and 2011 workshops, as well as preliminary analysis of survey responses from 2012 participants, demonstrated an improved understanding of lunar science concepts among LWE participants in post-workshop assessments (as compared to identical pre-assessments) and a greater understanding of how to access and effectively share LRO data with students. Teachers reported increased confidence in helping students conduct research using lunar data, and learned about programs that would allow their students to make authentic

  10. Lunar cement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Agosto, William N.

    1992-01-01

    With the exception of water, the major oxide constituents of terrestrial cements are present at all nine lunar sites from which samples have been returned. However, with the exception of relatively rare cristobalite, the lunar oxides are not present as individual phases but are combined in silicates and in mixed oxides. Lime (CaO) is most abundant on the Moon in the plagioclase (CaAl2Si2O8) of highland anorthosites. It may be possible to enrich the lime content of anorthite to levels like those of Portland cement by pyrolyzing it with lunar-derived phosphate. The phosphate consumed in such a reaction can be regenerated by reacting the phosphorus product with lunar augite pyroxenes at elevated temperatures. Other possible sources of lunar phosphate and other oxides are discussed.

  11. Formation of the Lunar Fossil Bulges and Its Implication for the Early Earth and Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Chuan; Zhong, Shijie; Phillips, Roger

    2018-02-01

    First recognized by Laplace over two centuries ago, the Moon's present tidal-rotational bulges are significantly larger than hydrostatic predictions. They are likely relics of a former hydrostatic state when the Moon was closer to the Earth and had larger bulges, and they were established when stresses in a thickening lunar lithosphere could maintain the bulges against hydrostatic adjustment. We formulate the first dynamically self-consistent model of this process and show that bulge formation is controlled by the relative timing of lithosphere thickening and lunar orbit recession. Viable solutions indicate that lunar bulge formation was a geologically slow process lasting several hundred million years, that the process was complete about 4 Ga when the Moon-Earth distance was less than 32 Earth radii, and that the Earth in Hadean was significantly less dissipative to lunar tides than during the last 4 Gyr, possibly implying a frozen hydrosphere due to the fainter young Sun.

  12. Lunar Crustal History from Isotopic Studies of Lunar Anorthosites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nyquist, Laurence E.; Shih, C.-Y.; Bogard, D. D.; Yamaguchi, A.

    2010-01-01

    Anorthosites occur ubiquitously within the lunar crust at depths of approx.3-30 km in apparent confirmation of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) hypothesis. [1]. We will present recent chronological studies of anorthosites [2] that are relevant both to the LMO hypothesis and also to the lunar cataclysm hypothesis. Old (approx.4.4 Ga) Sm-Nd ages have been determined for some Apollo 16 anorthosites, and primitive initial Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios have been measured for several, but well-defined Rb-Sr ages concordant with the Sm-Nd ages have not been determined until now. Lunar anorthosite 67075, a Feldspathic Fragmental Breccia (FFB) collected near the rim of North Ray Crater, has concordant Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr ages of 4.47+/-0.07 Ga and 4.49+/-0.07 Ga, respectively. Initial Nd-143/Nd-144 determined from the Sm-Nd isochron corresponds to E(sub Nd,CHUR) = 0.3+/-0.5 compared to a Chondritic Uniform Reservoir, or E(sub Nd,HEDPB) = -0.6+/-0.5 compared to the initial Nd-143/Nd-144 of the HED Parent Body [3]. Lunar anorthosites tend to have E(sub Nd) > 0 when compared to CHUR, apparently inconsistent with derivation from a single lunar magma ocean. Although E(sub Nd) < 0 for some anorthosites, if lunar initial Nd-143/Nd-144 is taken equal to HEDR for the HED parent body [3], enough variability remains among the anorthosite data alone to suggest that lunar anorthosites do not derive from a single source, i.e., they are not all products of the LMO. An anorthositic clast from desert meteorite Dhofar 908 has an Ar-39-Ar-40 age of 4.42+/-0.04 Ga, the same as the 4.36-4.41+/-0.035 Ga Ar-39-Ar-40 age of anorthositic clast Y-86032,116 in Antarctic meteorite Yamato- 86032 [3,4]. Conclusions: (i) Lunar anorthosites come from diverse sources. Orbital geochemical studies confirm variability in lunar crustal composition [1, 5]. We suggest that the variability extends to anorthosites alone as shown by the Sm-Nd data (Fig. 2) and the existence of magnesian anorthosites (MAN, [6]) and "An93 anorthosites

  13. Study of recrystallization and devitrification of lunar glass

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ulrich, D. R.

    1974-01-01

    The technique of differential thermal analysis (DTA) was applied to the study of the Apollo 17 orange soil (74220,63) and the Apollo 16 glass coated anorthite (64455,21). These glasses show accentuated exotherms of strain relief in the annealing range which is indicative of rapid cooling. These are amenable to interpretation by comparison to the known history of synthetic glasses. Synthetic glasses were prepared whose similarity in behavior between the lunar glasses and their synthetic analogs is striking. Approximate rates of cooling of the lunar glasses were determined from comparative DTA of lunar and synthetic glasses and from the determination of the relation of strain relief in the annealing range to quench rate. At higher temperatures the glasses show exotherms of crystallization. The crystallization products associated with the exothermic reactions have been identified by X-ray diffraction and the surface morphologies developed by strain relief and crystallization have been characterized with scanning electron microscopy.

  14. 3D PIC SIMULATIONS OF COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS AT LUNAR MAGNETIC ANOMALIES AND THEIR ROLE IN FORMING LUNAR SWIRLS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bamford, R. A.; Kellett, B. J.; Alves, E. P.

    Investigation of the lunar crustal magnetic anomalies offers a comprehensive long-term data set of observations of small-scale magnetic fields and their interaction with the solar wind. In this paper a review of the observations of lunar mini-magnetospheres is compared quantifiably with theoretical kinetic-scale plasma physics and 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The aim of this paper is to provide a complete picture of all the aspects of the phenomena and to show how the observations from all the different and international missions interrelate. The analysis shows that the simulations are consistent with the formation of miniature (smaller than the ion Larmor orbit)more » collisionless shocks and miniature magnetospheric cavities, which has not been demonstrated previously. The simulations reproduce the finesse and form of the differential proton patterns that are believed to be responsible for the creation of both the “lunar swirls” and “dark lanes.” Using a mature plasma physics code like OSIRIS allows us, for the first time, to make a side-by-side comparison between model and space observations. This is shown for all of the key plasma parameters observed to date by spacecraft, including the spectral imaging data of the lunar swirls. The analysis of miniature magnetic structures offers insight into multi-scale mechanisms and kinetic-scale aspects of planetary magnetospheres.« less

  15. The chlorine isotope fingerprint of the lunar magma ocean.

    PubMed

    Boyce, Jeremy W; Treiman, Allan H; Guan, Yunbin; Ma, Chi; Eiler, John M; Gross, Juliane; Greenwood, James P; Stolper, Edward M

    2015-09-01

    The Moon contains chlorine that is isotopically unlike that of any other body yet studied in the Solar System, an observation that has been interpreted to support traditional models of the formation of a nominally hydrogen-free ("dry") Moon. We have analyzed abundances and isotopic compositions of Cl and H in lunar mare basalts, and find little evidence that anhydrous lava outgassing was important in generating chlorine isotope anomalies, because (37)Cl/(35)Cl ratios are not related to Cl abundance, H abundance, or D/H ratios in a manner consistent with the lava-outgassing hypothesis. Instead, (37)Cl/(35)Cl correlates positively with Cl abundance in apatite, as well as with whole-rock Th abundances and La/Lu ratios, suggesting that the high (37)Cl/(35)Cl in lunar basalts is inherited from urKREEP, the last dregs of the lunar magma ocean. These new data suggest that the high chlorine isotope ratios of lunar basalts result not from the degassing of their lavas but from degassing of the lunar magma ocean early in the Moon's history. Chlorine isotope variability is therefore an indicator of planetary magma ocean degassing, an important stage in the formation of terrestrial planets.

  16. Lunar lander conceptual design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Joo Ahn; Carini, John; Choi, Andrew; Dillman, Robert; Griffin, Sean J.; Hanneman, Susan; Mamplata, Caesar; Stanton, Edward

    1989-01-01

    A conceptual design is presented of a Lunar Lander, which can be the primary vehicle to transport the equipment necessary to establish a surface lunar base, the crew that will man the base, and the raw materials which the Lunar Station will process. A Lunar Lander will be needed to operate in the regime between the lunar surface and low lunar orbit (LLO), up to 200 km. This lander is intended for the establishment and operation of a manned surface base on the moon and for the support of the Lunar Space Station. The lander will be able to fulfill the requirements of 3 basic missions: A mission dedicated to delivering maximum payload for setting up the initial lunar base; Multiple missions between LLO and lunar surface dedicated to crew rotation; and Multiple missions dedicated to cargo shipments within the regime of lunar surface and LLO. A complete set of structural specifications is given.

  17. Lunar mare volcanism: Mixing of distinct, mantle source regions with KREEP-like component

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shervais, John W.; Vetter, Scott K.

    1993-01-01

    Mare basalts comprise less than 1% of the lunar crust, but they constitute our primary source of information on the moon's upper mantle. Compositional variations between mare basalt suites reflect variations in the mineralogical and geochemical composition of the lunar mantle which formed during early lunar differentiation (4.5-4.4 AE). Three broad suites of mare basalt are recognized: very low-Ti (VLT) basalts with TiO2 less than 1 wt%, low-Ti basalts with TiO2 = 2-4 wt%, and high-Ti basalts with TiO2 = 10-14 wt%. Important subgroups include the Apollo 12 ilmenite basalts (TiO2 = 5-6 wt%), aluminous low-Ti mare basalts (TiO2 = 2-4 wt%, Al2O3 = 10-14 wt%), and the newly discovered Very High potassium (VHK) aluminous low-Ti basalts, with K2O = 0.4-1.5 wt%. The mare basalt source region has geochemical characteristics complementary to the highlands crust and is generally thought to consist of mafic cumulates from the magma ocean which formed the felsic crust by feldspar flotation. The progressive enrichment of mare basalts in Fe/Mg, alkalis, and incompatible trace elements in the sequence VLT basalt yields low-Ti basalt yields high-Ti basalt is explained by the remelting of mafic cumulates formed at progressively shallower depths in the evolving magma ocean. This model is also consistent with the observed decrease in compatible element concentrations and the progressive increase in negative Eu anomalies.

  18. A Selenological History of Lunar Poetics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    von Chamier-Waite, C. T.

    2016-01-01

    The Moon. Centuries of human inquiry have engaged this mysterious object. The Moon embodies history, philosophy, cosmology, and passions; the nature of love, persecution, and our capacity for the sublime. This review considers a body of research on lunar poetics done for a series of artworks by the author. It will look at a few select writings that have profoundly influenced our epistemological, ontological, and poetic knowledge of the universe with the Moon as a central theme. Centered in the early seventeenth century at the time of Kepler and Galileo, this query follows the tendrils of lunar influences in both the sciences and literature that emanate from these two figures, forwards and backwards in time. Science, politics, theology, and the arts intertwine in this investigation. The works reviewed link the philosophy of Aristotle and the poetry of Lucian of Samosata to findings by Leonardo Da Vinci, Copernicus, Jules Verne, and others. The chosen philosophers have been selected because of their significant contributions to selenology and lunar poetics, and each of the figures reviewed have the honor of a namesake crater upon the Moon.

  19. Apollo 12 Lunar Module, in landing configuration, photographed in lunar orbit

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-11-19

    AS12-51-7507 (19 Nov. 1969) --- The Apollo 12 Lunar Module (LM), in a lunar landing configuration, is photographed in lunar orbit from the Command and Service Modules (CSM). The coordinates of the center of the lunar surface shown in picture are 4.5 degrees west longitude and 7 degrees south latitude. The largest crater in the foreground is Ptolemaeus; and the second largest is Herschel. Aboard the LM were astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., commander; and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot. Astronaut Richard R. Gordon Jr., command module pilot, remained with the CSM in lunar orbit while Conrad and Bean descended in the LM to explore the surface of the moon. Photo credit: NASA

  20. Scientific investigations at a lunar base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duke, M. B.; Mendell, W. W.

    1988-01-01

    Scientific investigations to be carried out at a lunar base can have significant impact on the location, extent, and complexity of lunar surface facilities. Among the potential research activities to be carried out are: (1) Lunar Science: Studies of the origin and history of the Moon and early solar system, based on lunar field investigations, operation of networks of seismic and other instruments, and collection and analysis of materials; (2) Space Plasma Physics: Studies of the time variation of the charged particles of the solar wind, solar flares and cosmic rays that impact the Moon as it moves in and out of the magnetotail of the Earth; (3) Astronomy: Utilizing the lunar environment and stability of the surface to emplace arrays of astronomical instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum to improve spectral and spatial resolution by several orders of magnitude beyond the Hubble Space Telescope and other space observatories; (4) Fundamental physics and chemistry: Research that takes advantage of the lunar environment, such as high vacuum, low magnetic field, and thermal properties to carry out new investigations in chemistry and physics. This includes material sciences and applications; (5) Life Sciences: Experiments, such as those that require extreme isolation, highly sterile conditions, or very low natural background of organic materials may be possible; and (6) Lunar environmental science: Because many of the experiments proposed for the lunar surface depend on the special environment of the Moon, it will be necessary to understand the mechanisms that are active and which determine the major aspects of that environment, particularly the maintenance of high-vacuum conditions. From a large range of experiments, investigations and facilities that have been suggested, three specific classes of investigations are described in greater detail to show how site selection and base complexity may be affected: (1) Extended geological investigation of a complex

  1. Lunar Prospector Extended Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Folta, David; Beckman, Mark; Lozier, David; Galal, Ken

    1999-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Lunar Prospector (LP) as one of the discovery missions to conduct solar system exploration science investigations. The mission is NASA's first lunar voyage to investigate key science objectives since Apollo and was launched in January 1998. In keeping with discovery program requirements to reduce total mission cost and utilize new technology, Lunar Prospector's mission design and control focused on the use of innovative and proven trajectory analysis programs. As part of this effort, the Ames Research Center and the Goddard Space Flight Center have become partners in the Lunar Prospector trajectory team to provide the trajectory analysis, maneuver planning, orbit determination support, and product generation. At the end of 1998, Lunar Prospector completed its one-year primary mission at 100 km altitude above the lunar surface. On December 19, 1998, Lunar Prospector entered the extended mission phase. Initially the mission orbit was lowered from 100 km to a mean altitude of 40 km. The altitude of Lunar Prospector varied between 25 and 55 km above the mean lunar geode due to lunar potential effects. After one month, the lunar potential model was updated based upon the new tracking data at 40 km. On January 29, 1999, the altitude was lowered again to a mean altitude of 30 km. This altitude varies between 12 and 48 km above the mean lunar geode. Since the minimum altitude is very close to the mean geode, various approaches were employed to get accurate lunar surface elevation including Clementine altimetry and line of sight analysis. Based upon the best available terrain maps, Lunar Prospector will reach altitudes of 8 km above lunar mountains in the southern polar and far side regions. This extended mission phase of six months will enable LP to obtain science data up to 3 orders of magnitude better than at the mission orbit. This paper details the trajectory design and orbit determination planning and

  2. Lunar Prospector Extended Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Folta, David; Beckman, Mark; Lozier, David; Galal, Ken

    1999-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Lunar Prospector as one of the discovery missions to conduct solar system exploration science investigations. The mission is NASA's first lunar voyage to investigate key science objectives since Apollo and was launched in January 1998. In keeping with discovery program requirements to reduce total mission cost and utilize new technology, Lunar Prospector's mission design and control focused on the use of innovative and proven trajectory analysis programs. As part of this effort, the Ames Research Center and the Goddard Space Flight Center have become partners in the Lunar Prospector trajectory team to provide the trajectory analysis, maneuver planning, orbit determination support, and product generation. At the end of 1998, Lunar Prospector completed its one-year primary mission at 100 km altitude above the lunar surface. On December 19, 1998, Lunar Prospector entered the extended mission phase. Initially the mission orbit was lowered from 100 km to a mean altitude of 40 km. The altitude of Lunar Prospector varied between 25 and 55 km above the mean lunar geode due to lunar potential effects. After one month, the lunar potential model was updated based upon the new tracking data at 40 km. On January 29, 1999, the altitude was lowered again to a mean altitude of 30 km. This altitude varies between 12 and 48 km above the mean lunar geode. Since the minimum altitude is very close to the mean geode, various approaches were employed to get accurate lunar surface elevation including Clementine altimetry and line of sight analysis. Based upon the best available terrain maps, Lunar Prospector will reach altitudes of 8 km above lunar mountains in the southern polar and far side regions. This extended mission phase of six months will enable LP to obtain science data up to 3 orders of magnitude better than at the mission orbit. This paper details the trajectory design and orbit determination planning, and

  3. Lunar Prospector Extended Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Folta, David; Beckman, Mark; Lozier, David; Galal, Ken

    1999-05-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Lunar Prospector (LP) as one of the discovery missions to conduct solar system exploration science investigations. The mission is NASA's first lunar voyage to investigate key science objectives since Apollo and was launched in January 1998. In keeping with discovery program requirements to reduce total mission cost and utilize new technology, Lunar Prospector's mission design and control focused on the use of innovative and proven trajectory analysis programs. As part of this effort, the Ames Research Center and the Goddard Space Flight Center have become partners in the Lunar Prospector trajectory team to provide the trajectory analysis, maneuver planning, orbit determination support, and product generation. At the end of 1998, Lunar Prospector completed its one-year primary mission at 100 km altitude above the lunar surface. On December 19, 1998, Lunar Prospector entered the extended mission phase. Initially the mission orbit was lowered from 100 km to a mean altitude of 40 km. The altitude of Lunar Prospector varied between 25 and 55 km above the mean lunar geode due to lunar potential effects. After one month, the lunar potential model was updated based upon the new tracking data at 40 km. On January 29, 1999, the altitude was lowered again to a mean altitude of 30 km. This altitude varies between 12 and 48 km above the mean lunar geode. Since the minimum altitude is very close to the mean geode, various approaches were employed to get accurate lunar surface elevation including Clementine altimetry and line of sight analysis. Based upon the best available terrain maps, Lunar Prospector will reach altitudes of 8 km above lunar mountains in the southern polar and far side regions. This extended mission phase of six months will enable LP to obtain science data up to 3 orders of magnitude better than at the mission orbit. This paper details the trajectory design and orbit determination planning and

  4. First independent lunar gravity field solution in the framework of project GRAZIL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wirnsberger, Harald; Krauss, Sandro; Klinger, Beate; Mayer-Gürr, Torsten

    2017-04-01

    The twin satellite mission Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) aims to recovering the lunar gravity field by means of intersatellite Ka-band ranging (KBR) observations. In order to exploit the potential of KBR data, absolute position information of the two probes is required. Hitherto, the Graz lunar gravity field models (GrazLGM) relies on the official orbit products provided by NASA. In this contribution, we present for the first time a completely independent Graz lunar gravity field model to spherical harmonic degree and order 420. The reduced dynamic orbits of the two probes are determined using variational equations following a batch least squares differential adjustment process. These orbits are based on S-band radiometric tracking data collected by the Deep Space Network and are used for the independent GRAIL gravity field recovery. To reveal a highly accurate lunar gravity field, an integral equation approach using short orbital arcs is adopted to process the KBR data. A comparison to state-of-the-art lunar gravity models computed at NASA-GSFC, NASA-JPL and AIUB demonstrate the progress of Graz lunar gravity field models derived within the project GRAZIL.

  5. Lunar Module 4 moved for mating with Lunar Module Adapter at KSC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1969-01-01

    Lunar Module 4 being moved for mating with the Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter in the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Manned Spacecraft Operations Building. Lunar module 4 will be flown on the Apollo 10 (Spacecraft 106/Saturn 505) lunar orbit mission.

  6. Photometric Lunar Surface Reconstruction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nefian, Ara V.; Alexandrov, Oleg; Morattlo, Zachary; Kim, Taemin; Beyer, Ross A.

    2013-01-01

    Accurate photometric reconstruction of the Lunar surface is important in the context of upcoming NASA robotic missions to the Moon and in giving a more accurate understanding of the Lunar soil composition. This paper describes a novel approach for joint estimation of Lunar albedo, camera exposure time, and photometric parameters that utilizes an accurate Lunar-Lambertian reflectance model and previously derived Lunar topography of the area visualized during the Apollo missions. The method introduced here is used in creating the largest Lunar albedo map (16% of the Lunar surface) at the resolution of 10 meters/pixel.

  7. Building an Economical and Sustainable Lunar Infrastructure to Enable Lunar Industrialization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zuniga, Allison F.; Turner, Mark; Rasky, Daniel; Loucks, Mike; Carrico, John; Policastri, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    A new concept study was initiated to examine the architecture needed to gradually develop an economical, evolvable and sustainable lunar infrastructure using a public/private partnerships approach. This approach would establish partnership agreements between NASA and industry teams to develop a lunar infrastructure system that would be mutually beneficial. This approach would also require NASA and its industry partners to share costs in the development phase and then transfer operation of these infrastructure services back to its industry owners in the execution phase. These infrastructure services may include but are not limited to the following: lunar cargo transportation, power stations, communication towers and satellites, autonomous rover operations, landing pads and resource extraction operations. The public/private partnerships approach used in this study leveraged best practices from NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program which introduced an innovative and economical approach for partnering with industry to develop commercial cargo services to the International Space Station. This program was planned together with the ISS Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts which was responsible for initiating commercial cargo delivery services to the ISS for the first time. The public/private partnerships approach undertaken in the COTS program proved to be very successful in dramatically reducing development costs for these ISS cargo delivery services as well as substantially reducing operational costs. To continue on this successful path towards installing economical infrastructure services for LEO and beyond, this new study, named Lunar COTS (Commercial Operations and Transport Services), was conducted to examine extending the NASA COTS model to cis-lunar space and the lunar surface. The goals of the Lunar COTS concept are to: 1) develop and demonstrate affordable and commercial cis-lunar and surface capabilities, such as lunar cargo

  8. Thermal control systems for low-temperature heat rejection on a lunar base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sridhar, K. R.; Gottmann, Matthias; Nanjundan, Ashok

    1993-01-01

    One of the important issues in the design of a lunar base is the thermal control system (TCS) used to reject low-temperature heat from the base. The TCS ensures that the base and the components inside are maintained within an acceptable temperature range. The temperature of the lunar surface peaks at 400 K during the 336-hour lunar day. Under these circumstances, direct dissipation of waste heat from the lunar base using passive radiators would be impractical. Thermal control systems based on thermal storage, shaded radiators, and heat pumps have been proposed. Based on proven technology, innovation, realistic complexity, reliability, and near-term applicability, a heat pump-based TCS was selected as a candidate for early missions. In this report, Rankine-cycle heat pumps and absorption heat pumps (ammonia water and lithium bromide-water) have been analyzed and optimized for a lunar base cooling load of 100 kW.

  9. Stair-Step Particle Flux Spectra on the Lunar Surface: Evidence for Nonmonotonic Potentials?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Collier, Michael R.; Newheart, Anastasia; Poppe, Andrew R.; Hills, H. Kent; Farrell, William M.

    2016-01-01

    We present examples of unusual "stair-step" differential flux spectra observed by the Apollo 14 Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment on the lunar dayside surface in Earth's magnetotail. These spectra exhibit a relatively constant differential flux below some cutoff energy and then drop off precipitously, by about an order of magnitude or more, at higher energies. We propose that these spectra result from photoions accelerated on the lunar dayside by nonmonotonic potentials (i.e.,potentials that do not decay to zero monotonically) and present a model for the expected differential flux. The energy of the cutoff and the magnitude of the differential flux are related to the properties of the local space environment and are consistent with the observed flux spectra. If this interpretation is correct, these surface-based ion observations provide a unique perspective that both complements and enhances the conclusions obtained by remote-sensing orbiter observations on the Moon's exospheric and electrostatic properties.

  10. Investigation of the daytime lunar atmosphere for lunar synthesis program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hodges, R. R., Jr.

    1976-01-01

    Synthesis studies of the daytime lunar atmoshere were directed toward improved understanding of fundamental lunar atmospheric dynamics and the relationship of the detectable atmosphere to physical processes of the lunar surface and interior. The primary source of data is the Apollo 17 lunar surface mass spectrometer. The Ar40 is radiogenic and its escape rate from the lunar atmosphere requires release of a significant fraction (about 8%) of the argon produced from the decay of K40 within the moon. Furthermore the process of argon release from the solid moon is time varying and related to seismic activity. Most of the helium on the moon is due to release of implanted solar wind alpha particles from the regolith.

  11. Cataclysm No More: New Views on the Timing and Delivery of Lunar Impactors.

    PubMed

    Zellner, Nicolle E B

    2017-09-01

    If properly interpreted, the impact record of the Moon, Earth's nearest neighbour, can be used to gain insights into how the Earth has been influenced by impacting events since its formation ~4.5 billion years (Ga) ago. However, the nature and timing of the lunar impactors - and indeed the lunar impact record itself - are not well understood. Of particular interest are the ages of lunar impact basins and what they tell us about the proposed "lunar cataclysm" and/or the late heavy bombardment (LHB), and how this impact episode may have affected early life on Earth or other planets. Investigations of the lunar impactor population over time have been undertaken and include analyses of orbital data and images; lunar, terrestrial, and other planetary sample data; and dynamical modelling. Here, the existing information regarding the nature of the lunar impact record is reviewed and new interpretations are presented. Importantly, it is demonstrated that most evidence supports a prolonged lunar (and thus, terrestrial) bombardment from ~4.2 to 3.4 Ga and not a cataclysmic spike at ~3.9 Ga. Implications for the conditions required for the origin of life are addressed.

  12. Lunar Dust and Lunar Simulant Activation, Monitoring, Solution and Cellular Toxicity Properties

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, William; Jeevarajan, A. S.

    2009-01-01

    During the Apollo missions, many undesirable situations were encountered that must be mitigated prior to returning humans to the moon. Lunar dust (that part of the lunar regolith less than 20 microns in diameter) was found to produce several problems with mechanical equipment and could have conceivably produced harmful physiological effects for the astronauts. For instance, the abrasive nature of the dust was found to cause malfunctions of various joints and seals of the spacecraft and suits. Additionally, though efforts were made to exclude lunar dust from the cabin of the lunar module, a significant amount of material nonetheless found its way inside. With the loss of gravity correlated with ascent from the lunar surface, much of the finer fraction of this dust began to float and was inhaled by the astronauts. The short visits tothe Moon during Apollo lessened exposure to the dust, but the plan for future lunar stays of up to six months demands that methods be developed to minimize the risk of dust inhalation. The guidelines for what constitutes "safe" exposure will guide the development of engineering controls aimed at preventing the presence of dust in the lunar habitat. This work has shown the effects of grinding on the activation level of lunar dust, the changes in dissolution properties of lunar simulant, and the production of cytokines by cellular systems. Grinding of lunar dust leads to the production of radicals in solution and increased dissolution of lunar simulant in buffers of different pH. Additionally, ground lunar simulant has been shown to promote the production of IL-6 and IL-8, pro-inflammatory cytokines, by alveolar epithelial cells. These results provide evidence of the need for further studies on these materials prior to returning to the lunar surface.

  13. Phase Equilibria of a S- and C-Poor Lunar Core

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Righter, K.; Pando, K.; Go, B. M.; Danielson, L. R.; Habermann, M.

    2016-01-01

    The composition of the lunar core can have a large impact on its thermal evolution, possible early dynamo creation, and physical state. Geochemical measurements have placed better constraints on the S and C content of the lunar mantle. In this study we have carried out phase equilibrium studies of geochemically plausible S- and C-poor lunar core compositions in the Fe-Ni-S-C system, and apply them to the early history of the Moon. We chose two bulk core compositions, with differing S and C content based on geochemical analyses of S and C trapped melts in Apollo samples, and on the partitioning of S and C between metal and silicate. This approach allowed calculation of core S and C contents - 90% Fe, 9% Ni, 0.5% C, and 0.375% S by weight; a second composition contained 1% each of S and C. Experiments were carried out from 1473K to 1973K and 1 GPa to 5 GPa, in piston cylinder and multi- anvil apparatuses. Combination of the thermal model of with our results, shows that a solid inner core (and therefore initiation of a dynamo) may have been possible in the earliest history of the Moon (approximately 4.2 Ga ago), in agreement with. Thus a volatile poor lunar core may explain the thermal and magnetic history of the Moon.

  14. Evidence for an early wet Moon from experimental crystallization of the lunar magma ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Yanhao; Tronche, Elodie J.; Steenstra, Edgar S.; van Westrenen, Wim

    2017-01-01

    The Moon is thought to have been covered initially by a deep magma ocean, its gradual solidification leading to the formation of the plagioclase-rich highland crust. We performed a high-pressure, high-temperature experimental study of lunar mineralogical and geochemical evolution during magma ocean solidification that yields constraints on the presence of water in the earliest lunar interior. In the experiments, a deep layer containing both olivine and pyroxene is formed in the first ~50% of crystallization, β-quartz forms towards the end of crystallization, and the last per cent of magma remaining is extremely iron rich. In dry experiments, plagioclase appears after 68 vol.% solidification and yields a floatation crust with a thickness of ~68 km, far above the observed average of 34-43 km based on lunar gravity. The volume of plagioclase formed during crystallization is significantly less in water-bearing experiments. Using the relationship between magma water content and the resulting crustal thickness in the experiments, and considering uncertainties in initial lunar magma ocean depth, we estimate that the Moon may have contained at least 270 to 1,650 ppm water at the time of magma ocean crystallization, suggesting the Earth-Moon system was water-rich from the start.

  15. Lunar horticulture.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walkinshaw, C. H.

    1971-01-01

    Discussion of the role that lunar horticulture may fulfill in helping establish the life support system of an earth-independent lunar colony. Such a system is expected to be a hybrid between systems which depend on lunar horticulture and those which depend upon the chemical reclamation of metabolic waste and its resynthesis into nutrients and water. The feasibility of this approach has been established at several laboratories. Plants grow well under reduced pressures and with oxygen concentrations of less than 1% of the total pressure. The carbon dioxide collected from the lunar base personnel should provide sufficient gas pressure (approx. 100 mm Hg) for growing the plants.

  16. Lunar surface operations. Volume 4: Lunar rover trailer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shields, William; Feteih, Salah; Hollis, Patrick

    1993-01-01

    The purpose of the project was to design a lunar rover trailer for exploration missions. The trailer was designed to carry cargo such as lunar geological samples, mining equipment and personnel. It is designed to operate in both day and night lunar environments. It is also designed to operate with a maximum load of 7000 kilograms. The trailer has a ground clearance of 1.0 meters and can travel over obstacles 0.75 meters high at an incline of 45 degrees. It can be transported to the moon fully assembled using any heavy lift vehicle with a storage compartment diameter of 5.0 meters. The trailer has been designed to meet or exceed the performance of any perceivable lunar vehicle.

  17. Apollo 12 Lunar Module exhaust plume impingement on Lunar Surveyor III

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Immer, Christopher; Metzger, Philip; Hintze, Paul E.; Nick, Andrew; Horan, Ryan

    2011-02-01

    Understanding plume impingement by retrorockets on the surface of the Moon is paramount for safe lunar outpost design in NASA's planned return to the Moon for the Constellation Program. Visual inspection, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and surface scanned topology have been used to investigate the damage to the Lunar Surveyor III spacecraft that was caused by the Apollo 12 Lunar Module's close proximity landing. Two parts of the Surveyor III craft returned by the Apollo 12 astronauts, Coupons 2050 and 2051, which faced the Apollo 12 landing site, show that a fine layer of lunar regolith coated the materials and was subsequently removed by the Apollo 12 Lunar Module landing rocket. The coupons were also pitted by the impact of larger soil particles with an average of 103 pits/cm 2. The average entry size of the pits was 83.7 μm (major diameter) × 74.5 μm (minor diameter) and the average estimated penetration depth was 88.4 μm. Pitting in the surface of the coupons correlates to removal of lunar fines and is likely a signature of lunar material imparting localized momentum/energy sufficient to cause cracking of the paint. Comparison with the lunar soil particle size distribution and the optical density of blowing soil during lunar landings indicates that the Surveyor III spacecraft was not exposed to the direct spray of the landing Lunar Module, but instead experienced only the fringes of the spray of soil. Had Surveyor III been exposed to the direct spray, the damage would have been orders of magnitude higher.

  18. The Lunar Quest Program and the International Lunar Network (ILN)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, Barbara A.

    2009-01-01

    The Lunar and Planetary Science group at Marshall provides core capabilities to support the Agency's lunar exploration goals. ILN Anchor Nodes are currently in development by MSFC and APL under the Lunar Quest Program at MSFC. The Science objectives of the network are to understand the interior structure and composition of the moon. Pre-phase A engineering assessments are complete, showing a design that can achieve the science requirements, either on their own (if 4 launched) or in concert with international partners. Risk reduction activities are ongoing. The Lunar Quest Program is a Science-based program with the following goals: a) Fly small/medium science missions to accomplish key science goals; b) Build a strong lunar science community; c) Provide opportunities to demonstrate new technologies; and d) Where possible, help ESMD and SOMG goals and enhance presence of science in the implementation of the VSE. The Lunar Quest Program will be guided by recommendations from community reports.

  19. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systematics of the lunar Mg-suite: the age of the lunar crust and its relation to the time of Moon formation.

    PubMed

    Carlson, Richard W; Borg, Lars E; Gaffney, Amy M; Boyet, Maud

    2014-09-13

    New Rb-Sr, (146,147)Sm-(142,143)Nd and Lu-Hf isotopic analyses of Mg-suite lunar crustal rocks 67667, 76335, 77215 and 78238, including an internal isochron for norite 77215, were undertaken to better define the time and duration of lunar crust formation and the history of the source materials of the Mg-suite. Isochron ages determined in this study for 77215 are: Rb-Sr=4450±270 Ma, (147)Sm-(143)Nd=4283±23 Ma and Lu-Hf=4421±68 Ma. The data define an initial (146)Sm/(144)Sm ratio of 0.00193±0.00092 corresponding to ages between 4348 and 4413 Ma depending on the half-life and initial abundance used for (146)Sm. The initial Nd and Hf isotopic compositions of all samples indicate a source region with slight enrichment in the incompatible elements in accord with previous suggestions that the Mg-suite crustal rocks contain a component of KREEP. The Sm/Nd-(142)Nd/(144)Nd correlation shown by both ferroan anorthosite and Mg-suite rocks is coincident with the trend defined by mare and KREEP basalts, the slope of which corresponds to ages between 4.35 and 4.45 Ga. These data, along with similar ages for various early Earth differentiation events, are in accord with the model of lunar formation via giant impact into Earth at ca 4.4 Ga. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  20. Lunar Surface Operations. Part 1; Post-Touchdown Lunar Surface and System Checkouts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Interbartolo, Michael

    2009-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the first part of the post-touchdown lunar surface and system checkout tasks. A stay/no stay decision for the lunar lander was made based on the questions: "Is the Lunar Module (LM) stable on the lunar surface?"; "Are there any time critical systems failures or trends indicating impending loss of capability to ascent and achieve a safe lunar orbit?"; and "Is there loss of capability in critical LM systems?" The sequence of these decisions is given as a time after touchdown on the surface of the moon. After the decision to stay is made the next task is to checkout status of the lunar module. While the status of the lunar module is checking out certain conditions, the Command Service Module was also engaged in certain checkout activities.

  1. Lunar Dust and Lunar Simulant Activation and Monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, W. T.; Hammond, D. K.; Jeevarajan, A. S.

    2008-01-01

    Prior to returning to the moon, understanding the effects of lunar dust on both human physiology and mechanical equipment is a pressing concern, as problems related to lunar dust during the Apollo missions have been well documented (J.R. Gaier, The Effects of Lunar Dust on EVA Systems During the Apollo Missions. 2005, NASA-Glenn Research Center. p. 65). While efforts were made to remove the dust before reentering the lunar module, via brushing of the suits or vacuuming, a significant amount of dust was returned to the spacecraft, causing various problems. For instance, astronaut Harrison Schmitt complained of hay fever effects caused by the dust, and the abrasive nature of the material was found to cause problems with various joints and seals of the spacecraft and suits. It is clear that, in order to avoid potential health and performance problems while on the lunar surface, the reactive properties of lunar dust must be quenched. It is likely that soil on the lunar surface is in an activated form, i.e. capable of producing oxygen-based radicals in a humidified air environment, due to constant exposure to meteorite impacts, UV radiation, and elements of the solar wind. An activated silica surface serves as a good example. An oxygen-based radical species arises from the breaking of Si-OSi bonds. This system is comparable to that expected for the lunar dust system due to the large amounts of agglutinic glass and silicate vapor deposits present in lunar soil. Unfortunately, exposure to the Earth s atmosphere has passivated the active species on lunar dust, leading to efforts to reactivate the dust in order to understand the true effects that will be experienced by astronauts and equipment on the moon. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is commonly used for the study of radical species, and has been used previously to study silicon- and oxygen-based radicals, as well as the hydroxyl radicals produced by these species in solution (V. Vallyathan, et al., Am. Rev

  2. Powered Descent Trajectory Guidance and Some Considerations for Human Lunar Landing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sostaric, Ronald R.

    2007-01-01

    The Autonomous Precision Landing and Hazard Detection and Avoidance Technology development (ALHAT) will enable an accurate (better than 100m) landing on the lunar surface. This technology will also permit autonomous (independent from ground) avoidance of hazards detected in real time. A preliminary trajectory guidance algorithm capable of supporting these tasks has been developed and demonstrated in simulations. Early results suggest that with expected improvements in sensor technology and lunar mapping, mission objectives are achievable.

  3. Lunar transportation system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1993-01-01

    The University Space Research Association (USRA) requested the University of Minnesota Spacecraft Design Team to design a lunar transportation infrastructure. This task was a year long design effort culminating in a complete conceptual design and presentation at Johnson Space Center. The mission objective of the design group was to design a system of vehicles to bring a habitation module, cargo, and crew to the lunar surface from LEO and return either or both crew and cargo safely to LEO while emphasizing component commonality, reusability, and cost effectiveness. During the course of the design, the lunar transportation system (LTS) has taken on many forms. The final design of the system is composed of two vehicles, a lunar transfer vehicle (LTV) and a lunar excursion vehicle (LEV). The LTV serves as an efficient orbital transfer vehicle between the earth and the moon while the LEV carries crew and cargo to the lunar surface. Presented in the report are the mission analysis, systems layout, orbital mechanics, propulsion systems, structural and thermal analysis, and crew systems, avionics, and power systems for this lunar transportation concept.

  4. Lunar transportation system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1993-07-01

    The University Space Research Association (USRA) requested the University of Minnesota Spacecraft Design Team to design a lunar transportation infrastructure. This task was a year long design effort culminating in a complete conceptual design and presentation at Johnson Space Center. The mission objective of the design group was to design a system of vehicles to bring a habitation module, cargo, and crew to the lunar surface from LEO and return either or both crew and cargo safely to LEO while emphasizing component commonality, reusability, and cost effectiveness. During the course of the design, the lunar transportation system (LTS) has taken on many forms. The final design of the system is composed of two vehicles, a lunar transfer vehicle (LTV) and a lunar excursion vehicle (LEV). The LTV serves as an efficient orbital transfer vehicle between the earth and the moon while the LEV carries crew and cargo to the lunar surface. Presented in the report are the mission analysis, systems layout, orbital mechanics, propulsion systems, structural and thermal analysis, and crew systems, avionics, and power systems for this lunar transportation concept.

  5. RESOLVE Projects: Lunar Water Resource Demonstration and Regolith Volatile Characterization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2008-01-01

    To sustain affordable human and robotic space exploration, the ability to live off the land at the exploration site will be essential. NASA calls this ability in situ resource utilization (ISRU) and is focusing on finding ways to sustain missions first on the Moon and then on Mars. The ISRU project aims to develop capabilities to technology readiness level 6 for the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program and early human missions returning to the Moon. NASA is concentrating on three primary areas of ISRU: (1) excavating, handling, and moving lunar regolith, (2) extracting oxygen from lunar regolith, and (3) finding, characterizing, extracting, separating, and storing volatile lunar resources, especially in the permanently shadowed polar craters. To meet the challenges related to technology development for these three primary focus areas, the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) project was initiated in February 2005, through funding by the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. RESOLVE's objectives are to develop requirements and conceptual designs and to perform breadboard concept verification testing of each experiment module. The final goal is to deliver a flight prototype unit that has been tested in a relevant lunar polar environment. Here we report progress toward the third primary area creating ways to find, characterize, extract, separate, and store volatile lunar resources. The tasks include studying thermal, chemical, and electrical ways to collect such volatile resources as hydrogen, water, nitrogen, methane, and ammonia. We approached this effort through two subtasks: lunar water resource demonstration (LWRD) and regolith volatile characterization (RVC).

  6. Petrology of lunar rocks and implication to lunar evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ridley, W. I.

    1976-01-01

    Recent advances in lunar petrology, based on studies of lunar rock samples available through the Apollo program, are reviewed. Samples of bedrock from both maria and terra have been collected where micrometeorite impact penetrated the regolith and brought bedrock to the surface, but no in situ cores have been taken. Lunar petrogenesis and lunar thermal history supported by studies of the rock sample are discussed and a tentative evolutionary scenario is constructed. Mare basalts, terra assemblages of breccias, soils, rocks, and regolith are subjected to elemental analysis, mineralogical analysis, trace content analysis, with studies of texture, ages and isotopic composition. Probable sources of mare basalts are indicated.

  7. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 18th, Houston, TX, Mar. 16-20, 1987, Proceedings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ryder, Graham (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    Papers on lunar and planetary science are presented, including petrogenesis and chemistry of lunar samples, geology and petrogenesis of the Apollo 15 landing site, lunar geology and applications, cratering records and cratering effects, differentiated meteorites, chondritic meteorites and asteroids, extraterrestrial grains, Venus, Mars, and icy satellites. The importance of lunar granite and KREEP in very high potassium basalt petrogenesis, indentifying parent plutonic rocks from lunar breccia and soil fragments, glasses in ancient and young Apollo 16 regolith breccias, the formation of the Imbrium basin, the chemistry and petrology of the Apennine Front, lunar mare ridges, studies of Rima Mozart, electromagnetic energy applications in lunar resource mining and construction, detecting a periodic signal in the terrestrial cratering record, and a search for water on the moon, are among the topics discussed. Other topics include the bidirectional reflectance properties of Fe-Ni meteorites, the nature and origin of C-rich ordinary chondrites and chondritic clasts, the dehydration kinetics of shocked serpentine, characteristics of Greenland Fe/Ni cosmic grains, electron microscopy of a hydrated interplanetary dust particle, trapping Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe in Si2O3 smokes, gossans on Mars, and a model of the porous structure of icy satellites.

  8. A superconducting quenchgun for delivering lunar derived oxygen to lunar orbit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nottke, Nathan; Bilby, Curt R.

    1990-01-01

    The development of a parametric model for a superconducting quenchgun for launching lunar derived liquid oxygen to lunar orbit is detailed. An overview is presented of the quenchgun geometry and operating principles, a definition of the required support systems, and the methods used to size the quenchgun launcher and support systems. An analysis assessing the impact of a lunar quenchgun on the OEXP Lunar Evolution Case Study is included.

  9. Toxicity of Lunar Dust in Lungs Assessed by Examining Biomarkers in Exposed Mice

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lam, C.-W.; James, J. T.; Zeidler-Erdely, P. C.; Castranova, V.; Young, S. H.; Quan, C. L.; Khan-Mayberry, N.; Taylor, L. A.

    2009-01-01

    NASA plans to build an outpost on the Moon for prolonged human habitation and research. The lunar surface is covered by a layer of soil, of which the finest portion is highly reactive dust. NASA has invited NIOSH to collaboratively investigate the toxicity of lunar dust. Dust samples of respirable sizes were aerodynamically isolated from two lunar soil samples of different maturities (cosmic exposure ages) collected during the Apollo 16 mission. The lunar dust samples, titanium dioxide, or quartz, suspended in normal saline or in Survanta (a bovine lung surfactant), were given to groups of 5 mice (C-57 male) by intrapharyngeal aspiration at 1, 0.3, or 0.1 mg/mouse. The mice were euthanized 7 or 30 days later, and their lungs were lavaged to assess the toxicity biomarkers in bronchioalveolar lavage fluids. The acellular fractions were assayed for total proteins, lactate dehydrogenase activities, and cytokines; the cellular portions were assessed for total cell counts and cell differentials. Results from the high-dose groups showed that lunar dust, suspended in saline, was more toxic than TiO 2, but less toxic than quartz. Lunar dust particles aggregate and settle out rapidly in water or saline, but not in Survanta. Lunar dust suspended in Survanta manifested greater toxicity than lunar dust in saline. The increase in toxicity presumably was due to that Survanta gave a better particle dispersion in the lungs. The two lunar dust samples showed similar toxicity. The overall results showed that lunar dust is more toxic than TiO 2 but less toxic than quartz.

  10. Understanding the Reactivity of Lunar Dust for Future Lunar Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, William; Taylor, L. A.; Jeevarajan, Antony

    2009-01-01

    During the Apollo missions, dust was found to cause numerous problems for various instruments and systems. Additionally, the dust may have caused momentary health issues for some of the astronauts. Therefore, the plan to resume robotic and manned missions to the Moon in the next decade has led to a renewed interest in the properties of lunar dust, ranging from geological to chemical to toxicological. An important property to understand is the reactivity of the dust particles. Due to the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon, there is nothing to protect the lunar soil from ultraviolet radiation, solar wind, and meteorite impacts. These processes could all serve to activate the soil, or produce reactive surface species. On the Moon, these species can be maintained for millennia without oxygen or water vapor present to satisfy the broken bonds. Unfortunately, the Apollo dust samples that were returned to Earth were inadvertently exposed to the atmosphere, causing them to lose their reactive characteristics. In order to aid in the preparation of mitigation techniques prior to returning to the Moon, we measured the ability of lunar dust, lunar dust simulant, and quartz samples to produce hydroxyl radicals in solution[1]. As a first approximation of meteorite impacts on the lunar surface, we ground samples using a mortar and pestle. Our initial studies showed that all three test materials (lunar dust (62241), lunar dust simulant (JSC-1Avf), and quartz) produced hydroxyl radicals after grinding and mixing with water. However, the radical production of the ground lunar dust was approximately 10-fold and 3-fold greater than quartz and JSC-1 Avf, respectively. These reactivity differences between the different samples did not correlate with differences in specific surface area. The increased reactivity produced for the quartz by grinding was attributed to the presence of silicon- or oxygen-based radicals on the surface, as had been seen previously[2]. These radicals may also

  11. Lunar Topography: Results from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neumann, Gregory; Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.; Mazarico, Erwan

    2012-01-01

    The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been operating nearly continuously since July 2009, accumulating over 6 billion measurements from more than 2 billion in-orbit laser shots. LRO's near-polar orbit results in very high data density in the immediate vicinity of the lunar poles, with full coverage at the equator from more than 12000 orbital tracks averaging less than 1 km in spacing at the equator. LRO has obtained a global geodetic model of the lunar topography with 50-meter horizontal and 1-m radial accuracy in a lunar center-of-mass coordinate system, with profiles of topography at 20-m horizontal resolution, and 0.1-m vertical precision. LOLA also provides measurements of reflectivity and surface roughness down to its 5-m laser spot size. With these data LOLA has measured the shape of all lunar craters 20 km and larger. In the proposed extended mission commencing late in 2012, LOLA will concentrate observations in the Southern Hemisphere, improving the density of the polar coverage to nearly 10-m pixel resolution and accuracy to better than 20 m total position error. Uses for these data include mission planning and targeting, illumination studies, geodetic control of images, as well as lunar geology and geophysics. Further improvements in geodetic accuracy are anticipated from the use of re ned gravity fields after the successful completion of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission in 2012.

  12. Early differentiation of the Moon: Experimental and modeling studies and experimental and modeling studies of massif anorthosites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Longhi, John

    1994-01-01

    NASA grant NAG9-329 was in effect from 3/1/89 to 8/31/94, the last 18 months being a no-cost extension. While the grant was in effect, the P.I., coworkers, and students gave 22 talks and poster sessions at professional meetings, published 12 articles in referred journals (one more is in press, and another is in review), and edited 2 workshop reports relevant to this project. Copies of all the publications are appended to this report. The major accomplishments during the grant period have derived from three quarters: 1) the application of quantitative models of fractional crystallization and partial melting to various problems in planetary science, such as the petrogenesis of picritic glasses and mare basalts and the implications of the SNC meteorites for martian evolution; 2) an experimental study of silicate liquid immiscibility relevant to early lunar differentiation and the petrogenesis of evolved highlands rocks; and 3) experimental studies of massif anorthosites and related rocks that provide terrestrial analogs for the proposed origin of lunar anorthosites by multistage processes. The low-pressure aspects of the quantitative models were developed by the P.I. in the 1980s with NASA support and culminated with a paper comparing the crystallization of terrestrial and lunar lavas. The basis for the high-pressure modifications to the quantitative models is a data set gleaned from high pressure melting experiments done at Lamont and is supplemented by published data from other labs that constrain the baric and compositional dependences of various liquidus phase boundaries such as olivine/orthopyroxene, relevant to the melting of the mantles of the terrestrial planets. With these models it is possible to predict not only the thermal and compositional evolution of magmatic liquids ranging in composition from lumar mare basalt to terrestrial calc-alkaline basalts, but also the small increments of fractional melting that are produced when mantle rises adiabatically

  13. Fundamental Problems of Lunar Research, Technical Solutions, and Priority Lunar Regions for Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ivanov, M. A.; Basilevsky, A. T.; Bricheva, S. S.; Guseva, E. N.; Demidov, N. E.; Zakharova, M.; Krasil'nikov, S. S.

    2017-11-01

    In this article, we discuss four fundamental scientific problems of lunar research: (1) lunar chronology, (2) the internal structure of the Moon, (3) the lunar polar regions, and (4) lunar volcanism. After formulating the scientific problems and their components, we proceed to outlining a list of technical solutions and priority lunar regions for research. Solving the listed problems requires investigations on the lunar surface using lunar rovers, which can deliver a set of analytical equipment to places where geological conditions are known from a detailed analysis of orbital information. The most critical research methods, which can answer some of the key questions, are analysis of local geological conditions from panoramic photographs, determination of the chemical, isotopic, and mineral composition of the soil, and deep seismic sounding. A preliminary list is given of lunar regions with high scientific priority.

  14. Lunar e-Library: A Research Tool Focused on the Lunar Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McMahan, Tracy A.; Shea, Charlotte A.; Finckenor, Miria; Ferguson, Dale

    2007-01-01

    As NASA plans and implements the Vision for Space Exploration, managers, engineers, and scientists need lunar environment information that is readily available and easily accessed. For this effort, lunar environment data was compiled from a variety of missions from Apollo to more recent remote sensing missions, such as Clementine. This valuable information comes not only in the form of measurements and images but also from the observations of astronauts who have visited the Moon and people who have designed spacecraft for lunar missions. To provide a research tool that makes the voluminous lunar data more accessible, the Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program, managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL, organized the data into a DVD knowledgebase: the Lunar e-Library. This searchable collection of 1100 electronic (.PDF) documents and abstracts makes it easy to find critical technical data and lessons learned from past lunar missions and exploration studies. The SEE Program began distributing the Lunar e-Library DVD in 2006. This paper describes the Lunar e-Library development process (including a description of the databases and resources used to acquire the documents) and the contents of the DVD product, demonstrates its usefulness with focused searches, and provides information on how to obtain this free resource.

  15. U-Th-Pb systematics of some Apollo 17 lunar samples and implications for a lunar basin excavation chronology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nunes, P. D.; Tatsumoto, M.; Unruh, D. M.

    1974-01-01

    U, Th, and Pb concentrations and lead isotopic compositions of selected Apollo 17 soil and rock samples are presented. Concordia treatments of U-Pb whole samples of Apollo 17 mare basalts and highland rocks probably reflect several early thermal events about 4.5 b.y. old more consistently than do U-Pb ages of samples collected at other lunar sites. We propose that all lunar U-Th-Pb data reflect a multistate U-Pb evolution history most easily understood as being related to a complex planetesimal bombardment history of the moon which apparently dominated lunar events from about 4.5 to about 3.9 b.y. ago. Semi-distinct events at about 4.0, about 4.2, and 4.4-4.5 b.y. are evident on whole-rock frequency versus Pb-207/Pb-206 age histograms. Each of these events may reflect multiple cratering episodes. For mare basalts, complete resetting of the source rock U-Pb systems owing to Pb loss relative to U was apparently often approached after a major planetesimal impact.

  16. The chlorine isotope fingerprint of the lunar magma ocean

    PubMed Central

    Boyce, Jeremy W.; Treiman, Allan H.; Guan, Yunbin; Ma, Chi; Eiler, John M.; Gross, Juliane; Greenwood, James P.; Stolper, Edward M.

    2015-01-01

    The Moon contains chlorine that is isotopically unlike that of any other body yet studied in the Solar System, an observation that has been interpreted to support traditional models of the formation of a nominally hydrogen-free (“dry”) Moon. We have analyzed abundances and isotopic compositions of Cl and H in lunar mare basalts, and find little evidence that anhydrous lava outgassing was important in generating chlorine isotope anomalies, because 37Cl/35Cl ratios are not related to Cl abundance, H abundance, or D/H ratios in a manner consistent with the lava-outgassing hypothesis. Instead, 37Cl/35Cl correlates positively with Cl abundance in apatite, as well as with whole-rock Th abundances and La/Lu ratios, suggesting that the high 37Cl/35Cl in lunar basalts is inherited from urKREEP, the last dregs of the lunar magma ocean. These new data suggest that the high chlorine isotope ratios of lunar basalts result not from the degassing of their lavas but from degassing of the lunar magma ocean early in the Moon’s history. Chlorine isotope variability is therefore an indicator of planetary magma ocean degassing, an important stage in the formation of terrestrial planets. PMID:26601265

  17. The Chlorine Isotopic Composition Of Lunar UrKREEP

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barnes, J. J.; Tartese, R.; Anand, M.; McCubbin, F. M.; Neal, C. R.; Franchi, I. A.

    2016-01-01

    Since the long standing paradigm of an anhydrous Moon was challenged there has been a renewed focus on investigating volatiles in a variety of lunar samples. Numerous studies have examined the abundances and isotopic compositions of volatiles in lunar apatite, Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH). In particular, apatite has been used as a tool for assessing the sources of H2O in the lunar interior. However, current models for the Moon's formation have yet to fully account for its thermal evolution in the presence of H2O and other volatiles. For ex-ample, in the context of the lunar magma ocean (LMO) model, it is anticipated that chlorine (and other volatiles) should have been concentrated in the late-stage LMO residual melts (i.e., the dregs enriched in incompatible elements such as K, REEs (Rare Earth Elements), and P, collectively called KREEP, and in its primitive form - urKREEP, given its incompatibility in mafic minerals like olivine and pyroxene, which were the dominant phases that crystallized early in the cumulate pile of the LMO. When compared to chondritic meteorites and terrestrial rocks, lunar samples have exotic chlorine isotope compositions, which are difficult to explain in light of the abundance and isotopic composition of other volatile species, especially H, and the current estimates for chlorine and H2O in the bulk silicate Moon (BSM). In order to better understand the processes involved in giving rise to the heavy chlorine isotope compositions of lunar samples, we have performed a comprehensive in situ high precision study of chlorine isotopes in lunar apatite from a suite of Apollo samples covering a range of geochemical characteristics and petrologic types.

  18. Return to the Moon: Lunar robotic science missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Taylor, Lawrence A.

    1992-01-01

    There are two important aspects of the Moon and its materials which must be addressed in preparation for a manned return to the Moon and establishment of a lunar base. These involve its geologic science and resource utilization. Knowledge of the Moon forms the basis for interpretations of the planetary science of the terrestrial planets and their satellites; and there are numerous exciting explorations into the geologic science of the Moon to be conducted using orbiter and lander missions. In addition, the rocks and minerals and soils of the Moon will be the basic raw materials for a lunar outpost; and the In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) of lunar materials must be considered in detail before any manned return to the Moon. Both of these fields -- planetary science and resource assessment -- will necessitate the collection of considerable amounts of new data, only obtainable from lunar-orbit remote sensing and robotic landers. For over fifteen years, there have been a considerable number of workshops, meetings, etc. with their subsequent 'white papers' which have detailed plans for a return to the Moon. The Lunar Observer mission, although grandiose, seems to have been too expensive for the austere budgets of the last several years. However, the tens of thousands of man-hours that have gone into 'brainstorming' and production of plans and reports have provided the precursor material for today's missions. It has been only since last year (1991) that realistic optimism for lunar orbiters and soft landers has come forth. Plans are for 1995 and 1996 'Early Robotic Missions' to the Moon, with the collection of data necessary for answering several of the major problems in lunar science, as well as for resource and site evaluation, in preparation for soft landers and a manned-presence on the Moon.

  19. Lunar Roving Vehicle parked in lunar depression on slope of Stone Mountain

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1972-04-22

    AS16-107-17473 (22 April 1972) --- The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) appears to be parked in a deep lunar depression, on the slope of Stone Mountain. This photograph of the lunar scene at Station No. 4 was taken during the second Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Descartes landing site. A sample collection bag is in the right foreground. Note field of small boulders at upper right. While astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM) "Orion" to explore the moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit.

  20. Development of a lunar infrastructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burke, J. D.

    If humans are to reside continuously and productively on the Moon, they must be surrounded and supported there by an infrastructure having some attributes of the support systems that have made advanced civilization possible on Earth. Building this lunar infrastructure will, in a sense, be an investment. Creating it will require large resources from Earth, but once it exists it can do much to limit the further demands of a lunar base for Earthside support. What is needed for a viable lunar infrastructure? This question can be approached from two directions. The first is to examine history, which is essentially a record of growing information structures among humans on Earth (tribes, agriculture, specialization of work, education, ethics, arts and sciences, cities and states, technology). The second approach is much less secure but may provide useful insights: it is to examine the minimal needs of a small human community - not just for physical survival but for a stable existence with a net product output. This paper presents a summary, based on present knowledge of the Moon and of the likely functions of a human community there, of some of these infrastructure requirements, and also discusses possible ways to proceed toward meeting early infrastructure needs.

  1. Development of Precise Lunar Orbit Propagator and Lunar Polar Orbiter's Lifetime Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Young-Joo; Park, Sang-Young; Kim, Hae-Dong; Sim, Eun-Sup

    2010-06-01

    To prepare for a Korean lunar orbiter mission, a precise lunar orbit propagator; Yonsei precise lunar orbit propagator (YSPLOP) is developed. In the propagator, accelerations due to the Moon's non-spherical gravity, the point masses of the Earth, Moon, Sun, Mars, Jupiter and also, solar radiation pressures can be included. The developed propagator's performance is validated and propagation errors between YSPOLP and STK/Astrogator are found to have about maximum 4-m, in along-track direction during 30 days (Earth's time) of propagation. Also, it is found that the lifetime of a lunar polar orbiter is strongly affected by the different degrees and orders of the lunar gravity model, by a third body's gravitational attractions (especially the Earth), and by the different orbital inclinations. The reliable lifetime of circular lunar polar orbiter at about 100 km altitude is estimated to have about 160 days (Earth's time). However, to estimate the reasonable lifetime of circular lunar polar orbiter at about 100 km altitude, it is strongly recommended to consider at least 50 × 50 degrees and orders of the lunar gravity field. The results provided in this paper are expected to make further progress in the design fields of Korea's lunar orbiter missions.

  2. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Viewing the Lunar Interior Through Titanium-Colored Glasses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    The session"Viewing the Lunar Interior Through Titanium-Colored Glasses" included the following reports:Consequences of High Crystallinity for the Evolution of the Lunar Magma Ocean: Trapped Plagioclase; Low Abundances of Highly Siderophile Elements in the Lunar Mantle: Evidence for Prolonged Late Accretion; Fast Anorthite Dissolution Rates in Lunar Picritic Melts: Petrologic Implications; Searching the Moon for Aluminous Mare Basalts Using Compositional Remote-Sensing Constraints II: Detailed analysis of ROIs; Origin of Lunar High Titanium Ultramafic Glasses: A Hybridized Source?; Ilmenite Solubility in Lunar Basalts as a Function of Temperature and Pressure: Implications for Petrogenesis; Garnet in the Lunar Mantle: Further Evidence from Volcanic Glasses; Preliminary High Pressure Phase Relations of Apollo 15 Green C Glass: Assessment of the Role of Garnet; Oxygen Fugacity of Mare Basalts and the Lunar Mantle. Application of a New Microscale Oxybarometer Based on the Valence State of Vanadium; A Model for the Origin of the Dark Ring at Orientale Basin; Petrology and Geochemistry of LAP 02 205: A New Low-Ti Mare-Basalt Meteorite; Thorium and Samarium in Lunar Pyroclastic Glasses: Insights into the Composition of the Lunar Mantle and Basaltic Magmatism on the Moon; and Eu2+ and REE3+ Diffusion in Enstatite, Diopside, Anorthite, and a Silicate Melt: A Database for Understanding Kinetic Fractionation of REE in the Lunar Mantle and Crust.

  3. Oxygen extraction from lunar soil by fluorination

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seboldt, W.; Lingner, S.; Hoernes, S.; Grimmeisen, W.

    1991-01-01

    Mining and processing of lunar material could possibly lead to more cost-efficient scenarios for permanent presence of man in space and on the Moon. Production of oxygen for use as propellant seems especially important. Different candidate processes for oxygen-extraction from lunar soil were proposed, of which the reduction of ilmenite by hydrogen was studied most. This process, however, needs the concentration of ilmenite from lunar regolith to a large extent and releases oxygen only with low efficiency. Another possibility - the fluorination method - which works with lunar bulk material as feedstock is discussed. Liberation of oxygen from silicate or oxide materials by fluorination methods has been applied in geoscience since the early sixties. The fact that even at moderate temperatures 98 to 100 percent yields can be attained, suggests that fluorination of lunar regolith could be an effective way of propellant production. Lunar soil contains about 50 percent oxygen by weight which is gained nearly completely through this process as O2 gas. The second-most element Si is liberated as gaseous SiF4. It could be used for production of Si-metal and fluorine-recycling. All other main elements of lunar soil will be converted into solid fluorides which also can be used for metal-production and fluorine-recycling. Preliminary results of small scale experiments with different materials are discussed, giving information on specific oxygen-yields and amounts of by-products as functions of temperature. These experiments were performed with an already existing fluorine extraction and collection device at the University of Bonn, normally used for determination of oxygen-isotopic abundances. Optimum conditions, especially concerning energy consumption, are investigated. Extrapolation of the experimental results to large industrial-type plants on the Moon is tried and seems to be promising at first sight. The recycling of the fluorine is, however, crucial for the process. It

  4. Lunar base launch and landing facility conceptual design, 2nd edition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    This report documents the Lunar Base Launch and Landing Facility Conceptual Design study. The purpose of this study was to examine the requirements for launch and landing facilities for early lunar bases and to prepare conceptual designs for some of these facilities. The emphasis of this study is on the facilities needed from the first manned landing until permanent occupancy. Surface characteristics and flight vehicle interactions are described, and various facility operations are related. Specific recommendations for equipment, facilities, and evolutionary planning are made, and effects of different aspects of lunar development scenarios on facilities and operations are detailed. Finally, for a given scenario, a specific conceptual design is developed and presented.

  5. Solar-Wind Protons and Heavy Ions Sputtering of Lunar Surface Materials

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Barghouty, N.; Meyer, Fred W; Harris, Peter R

    2011-01-01

    Lunar surface materials are exposed to {approx}1 keV/amu solar-wind protons and heavy ions on almost continuous basis. As the lunar surface consists of mostly oxides, these materials suffer, in principle, both kinetic and potential sputtering due to the actions of the solar-wind ions. Sputtering is an important mechanism affecting the composition of both the lunar surface and its tenuous exosphere. While the contribution of kinetic sputtering to the changes in the composition of the surface layer of these oxides is well understood and modeled, the role and implications of potential sputtering remain unclear. As new potential-sputtering data from multi-charged ionsmore » impacting lunar regolith simulants are becoming available from Oak Ridge National Laboratory's MIRF, we examine the role and possible implications of potential sputtering of Lunar KREEP soil. Using a non-equilibrium model we demonstrate that solar-wind heavy ions induced sputtering is critical in establishing the timescale of the overall solar-wind sputtering process of the lunar surface. We also show that potential sputtering leads to a more pronounced and significant differentiation between depleted and enriched surface elements. We briefly discuss the impacts of enhanced sputtering on the composition of the regolith and the exosphere, as well as of solar-wind sputtering as a source of hydrogen and water on the moon.« less

  6. Goals and Strategies for the Human Lunar Reference Architecture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seaman, Calvin H.

    2010-01-01

    The presentation examines common goals for human lunar exploration and strategic guidance. Three major sections include illustrative example goals, introduction to the GPoD campaign, and GPoD overview. The first section includes slides about strategic view of partnerships, the moon as a stepping stone and a uniquely preserved record, human-robotic partnership, innovative engagement, strategic considerations, and evaluation of campaigns against common goals. The second section examines campaigns considered, the philosophy of GPoD, GPoD campaign phase definitions, and GPoD design decision points. The third section examines lunar exploration capabilities, extended stay-relocation exploration mode, notional campaign destinations for GPoD, early robotics phase, development of the GPoD early robotics phase, polar exploration/system validation phase, polar relocatability phase, non-polar relocatability phase, long duration phase, and return to evaluation of campaigns.

  7. Eclipse cooling of selected lunar features

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shorthill, R. W.; Saari, J. M.; Baird, F. E.; Lecompte, J. R.

    1970-01-01

    Thermal measurements were made in the 10 to 12 micron band of the lunar surface during the total eclipse of December19, 1964. A normalized differential thermal contour map is included, showing the location of the thermal anomalies or hot spots on the disk and the eclipse cooling curves of 400 sites, of which more than 300 were hot spots. The eclipse cooling data is compared to a particulate thermophysical model of the soil.

  8. Close-up of lunar roving vehicle at Apollo 17 Taurus-Littrow landing site

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1972-12-12

    AS17-137-20979 (12 Dec. 1972) --- A close-up view of the lunar roving vehicle (LRV) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site photographed during Apollo 17 lunar surface extravehicular activity. Note the makeshift repair arrangement on the right rear fender of the LRV. During EVA-1 a hammer got underneath the fender and a part of it was knocked off. Astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt were reporting a problem with lunar dust because of the damage fender. Following a suggestion from astronaut John W. Young in the Mission Control Center at Houston the crewmen repaired the fender early in EVA-2 using lunar maps and clamps from the optical alignment telescope lamp. Schmitt is seated in the rover. Cernan took this picture.

  9. Stonehenge: A Simple and Accurate Predictor of Lunar Eclipses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Challener, S.

    1999-12-01

    Over the last century, much has been written about the astronomical significance of Stonehenge. The rage peaked in the mid to late 1960s when new computer technology enabled astronomers to make the first complete search for celestial alignments. Because there are hundreds of rocks or holes at Stonehenge and dozens of bright objects in the sky, the quest was fraught with obvious statistical problems. A storm of controversy followed and the subject nearly vanished from print. Only a handful of these alignments remain compelling. Today, few astronomers and still fewer archaeologists would argue that Stonehenge served primarily as an observatory. Instead, Stonehenge probably served as a sacred meeting place, which was consecrated by certain celestial events. These would include the sun's risings and settings at the solstices and possibly some lunar risings as well. I suggest that Stonehenge was also used to predict lunar eclipses. While Hawkins and Hoyle also suggested that Stonehenge was used in this way, their methods are complex and they make use of only early, minor, or outlying areas of Stonehenge. In contrast, I suggest a way that makes use of the imposing, central region of Stonehenge; the area built during the final phase of activity. To predict every lunar eclipse without predicting eclipses that do not occur, I use the less familiar lunar cycle of 47 lunar months. By moving markers about the Sarsen Circle, the Bluestone Circle, and the Bluestone Horseshoe, all umbral lunar eclipses can be predicted accurately.

  10. U-Th-Pb isotopic systematics of lunar norite 78235

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Premo, W. R.; Tatsumoto, M.

    1991-01-01

    A pristine high-Mg noritic cumulate thought to be relict deep-seated lunar crust is studied with an eye to obtaining evidence of initial Pb isotopic composition and U/Pb ratios of early lunar magma sources and possibly of a primary magma ocean. A leaching procedure was conducted on polymineralic separates to assure the removal of secondary Pb components. The Pb from leached separates do not form a linear trend on the Pb-Pb diagram, indicating open-system behavior either from mixtures of Pb or postcrystallization disturbances. Calculated initial Pb compositions and corresponding U-238/Pb-204 (mu) values are presented, with the assumption of reasonably precise radiometric ages from the literature for norite 78236. The results obtained support the contention that high-Mg suite rocks are coeval with the ferroan anorthosites, both being produced during the earliest stages of lunar evolution.

  11. XBtg2 is required for notochord differentiation during early Xenopus development.

    PubMed

    Sugimoto, Kaoru; Hayata, Tadayoshi; Asashima, Makoto

    2005-09-01

    The notochord is essential for normal vertebrate development, serving as both a structural support for the embryo and a signaling source for the patterning of adjacent tissues. Previous studies on the notochord have mostly focused on its formation and function in early organogenesis but gene regulation in the differentiation of notochord cells itself remains poorly defined. In the course of screening for genes expressed in developing notochord, we have isolated Xenopus homolog of Btg2 (XBtg2). The mammalian Btg2 genes, Btg2/PC3/TIS21, have been reported to have multiple functions in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation but their roles in early development are still unclear. Here we characterized XBtg2 in early Xenopus laevis embryogenesis with focus on notochord development. Translational inhibition of XBtg2 resulted in a shortened and bent axis phenotype and the abnormal structures in the notochord tissue, which did not undergo vacuolation. The XBtg2-depleted notochord cells expressed early notochord markers such as chordin and Xnot at the early tailbud stage, but failed to express differentiation markers of notochord such as Tor70 and 5-D-4 antigens in the later stages. These results suggest that XBtg2 is required for the differentiation of notochord cells such as the process of vacuolar formation after determination of notochord cell fate.

  12. Lunar base launch and landing facilities conceptual design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phillips, Paul G.; Simonds, Charles H.; Stump, William R.

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to perform a first look at the requirements for launch and landing facilities for early lunar bases and to prepared conceptual designs for some of these facilities. The emphasis of the study is on the facilities needed from the first manned landing until permanent occupancy, the Phase 2 lunar base. Factors including surface characteristics, navigation system, engine blast effects, and expected surface operations are used to develop landing pad designs, and definitions fo various other elements of the launch and landing facilities. Finally, the dependence of the use of these elements and the evolution of the facilities are established.

  13. Bibliographic search of the literature on lunar processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Criswell, D. R.

    1989-01-01

    The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) search produced approximately 80 references. Most of these are available at the LPI. The product includes only the author, title, date, and reference. The earliest (Cooper et al., Certain ecological aspects of a closed lunar base, Rand Corp.) is dated 6 March 1958. The latest is a semi-popular article (Cole and Majdacic, Astronomy, vol. 16) produced last year. The early references tend to be reports of government sponsored engineering studies. The later are generally semi-popular and science press articles. These references will be obtained on disk from the LPI and can be converted into an ASCII file for access via IBM-compatible PCs.

  14. Lunar International Science Coordination/Calibration Targets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Head, J. W.; Issacson, P.; Petro, N.; Runyon, C.; Ohtake, M.; Foing, B.; Grande, M.

    2007-01-01

    A new era of international lunar exploration has begun and will expand over the next four years with data acquired from at least four sophisticated remote sensing missions: KAGUYA (SELENE) [Japan], Chang'E [China], Chandrayaan-l [India], and LRO [United States]. It is recognized that this combined activity at the Moon with modern sophisticated sensors wi II provide unprecedented new information about the Moon and will dramatically improve our understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor. It is anticipated that the blooming of scientific exploration of the Moon by nations involved in space activities will seed and foster peaceful international coordination and cooperation that will benefit all. Summarized here are eight Lunar International Science Coordination/Calibration Targets (L-ISCT) that are intended to a) allow cross-calibration of diverse multi-national instruments and b) provide a focus for training young scientists about a range of lunar science issues. The targets, discussed at several scientific forums, were selected for coordinated science and instrument calibration of orbital data. All instrument teams are encouraged to participate in a coordinated activity of early-release data that will improve calibration and validation of data across independent and diverse instruments.

  15. Costs and benefits of lunar oxygen: Engineering, operations, and economics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sherwood, Brent; Woodcock, Gordon R.

    Oxygen is the most commonly discussed lunar resource. It will certainly not be the easiest to retrieve, but oxygen's fundamental place in propulsion and life support guarantees it continued attention as a prime candidate for early in situ resource utilization (ISRU). The findings are reviewed of recent investigation, sponsored by NASA-Ames, into the kinds of technologies, equipment, and scenarios (the engineering and operations costs) that will be required even to initiate lunar oxygen production. The infrastructure necessary to surround and support a viable oxygen-processing operation is explained. Selected details are used to illustrate the depth of technology challenges, extent of operations burdens, and complexity of decision linkages. Basic assumptions, and resulting timelines and mass manifests, are listed. These findings are combined with state-of-the-art knowledge of lunar and Mars propulsion options in simple economic input/output and internal-rate-of-return models, to compare production costs with performance benefits. Implications for three realistic scales of exploration architecture - expeditionary, aggressive science, and industrialization/settlement - are discussed. Conclusions are reached regarding the contextual conditions within which production of lunar oxygen (LLOX) is a reasonable activity. LLOX appears less useful for Mars missions than previously hoped. Its economical use in low Earth orbit hinges on production of lunar hydrogen as well. LLOX shows promise for lunar ascent/descent use, but that depends strongly on the plant mass required.

  16. Costs and benefits of lunar oxygen: Engineering, operations, and economics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sherwood, Brent; Woodcock, Gordon R.

    1991-01-01

    Oxygen is the most commonly discussed lunar resource. It will certainly not be the easiest to retrieve, but oxygen's fundamental place in propulsion and life support guarantees it continued attention as a prime candidate for early in situ resource utilization (ISRU). The findings are reviewed of recent investigation, sponsored by NASA-Ames, into the kinds of technologies, equipment, and scenarios (the engineering and operations costs) that will be required even to initiate lunar oxygen production. The infrastructure necessary to surround and support a viable oxygen-processing operation is explained. Selected details are used to illustrate the depth of technology challenges, extent of operations burdens, and complexity of decision linkages. Basic assumptions, and resulting timelines and mass manifests, are listed. These findings are combined with state-of-the-art knowledge of lunar and Mars propulsion options in simple economic input/output and internal-rate-of-return models, to compare production costs with performance benefits. Implications for three realistic scales of exploration architecture - expeditionary, aggressive science, and industrialization/settlement - are discussed. Conclusions are reached regarding the contextual conditions within which production of lunar oxygen (LLOX) is a reasonable activity. LLOX appears less useful for Mars missions than previously hoped. Its economical use in low Earth orbit hinges on production of lunar hydrogen as well. LLOX shows promise for lunar ascent/descent use, but that depends strongly on the plant mass required.

  17. Lunar Flashlight: Mapping Lunar Surface Volatiles Using a Cubesat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cohen, B. A.; Hayne, P. O.; Banazadeh, P.; Baker, J. D.; Staehle, R. L.; Paine, C..; Paige, D. A.

    2014-01-01

    Water ice and other volatiles may be located in the Moon's polar regions, with sufficient quantities for in situ extraction and utilization by future human and robotic missions. Evidence from orbiting spacecraft and the LCROSS impactor suggests the presence of surface and/or nearsurface volatiles, including water ice. These deposits are of interest to human exploration to understand their potential for use by astronauts. Understanding the composition, quantity, distribution, and form of water/H species and other volatiles associated with lunar cold traps is identified as a NASA Strategic Knowledge Gap (SKG) for Human Exploration. These polar volatile deposits could also reveal important information about the delivery of water to the Earth- Moon system, so are of scientific interest. The scientific exploration of the lunar polar regions was one of the key recommendations of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. In order to address NASA's SKGs, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program selected three lowcost 6-U CubeSat missions for launch as secondary payloads on the first test flight (EM1) of the Space Launch System (SLS) scheduled for 2017. The Lunar Flashlight mission was selected as one of these missions, specifically to address the SKG associated with lunar volatiles. Development of the Lunar Flashlight CubeSat concept leverages JPL's Interplanetary Nano- Spacecraft Pathfinder In Relevant Environment (INSPIRE) mission, MSFC's intimate knowledge of the Space Launch System and EM-1 mission, small business development of solar sail and electric propulsion hardware, and JPL experience with specialized miniature sensors. The goal of Lunar Flashlight is to determine the presence or absence of exposed water ice and its physical state, and map its concentration at the kilometer scale within the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. After being ejected in cislunar space by SLS, Lunar Flashlight deploys its solar panels and solar sail and maneuvers

  18. The Lunar Regolith

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noble, Sarah

    2009-01-01

    A thick layer of regolith, fragmental and unconsolidated rock material, covers the entire lunar surface. This layer is the result of the continuous impact of meteoroids large and small and the steady bombardment of charged particles from the sun and stars. The regolith is generally about 4-5 m thick in mare regions and 10-15 m in highland areas (McKay et al., 1991) and contains all sizes of material from large boulders to sub-micron dust particles. Below the regolith is a region of large blocks of material, large-scale ejecta and brecciated bedrock, often referred to as the "megaregolith". Lunar soil is a term often used interchangeably with regolith, however, soil is defined as the subcentimeter fraction of the regolith (in practice though, soil generally refers to the submillimeter fraction of the regolith). Lunar dust has been defined in many ways by different researchers, but generally refers to only the very finest fractions of the soil, less than approx.10 or 20 microns. Lunar soil can be a misleading term, as lunar "soil" bears little in common with terrestrial soils. Lunar soil contains no organic matter and is not formed through biologic or chemical means as terrestrial soils are, but strictly through mechanical comminution from meteoroids and interaction with the solar wind and other energetic particles. Lunar soils are also not exposed to the wind and water that shapes the Earth. As a consequence, in contrast to terrestrial soils, lunar soils are not sorted in any way, by size, shape, or chemistry. Finally, without wind and water to wear down the edges, lunar soil grains tend to be sharp with fresh fractured surfaces.

  19. The third stage of Lunar Prospector's Athena is placed atop the second stage at LC 46 at CCAS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The third stage of the Lockheed Martin Athena launch vehicle is placed atop the vehicle's second stage at Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Athena is scheduled to carry the Lunar Prospector spacecraft for an 18-month mission that will orbit the Earth's moon to collect data from the lunar surface. Scientific experiments to be conducted by the Prospector include locating water ice that may exist near the lunar poles, gathering data to understand the evolution of the lunar highland crust and the lunar magnetic field, finding radon outgassing events, and describing the lunar gravity field by means of Doppler tracking. The launch is now scheduled for early-January 1998.

  20. Considerations Regarding the Development of an Environmental Control and Life Support System for Lunar Surface Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bagdigian, Robert M.

    2008-01-01

    NASA is engaged in early architectural analyses and trade studies aimed at identifying requirements, predicting performance and resource needs, characterizing mission constraints and sensitivities, and guiding technology development planning needed to conduct a successful human exploration campaign of the lunar surface. Conceptual designs and resource estimates for environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) within pressurized lunar surface habitats and rovers have been considered and compared in order to support these lunar campaign studies. This paper will summarize those concepts and some of the more noteworthy considerations that will likely remain as key drivers in the evolution of the lunar surface ECLSS architecture.

  1. Lunar Science Conference, 8th, Houston, Tex., March 14-18, 1977, Proceedings. Volume 1 - The moon and the inner solar system. Volume 2 - Petrogenetic studies of mare and highland rocks. Volume 3 - Planetary and lunar surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Merril, R. B.

    1977-01-01

    Solar system processes are considered along with the origin and evolution of the moon, planetary geophysics, lunar basins and crustal layering, lunar magnetism, the lunar surface as a planetary probe, remote observations of lunar and planetary surfaces, earth-based measurements, integrated studies, physical properties of lunar materials, and asteroids, meteorites, and the early solar system. Attention is also given to studies of mare basalts, the kinetics of basalt crystallization, topical studies of mare basalts, highland rocks, experimental studies of highland rocks, geochemical studies of highland rocks, studies of materials of KREEP composition, a consortium study of lunar breccia 73215, topical studies on highland rocks, Venus, and regional studies of the moon. Studies of surface processes, are reported, taking into account cratering mechanics and fresh crater morphology, crater statistics and surface dating, effects of exposure and gardening, and the chemistry of surfaces.

  2. Lunar sample analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Housley, R. M.

    1978-01-01

    Flameless atomic abosrption, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, ferromagnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy, and Moessbauer spectroscopy were used to investigate the evolution of the lunar regolith, the transport of volatile trace metals, and the surface composition of lunar samples. The development of a model for lunar volcanic eruptions is also discussed.

  3. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morgan, T.; Chin, G.

    2007-08-01

    NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) plans to launch in October 2008 with a companion secondary impactor mission, LCROSS, as the inaugural missions for the Exploration System Mission Directorate. LRO is a pathfinder whose objective is to obtain the needed information to prepare for eventual human return to the Moon. LRO will undertake at least one baseline year of operation with additional extended mission phase sponsored by NASA's Science Mission Directorate. LRO will employ six individual instruments to produce accurate maps and high-resolution images of future landing sites, to assess potential lunar resources, and to characterize the radiation environment. LRO will also test the feasibility of one advanced technology demonstration package. The LRO payload includes: Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) which will determine the global topography of the lunar surface at high resolution, measure landing site slopes, surface roughness, and search for possible polar surface ice in shadowed regions; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) which will acquire targeted narrow angle images of the lunar surface capable of resolving meter-scale features to support landing site selection, as well as wide-angle images to characterize polar illumination conditions and to identify potential resources; Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) which will map the flux of neutrons from the lunar surface to search for evidence of water ice, and will provide space radiation environment measurements that may be useful for future human exploration; Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE) which will chart the temperature of the entire lunar surface at approximately 300 meter horizontal resolution to identify cold-traps and potential ice deposits; Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) which will map the entire lunar surface in the far ultraviolet. LAMP will search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions and provide images of permanently shadowed regions illuminated only

  4. Human Lunar Destiny: Past, Present, and Future

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fletcher, David

    2002-01-01

    This paper offers conceptual strategy and rationale for returning astronauts to the moon. NASA's historic Apollo program enabled humans to make the first expeditionary voyages to the moon and to gather and return samples back to the earth for further study. To continue exploration of the moon within the next ten to fifteen years, one possible mission concept for returning astronauts using existing launch vehicle infrastructure is presented. During these early lunar missions, expeditionary trips are made to geographical destinations and permanent outposts are established at the lunar south pole. As these missions continue, mining operations begin in an effort to learn how to live off the land. Over time, a burgeoning economy based on mining and scientific activity emerges with the formation of more accommodating settlements and surface infrastructure assets. As lunar activity advances, surface infrastructure assets grow and become more complex, lunar settlements and outposts are established across the globe, travel to and from the moon becomes common place, and commerce between earth and the moon develops and flourishes. Colonization and development of the moon is completed with the construction of underground cities and the establishment of a full range of political, religious, educational, and recreational institutions with a diverse population from all nations of the world. Finally, rationale for diversifying concentrations of humanity throughout earth's neighborhood and the greater solar system is presented.

  5. Apollo 9 Lunar Module in lunar landing configuration

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-03-07

    AS09-21-3181 (7 March 1969) --- A View of the Apollo 9 Lunar Module (LM), "Spider," in a lunar lading configuration, as photographed from the Command and Service Modules (CSM) on the fifth day of the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission. The landing gear on the "Spider" has been deployed. Inside the "Spider" were astronauts James A. McDivitt, Apollo 9 commander; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot, remained at the controls in the Command Module (CM), "Gumdrop," while the other two astronauts checked out the LM.

  6. On the history of the early meteoritic bombardment of the Moon: Was there a terminal lunar cataclysm?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michael, Greg; Basilevsky, Alexander; Neukum, Gerhard

    2018-03-01

    This work revisits the hypothesis of the so-called 'lunar terminal cataclysm' suggested by Tera et al. (1973, 1974) as a strong peak in the meteorite bombardment of the Moon around 3.9 Ga ago. According to the hypothesis, most of the impact craters observed on the lunar highlands formed during this short time period and thus formed the majority of the lunar highland impact breccias and melts. The hypothesis arose from the observation that the ages of highland samples from all the lunar missions are mostly grouped around 3.9-4.0 Ga. Since those missions, however, radiometric dating techniques have progressed and many samples, both old and new, have been re-analyzed. Nevertheless, the debate over whether there was a terminal cataclysm persists. To progress in this problem we summarized results of 269 K-Ar datings (mostly made using the 40Ar-39Ar technique) of highland rocks represented by the Apollo 14, 15, 16, 17 and Luna 20 samples and 94 datings of clasts of the highland rocks from 23 lunar meteorites representing 21 localities on the lunar surface, and considered them jointly with the results of our modelling of the cumulative effect of the impact gardening process on the presence of impact melt of different ages at the near-surface of the Moon. The considered results of K-Ar dating of the Apollo-Luna samples of lunar highland rocks confirmed a presence of strong peak centered at 3.87 Ga. But since the time when the hypothesis of terminal cataclysm was suggested, it has become clear that this peak could be a result of sampling bias: it is the only prominent feature at the sites with an apparent domination of Imbrium basin ejecta (Apollo 14 and 15) and the age pattern is more complicated for the sites influenced not only by Imbrium ejecta but also that of other basins (Nectaris at the Apollo 16 site and Serenitatis at the Apollo 17 site). Our modelling shows that the cataclysm, if it occurred, should produce a strong peak in the measured age values but we see in

  7. The lunar quarantine program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnston, R. S.; Mason, J. A.; Wooley, B. C.; Mccollum, G. W.; Mieszkuc, B. J.

    1974-01-01

    The lunar quarantine program was designed to ensure that return of lunar material represented no threat to the public health, to agriculture, or to other living resources. It established definitely that no life exists on the moon. The crews of the three lunar quarantine missions, Apollo 11, 12, and 14, experienced no health problems as a result of their exposure to lunar samples. Plants and animals also showed no adverse effects. Stringent quarantine was terminated after Apollo 14, but lunar samples continued to be protected to guarantee that scientists would receive uncontaminated materials for study.

  8. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Lunar Remote Sensing: Seeing the Big Picture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    The session "Lunar Remote Sensing: Seeing the Big Picture" contained the following reports:Approaches for Approximating Topography in High Resolution, Multispectral Data; Verification of Quality and Compatibility for the Newly Calibrated Clementine NIR Data Set; Near Infrared Spectral Properties of Selected Nearside and Farside Sites ; Global Comparisons of Mare Volcanism from Clementine Near-Infrared Data; Testing the Relation Between UVVIS Color and TiO2 Composition in the Lunar Maria; Color Reflectance Trends in the Mare: Implications for Mapping Iron with Multispectral Images ; The Composition of the Lunar Megaregolith: Some Initial Results from Global Mapping; Global Images of Mg-Number Derived from Clementine Data; The Origin of Lunar Crater Rays; Properties of Lunar Crater Ejecta from New 70-cm Radar Observations ; Permanent Sunlight at the Lunar North Pole; and ESA s SMART-1 Mission to the Moon: Goals, Status and First Results.

  9. A nonmagnetic differentiated early planetary body

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weiss, Benjamin P.; Wang, Huapei; Sharp, Thomas G.; Gattacceca, Jérôme; Shuster, David L.; Downey, Brynna; Hu, Jinping; Fu, Roger R.; Kuan, Aaron T.; Suavet, Clément; Irving, Anthony J.; Wang, Jun; Wang, Jiajun

    2017-06-01

    Paleomagnetic studies of meteorites have shown that the solar nebula was likely magnetized and that many early planetary bodies generated dynamo magnetic fields in their advecting metallic cores. The surface fields on these bodies were recorded by a diversity of chondrites and achondrites, ranging in intensity from several μT to several hundred μT. In fact, an achondrite parent body without evidence for paleomagnetic fields has yet to be confidently identified, hinting that early solar system field generation and the dynamo process in particular may have been common. Here we present paleomagnetic measurements of the ungrouped achondrite NWA 7325 indicating that it last cooled in a near-zero field (<∼1.7 μT), estimated to have occurred at 4563.09 ± 0.26 million years ago (Ma) from Al-Mg chronometry. Because NWA 7325 is highly depleted in siderophile elements, its parent body nevertheless underwent large-scale metal-silicate differentiation and likely formed a metallic core. This makes NWA 7325 the first recognized example of an essentially unmagnetized igneous rock from a differentiated early solar system body. These results indicate that all magnetic fields, including those from any core dynamo on the NWA 7325 parent body, the solar nebula, young Sun, and solar wind, were <1.7 μT at the location of NWA 7325 at 4563 Ma. This supports a recent conclusion that the solar nebula had dissipated by ∼4 million years after solar system formation. NWA 7325 also serves as an experimental control that gives greater confidence in the positive identification of remanent magnetization in other achondrites.

  10. Correlation of Lunar South Polar Epithermal Neutron Maps: Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector and Lunar Prospector Neutron Detector

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McClanahan, Timothy P.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Boynton, W. V.; Sagdeev, R.; Trombka, J. I.; Starr, R. D.; Evans, L. G.; Litvak, M. L.; Chin, G.; Garvin, J.; hide

    2010-01-01

    The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's (LRO), Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) was developed to refine the lunar surface hydrogen (H) measurements generated by the Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer. LPNS measurements indicated a approx.4,6% decrease in polar epithermal fluxes equivalent to (1.5+/-0,8)% H concentration and are direct geochemical evidence indicating water /high H at the poles. Given the similar operational and instrumental objectives of the LEND and LPNS systems, an important science analysis step for LEND is to test correlation with existing research including LPNS measurements. In this analysis, we compare corrected low altitude epithermal rate data from LPNS available via NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS) with calibrated LEND epithermal maps using a cross-correlation technique

  11. The capture of lunar materials in low lunar orbit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Floyd, M. A.

    1981-01-01

    A scenario is presented for the retrieval of lunar materials sent into lunar orbit to be used as raw materials in space manufacturing operations. The proposal is based on the launch of material from the lunar surface by an electromagnetic mass driver and the capture of this material in low lunar orbit by a fleet of mass catchers which ferry the material to processing facilities when full. Material trajectories are analyzed using the two-body equations of motion, and intercept requirements and the sensitivity of the system to launch errors are determined. The present scenario is shown to be superior to scenarios that place a single mass catcher at the L2 libration point due to increased operations flexibility, decreased mass driver performance requirements and centralized catcher servicing.

  12. Asymmetric Early Crust-Building Magmatism on the Lunar Nearside Due to KREEP-Induced Melting Point Depression

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elardo, S. M.; Shearer, C. K.; McCuddin, F. M.

    2018-01-01

    The lunar magnesian-suite, or Mg-suite, is a series of ancient plutonic rocks from the lunar crust with ages and compositions indicating that they represent crust-building magmatism occurring immediately after the end of magma ocean crystallization. Samples of the Mg-suite were found at every Apollo landing site except 11 and ubiquitously have geochemical characteristics indicating the involvement of KREEP in their petrogenesis. This observation has led to the suggestion that the presence of the KREEP reservoir under the lunar nearside was responsible for this episode of crust building. The lack of any readily identifiable Mg-suite rocks in meteoritic regolith breccias sourced from outside the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) seemingly supports this interpretation.

  13. Burn Delay Analysis of the Lunar Orbit Insertion for Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bae, Jonghee; Song, Young-Joo; Kim, Young-Rok; Kim, Bangyeop

    2017-12-01

    The first Korea lunar orbiter, Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), has been in development since 2016. After launch, the KPLO will execute several maneuvers to enter into the lunar mission orbit, and will then perform lunar science missions for one year. Among these maneuvers, the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) is the most critical maneuver because the KPLO will experience an extreme velocity change in the presence of the Moon’s gravitational pull. However, the lunar orbiter may have a delayed LOI burn during operation due to hardware limitations and telemetry delays. This delayed burn could occur in different captured lunar orbits; in the worst case, the KPLO could fly away from the Moon. Therefore, in this study, the burn delay for the first LOI maneuver is analyzed to successfully enter the desired lunar orbit. Numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the difference between the desired and delayed lunar orbits due to a burn delay in the LOI maneuver. Based on this analysis, critical factors in the LOI maneuver, the periselene altitude and orbit period, are significantly changed and an additional delta-V in the second LOI maneuver is required as the delay burn interval increases to 10 min from the planned maneuver epoch.

  14. Solar lunar power

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bailey, Sheila G.; Landis, Geoffrey A.

    1994-01-01

    Current and projected technology is assessed for photovoltaic power for a lunar base. The following topics are discussed: requirements for power during the lunar day and night; solar cell efficiencies, specific power, temperature sensitivity, and availability; storage options for the lunar night; array and system integration; the potential for in situ production of photovoltaic arrays and storage medium.

  15. Inhibition of master transcription factors in pluripotent cells induces early stage differentiation

    PubMed Central

    De, Debojyoti; Jeong, Myong-Ho; Leem, Young-Eun; Svergun, Dmitri I.; Wemmer, David E.; Kang, Jong-Sun; Kim, Kyeong Kyu; Kim, Sung-Hou

    2014-01-01

    The potential for pluripotent cells to differentiate into diverse specialized cell types has given much hope to the field of regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, the low efficiency of cell commitment has been a major bottleneck in this field. Here we provide a strategy to enhance the efficiency of early differentiation of pluripotent cells. We hypothesized that the initial phase of differentiation can be enhanced if the transcriptional activity of master regulators of stemness is suppressed, blocking the formation of functional transcriptomes. However, an obstacle is the lack of an efficient strategy to block protein–protein interactions. In this work, we take advantage of the biochemical property of seventeen kilodalton protein (Skp), a bacterial molecular chaperone that binds directly to sex determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2). The small angle X-ray scattering analyses provided a low resolution model of the complex and suggested that the transactivation domain of Sox2 is probably wrapped in a cleft on Skp trimer. Upon the transduction of Skp into pluripotent cells, the transcriptional activity of Sox2 was inhibited and the expression of Sox2 and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 was reduced, which resulted in the expression of early differentiation markers and appearance of early neuronal and cardiac progenitors. These results suggest that the initial stage of differentiation can be accelerated by inhibiting master transcription factors of stemness. This strategy can possibly be applied to increase the efficiency of stem cell differentiation into various cell types and also provides a clue to understanding the mechanism of early differentiation. PMID:24434556

  16. Lunar Dust 101

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gaier, James R.

    2008-01-01

    Largely due to rock and soil samples returned during the Apollo program, much has been learned about the composition and properties of lunar regolith. Although, for the most part, the mineral composition resembles terrestrial minerals, the characteristics of the lunar environment have led to very different weathering processes. These result in substantial differences in the particle shapes, particle size distributions, and surface chemistry. These differences lead to non-intuitive adhesion, abrasion, and possible health properties that will pose challenges to future lunar missions. An overview of lunar dust composition and properties will be given with a particular emphasis on possible health effects.

  17. Understanding the Reactivity of Lunar Dust for Future Lunar Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, W. T.; Jeevarajan, A. S.; Taylor, L. A.

    2010-01-01

    Fluorescence and EPR can be used to measure the reactivity of lunar soil. Lunar soil is highly activated by grinding. Reactivity is dependent upon soil maturity and locale. Maturity is based on the amount of nanophase iron (np-Fe) in a soil relative to the total iron (FeO). Lunar soil activity ia a direct function of the amount of np-Fe present. Reactive soil can be "deactivated" by humid atmosphere.

  18. A baseline lunar mine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gertsch, Richard E.

    1992-01-01

    A models lunar mining method is proposed that illustrates the problems to be expected in lunar mining and how they might be solved. While the method is quite feasible, it is, more importantly, a useful baseline system against which to test other, possible better, methods. Our study group proposed the slusher to stimulate discussion of how a lunar mining operation might be successfully accomplished. Critics of the slusher system were invited to propose better methods. The group noted that while nonterrestrial mining has been a vital part of past space manufacturing proposals, no one has proposed a lunar mining system in any real detail. The group considered it essential that the design of actual, workable, and specific lunar mining methods begin immediately. Based on an earlier proposal, the method is a three-drum slusher, also known as a cable-operated drag scraper. Its terrestrial application is quite limited, as it is relatively inefficient and inflexible. The method usually finds use in underwater mining from the shore and in moving small amounts of ore underground. When lunar mining scales up, the lunarized slusher will be replaced by more efficient, high-volume methods. Other aspects of lunar mining are discussed.

  19. Unfinished business: the rebirth of the ALPO Lunar Dome Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huddleston, Marvin W.

    2004-05-01

    The ALPO board of directors approved the revival of the Lunar Dome Survey during their annual board meeting in the summer of 2003. The initial LDS program was conceived by Harry Jamieson in the early 1960's and headed by him when the British Astronomical Assn. (BAA) was invited to join the program, which they did. The joint effort between the ALPO and BAA lunar sections lasted for approximately 14 years, ending officially around 1976 due to a decline in interest. The program was again revived in 1987 under the direction of Jim Phillips and lasted until the mid-1990's. All told, this program has been one of the longest running programs in the history of the Lunar Section of ALPO. The revived program will concentrate on cleaning up the existing catalog, classification and confirmation of the objects contained therein, and analysis of the database created in the process. It is hoped that, as in the past, much of the newly revived Lunar Dome Survey will be an international effort.

  20. LUNAR SAMPLES - APOLLO 11

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-08-03

    S69-40749 (July 1969) --- Dr. Grant Heikan, MSC and a Lunar Sample Preliminary Examination Team member, examines lunar material in a sieve from the bulk sample container which was opened in the Biopreparation Laboratory of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory. The samples were collected by astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. during their lunar surface extravehicular activity on July 20, 1969.

  1. View of the Lunar Module 'Orion' and Lunar Roving Vehicle during first EVA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    A view of the Lunar Module (LM) 'Orion' and Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), as photographed by Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Descates landing site. Astronaut John W. Young, commander, can be seen directly behind the LRV. The lunar surface feature in the left background is Stone Mountain.

  2. Contributions of solar-wind induced potential sputtering to the lunar surface erosion rate and it's exosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alnussirat, S. T.; Barghouty, A. F.; Edmunson, J. E.; Sabra, M. S.; Rickman, D. L.

    2018-04-01

    Sputtering of lunar regolith by solar-wind protons and heavy ions with kinetic energies of about 1 keV/amu is an important erosive process that affects the lunar surface and exosphere. It plays an important role in changing the chemical composition and thickness of the surface layer, and in introducing material into the exosphere. Kinetic sputtering is well modeled and understood, but understanding of mechanisms of potential sputtering has lagged behind. In this study we differentiate the contributions of potential sputtering from the standard (kinetic) sputtering in changing the chemical composition and erosion rate of the lunar surface. Also we study the contribution of potential sputtering in developing the lunar exosphere. Our results show that potential sputtering enhances the total characteristic sputtering erosion rate by about 44%, and reduces sputtering time scales by the same amount. Potential sputtering also introduces more material into the lunar exosphere.

  3. New data supporting a Sm-146,147-Nd-142,143 formation interval for the lunar mantle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nyquist, L. E.; Wiesmann, H.; Bansal, B. M.; Shih, C.-Y.

    1994-01-01

    Very small variations in Nd-142 abundance in SNC meteorites lunar basalts, and a terrestrial supracrustal rock, have been attributed to the decay of 103 Ma Sm-146 initially present in basalt source regions in varying abundances as a result of planetary differentiation. We previously interpreted variations in Nd-142 abundances in two Apollo 17 high-Ti basalts, three Apollo 12 low-Ti basalts, and two KREEP basalts as defining an isochron giving a formation interval of approximately 94 Ma for the lunar mantle. Here we report new data for a third Apollo 17 high-Ti basalt, two Apollo 15 low-Ti basalts, the VLT basaltic lunar meteorite A881757 (formerly Asuka 31), basalt-like KREEP impact melt rocks 14310 and 14078, and three terrestrial rock standards. Those lunar samples which were not exposed to large lunar surface thermal neutron fluences yield a revised mantle formation interval of 237 +/- 64 Ma.

  4. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Lunar Workshops for Educators, Year 1 Report

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, A. P.; Hsu, B. C.; Bleacher, L.; Shaner, A. J.; Dalton, H.

    2011-12-01

    This past summer, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) sponsored a series of weeklong professional development workshops designed to educate and inspire grade 6-12 science teachers: the Lunar Workshops for Educators. Participants learned about lunar science and exploration, gained tools to help address common student misconceptions about the Moon, heard some of the latest research results from LRO scientists, worked with LRO data, and learned how to bring these data to their students using hands-on activities aligned with grade 6-12 National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks. Where possible, the workshops also included tours of science facilities or field trips intended to help the teachers better understand mission operations or geologic processes relevant to the Moon. The workshops were very successful. Participants demonstrated an improved understanding of lunar science concepts in post-workshop assessments (as compared to identical pre-assessments) and a greater understanding of how to access and productively share data from LRO with their students and provide them with authentic research experiences. Participant feedback on workshop surveys was also enthusiastically positive. 5 additional Lunar Workshops for Educators will be held around the country in the summer of 2012. For more information and to register, visit http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/lwe/index.html.

  5. The Lunar Regolith as a Recorder of Cosmic History

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, Bonnie; McKay, D.; Riofrio, L.

    2012-01-01

    The Moon can be considered a giant tape recorder containing the history of the solar system and Universe. The lunar regolith (soil) has recorded the early history of the Moon, Earth, the solar system and Universe. A major goal of future lunar exploration should be to find and play back existing fragments of that tape . By reading the lunar tape, we can uncover a record of planetary bombardment, as well as solar and stellar variability. The Moon can tell us much about our place in the Universe. The lunar regolith has likely recorded the original meteoritic bombardment of Earth and Moon, a violent cataclysm that may have peaked around 4 Gyr, and the less intense bombardment occurring since that time. This impact history is preserved on the Moon as regolith layers, ejecta layers, impact melt rocks, and ancient impact breccias. The impact history of the Earth and Moon possibly had profound effects on the origin and development of life. Decrease in meteor bombardment allowed life to develop on Earth. Life may have developed first on another body, such as Mars, then arrived via meteorite on Earth. The solar system may have experienced bursts of severe radiation from the Sun, other stars, or from unknown sources. The lunar regolith has recorded this radiation history in the form of implanted solar wind, solar flare materials and radiation damage. Lunar soil can be found sandwiched between layers of basalt or pyroclastic deposits. This filling constitutes a buried time capsule that is likely to contain well-preserved ancient regolith. Study of such samples will show us how the solar system has evolved and changed over time. The lunar tape recorder can provide detailed information on specific portions of solar and stellar variability. Data from the Moon also offers clues as to whether so-called fundamental constants have changed over time.

  6. Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE): Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) Capillary Fluid Dynamic Restriction Effects on Gas Chromatography

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gonzalez, Marianne; Quinn, Jacqueline; Captain, Janine; Santiago-Bond, Josephine; Starr, Stanley

    2015-01-01

    The Resource Prospector (RP) mission with the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload aims to show the presence of water in lunar regolith, and establish a proving ground for NASAs mission to Mars. One of the analysis is performed by the Lunar Advanced Volatiles Analysis (LAVA) subsystem, which consists of a fluid network that facilitates the transport of volatile samples to a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC-MS) instrument. The understanding of fluid dynamics directed from the GC to the MS is important due to the influence of flow rates and pressures that affect the accuracy of and prevent the damage to the overall GC-MS instrument. The micro-scale capillary fluid network within the GC alone has various lengths and inner-diameters; therefore, determination of pressure differentials and flow rates are difficult to model computationally, with additional complexity from the vacuum conditions in space and lack of a lunar atmosphere. A series of tests were performed on an experimental set-up of the system where the inner diameters of the GC transfer line connecting to the MS were varied. The effect on chromatography readings were also studied by applying these lines onto a GC instrument. It was found that a smaller inner diameter transfer line resulted in a lower flow rate, as well as a lower pressure differential across the thermal conductivity detector (TCD) unit of the GC and a negligible pressure drop across the mock-up capillary column. The chromatography was affected with longer retention times and broader peak integrations. It was concluded that a 0.050 mm inner diameter line still proved most suitable for the systems flow rate preferences. In addition, it was evident that this small transfer line portrayed some expense to GC signal characteristics and the wait time for steady-state operation.

  7. A new model of lunar crust: asymmetry in crustal composition and evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arai, Tomoko; Takeda, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Akira; Ohtake, Makiko

    2008-04-01

    Earlier models of lunar crustal formation as a simple flotation of ferroan anorthosites (FAN) do not account for the diverse crustal composition revealed by feldspathic lunar meteorites and granulites in the Apollo samples. Based on the integrated results of recent studies of lunar meteorites and global chemical and mineralogical maps, we propose a novel asymmetric crust model with a ferroan, noritic, nearside crust and a magnesian, troctolitic farside crust. Asymmetric crystallization of a primordial magma ocean can be one possibility to produce a crust with an asymmetric composition. A post-magma-ocean origin for a portion of the lunar crust is also possible and would account for the positive eNd value for FAN and phase equilibria. The formation of giant basins, such as the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin may have significant effects on resurfacing of the early lunar crust. Thus, the observed surface composition of the feldspathic highland terrane (FHT) represents the combined results of magma ocean crystallization, post-magma-ocean magmatism and resurfacing by basin formation. The Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratios, rock types, and mineral compositions of the FHT and the South Pole-Aitken basin Terrane (SPAT) obtained from the KAGUYA mission, coupled with further mineralogical and isotopic studies of lunar meteorites, will facilitate an assessment of the feasibility of the proposed crust model and improve understanding of lunar crustal genesis and evolution.

  8. Lunar Module Communications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Interbartolo, Michael A.

    2009-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the Apollo lunar module communications. It describes several changes in terminology from the Apollo era to more recent terms. It reviews: (1) Lunar Module Antennas and Functions (2). Earth Line of Sight Communications Links (3) No Earth Line of Sight Communications Links (4) Lunar Surface Communications Links (5) Signal-Processing Assembly (6) Instrumentation System (7) Some Communications Problems Encountered

  9. Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Noble, Sarah K.; French, Raymond; Nall,Mark; Muery, Kimberly

    2009-01-01

    The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project (LMMP) has been created to manage the development of a suite of lunar mapping and modeling products that support the Constellation Program (CxP) and other lunar exploration activities, including the planning, design, development, test and operations associated with lunar sortie missions, crewed and robotic operations on the surface, and the establishment of a lunar outpost. The project draws on expertise from several NASA and non-NASA organizations (MSFC, ARC, GSFC, JPL, CRREL and USGS). LMMP will utilize data predominately from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, but also historical and international lunar mission data (e.g. Apollo, Lunar Orbiter, Kaguya, Chandrayaan-1), as available and appropriate, to meet Constellation s data needs. LMMP will provide access to this data through a single, common, intuitive and easy to use NASA portal that transparently accesses appropriately sanctioned portions of the widely dispersed and distributed collections of lunar data, products and tools. LMMP will provide such products as DEMs, hazard assessment maps, lighting maps and models, gravity models, and resource maps. We are working closely with the LRO team to prevent duplication of efforts and ensure the highest quality data products. While Constellation is our primary customer, LMMP is striving to be as useful as possible to the lunar science community, the lunar education and public outreach (E/PO) community, and anyone else interested in accessing or utilizing lunar data.

  10. Lunar Science from Lunar Laser Ranging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, J. G.; Boggs, D. H.; Ratcliff, J. T.

    2013-01-01

    Variations in rotation and orientation of the Moon are sensitive to solid-body tidal dissipation, dissipation due to relative motion at the fluid-core/solid-mantle boundary, tidal Love number k2, and moment of inertia differences. There is weaker sensitivity to flattening of the core/mantle boundary (CMB) and fluid core moment of inertia. Accurate Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements of the distance from observatories on the Earth to four retroreflector arrays on the Moon are sensitive to variations in lunar rotation, orientation and tidal displacements. Past solutions using the LLR data have given results for Love numbers plus dissipation due to solid-body tides and fluid core. Detection of the fluid core polar minus equatorial moment of inertia difference due to CMB flattening is weakly significant. This strengthens the case for a fluid lunar core. Future approaches are considered to detect a solid inner core.

  11. Potential of a New Lunar Surface Radiator Concept for Hot Lunar Thermal Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ochoa, Dustin A.; Vogel, Matthew R.; Trevino, Luis A.; Stephan, Ryan A.

    2008-01-01

    The optimum radiator configuration in hot lunar thermal environments is one in which the radiator is parallel to the ground and has no view to the hot lunar surface. However, typical spacecraft configurations have limited real estate available for top-mounted radiators, resulting in a desire to use the spacecraft s vertically oriented sides. Vertically oriented, flat panel radiators will have a large view factor to the lunar surface, and thus will be subjected to significant incident lunar infrared heat. Consequently, radiator fluid temperatures will need to exceed approx.325 K (assuming standard spacecraft radiator optical properties) in order to provide positive heat rejection at lunar noon. Such temperatures are too high for crewed spacecraft applications in which a heat pump is to be avoided. A recent study of vertically oriented radiator configurations subjected to lunar noon thermal environments led to the discovery of a novel radiator concept that yielded positive heat rejection at lower fluid temperatures. This radiator configuration, called the Upright Lunar Terrain Radiator Assembly (ULTRA), has exhibited superior performance to all previously analyzed concepts in terms of heat rejection in the lunar noon thermal environment. A key benefit of the ULTRA is the absence of louvers or other moving parts and its simple geometry. Analysis of the ULTRA for a lunar extravehicular activity (EVA) portable life support system (PLSS) is shown to provide moderate heat rejection, on average, at all solar incident angles assuming an average radiator temperature of 294 K, whereas prior concepts exhibited insignificant heat rejection or heat absorption at higher incident angles. The performance of the ULTRA for a lunar lander is also discussed and compared to the performance of a vertically oriented, flat panel radiator at various lunar latitudes.

  12. Enhancing Lunar Exploration with a Radioisotope Powered Dual Mode Lunar Rover

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elliott, J. O.; Coste, K.; Schriener, T. M.

    2005-12-01

    The emerging plans for lunar exploration and establishment of a permanent human presence on the moon will require development of numerous infrastructure elements to facilitate their implementation. One such element, which manifestly demonstrated its worth in the Apollo missions, is the lunar roving vehicle. While the original Apollo lunar rovers were designed for single mission use, the intention of proceeding with a long-term sustained lunar exploration campaign gives new impetus to consideration of a lunar roving vehicle with extended capabilities, including the ability to support multiple sequential human missions as well as teleoperated exploration activities between human visits. This paper presents a preliminary design concept for such a vehicle, powered by radioisotope power systems which would give the rover greatly extended capabilities and the versatility to operate at any latitude over the entire lunar day/night cycle. The rover would be used for human transportation during astronaut sorties, and be reconfigured for teleoperation by earth-based controllers during the times between crewed landings. In teleoperated mode the rover could be equipped with a range of scientific instrument suites for exploration and detailed assessment of the lunar environment on a regional scale. With modular payload attachments, the rover could be modified between missions to carry out a variety of scientific and utilitarian tasks, including regolith reconfiguration in support of establishment of a permanent human base.

  13. Lunar Sample Compendium

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyer, Charles

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of the Lunar Sample Compendium will be to inform scientists, astronauts and the public about the various lunar samples that have been returned from the Moon. This Compendium will be organized rock by rock in the manor of a catalog, but will not be as comprehensive, nor as complete, as the various lunar sample catalogs that are available. Likewise, this Compendium will not duplicate the various excellent books and reviews on the subject of lunar samples (Cadogen 1981, Heiken et al. 1991, Papike et al. 1998, Warren 2003, Eugster 2003). However, it is thought that an online Compendium, such as this, will prove useful to scientists proposing to study individual lunar samples and should help provide backup information for lunar sample displays. This Compendium will allow easy access to the scientific literature by briefly summarizing the significant findings of each rock along with the documentation of where the detailed scientific data are to be found. In general, discussion and interpretation of the results is left to the formal reviews found in the scientific literature. An advantage of this Compendium will be that it can be updated, expanded and corrected as need be.

  14. Origin of lead from green glass of Apollo 15426: a search for primitive lunar lead.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tatsumoto, M.; Premo, W.R.; Unruh, D.M.

    1987-01-01

    A major obstacle in lunar U-Pb chronology is the elusiveness of the primary Pb isotopic composition and U/Pb ratio and therefore the Pb evolution for the early history of the moon. In an attempt to seek the primitive lunar Pb isotopoc composition, green glass from lunar clod 15426,49 was studied for U-Th-Pb systematics because it is extremely Mg-rich and known to be the most primitive among sampled lunar volcanic rocks. Because of the low Pb concentration and high U/Pb ratio observed for the interior, the initial Pb was poorly defined. Nevertheless, the data indicate that lunar Pb evolved in an environment with 238U/204Pb = 19-55, which is considerably lower than those for mare basalts (around 300) but higher than values for the Earth (6-8).-from Authors

  15. Observing Solar Radio Bursts from the Lunar Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    MacDowall, R. J.; Lazio, T. J.; Bale, S. D.; Burns, J.; Gopalswamy, N.; Jones, D. L.; Kaiser, M. L.; Kasper, J.; Weiler, K. W.

    2010-01-01

    Locating low frequency radio observatories on the lunar surface has a number of advantages. Here, we describe the Radio Observatory for Lunar Sortie Science (ROLSS), a concept for a low frequency, radio imaging interferometric array designed to study particle acceleration in the corona and inner heliosphere. ROLSS would be deployed during an early lunar sortie or by a robotic rover as part of an unmanned landing. The prime science mission is to image type II and type III solar radio bursts with the aim of determining the sites at and mechanisms by which the radiating particles are accelerated. Secondary science goals include constraining the density of the lunar ionosphere by searching for a low radio frequency cutoff of the solar radio emissions and constraining the low energy electron population in astrophysical sources. Furthermore, ROLSS serves a pathfinder function for larger lunar radio arrays. Key design requirements on ROLES include the operational frequency and angular resolution. The electron densities in the solar corona and inner heliosphere are such that the relevant emission occurs below 10 MHz, essentially unobservable from Earth's surface due to the terrestrial ionospheric cutoff. Resolving the potential sites of particle acceleration requires an instrument with an angular resolution of at least 2 deg, equivalent to a linear array size of approximately 500 meters. Operations would consist of data acquisition during the lunar day, with regular data downlinks. The major components of the ROLSS array are 3 antenna arms arranged in a Y shape, with a central electronics package (CEP). Each antenna arm is a linear strip of polyimide film (e.g., Kapton (TM)) on which 16 single polarization dipole antennas are located by depositing a conductor (e.g., silver). The arms also contain transmission lines for carrying the radio signals from the science antennas to the CEP.

  16. Lunar Circular Structure Classification from Chang 'e 2 High Resolution Lunar Images with Convolutional Neural Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, X. G.; Liu, J. J.; Zuo, W.; Chen, W. L.; Liu, Y. X.

    2018-04-01

    Circular structures are widely distributed around the lunar surface. The most typical of them could be lunar impact crater, lunar dome, et.al. In this approach, we are trying to use the Convolutional Neural Network to classify the lunar circular structures from the lunar images.

  17. Nineteenth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Press abstracts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Topics addressed include: origin of the moon; mineralogy of rocks; CO2 well gases; ureilites; antarctic meteorites; Al-26 decay in a Semarkona chondrule; meteorite impacts on early earth; crystal structure and density of helium; Murchison carbonaceous chondrite composition; greenhouse effect and dinosaurs; Simud-Tiu outflow system of Mars; and lunar radar images.

  18. Nineteenth lunar and planetary science conference. Press abstracts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1988-01-01

    Topics addressed include: origin of the moon; mineralogy of rocks; CO2 well gases; ureilites; antarctic meteorites; Al-26 decay in a Semarkona chondrule; meteorite impacts on early earth; crystal structure and density of helium; Murchison carbonaceous chondrite composition; greenhouse effect and dinosaurs; Simud-Tiu outflow system of Mars; and lunar radar images.

  19. Microcraters on lunar samples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fechtig, H.; Gentner, W.; Hartung, J. B.; Nagel, K.; Neukum, G.; Schneider, E.; Storzer, D.

    1977-01-01

    The lunar microcrater phenomenology is described. The morphology of the lunar craters is in almost all aspects simulated in laboratory experiments in the diameter range from less than 1 nu to several millimeters and up to 60 km/s impact velocity. An empirically derived formula is given for the conversion of crater diameters into projectile diameters and masses for given impact velocities and projectile and target densities. The production size frequency distribution for lunar craters in the crater size range from approximately 1 nu to several millimeters in diameter is derived from various microcrater measurements within a factor of up to 5. Particle track exposure age measurements for a variety of lunar samples have been performed. They allow the conversion of the lunar crater size frequency production distributions into particle fluxes. The development of crater populations on lunar rocks under self-destruction by subsequent meteoroid impacts and crater overlap is discussed and theoretically described. Erosion rates on lunar rocks on the order of several millimeters per 10 yr are calculated. Chemical investigations of the glass linings of lunar craters yield clear evidence of admixture of projectile material only in one case, where the remnants of an iron-nickel micrometeorite have been identified.

  20. Role for early-differentiated natural killer cells in infectious mononucleosis

    PubMed Central

    Azzi, Tarik; Lünemann, Anna; Murer, Anita; Ueda, Seigo; Béziat, Vivien; Malmberg, Karl-Johan; Staubli, Georg; Gysin, Claudine; Berger, Christoph; Münz, Christian

    2014-01-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that the human natural killer (NK)-cell compartment is phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous and is composed of several differentiation stages. Moreover, NK-cell subsets have been shown to exhibit adaptive immune features during herpes virus infection in experimental mice and to expand preferentially during viral infections in humans. However, both phenotype and role of NK cells during acute symptomatic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, termed infectious mononucleosis (IM), remain unclear. Here, we longitudinally assessed the kinetics, the differentiation, and the proliferation of subsets of NK cells in pediatric IM patients. Our results indicate that acute IM is characterized by the preferential proliferation of early-differentiated CD56dim NKG2A+ immunoglobulin-like receptor- NK cells. Moreover, this NK-cell subset exhibits features of terminal differentiation and persists at higher frequency during at least the first 6 months after acute IM. Finally, we demonstrate that this NK-cell subset preferentially degranulates and proliferates on exposure to EBV-infected B cells expressing lytic antigens. Thus, early-differentiated NK cells might play a key role in the immune control of primary infection with this persistent tumor-associated virus. PMID:25205117

  1. Lunar Rotation and the Lunar Interior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, J. G.; Boggs, D. H.; Ratcliff, J. T.; Dickey, J. O.

    2003-01-01

    Variations in rotation and orientation of the Moon are sensitive to solid-body tidal dissipation, dissipation due to relative motion at the fluid-core/ solid-mantle boundary, and tidal Love number k2. There is weaker sensitivity to flattening of the core-mantle boundary (CMB) and fluid core moment of inertia. Accurate Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements of the distance from observatories on the Earth to four retroreflector arrays on the Moon are sensitive to lunar rotation and orientation variations and tidal displacements. Past solutions using the LLR data have given results for dissipation due to solid-body tides and fluid core plus Love number. Past detection of CMB flattening has been marginal but is improving, while direct detection of the core moment has not yet been achieved. Three decades of Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data are analyzed using a weighted least-squares approach. The lunar solution parameters include dissipation at the fluid-core/solid-mantle boundary, tidal dissipation, dissipation-related coefficients for rotation and orientation terms, potential Love number k2, a correction to the constant term in the tilt of the equator to the ecliptic which is meant to approximate the influence of core-mantle boundary flattening, and displacement Love numbers h2 and l2. Several solutions, with different combinations of solution parameters and constraints, are considered.

  2. Lunar Quest in Second Life, Lunar Exploration Island, Phase II

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ireton, F. M.; Day, B. H.; Mitchell, B.; Hsu, B. C.

    2010-12-01

    Linden Lab’s Second Life is a virtual 3D metaverse created by users. At any one time there may be 40,000-50,000 users on line. Users develop a persona and are seen on screen as a human figure or avatar. Avatars move through Second Life by walking, flying, or teleporting. Users form communities or groups of mutual interest such as music, computer graphics, and education. These groups communicate via e-mail, voice, and text within Second Life. Information on downloading the Second Life browser and joining can be found on the Second Life website: www.secondlife.com. This poster details Phase II in the development of Lunar Exploration Island (LEI) located in Second Life. Phase I LEI highlighted NASA’s LRO/LCROSS mission. Avatars enter LEI via teleportation arriving at a hall of flight housing interactive exhibits on the LRO/ LCROSS missions including full size models of the two spacecraft and launch vehicle. Storyboards with information about the missions interpret the exhibits while links to external websites provide further information on the mission, both spacecraft’s instrument suites, and related EPO. Other lunar related activities such as My Moon and NLSI EPO programs. A special exhibit was designed for International Observe the Moon Night activities with links to websites for further information. The sim includes several sites for meetings, a conference stage to host talks, and a screen for viewing NASATV coverage of mission and other televised events. In Phase II exhibits are updated to reflect on-going lunar exploration highlights, discoveries, and future missions. A new section of LEI has been developed to showcase NASA’s Lunar Quest program. A new exhibit hall with Lunar Quest information has been designed and is being populated with Lunar Quest information, spacecraft models (LADEE is in place) and kiosks. A two stage interactive demonstration illustrates lunar phases with static and 3-D stations. As NASA’s Lunar Quest program matures further

  3. Isostatic Compensation of the Lunar Highlands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sori, Michael M.; James, Peter B.; Johnson, Brandon C.; Soderblom, Jason M.; Solomon, Sean C.; Wieczorek, Mark A.; Zuber, Maria T.

    2018-02-01

    The lunar highlands are isostatically compensated at large horizontal scales, but the specific compensation mechanism has been difficult to identify. With topographic data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, we investigate support of highland topography. Poor correlation between crustal density and elevation shows that Pratt compensation is not important in the highlands. Using spectrally weighted admittance, we compared observed values of geoid-to-topography ratio (GTR) with those predicted by isostatic models. Observed GTRs are 25.8+7.5-5.7 m/km for the nearside highlands and 39.3+5.7-6.2 m/km for the farside highlands. These values are not consistent with flexural compensation of long-wavelength topography or Airy isostasy defined under an assumption of equal mass in crustal columns. Instead, the observed GTR values are consistent with models of Airy compensation in which isostasy is defined under a requirement of equal pressures at equipotential surfaces at depth. The gravity and topography data thus reveal that long-wavelength topography on the Moon is most likely compensated by variations in crustal thickness, implying that highland topography formed early in lunar history before the development of a thick elastic lithosphere.

  4. Scientific Research in the Lunar Orbiting Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sasaki, S.; Iijima, Y.; Tanaka, K.; Kato, M.; Hashimoto, M.; Mizutani, H.; Takizawa, Y.

    2002-01-01

    and technology development. The launch was rescheduled last summer in the rearrangement of HII-A launch schedule. The main objective of the mission is to study the origin and evolution of the Moon. The spacecraft consists of a main orbiter at about 100 km altitude in the polar circular orbit and two subsatellites in the elliptical orbits with the apolune at 2400 km and 800 km. The main orbiter will carry instruments for scientific investigation including mapping of lunar topography and surface composition, measurement of the magnetic fields, and observation of lunar and solar terrestrial plasma environment. The mission period will be one year. If extra fuel is available, the mission will be extended. The elemental abundances are measured by the x-ray and gamma-ray spectrometers. Alpha particles from the radon gas and polonium are detected by an alpha particle spectrometer. The mineralogical characterization is performed by a multi-band imager. The mineralogical composition is identified by a spectral profiler, a continuous spectral analyzer. The surface topographic data are obtained by a high resolution terrain camera and a laser altimeter. The inside structure up to 5 km below the lunar surface is observed by the radar sounder experiment using a 5 MHz radio wave. The magnetometer provides data on the lunar surface magnetic field which will be used to understand the origin of lunar paleomagnetism and paleomagnetism. Doppler tracking of the orbiter via the relay satellite when the orbiter is in the far side is used to determine the gravity field of the far side. Radio sources on the two subsatellites are used to conduct the differential VLBI observation from ground stations. The lunar environment of high energy particles, electromagnetic fields, and plasma, is also measured by the main orbiter. The radio science using coherent x and s band carriers from the orbiter will be conducted to detect the tenuous lunar ionosphere. For the solar-terrestrial plasma observation

  5. Lower-Cost, Relocatable Lunar Polar Lander and Lunar Surface Sample Return Probes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Amato, G. Michael; Garvin, James B.; Burt, I. Joseph; Karpati, Gabe

    2011-01-01

    Key science and exploration objectives of lunar robotic precursor missions can be achieved with the Lunar Explorer (LEx) low-cost, robotic surface mission concept described herein. Selected elements of the LEx concept can also be used to create a lunar surface sample return mission that we have called Boomerang

  6. Lunar Meteorites: A Global Geochemical Dataset

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zeigler, R. A.; Joy, K. H.; Arai, T.; Gross, J.; Korotev, R. L.; McCubbin, F. M.

    2017-01-01

    To date, the world's meteorite collections contain over 260 lunar meteorite stones representing at least 120 different lunar meteorites. Additionally, there are 20-30 as yet unnamed stones currently in the process of being classified. Collectively these lunar meteorites likely represent 40-50 distinct sampling locations from random locations on the Moon. Although the exact provenance of each individual lunar meteorite is unknown, collectively the lunar meteorites represent the best global average of the lunar crust. The Apollo sites are all within or near the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), thus lithologies from the PKT are overrepresented in the Apollo sample suite. Nearly all of the lithologies present in the Apollo sample suite are found within the lunar meteorites (high-Ti basalts are a notable exception), and the lunar meteorites contain several lithologies not present in the Apollo sample suite (e.g., magnesian anorthosite). This chapter will not be a sample-by-sample summary of each individual lunar meteorite. Rather, the chapter will summarize the different types of lunar meteorites and their relative abundances, comparing and contrasting the lunar meteorite sample suite with the Apollo sample suite. This chapter will act as one of the introductory chapters to the volume, introducing lunar samples in general and setting the stage for more detailed discussions in later more specialized chapters. The chapter will begin with a description of how lunar meteorites are ejected from the Moon, how deep samples are being excavated from, what the likely pairing relationships are among the lunar meteorite samples, and how the lunar meteorites can help to constrain the impactor flux in the inner solar system. There will be a discussion of the biases inherent to the lunar meteorite sample suite in terms of underrepresented lithologies or regions of the Moon, and an examination of the contamination and limitations of lunar meteorites due to terrestrial weathering. The

  7. A nonmagnetic differentiated early planetary body

    DOE PAGES

    Weiss, Benjamin P.; Wang, Huapei; Sharp, Thomas G.; ...

    2017-06-19

    Paleomagnetic studies of meteorites have shown that the solar nebula was likely magnetized and that many early planetary bodies generated dynamo magnetic fields in their advecting metallic cores. The surface fields on these bodies were recorded by a diversity of chondrites and achondrites, ranging in intensity from several μT to several hundred μT. In fact, an achondrite parent body without evidence for paleomagnetic fields has yet to be confidently identified, hinting that early solar system field generation and the dynamo process in particular may have been common. Here we present paleomagnetic measurements of the ungrouped achondrite NWA 7325 indicating thatmore » it last cooled in a near-zero field (<~1.7μT), estimated to have occurred at 4563.09 ± 0.26 million years ago (Ma) from Al–Mg chronometry. Because NWA 7325 is highly depleted in siderophile elements, its parent body nevertheless underwent large-scale metal-silicate differentiation and likely formed a metallic core. This makes NWA 7325 the first recognized example of an essentially unmagnetized igneous rock from a differentiated early solar system body. These results indicate that all magnetic fields, including those from any core dynamo on the NWA 7325 parent body, the solar nebula, young Sun, and solar wind, were <1.7 μT at the location of NWA 7325 at 4563 Ma. Finally, this supports a recent conclusion that the solar nebula had dissipated by ~4 million years after solar system formation. NWA 7325 also serves as an experimental control that gives greater confidence in the positive identification of remanent magnetization in other achondrites.« less

  8. A Nonmagnetic Differentiated Early Planetary Body

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weiss, Benjamin P.; Wang, Jun

    2017-06-15

    Paleomagnetic studies of meteorites have shown that the solar nebula was likely magnetized and that many early planetary bodies generated dynamo magnetic fields in their advecting metallic cores. The surface fields on these bodies were recorded by a diversity of chondrites and achondrites, ranging in intensity from several μT to several hundred μT. In fact, an achondrite parent body without evidence for paleomagnetic fields has yet to be confidently identified, hinting that early solar system field generation and the dynamo process in particular may have been common. Here we present paleomagnetic measurements of the ungrouped achondrite NWA 7325 indicating thatmore » it last cooled in a near-zero field (<∼1.7μT), estimated to have occurred at 4563.09 ± 0.26 million years ago (Ma) from Al–Mg chronometry. Because NWA 7325 is highly depleted in siderophile elements, its parent body nevertheless underwent large-scale metal-silicate differentiation and likely formed a metallic core. This makes NWA 7325 the first recognized example of an essentially unmagnetized igneous rock from a differentiated early solar system body. These results indicate that all magnetic fields, including those from any core dynamo on the NWA 7325 parent body, the solar nebula, young Sun, and solar wind, were <1.7 μT at the location of NWA 7325 at 4563 Ma. This supports a recent conclusion that the solar nebula had dissipated by ∼4 million years after solar system formation. NWA 7325 also serves as an experimental control that gives greater confidence in the positive identification of remanent magnetization in other achondrites.« less

  9. Water Content of Lunar Alkali Fedlspar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mills, R. D.; Simon, J. I.; Wang, J.; Alexander, C. M. O'D.; Hauri, E. H.

    2016-01-01

    Detection of indigenous hydrogen in a diversity of lunar materials, including volcanic glass, melt inclusions, apatite, and plagioclase suggests water may have played a role in the chemical differentiation of the Moon. Spectroscopic data from the Moon indicate a positive correlation between water and Th. Modeling of lunar magma ocean crystallization predicts a similar chemical differentiation with the highest levels of water in the K- and Th-rich melt residuum of the magma ocean (i.e. urKREEP). Until now, the only sample-based estimates of water content of KREEP-rich magmas come from measurements of OH, F, and Cl in lunar apatites, which suggest a water concentration of < 1 ppm in urKREEP. Using these data, predict that the bulk water content of the magma ocean would have <10 ppm. In contrast, estimate water contents of 320 ppm for the bulk Moon and 1.4 wt % for urKREEP from plagioclase in ferroan anorthosites. Results and interpretation: NanoSIMS data from granitic clasts from Apollo sample 15405,78 show that alkali feldspar, a common mineral in K-enriched rocks, can have approx. 20 ppm of water, which implies magmatic water contents of approx. 1 wt % in the high-silica magmas. This estimate is 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than that estimated from apatite in similar rocks. However, the Cl and F contents of apatite in chemically similar rocks suggest that these melts also had high Cl/F ratios, which leads to spuriously low water estimates from the apatite. We can only estimate the minimum water content of urKREEP (+ bulk Moon) from our alkali feldspar data because of the unknown amount of degassing that led to the formation of the granites. Assuming a reasonable 10 to 100 times enrichment of water from urKREEP into the granites produces an estimate of 100-1000 ppm of water for the urKREEP reservoir. Using the modeling of and the 100-1000 ppm of water in urKREEP suggests a minimum bulk silicate Moon water content between 2 and 20 ppm. However, hydrogen loss was

  10. The Determination of Children's Knowledge of Global Lunar Patterns from Online Essays Using Text Mining Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheon, Jongpil; Lee, Sangno; Smith, Walter; Song, Jaeki; Kim, Yongjin

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to use text mining analysis of early adolescents' online essays to determine their knowledge of global lunar patterns. Australian and American students in grades five to seven wrote about global lunar patterns they had discovered by sharing observations with each other via the Internet. These essays were analyzed for…

  11. Heavy Isotope Composition of Oxygen in Zircon from Soil Sample 14163: Lunar Perspective of an Early Ocean on the Earth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nemchin, A. A.; Whitehouse, M. J.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Meyer, C.

    2006-01-01

    Thirty oxygen analyses of a large (sub-millimetre) zircon grain from the lunar soil sample 14163 have been determined using CAMECA 1270 ion microprobe. The sample 14163 was returned form the Fra Mauro region by Apollo 14 mission. Zircon grain of 0.6-0.8 mm in size extracted from the sample was imaged using CL detector fitted to the Philips Electron Microscope in order to reveal internal structure. Oxygen isotopes have been analysed during two sessions. The first set of data was collected using the original mount where the grain was set in the resin attached to the glass slide. This resulted in the two complications: (i) standard zircon has to be analysed from the separate mount and (ii) the lunar zircon grain was rased in the holder compared to the standard. In order to investigate, if the elevated oxygen compositions observed during this session could have resulted from this difference in geometric configuration during the standard and sample analyses, the lunar zircon was extracted from the original mount, remounted with the standard chip in the new resin disk and reanalysed during the second session. All analyses made during the first session show delta O-18 values heavier than 6.0%. The second set of data has a wider spread of delta O-18 values with some values as low as 5.6%. Nevertheless, a half of observed delta O-18 values in this set is also higher than 6.0%. Slightly lighter oxygen compositions observed during the second session indicate possible dependence of measured delta O-18 values on the geometry of analysed samples. Presence of zircons with similar heavy oxygen isotope compositions on the Moon, which neither had liquid water or felic crust similar to that on the Earth nor ever developed regime similar to plate tectonics, suggests that other mechanisms can be responsible for elevated delta O-18 values in zircons. This implies that there is no support for the presence of an ocean on the surface of the early Earth and as the ocean appears to be an

  12. Lunar Obliquity History Revisited

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siegler, M.; Bills, B.; Paige, D.

    2007-12-01

    In preparation for a LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) related study of possible lunar polar volatiles, we re- examined the lunar orbital and rotational history, with primary focus on the obliquity history of the Moon. Though broad models have been made of lunar obliquity, a cohesive obliquity history was not found. We report on a new model of lunar obliquity including secular changes in inclination of the lunar orbit, tidal dissipation, lunar moments of inertia, and details for periods outside of the stable configurations known as Cassini states. For planets, the obliquity, or angle between the spin and orbit poles, is the dominant control on incident solar radiation. For planetary satellites, the radiation pattern can be more complex, as it depends on the mutual inclinations of three poles; the satellite spin and orbit poles, and the planetary heliocentric orbit pole. Presently, the lunar spin pole and orbit pole co-precess about the ecliptic pole, in a stable situation known as a Cassini state. As a result, permanently shadowed regions near the poles are expected to exist and act as cold traps, retaining water or other volatiles delivered to the surface by comets, solar wind, or via outgassing of the lunar interior. However, tidally driven secular changes in the lunar semimajor axis cause changes in precession rates of the spin and orbit poles, and thereby alter or destabilize the Cassini states. Only one prograde Cassini state exists at present (state 2). In the standard Cassini state model of Ward [1975], two other such states would have existed in the past (states 1 and 4) with the Moon starting in the low obliquity state 1, and remaining there until states 1 and 4 merged and disappear, at roughly half the present Earth-Moon distance. At that point, the Moon transitioned into the currently occupied state 2, and briefly attained very high obliquity values during the transition, and then stayed in state 2 until the present. If correct, this model implies that

  13. Chemical processing of lunar materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Criswell, D. R.; Waldron, R. D.

    1979-01-01

    The paper highlights recent work on the general problem of processing lunar materials. The discussion covers lunar source materials, refined products, motivations for using lunar materials, and general considerations for a lunar or space processing plant. Attention is given to chemical processing through various techniques, including electrolysis of molten silicates, carbothermic/silicothermic reduction, carbo-chlorination process, NaOH basic-leach process, and HF acid-leach process. Several options for chemical processing of lunar materials are well within the state of the art of applied chemistry and chemical engineering to begin development based on the extensive knowledge of lunar materials.

  14. Comparison of lunar rocks and meteorites: Implications to histories of the moon and parent meteorite bodies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prinz, M.; Fodor, R. V.; Keil, K.

    1974-01-01

    A number of similarities between lunar and meteoritic rocks are reported and suggest that the comparison is essential for a clear understanding of meteorites as probes of the early history of the solar systems: (1) Monomict and polymict breccias occur in lunar rocks, as well as in achondritic and chondritic meteorites, having resulted from complex and repeated impact processes. (2) Chondrules are present in lunar, as well as in a few achondritic and most chondritic meteorites. It is pointed out that because chondrules may form in several different ways and in different environments, a distinction between the different modes of origin and an estimate of their relative abundance is important if their significance as sources of information on the early history of the solar system is to be clearly understood. (3) Lithic fragments are very useful in attempts to understand the pre- and post-impact history of lunar and meteoritic breccias. They vary from little modified (relative to the apparent original texture), to partly or completely melted and recrystallized lithic fragments.

  15. View of the Lunar Module "Orion" and Lunar Roving Vehicle during first EVA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1972-04-21

    AS16-107-17436 (21 April 1972) --- An excellent view of the Lunar Module (LM) "Orion" and Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), as photographed by astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Descartes landing site. Astronaut John W. Young, commander, can be seen directly behind the LRV. The lunar surface feature in the left background is Stone Mountain. While astronauts Young and Duke descended in the LM to explore the Descartes highlands landing site on the moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "Casper" in lunar orbit.

  16. Lunar He-3, fusion propulsion, and space development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Santarius, John F.

    1992-01-01

    The recent identification of a substantial lunar resource of the fusion energy fuel He-3 may provide the first terrestrial market for a lunar commodity and, therefore, a major impetus to lunar development. The impact of this resource-when burned in D-He-3 fusion reactors for space power and propulsion-may be even more significant as an enabling technology for safe, efficient exploration and development of space. One possible reactor configuration among several options, the tandem mirror, illustrates the potential advantages of fusion propulsion. The most important advantage is the ability to provide either fast, piloted vessels or high-payload-fraction cargo vessels due to a range of specific impulses from 50 sec to 1,000,000 sec at thrust-to-weight ratios from 0.1 to 5x10(exp -5). Fusion power research has made steady, impressive progress. It is plausible, and even probable, that fusion rockets similar to the designs presented here will be available in the early part of the twenty-first century, enabling a major expansion of human presence into the solar system.

  17. A cislunar transportation system fuelled by lunar resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sowers, G. F.

    2016-11-01

    A transportation system for a self sustaining economy in cislunar space is discussed. The system is based on liquid oxygen (LO2), liquid hydrogen (LH2) propulsion whose fuels are derived from ice mined at the polar regions of the Moon. The elements of the transportation system consist of the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) and the XEUS lander, both being developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA). The main propulsion elements and structures are common between ACES and XEUS. Both stages are fully reusable with refueling of their LO2/LH2 propellants. Utilization of lunar sourced propellants has the potential to dramatically lower the cost of transportation within the cislunar environs. These lower costs dramatically lower the barriers to entry of a number of promising cislunar based activities including space solar power. One early application of the architecture is providing lunar sourced propellant to refuel ACES for traditional spacecraft deployment missions. The business case for this application provides an economic framework for a potential lunar water mining operation.

  18. Precision Lunar Laser Ranging For Lunar and Gravitational Science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Merkowitz, S. M.; Arnold, D.; Dabney, P. W.; Livas, J. C.; McGarry, J. F.; Neumann, G. A.; Zagwodzki, T. W.

    2008-01-01

    Laser ranging to retroreflector arrays placed on the lunar surface by the Apollo astronauts and the Soviet Lunar missions over the past 39 years have dramatically increased our understanding of gravitational physics along with Earth and Moon geophysics, geodesy, and dynamics. Significant advances in these areas will require placing modern retroreflectors and/or active laser ranging systems at new locations on the lunar surface. Ranging to new locations will enable better measurements of the lunar librations, aiding in our understanding of the interior structure of the moon. More precise range measurements will allow us to study effects that are too small to be observed by the current capabilities as well as enabling more stringent tests of Einstein's theory of General Relativity. Setting up retroreflectors was a key part of the Apollo missions so it is natural to ask if future lunar missions should include them as well. The Apollo retroreflectors are still being used today, and nearly 40 years of ranging data has been invaluable for scientific as well as other studies such as orbital dynamics. However, the available retroreflectors all lie within 26 degrees latitude of the equator, and the most useful ones within 24 degrees longitude of the sub-earth meridian. This clustering weakens their geometrical strength.

  19. Indigenous lunar construction materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rogers, Wayne; Sture, Stein

    1991-01-01

    The objectives are the following: to investigate the feasibility of the use of local lunar resources for construction of a lunar base structure; to develop a material processing method and integrate the method with design and construction of a pressurized habitation structure; to estimate specifications of the support equipment necessary for material processing and construction; and to provide parameters for systems models of lunar base constructions, supply, and operations. The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: comparison of various lunar structures; guidelines for material processing methods; cast lunar regolith; examples of cast basalt components; cast regolith process; processing equipment; mechanical properties of cast basalt; material properties and structural design; and future work.

  20. Lunar preform manufacturing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leong, Gregory N.; Nease, Sandra; Lager, Vicky; Yaghjian, Raffy; Waller, Chris

    1992-01-01

    A design for a machine to produce hollow, continuous fiber-reinforced composite rods of lunar glass and a liquid crystalline matrix using the pultrusion process is presented. The glass fiber will be produced from the lunar surface, with the machine and matrix being transported to the moon. The process is adaptable to the low gravity and near-vacuum environment of the moon through the use of a thermoplastic matrix in fiber form as it enters the pultrusion process. With a power consumption of 5 kW, the proposed machine will run unmanned continuously in fourteen-day cycles, matching the length of lunar days. A number of dies could be included that would allow the machine to produce rods of varying diameter, I-beams, angles, and other structural members. These members could then be used for construction on the lunar surface or transported for use in orbit. The benefits of this proposal are in the savings in weight of the cargo each lunar mission would carry. The supply of glass on the moon is effectively endless, so enough rods would have to be produced to justify its transportation, operation, and capital cost. This should not be difficult as weight on lunar mission is at a premium.

  1. The Sm-(146,147)-Nd-(142,143) formation interval for the lunar mantle and implications for lunar evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nyquist, L. E.; Shih, C.-Y.; Wiesmann, H.; Bansal, B. M.

    1993-01-01

    Small anomalies in the isotopic abundance of Nd-142 have been measured for two A17 high-Ti basalts, ilmenite basalt 12056, olivine-pigeonite basalt 12039, feldspathic basalt 12038, and two KREEP basalts. These anomalies correlate with Sm-147/Nd-144 for the basalt source regions as calculated from initial Nd-143/Nd-144 ratios in the basalts, and are interpreted to be from decay of Sm-146 (t sub 1/2 = 103 Ma) in distinct lunar mantle reservoirs. A three-stage model for evolution of Nd-143/Nd-144 and Nd-142/Nd-144 yields reservoir Sm-147/Nd-144 ratios which, with the Nd-142/Nd-144 ratios in the basalts, form a 'mantle isochron' giving a lunar mantle formation interval of 94+2230 Ma (2c(rho)). Calculated reservoir Sm/Nd ratios are in the range expected from some earlier models of basalt petrogenesis. The isochron value of Nd-142/Nd-144 at Sm-147/Nd-144 sub CHUR = 0.1967 is within error limits of the average Nd-142/Nd-144 measured for an L6 chondrite, an H5 chondrite, and the Orgueil carbonaceous chondrite. Evolution of Nd-143 and Nd-142 for high-Ti basalt 70135 was modeled precisely, starting from chondritic relative REE and Nd-isotopic abundances and using the initial (Sm-146/Sm-144) sub 0 ratio inferred from a previous study of angrite LEW86010 as the initial solar system value of this parameter. We infer that the initial Sm/Nd ratio in precursor lunar materials was very nearly chondritic (within approximately 8 percent) prior to lunar differentiation.

  2. Lunar Magnetism.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuller, M.

    2008-05-01

    Models of lunar magnetism need to explain (1) strong Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM), as indicated by IRMs normalization in some of the returned Apollo samples with ages from about 3.9Ae to 3.65Ae, (2) magnetic anomalies antipodal to the young basins of a similar age, (3) the absence of major magnetic anomalies over these same basins, (4) the presence of central anomalies over some Nectarian and PreNectarian basins, and finally (5) strong fields with scale lengths of homogeneity of the order of kms, or less, found over the Cayley Formations and similar material. Observations (1), (2) and (4) have frequently been taken to require the presence of a lunar dynamo. However, if there had been a lunar dynamo at this time, why are there so few samples that carry an unequivocal strong NRM appropriate for TRM in the proposed dynamo fields. It is also an uncomfortable coincidence that the dynamo appears to cease to give strong fields close to the end of the time of heavy bombardment. Given these difficulties with the lunar dynamo model, it is worth reexamining other possible explanations of lunar magnetism. The obvious candidate is impact related shock magnetization, which already appears to provide an explanation for the magnetization of 62235, a key sample with strong magnetization. Hood's model accounts for the antipodal anomalies, while the observations at Vredefort may account for the anomalies over central peaks and uplifted ring structures in major basins. The question that remains is whether all of the observed lunar magnetization can be explained by impact related magnetization, or whether a dynamo is still required.

  3. Lunar highland rock types: Their implications for impact-induced fractionation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phinney, W. C.; Warner, J. L.; Simonds, C. H.

    1977-01-01

    Lunar rocks may be classified into three major groups: (1) coarse-grained igneous rocks, (2) fine-grained igneous rocks, and (3) breccias. Group 1 is interpreted as primitive lunar crustal rocks that display various degrees of crushing and/or annealing. Group 2 is interpreted as volcanic rocks. Group 3 is interpreted as resulting from impacts on the lunar surface and is subdivided on the basis of matrix textures into fragmental breccias, crystalline breccias that have been annealed, and crystalline breccias with igneous matrices. A synthesis of the data concerning lunar highlands polymict breccias compels the prediction that the breccias should have homogeneous matrices from rock to rock within regions of the highlands of limited size where impact mixing has been efficient and extensive. But the returned breccias, even from one landing site, display a wide range in composition. This incompatibility between prediction and observation is a paradox that may be resolved by a process that acts after impact mixing to cause a differentiation of the breccia compositions. Partial melting of the local average crustal composition (as modeled by the average soil composition for each site) and separation of melt and residue in ejecta and/or fall-back blankets are compatible with the reviewed data and may resolve the paradox.

  4. Mobile Lunar Base Concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cohen, Marc M.

    2004-02-01

    This paper describes three innovative concepts for a mobile lunar base. These concept combine design research for habitat architecture, mobility systems, habitability, radiation protection, human factors, and living and working environments on the lunar surface. The mobile lunar base presents several key advantages over conventional static base notions. These advantages concern landing zone safety, the requirement to move modules over the lunar surface, and the ability to stage mobile reconnaissance with effective systemic redundancy. All of these concerns lead to the consideration of a mobile walking habitat module and base design. The key issues involve landing zone safety, the ability to transport habitat modules across the surface, and providing reliability and redundancy to exploration traverses in pressurized vehicles. With self-ambulating lunar base modules, it will be feasible to have each module separate itself from its retro-rocket thruster unit, and walk five to ten km away from the LZ to a pre-selected site. These mobile modules can operate in an autonomous or teleoperated mode to navigate the lunar surface. At the site of the base, the mobile modules can combine together; make pressure port connections among themselves, to create a multi-module pressurized lunar base.

  5. Lunar seismicity and tectonics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lammlein, D. R.

    1977-01-01

    Results are presented for an analysis of all moonquake data obtained by the Apollo seismic stations during the period from November 1969 to May 1974 and a preliminary analysis of critical data obtained in the interval from May 1974 to May 1975. More accurate locations are found for previously located moonquakes, and additional sources are located. Consideration is given to the sources of natural seismic signals, lunar seismic activity, moonquake periodicities, tidal periodicities in moonquake activity, hypocentral locations and occurrence characteristics of deep and shallow moonquakes, lunar tidal control over moonquakes, lunar tectonism, the locations of moonquake belts, and the dynamics of the lunar interior. It is concluded that: (1) moonquakes are distributed in several major belts of global extent that coincide with regions of the youngest and most intense volcanic and tectonic activity; (2) lunar tides control both the small quakes occurring at great depth and the larger quakes occurring near the surface; (3) the moon has a much thicker lithosphere than earth; (4) a single tectonic mechanism may account for all lunar seismic activity; and (5) lunar tidal stresses are an efficient triggering mechanism for moonquakes.

  6. Lunar Regolith Characterization for Simulant Design and Evaluation using Figure of Merit Algorithms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schrader, Christian M.; Rickman, Douglas L.; Melemore, Carole A.; Fikes, John C.; Stoeser, Douglas B.; Wentworth, Susan J.; McKay, David S.

    2009-01-01

    NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in conjunction with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and aided by personnel from the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science group at Johnson Space Center (ARES-JSC), is implementing a new data acquisition strategy to support the development and evaluation of lunar regolith simulants. The first analyses of lunar regolith samples by the simulant group were carried out in early 2008 on samples from Apollo 16 core 64001/64002. The results of these analyses are combined with data compiled from the literature to generate a reference composition and particle size distribution (PSD)) for lunar highlands regolith. In this paper we present the specifics of particle type composition and PSD for this reference composition. Furthermore. we use Figure-of-Merit (FoM) routines to measure the characteristics of a number of lunar regolith simulants against this reference composition. The lunar highlands regolith reference composition and the FoM results are presented to guide simulant producers and simulant users in their research and development processes.

  7. Face-Centred Cubic Iron: Ab Initio Calculations of Sound Velocities in the Lunar Core

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wood, M. C.; Wood, I. G.; Vočadlo, L.

    2017-12-01

    Studies, such as the reanalysis of the Apollo lunar seismograms [1], have shown that the Moon has undergone differentiation and possesses a small core. The composition of the lunar core is not well constrained, and many compositional models have been suggested including combinations of iron, nickel, and light elements such as sulphur and carbon [e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4], and other more exotic compositions [5]. Additional constraints are crucial to our understanding of the Moon, including its formation, the dynamics of its interior, and a lunar dynamo. We use ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to calculate elastic constants of face-centred cubic (fcc) iron and iron alloys and hence sound velocities at lunar core conditions, at 5-6 GPa and 1,300-1,900 K [3]. The results from these simulations will then be compared with the data from the Apollo seismograms and experimental data to help form a description of the lunar interior. [1] Weber et al. (2011) Science 331, 309-312. [2] Dasgupta et al. (2009) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 73, 6678-6692. [3] Antonangeli et al. (2015) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112, 3916-3919. [4] Righter et al. (2017) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 463, 323-332. [5] Wieczorek & Zuber (2002) Lunar Planet. Sci. 33, abstract 1384.

  8. Lunar Influences on Human Aggression.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, Gordon W.; Dua, Manjula

    1983-01-01

    Used league records of all Canadian hockey games (N=426) played during a season to test a lunar-aggression hypothesis. Despite the use of multiple measures of lunar phase and interpersonal aggression, support for lunar influence was not forthcoming. Supplemental data revealed that beliefs in lunar influence are fairly common. (JAC)

  9. Apollo 12 Mission image - Lunar surface near lunar module

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-11-19

    AS12-47-6949 (19-20 Nov. 1969) --- A photograph of the Apollo 12 lunar landing site taken during the extravehicular activity (EVA) of astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., commander; and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot. The Apollo 12 Lunar Module (LM) is on the left. Barely visible in the center of the picture, in the shadows on the farside of the crater, is the Surveyor 3 spacecraft. The two spacecraft are about 600 feet apart. Conrad and Bean walked over to Surveyor 3 during their second EVA. The television camera and several other pieces were taken from Surveyor 3 and brought back to Earth for scientific examination. Astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr., command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit, while astronauts Conrad and Bean descended in the LM to explore the moon. The considerable glare in the picture is caused by the position of the sun. The Apollo tool carrier is the object next to the LM footpad.

  10. The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riris, H.; Cavanaugh, J.; Sun, X.; Liiva, P.; Rodriguez, M.; Neuman, G.

    2017-11-01

    The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument [1-3] on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, launched on June 18th, 2009, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, will provide a precise global lunar topographic map using laser altimetry. LOLA will assist in the selection of landing sites on the Moon for future robotic and human exploration missions and will attempt to detect the presence of water ice on or near the surface, which is one of the objectives of NASA's Exploration Program. Our present knowledge of the topography of the Moon is inadequate for determining safe landing areas for NASA's future lunar exploration missions. Only those locations, surveyed by the Apollo missions, are known with enough detail. Knowledge of the position and characteristics of the topographic features on the scale of a lunar lander are crucial for selecting safe landing sites. Our present knowledge of the rest of the lunar surface is at approximately 1 km kilometer level and in many areas, such as the lunar far side, is on the order of many kilometers. LOLA aims to rectify that and provide a precise map of the lunar surface on both the far and near side of the moon. LOLA uses short (6 ns) pulses from a single laser through a Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) to produce a five-beam pattern that illuminates the lunar surface. For each beam, LOLA measures the time of flight (range), pulse spreading (surface roughness), and transmit/return energy (surface reflectance). LOLA will produce a high-resolution global topographic model and global geodetic framework that enables precise targeting, safe landing, and surface mobility to carry out exploratory activities. In addition, it will characterize the polar illumination environment, and image permanently shadowed regions of the lunar surface to identify possible locations of surface ice crystals in shadowed polar craters.

  11. Lunar Dust: Characterization and Mitigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyatt. Mark J.; Feighery, John

    2007-01-01

    Lunar dust is a ubiquitous phenomenon which must be explicitly addressed during upcoming human lunar exploration missions. Near term plans to revisit the moon as a stepping stone for further exploration of Mars, and beyond, places a primary emphasis on characterization and mitigation of lunar dust. Comprised of regolith particles ranging in size from tens of nanometers to microns, lunar dust is a manifestation of the complex interaction of the lunar soil with multiple mechanical, electrical, and gravitational effects. The environmental and anthropogenic factors effecting the perturbation, transport, and deposition of lunar dust must be studied in order to mitigate it's potentially harmful effects on exploration systems. The same hold true for assessing the risk it may pose for toxicological health problems if inhaled. This paper presents the current perspective and implementation of dust knowledge management and integration, and mitigation technology development activities within NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program. This work is presented within the context of the Constellation Program's Integrated Lunar Dust Management Strategy. This work further outlines the scientific basis for lunar dust behavior, it's characteristics and potential effects, and surveys several potential strategies for its control and mitigation both for lunar surface operations and within the working volumes of a lunar outpost. The paper also presents a perspective on lessons learned from Apollo and forensics engineering studies of Apollo hardware.

  12. Lunar based massdriver applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ehresmann, Manfred; Gabrielli, Roland Atonius; Herdrich, Georg; Laufer, René

    2017-05-01

    The results of a lunar massdriver mission and system analysis are discussed and show a strong case for a permanent lunar settlement with a site near the lunar equator. A modular massdriver concept is introduced, which uses multiple acceleration modules to be able to launch large masses into a trajectory that is able to reach Earth. An orbital mechanics analysis concludes that the launch site will be in the Oceanus Procellarum a flat, Titanium rich lunar mare area. It is further shown that the bulk of massdriver components can be manufactured by collecting lunar minerals, which are broken down into its constituting elements. The mass to orbit transfer rates of massdriver case study are significant and can vary between 1.8 kt and 3.3 megatons per year depending on the available power. Thus a lunar massdriver would act as a catalyst for any space based activities and a game changer for the scale of feasible space projects.

  13. Lunar Paleomagnetism: The Case for an Ancient Lunar Dynamo. (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuller, M.; Weiss, B. P.; Gattacceca, J.

    2010-12-01

    The failure of lunar samples to satisfy minimal criteria for classical paleointensity determinations has led to skepticism of the case for an ancient lunar dynamo. There are however practical and fundamental reasons why such experiments are doomed to failure in most lunar samples. In such methods, NRMs in successive blocking temperatures ranges are thermally demagnetized and replaced with partial thermoremanent magnetization (pTRMs) given in a known field (Thellier, 1938). A practical difficulty is that it is hard to heat lunar samples without altering them. A fundamental problem is that whereas pottery, for which these methods were designed, carries a primary (TRM) from its initial cooling and little secondary magnetization, lunar samples are likely to carry weak field isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and shock remanent magnetization (SRM) as secondary overprints. Thermal demagnetization does not isolate weak field IRM well. For example, on thermal demagnetization of the Apollo sample 14053.48 carrying a 2000nT TRM with a superposed 5mT IRM, the IRM persists to the Curie point obscuring the TRM. Fortunately, weak field IRM is removed by AF demagnetization to fields comparable to that in which it is acquired. Furthermore, Gattacceca et al. (2008) demonstrated that experimentally generated SRM from several GPa, like weak field IRM, is demagnetized by AF fields of between ~20 and 30 mT, leaving the pre-shock remanent magnetization essentially untouched. This agrees with our theoretical understanding of SRM, which at pressures below approximately the Hugoniot elastic limit (several GPa for most rocks) should essentially be a pressure remanent magnetization (e.g., Dunlop and Ozdemir, 1997). Unlike IRM, SRM in the range of a few GPa may carry recoverable lunar field records (Gattacceca et al., 2008). NRM in samples shocked to less than ~5 GPa, which is stable against AF demagnetization beyond the fields necessary to eliminate weak SRM (~20-30 mT), requires some

  14. The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal: Capabilities and Lunar Data Products to support Return to the Moon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Law, E.; Bui, B.; Chang, G.; Goodale, C. E.; Kim, R.; Malhotra, S.; Ramirez, P.; Rodriguez, L.; Sadaqathulla, S.; Nall, M.; Muery, K.

    2012-12-01

    The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal (LMMP), is a multi-center project led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The LMMP is a web-based Portal and a suite of interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable lunar scientists, engineers, and mission planners to access mapped lunar data products from past and current lunar missions, e.g., Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Apollo, Lunar Orbiter, Lunar Prospector, and Clementine. The Portal allows users to search, view and download a vast number of the most recent lunar digital products including image mosaics, digital elevation models, and in situ lunar resource maps such as iron and hydrogen abundance. The Portal also provides a number of visualization and analysis tools that perform lighting analysis and local hazard assessments, such as, slope, surface roughness and crater/boulder distribution. In this talk, we will give a brief overview of the project. After that, we will highlight various key features and Lunar data products. We will further demonstrate image viewing and layering of lunar map images via our web portal as well as mobile devices.

  15. High-Grading Lunar Samples

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Carlton; Sellar, Glenn; Nunez, Jorge; Mosie, Andrea; Schwarz, Carol; Parker, Terry; Winterhalter, Daniel; Farmer, Jack

    2009-01-01

    Astronauts on long-duration lunar missions will need the capability to high-grade their samples to select the highest value samples for transport to Earth and to leave others on the Moon. We are supporting studies to define the necessary and sufficient measurements and techniques for high-grading samples at a lunar outpost. A glovebox, dedicated to testing instruments and techniques for high-grading samples, is in operation at the JSC Lunar Experiment Laboratory. A reference suite of lunar rocks and soils, spanning the full compositional range found in the Apollo collection, is available for testing in this laboratory. Thin sections of these samples are available for direct comparison. The Lunar Sample Compendium, on-line at http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/compendium.cfm, summarizes previous analyses of these samples. The laboratory, sample suite, and Compendium are available to the lunar research and exploration community. In the first test of possible instruments for lunar sample high-grading, we imaged 18 lunar rocks and four soils from the reference suite using the Multispectral Microscopic Imager (MMI) developed by Arizona State University and JPL (see Farmer et. al. abstract). The MMI is a fixed-focus digital imaging system with a resolution of 62.5 microns/pixel, a field size of 40 x 32 mm, and a depth-of-field of approximately 5 mm. Samples are illuminated sequentially by 21 light emitting diodes in discrete wavelengths spanning the visible to shortwave infrared. Measurements of reflectance standards and background allow calibration to absolute reflectance. ENVI-based software is used to produce spectra for specific minerals as well as multi-spectral images of rock textures.

  16. Role for early-differentiated natural killer cells in infectious mononucleosis.

    PubMed

    Azzi, Tarik; Lünemann, Anna; Murer, Anita; Ueda, Seigo; Béziat, Vivien; Malmberg, Karl-Johan; Staubli, Georg; Gysin, Claudine; Berger, Christoph; Münz, Christian; Chijioke, Obinna; Nadal, David

    2014-10-16

    A growing body of evidence suggests that the human natural killer (NK)-cell compartment is phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous and is composed of several differentiation stages. Moreover, NK-cell subsets have been shown to exhibit adaptive immune features during herpes virus infection in experimental mice and to expand preferentially during viral infections in humans. However, both phenotype and role of NK cells during acute symptomatic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, termed infectious mononucleosis (IM), remain unclear. Here, we longitudinally assessed the kinetics, the differentiation, and the proliferation of subsets of NK cells in pediatric IM patients. Our results indicate that acute IM is characterized by the preferential proliferation of early-differentiated CD56(dim) NKG2A(+) immunoglobulin-like receptor(-) NK cells. Moreover, this NK-cell subset exhibits features of terminal differentiation and persists at higher frequency during at least the first 6 months after acute IM. Finally, we demonstrate that this NK-cell subset preferentially degranulates and proliferates on exposure to EBV-infected B cells expressing lytic antigens. Thus, early-differentiated NK cells might play a key role in the immune control of primary infection with this persistent tumor-associated virus. © 2014 by The American Society of Hematology.

  17. Lunar igneous rocks and the nature of the lunar interior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hays, J. F.; Walker, D.

    1974-01-01

    Lunar igneous rocks are interpreted, which can give useful information about mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry as a function of depth in the lunar interior. Terra rocks, though intensely brecciated, reveal, in their chemistry, evidence for a magmatic history. Partial melting of feldspathic lunar crustal material occurred in the interval 4.6 to 3.9 gy. Melting of ilmenite-bearing cumulates at depths near 100 km produced parent magmas for Apollo 11 and 17 titaniferous mare basalts in the interval 3.8 to 3.6 gy. Melting of ilmenite-free olivine pyroxenites at depths greater than 200 km produced low-titanium mare basalts in the interval 3.4 to 3.1 gy. No younger igneous rocks have yet been recognized among the lunar samples and present-day melting seems to be limited to depths greater than 1000 km.

  18. Lunar igneous rocks and the nature of the lunar interior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hays, J. F.; Walker, D.

    1977-01-01

    Lunar igneous rocks, properly interpreted, can give useful information about mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry as a function of depth in the lunar interior. Though intensely brecciated, terra rocks reveal, in their chemistry, evidence for a magmatic history. Partial melting of feldspathic lunar crustal material occurred in the interval 4.6 to 3.9 Gy. Melting of ilmenite-bearing cumulates at depths near 100 km produced parent magmas for Apollo 11 and 17 titaniferous mare basalts in the interval 3.8 to 3.6 Gy. Melting of ilmenite-free olivine pyroxenites (also cumulates?) at depths greater than 200 km produced low-titanium mare basalts in the interval 3.4 to 3.1 Gy. No younger igneous rocks have yet been recognized among the lunar samples and present-day melting seems to be limited to depths greater than 1000 km.

  19. Synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy reveals early adipogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells at single-cell level

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu, Zhixiao; University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049; Tang, Yuzhao

    Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been used as an ideal in vitro model to study human adipogenesis. However, little knowledge of the early stage differentiation greatly hinders our understanding on the mechanism of the adipogenesis processes. In this study, synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) microspectroscopy was applied to track the global structural and compositional changes of lipids, proteins and nucleic acids inside individual hMSCs along the time course. The multivariate analysis of the SR-FTIR spectra distinguished the dynamic and significant changes of the lipids and nucleic acid at early differentiation stage. Importantly, changes of lipid structure during early daysmore » (Day 1–3) of differentiation might serve as a potential biomarker in identifying the state in early differentiation at single cell level. These results proved that SR-FTIR is a powerful tool to study the stem cell fate determination and early lipogenesis events. - Highlights: • Molecular events occur in the early adipogenic differentiation stage of hMSCs are studied by SR-FTIR. • SR-FTIR data suggest that lipids may play an important role in hMSCs determination. • As potential biomarkers, lipids peaks can identify the state of cell in early differentiation stage at single-cell level.« less

  20. Lunar Dust and Lunar Simulant Activation, Monitoring, Solution and Cellular Toxicity Properties

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jeevarajan, A.S.; Wallace, W.T.

    2009-01-01

    During the Apollo missions, many undesirable situations were encountered that must be mitigated prior to returning humans to the moon. Lunar dust (that part of the lunar regolith less than 20 m in diameter) was found to produce several problems with astronaut s suits and helmets, mechanical seals and equipment, and could have conceivably produced harmful physiological effects for the astronauts. For instance, the abrasive nature of the dust was found to cause malfunctions of various joints and seals of the spacecraft and suits. Additionally, though efforts were made to exclude lunar dust from the cabin of the lunar module, a significant amount of material nonetheless found its way inside. With the loss of gravity correlated with ascent of the lunar module from the lunar surface to rendezvous with the command module, much of the major portions of the contaminating soil and dust began to float, irritating the astronaut s eyes and being inhaled into their lungs. Our goal has been to understand some of the properties of lunar dust that could lead to possible hazards for humans. Due to the lack of an atmosphere, there is nothing to protect the lunar soil from ultraviolet radiation, solar wind, and meteorite impacts. These processes could all serve to activate the soil, or produce reactive surface species. In order to understand the possible toxic effects of the reactive dust, it is necessary to reactivate the dust, as samples returned during the Apollo missions were exposed to the atmosphere of the Earth. We have used grinding and UV exposure to mimic some of the processes occurring on the Moon. The level of activation has been monitored using two methods: fluorescence spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). These techniques allow the monitoring of hydroxyl radical production in solution. We have found that grinding of lunar dust produces 2-3 times the concentration of hydroxyl radicals as lunar simulant and 10 times that of quartz. Exposure

  1. The International Lunar Decade Declaration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beldavs, V.; Foing, B.; Bland, D.; Crisafulli, J.

    2015-10-01

    The International Lunar Decade Declaration was discussed at the conference held November 9-13, 2014 in Hawaii "The Next Giant Leap: Leveraging Lunar Assets for Sustainable Pathways to Space" - http://2014giantleap.aerospacehawaii.info/ and accepted by a core group that forms the International Lunar Decade Working Group (ILDWG) that is seeking to make the proposed global event and decade long process a reality. The Declaration will be updated from time to time by members of the ILDWreflecting new knowledge and fresh perspectives that bear on building a global consortium with a mission to progress from lunar exploration to the transformation of the Moon into a wealth gene rating platform for the expansion of humankind into the solar system. When key organizations have endorsed the idea and joined the effort the text of the Declaration will be considered final. An earlier International Lunar Decade proposal was issued at the 8th ICEUM Conference in 2006 in Beijing together with 13 specific initiatives for lunar exploration[1,2,3]. These initiatives have been largely implemented with coordination among the different space agencies involved provided by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group[2,3]. The Second International Lunar Decade from 2015 reflects current trends towards increasing involvement of commercial firms in space, particularly seeking opportunities beyond low Earth orbit. The central vision of the International Lunar Decade is to build the foundations for a sustainable space economy through international collaboration concurrently addressing Lunar exploration and building a shared knowledge base;Policy development that enables collabo rative research and development leading to lunar mining and industrial and commercial development;Infrastructure on the Moon and in cislunar space (communications, transport, energy systems, way-stations, other) that reduces costs, lowers risks and speeds up the time to profitable operations;Enabling technologies

  2. Searching for Lunar Water: The Lunar Volatile Resources Analysis Package

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morse, A. D.; Barber, S. J.; Dewar, K. R.; Pillinger, J. M.; Sheridan, S.; Wright, I, P.; Gibson, E. K.; Merrifield, J. A.; Howe, C. J.; Waugh, L. J.; hide

    2012-01-01

    The ESA Lunar Lander has been conceived to demonstrate an autonomous landing capability. Once safely on the Moon the scientific payload will conduct investigations aimed at preparing the way for human exploration. As part of the provisional payload an instrument known as The Lunar Volatile Resources Analysis Package (L-VRAP) will analyse surface and exospheric volatiles. The presence and abundance of lunar water is an important consideration for ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilisation) since this is likely to be part of a strategy for supporting long-term human exploration of the Moon.

  3. Lunar power systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    The findings of a study on the feasibility of several methods of providing electrical power for a permanently manned lunar base are provided. Two fundamentally different methods for lunar electrical power generation are considered. One is the use of a small nuclear reactor and the other is the conversion of solar energy to electricity. The baseline goal was to initially provide 300 kW of power with growth capability to one megawatt and eventually to 10 megawatts. A detailed, day by day scenario for the establishment, build-up, and operational activity of the lunar base is presented. Also presented is a conceptual approach to a supporting transportation system which identifies the number, type, and deployment of transportation vehicles required to support the base. An approach to the use of solar cells in the lunar environment was developed. There are a number of heat engines which are applicable to solar/electric conversions, and these are examined. Several approaches to energy storage which were used by the electric power utilities were examined and those which could be used at a lunar base were identified.

  4. Lunar Roving Vehicle parked in lunar depression on slope of Stone Mountain

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The Lunar Roving Vehicle appears to be parked in a deep lunar depression on the slope of Stone Mountain in this photograph of the lunar scene at Station no. 4, taken during the second Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-2) at the Descartes landing site. A sample collection bag is in the right foreground. Note field of small boulders at upper right.

  5. Lunar Orbit Anomaly

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riofrio, L.

    2012-12-01

    Independent experiments show a large anomaly in measurements of lunar orbital evolution, with applications to cosmology and the speed of light. The Moon has long been known to be slowly drifting farther from Earth due to tidal forces. The Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment (LLRE) indicates the Moon's semimajor axis increasing at 3.82 ± .07 cm/yr, anomalously high. If the Moon were today gaining angular momentum at this rate, it would have coincided with Earth less than 2 Gyr ago. Study of tidal rhythmites indicates a rate of 2.9 ± 0.6 cm/yr. Historical eclipse observations independently measure a recession rate of 2.82 ± .08 cm/yr. Detailed numerical simulation of lunar orbital evolution predicts 2.91 cm/yr. LLRE differs from three independent experiments by over12 sigma. A cosmology where speed of light c is related to time t by GM=tc^3 has been suggested to predict the redshifts of Type Ia supernovae, and a 4.507034% proportion of baryonic matter. If c were changing in the amount predicted, lunar orbital distance would appear to increase by an additional 0.935 cm/yr. An anomaly in the lunar orbit may be precisely calculated, shedding light on puzzles of 'dark energy'. In Planck units this cosmology may be summarized as M=R=t.Lunar Recession Rate;

  6. Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) for the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Collier, Michael R.; Mahaffy, Paul R.; Benna, Mehdi; King, Todd T.; Hodges, Richard

    2011-01-01

    The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission currently scheduled for launch in early 2013 aboard a Minotaur V will orbit the moon at a nominal periselene of 50 km to characterized the lunar atmosphere and dust environment. The science instrument payload includes a neutral mass spectrometer as well as an ultraviolet spectrometer and a dust detector. Although to date only He, Ar-40, K, Na and Rn-222 have been firmly identified in the lunar exosphere and arise from the solar wind (He), the lunar regolith (K and Na) and the lunar interior (Ar-40, Rn-222), upper limits have been set for a large number of other species, LADEE Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) observations will determine the abundance of several species and substantially lower the present upper limits for many others. Additionally, LADEE NMS will observe the spatial distribution and temporal variability of species which condense at nighttime and show peak concentrations at the dawn terminator (e,g, Ar-40), possible episodic release from the lunar interior, and the results of sputtering or desorption processes from the regolith. In this presentation, we describe the LADEE NMS hardware and the anticipated science results.

  7. Geochemical zoning and early differentiation in the moon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Taylor, S. R.; Jakes, P.

    1977-01-01

    The volatile elements (e.g., Rb, Pb, Tl, Bi, Cs) seem to have been depleted at the time of lunar accretion. Accordingly, it may be assumed that the moon initially accreted from refractory material. The good correlation between volatile/involatile element ratios (e.g., Cs/U, K/La, K/Zr) in both highland and maria samples means that element distribution in lunar crustal rocks is not governed by volatility differences. This and other evidence encourages the view that the moon was accreted homogeneously. A consequence of homogeneous accretion theories is that very efficient large-scale element fractionation is required to account both for the high near-surface concentrations of refractory elements (e.g., Th, U, REE, Zr, Ba, etc.) and for the Ca-Al-rich crust.

  8. Lunar Landing Walking Simulator

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1965-09-03

    Lunar Landing Walking Simulator: Researchers at Langley study the ability of astronauts to walk, run and perform other tasks required during lunar exploration. The Reduced Gravity Simulator gave researchers the opportunity to look at the effects of one-sixth normal gravity on self-locomotion. Several Apollo astronauts practiced lunar waling at the facility.

  9. A Broadband IR Compact High Resolution Spectrometer (BIRCHES) for a Lunar Water Distribution (LWaDi) Cubesat Mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Pamela E.; Macdowall, Robert J.; Reuter, Dennis; Mauk, Robin

    2014-11-01

    We are in the process of developing the BIRCH (Broadband IR for Cubesats with High Resolution) Spectrometer for characterization of a range of deep space targets. BIRCH is the first extremely compact Broadband IR spectrometer with high spectral resolution designed to measure water type and component distribution for a science-driven cubesat mission, such as the lunar orbital mission LWaDi (Lunar Water Distribution) designed to determine the systematics of lunar water and volatiles as a function of time of day, latitude, and terrain. The development of cubesat form factor instruments, such as BIRCH, capable of providing high priority science goals identified in the decadal survey is critical to achieve low cost planetary exploration promised by the cubesat paradigm by exploring volatile systems via orbiting or landed packages. On the Moon, as well as Mercury, Mars, and the asteroids, the source, distribution, and role of volatiles is a question of major importance, and has implications for formation processes, including interior structure, differentiation, and the origin of life in the early solar system. The form and distribution of water has implications for human exploration, resource exploitation, and sample curation. Recent lunar missions gave unanticipated evidence for the water from NIR instruments not optimized for finding it. Our instrument includes a compact broadband HgCdTe detector with a linear variable filter and a compact cryocooler (for operation below 140K) attached to a compact optical system with 2 off-axis parabolic mirrors and variable field stop operating below 240K. Its 10 nm or better resolution and longer wavelength upper range (1.3 to 3.7 microns) are necessary to identify and separate features associated with water type (adsorbed, bound, ice) and components. Its 4-sided adjustable iris at the field stop enables a constant spot size (10 x 10 km) regardless of altitude. BIRCH will be able to provide systematic and extensive enough

  10. Lunar Dust Mitigation Technology Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyatt, Mark J.; Deluane, Paul B.

    2008-01-01

    NASA s plans for implementing the Vision for Space Exploration include returning to the moon as a stepping stone for further exploration of Mars, and beyond. Dust on the lunar surface has a ubiquitous presence which must be explicitly addressed during upcoming human lunar exploration missions. While the operational challenges attributable to dust during the Apollo missions did not prove critical, the comparatively long duration of impending missions presents a different challenge. Near term plans to revisit the moon places a primary emphasis on characterization and mitigation of lunar dust. Comprised of regolith particles ranging in size from tens of nanometers to microns, lunar dust is a manifestation of the complex interaction of the lunar soil with multiple mechanical, electrical, and gravitational effects. The environmental and anthropogenic factors effecting the perturbation, transport, and deposition of lunar dust must be studied in order to mitigate it s potentially harmful effects on exploration systems. This paper presents the current perspective and implementation of dust knowledge management and integration, and mitigation technology development activities within NASA s Exploration Technology Development Program. This work is presented within the context of the Constellation Program s Integrated Lunar Dust Management Strategy. The Lunar Dust Mitigation Technology Development project has been implemented within the ETDP. Project scope and plans will be presented, along with a a perspective on lessons learned from Apollo and forensics engineering studies of Apollo hardware. This paper further outlines the scientific basis for lunar dust behavior, it s characteristics and potential effects, and surveys several potential strategies for its control and mitigation both for lunar surface operations and within the working volumes of a lunar outpost.

  11. Lunar cryptomare: Analysis of mineralogy and distribution of ancient volcanic deposits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitten, J.; Head, J. W.; Pieters, C. M.; Kreslavsky, M. A.; Hiesinger, H.

    2012-12-01

    Early volcanic deposits have been almost completely erased by plate tectonics on Earth, but they remain relatively well preserved on some of the other terrestrial planetary bodies, especially the Moon. Ancient volcanic smooth plains on the Moon are referred to as cryptomaria [Head and Wilson, 1992], described as smooth volcanic deposits that have been covered post-emplacement with high albedo feldspathic regolith. Identification of cryptomare deposits is facilitated by the presence of dark-halo craters, which are typically simple craters excavating mafic material from below the feldspathic light plains regolith layer [e.g., Schultz and Spudis, 1979], and highly mafic soils. Isotopic age data from the Apollo and lunar meteorite sample collections combined with crater statistics and stratigraphic relationships indicate that cryptomare deposits were emplaced around the period of latest basin formation. Many questions about cryptomare deposits remain: Were they emplaced in ancient lunar basins or are they associated with intercrater areas? What is their areal extent? What is the mineralogy of these deposits? Does it vary spatially or temporally? Analysis with the highest resolution datasets could address several of these questions and help to refine our knowledge of the extent and character of early lunar volcanism. For this study cryptomare to the west of Oceanus Procellarum, as well as other previously identified regions (e.g., Mendel-Ryberg, Tsiolkovskiy, etc.), were selected for analysis based on their different geologic settings. To better understand early eruption conditions it is important to compare deposit locations and look for trends in geologic setting. Analysis of previously mapped cryptomare in the Schiller-Schickard region has established a method for deposit identification and is applied in this study to map and characterize the composition of the early volcanic deposits in other areas of the Moon [Whitten et al., 2012]. Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter

  12. Bringing You the Moon: Lunar Education Efforts of the Center for Lunar Science and Education

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaner, A. J.; Shupla, C.; Shipp, S.; Allen, J.; Kring, D. A.; Halligan, E.; LaConte, K.

    2012-01-01

    The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE), a collaboration between the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA's Johnson Space Center, is one of seven member teams of the NASA Lunar Science Institute. In addition to research and exploration activities, the CLSE team is deeply invested in education and public outreach. Overarching goals of CLSE education are to strengthen the future science workforce, attract and retain students in STEM disciplines, and develop advocates for lunar exploration. The team's efforts have resulted in a variety of programs and products, including the creation of a variety of Lunar Traveling Exhibits and the High School Lunar Research Project, featured at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/nlsi/education/.

  13. Lunar Prospector Orbit Determination Uncertainties Using the High Resolution Lunar Gravity Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carranza, Eric; Konopliv, Alex; Ryne, Mark

    1999-01-01

    The Lunar Prospector (LP) mission began on January 6, 1998, when the LP spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The objectives of the mission were to determine whether water ice exists at the lunar poles, generate a global compositional map of the lunar surface, detect lunar outgassing, and improve knowledge of the lunar magnetic and gravity fields. Orbit determination of LP performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is conducted as part of the principal science investigation of the lunar gravity field. This paper will describe the JPL effort in support of the LP Gravity Investigation. This support includes high precision orbit determination, gravity model validation, and data editing. A description of the mission and its trajectory will be provided first, followed by a discussion of the orbit determination estimation procedure and models. Accuracies will be examined in terms of orbit-to-orbit solution differences, as a function of oblateness model truncation, and inclination in the plane-of-sky. Long term predictions for several gravity fields will be compared to the reconstructed orbits to demonstrate the accuracy of the orbit determination and oblateness fields developed by the Principal Gravity Investigator.

  14. Solar cells for lunar applications by vacuum evaporation of lunar regolith materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ignatiev, Alex

    1991-01-01

    The National Space Exploration Initiative, specifically the Lunar component, has major requirements for technology development of critical systems, one of which is electrical power. The availability of significant electrical power on the surface of the Moon is a principal driver defining the complexity of the lunar base. Proposals to generate power on the Moon include both nuclear and solar (photovoltaic) systems. A more efficient approach is to attempt utilization of the existing lunar resources to generate the power systems. Synergism may occur from the fact that there have already been lunar materials processing techniques proposed for the extraction of oxygen that would have, as by-products, materials that could be specifically used to generate solar cells. The lunar environment is a vacuum with pressures generally in the 1 x 10(exp -10) torr range. Such conditions provide an ideal environment for direct vacuum deposition of thin film solar cells using the waste silicon, iron, and TiO2 available from the lunar regolith processing meant to extract oxygen. It is proposed, therefore, to grow by vacuum deposition, thin film silicon solar cells from the improved regolith processing by-products.

  15. Lunar Balance and Locomotion

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Paloski, William H.

    2008-01-01

    Balance control and locomotor patterns were altered in Apollo crewmembers on the lunar surface, owing, presumably, to a combination of sensory-motor adaptation during transit and lunar surface operations, decreased environmental affordances associated with the reduced gravity, and restricted joint mobility as well as altered center-of-gravity caused by the EVA pressure suits. Dr. Paloski will discuss these factors, as well as the potential human and mission impacts of falls and malcoordination during planned lunar sortie and outpost missions. Learning objectives: What are the potential impacts of postural instabilities on the lunar surface? CME question: What factors affect balance control and gait stability on the moon? Answer: Sensory-motor adaptation to the lunar environment, reduced mechanical and visual affordances, and altered biomechanics caused by the EVA suit.

  16. A primer in lunar geology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greeley, R. (Editor); Schultz, P. H. (Editor)

    1974-01-01

    Primary topics in lunar geology range from the evolution of the solar system to lunar photointerpretation, impact crater formation, and sampling to analyses on various Apollo lunar landing site geomorphologies.

  17. Lunar soil properties and soil mechanics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mitchell, J. K.; Houston, W. N.; Hovland, H. J.

    1972-01-01

    The study to identify and define recognizable fabrics in lunar soil in order to determine the history of the lunar regolith in different locations is reported. The fabric of simulated lunar soil, and lunar soil samples are discussed along with the behavior of simulated lunar soil under dynamic and static loading. The planned research is also included.

  18. Research on lunar and planet development and utilization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwata, Tsutomu; Etou, Takao; Imai, Ryouichi; Oota, Kazuo; Kaneko, Yutaka; Maeda, Toshihide; Takano, Yutaka

    1992-08-01

    Status of the study on unmanned and manned lunar missions, unmanned Mars missions, lunar resource development and utilization missions, remote sensing exploration missions, survey and review to elucidate the problems of research and development for lunar resource development and utilization, and the techniques and equipment for lunar and planet exploration are presented. Following items were studied respectively: (1) spacecraft systems for unmanned lunar missions, such as lunar observation satellites, lunar landing vehicles, lunar surface rovers, lunar surface hoppers, and lunar sample retrieval; (2) spacecraft systems for manned lunar missions, such as manned lunar bases, lunar surface operation robots, lunar surface experiment systems, manned lunar take-off and landing vehicles, and lunar freight transportation ships; (3) spacecraft systems for Mars missions, such as Mars satellites, Phobos and Deimos sample retrieval vehicles, Mars landing explorers, Mars rovers, Mars sample retrieval; (4) lunar resource development and utilization; and (5) remote sensing exploration technologies.

  19. Lunar and Meteorite Thin Sections for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, J.; Galindo, C.; Luckey, M.; Reustle, J.; Todd, N.; Allen, C.

    2012-01-01

    The Johnson Space Center (JSC) has the unique responsibility to curate NASA's extraterrestrial samples from past and future missions. Curation includes documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples for research, education, and public outreach. Between 1969 and 1972 six Apollo missions brought back 382 kilograms of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust from the lunar surface. JSC also curates meteorites collected on US expeditions to Antarctica including rocks from Moon, Mars, and many asteroids including Vesta. Studies of rock and soil samples from the Moon and meteorites continue to yield useful information about the early history of the Moon, the Earth, and the inner solar system.

  20. Lunar atmospheric composition experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoffman, J. H.

    1975-01-01

    Apollo 17 carried a miniature mass spectrometer, called the Lunar Atmospheric Composition Experiment (LACE), to the moon as part of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) to study the composition and variations in the lunar atmosphere. The instrument was successfully deployed in the Taurus-Littrow Valley with its entrance aperture oriented upward to intercept and measure the downward flux of gases at the lunar surface. During the ten lunations that the LACE operated, it produced a large base of data on the lunar atmosphere, mainly collected at night time. It was found that thermal escape is the most rapid loss mechanism for hydrogen and helium. For heavier gases, photoionization followed by acceleration through the solar wind electric field accounted for most of the loss. The dominant gases on the moosn were argon and helium, and models formed for their distribution are described in detail. It is concluded that most of the helium in the lunar atmosphere is of solar wind origin, and that there also exist very small amounts of methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.

  1. On-Orbit Lunar Modulation Transfer Function Measurements for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Choi, Taeyong; Xiong, Xiaoxiong; Wang, Zhipeng

    2013-01-01

    Spatial quality of an imaging sensor can be estimated by evaluating its modulation transfer function (MTF) from many different sources such as a sharp edge, a pulse target, or bar patterns with different spatial frequencies. These well-defined targets are frequently used for prelaunch laboratory tests, providing very reliable and accurate MTF measurements. A laboratory-quality edge input source was included in the spatial-mode operation of the Spectroradiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA), which is one of the onboard calibrators of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Since not all imaging satellites have such an instrument, SRCA MTF estimations can be used as a reference for an on-orbit lunar MTF algorithm and results. In this paper, the prelaunch spatial quality characterization process from the Integrated Alignment Collimator and SRCA is briefly discussed. Based on prelaunch MTF calibration using the SRCA, a lunar MTF algorithm is developed and applied to the lifetime on-orbit Terra and Aqua MODIS lunar collections. In each lunar collection, multiple scan-directionMoon-to-background transition profiles are aligned by the subpixel edge locations from a parametric Fermi function fit. Corresponding accumulated edge profiles are filtered and interpolated to obtain the edge spread function (ESF). The MTF is calculated by applying a Fourier transformation on the line spread function through a simple differentiation of the ESF. The lifetime lunar MTF results are analyzed and filtered by a relationship with the Sun-Earth-MODIS angle. Finally, the filtered lunarMTF values are compared to the SRCA MTF results. This comparison provides the level of accuracy for on-orbit MTF estimations validated through prelaunch SRCA measurements. The lunar MTF values had larger uncertainty than the SRCA MTF results; however, the ratio mean of lunarMTF fit and SRCA MTF values is within 2% in the 250- and 500-m bands. Based on the MTF measurement uncertainty range

  2. A proposal for risk sharing in the development of a lunar oxygen plant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duke, Michael B.; Treadwell, Mead

    1990-01-01

    The production of lunar oxygen for use in a NASA lunar outpost program could provide a profitable investment for nongovernment development, savings for government, and an initiation of a new resource of capital financing for space industrialization. A joint endeavor to share development risks between government and nongovernment investment is proposed, based on some early assessments of technical and financial feasibility for the project. Successful initial negotiations between government and nongovernment investors can establish the requirements for financing the project with private funds.

  3. Low-cost unmanned lunar lander

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daniel, Walter K.

    1992-01-01

    Two student groups designed unmanned landers to deliver 200 kilogram payloads to the lunar surface. Payloads could include astronomical telescopes, small lunar rovers, and experiments related to future human exploration. Requirements include the use of existing hardware where possible, use of a medium-class launch vehicle, an unobstructed view of the sky for the payload, and access to the lunar surface for the payload. The projects were modeled after Artemis, a project that the NASA Office of Exploration is pursuing with a planned first launch in 1996. The Lunar Scout design uses a Delta 2 launch vehicle with a Star 48 motor for insertion into the trans-lunar trajectory. During the transfer, the solar panels will be folded inward and the spacecraft will be powered by rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. The lander will use a combination of a solid rocket motor and hydrazine thrusters for the descent to the lunar surface. The solar arrays will be deployed after landing. The lander will provide power for operations to the payload during the lunar day; batteries will provide 'stay-alive' power during the lunar night. A horn antenna on the lander will provide communications between the payload and the earth.

  4. Electric propulsion for lunar exploration and lunar base development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palaszewski, Bryan

    1992-01-01

    Using electric propulsion to deliver materials to lunar orbit for the development and construction of a lunar base was investigated. Because the mass of the base and its life-cycle resupply mass are large, high specific impulse propulsion systems may significantly reduce the transportation system mass and cost. Three electric propulsion technologies (arcjet, ion, and magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) propulsion) were compared with oxygen/hydrogen propulsion for a lunar base development scenario. Detailed estimates of the orbital transfer vehicles' (OTV's) masses and their propellant masses are presented. The fleet sizes for the chemical and electric propulsion systems are estimated. Ion and MPD propulsion systems enable significant launch mass savings over O2/H2 propulsion. Because of the longer trip time required for the low-thrust OTV's, more of them are required to perform the mission model. By offloading the lunar cargo from the manned O2/H2 OTV missions onto the electric propulsion OTV's, a significant reduction of the low Earth orbit (LEO) launch mass is possible over the 19-year base development period.

  5. Early Earth differentiation [rapid communication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walter, Michael J.; Trønnes, Reidar G.

    2004-09-01

    The birth and infancy of Earth was a time of profound differentiation involving massive internal reorganization into core, mantle and proto-crust, all within a few hundred million years of solar system formation ( t0). Physical and isotopic evidence indicate that the formation of iron-rich cores generally occurred very early in planetesimals, the building blocks of proto-Earth, within about 3 million years of t0. The final stages of terrestrial planetary accretion involved violent and tremendously energetic giant impacts among core-segregated Mercury- to Mars-sized objects and planetary embryos. As a consequence of impact heating, the early Earth was at times partially or wholly molten, increasing the likelihood for high-pressure and high-temperature equilibration among core- and mantle-forming materials. The Earth's silicate mantle harmoniously possesses abundance levels of the siderophile elements Ni and Co that can be reconciled by equilibration between iron alloy and silicate at conditions comparable to those expected for a deep magma ocean. Solidification of a deep magma ocean possibly involved crystal-melt segregation at high pressures, but subsequent convective stirring of the mantle could have largely erased nascent layering. However, primitive upper mantle rocks apparently have some nonchondritic major and trace element refractory lithophile element ratios that can be plausibly linked to early mantle differentiation of ultra-high-pressure mantle phases. The geochemical effects of crystal fractionation in a deep magma ocean are partly constrained by high-pressure experimentation. Comparison between compositional models for the primitive convecting mantle and bulk silicate Earth generally allows, and possibly favors, 10-15% total fractionation of a deep mantle assemblage comprised predominantly of Mg-perovskite and with minor but geochemically important amounts of Ca-perovskite and ferropericlase. Long-term isolation of such a crystal pile is generally

  6. Lunar laser ranging in infrared at the Grasse laser station

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Courde, C.; Torre, J. M.; Samain, E.; Martinot-Lagarde, G.; Aimar, M.; Albanese, D.; Exertier, P.; Fienga, A.; Mariey, H.; Metris, G.; Viot, H.; Viswanathan, V.

    2017-06-01

    For many years, lunar laser ranging (LLR) observations using a green wavelength have suffered an inhomogeneity problem both temporally and spatially. This paper reports on the implementation of a new infrared detection at the Grasse LLR station and describes how infrared telemetry improves this situation. Our first results show that infrared detection permits us to densify the observations and allows measurements during the new and the full Moon periods. The link budget improvement leads to homogeneous telemetric measurements on each lunar retro-reflector. Finally, a surprising result is obtained on the Lunokhod 2 array which attains the same efficiency as Lunokhod 1 with an infrared laser link, although those two targets exhibit a differential efficiency of six with a green laser link.

  7. Architectural considerations for lunar long duration habitat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bahrami, Payam

    The future of space exploration science and technology is expected to move toward long duration missions. During this long duration missions the most important factor to success will be the habitation system, the place that crew will live and work. The broad range of future space exploration, new advances in technology and increasing demand for space travel and space tourism will create great opportunities for architects to use their special abilities and skills in the realm of space. The lunar habitat is defined as a multidisciplinary task and cannot be considered an independent project from the main module. Therefore, habitability will become the most important aspect of future human exploration. A successful design strategy should integrate architecture, structure and other disciplines and should bring in elements such as psychological and physiological factors, human interfaces, and privacy. The current research provides "Habitat Architectural Design System (HADS)" in order to evaluate lunar habitat concepts based on habitability, functional optimization, and human factors. HADS helps to promote parametric studied and evaluation of habitat concepts. It will provide a guideline dependent upon mission objectives to standardize architectural needs within the engineering applications and scientific demands. The significance of this research is the process of developing lunar habitat concepts using an architectural system to evaluate the quality of each concept via habitability aspects. This process can be employed during the early stage of design development and is flexible enough to be adjusted by different parameters according to the objectives of lunar mission, limitations, and cost. It also emphasizes the importance of architecture involvement in space projects, especially habitats.

  8. Mapping Lunar Highlands

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2012-12-05

    This graphic depicting the bulk density of the lunar highlands on the near and far sides of the moon was generated using gravity data from NASA GRAIL mission and topography data from NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

  9. Endogenous Lunar Volatiles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCubbin, F. M.; Liu, Y.; Barnes, J. J.; Anand, M.; Boyce, J. W.; Burney, D.; Day, J. M. D.; Elardo, S. M.; Hui, H.; Klima, R. L.; Magna, T.; Ni, P.; Steenstra, E.; Tartèse, R.; Vander Kaaden, K. E.

    2018-04-01

    This abstract discusses numerous outstanding questions on the topic of endogenous lunar volatiles that will need to be addressed in the coming years. Although substantial insights into endogenous lunar volatiles have been gained, more work remains.

  10. The Origin and Impact History of Lunar Meteorite Yamato 86032

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yamaguchi, A.; Takeda, H.; Nyquist, L. E.; Bogard, D. D.; Ebihara, M.; Karouji, Y.

    2004-01-01

    Yamato (Y) 86032 is a feldspathic lunar highland breccia having some characteristics of regolith breccia. The absence of KREEP components in the matrix in Y86032 indicates that these meteorites came from a long distance from Mare Imbrium, perhaps from the far-side of the moon. One ferroan anorthosite (FAN) clast in Y86032 has a very old Ar-Ar age of approximately 4.35-4.4 Ga. The negative Nd of this clast may suggest a direct link with the primordial magma ocean. The facts indicate that Y86032 contains components derived from a protolith of the original lunar crust. Detailed petrologic characterization of each component in this breccia is essential to understand the early impact history and origin of the lunar highland crust. We made a large slab (5.2 x 3.6 cm x 3-5 mm) of Y86032 to better understand the relationship of various lithologies and their petrologic origin.

  11. Lunar surface magnetometer experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dyal, P.; Parkin, C. W.; Colburn, D. S.; Schubert, G.

    1972-01-01

    The Apollo 16 lunar surface magnetometer (LSM) activation completed the network installation of magnetic observatories on the lunar surface and initiated simultaneous measurements of the global response of the moon to large-scale solar and terrestrial magnetic fields. Fossil remanent magnetic fields have been measured at nine locations on the lunar surface, including the Apollo 16 LSM site in the Descartes highlands area. This fossil record indicates the possible existence of an ancient lunar dynamo or a solar or terrestrial field much stronger than exists at present. The experimental technique and operation of the LSM are described and the results obtained are discussed.

  12. Explosives for Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment (LSPE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    Explosive charges of various sizes were investigated for use in lunar seismic studies. Program logistics, and the specifications for procurement of bulk explosives are described. The differential analysis, thermal properties, and detonation velocity measurements on HNS/Teflon 7C 90/10 are reported along with the field tests of the hardware. It is concluded that nearly all large explosive charges crack after fabrication, from aging or thermal shock. The cracks do not affect the safety, or reliability of the explosives.

  13. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part II

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    Some topics covered: Implications of internal fragmentation on the structure of comets; Atmospheric excitation of mars polar motion; Dunite viscosity dependence on oxygen fugacity; Cross profile and volume analysis of bahram valles on mars; Calculations of the fluxes of 10-250 kV lunar leakage gamma rays; Alluvian fans on mars; Investigating the sources of the apollo 14 high-Al mare basalts; Relationship of coronae, regional plains and rift zones on venus; and Chemical differentiation and internal structure of europa and callisto.

  14. Kickstarting a New Era of Lunar Industrialization via Campaign of Lunar COTS Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zuniga, Allison F.; Turner, Mark; Rasky, Daniel; Pittman, Robert B.; Zapata, Edgar

    2016-01-01

    To support the goals of expanding our human presence and current economic sphere beyond LEO, a new plan was constructed for NASA to enter into partnerships with industry to foster and incentivize a new era of lunar industrialization. For NASA to finally be successful in achieving sustainable human exploration missions beyond LEO, lessons learned from our space history have shown that it is essential for current program planning to include affordable and economic development goals as well as address top national priorities to obtain much needed public support. In the last 58 years of NASA's existence, only Apollo's human exploration missions beyond LEO were successful since it was proclaimed to be a top national priority during the 1960's. However, the missions were not sustainable and ended abruptly in 1972 due to lack of funding and insufficient economic gain. Ever since Apollo, there have not been any human missions beyond LEO because none of the proposed program plans were economical or proclaimed a top national priority. The proposed plan outlines a new campaign of low-cost, commercial-enabled lunar COTS (Commercial Orbital Transfer Services) missions which is an update to the Lunar COTS plan previously described. The objectives of this new campaign of missions are to prospect for resources, determine the economic viability of extracting those resources and assess the value proposition of using these resources in future exploration architectures such as Mars. These missions would be accomplished in partnership with commercial industry using the wellproven COTS Program acquisition model. This model proved to be very beneficial to both NASA and its industry partners as NASA saved significantly in development and operational costs, as much as tenfold, while industry partners successfully expanded their market share and demonstrated substantial economic gain. Similar to COTS, the goals for this new initiative are 1) to develop and demonstrate cost-effective, cis-lunar

  15. Comparison of orbital chemistry with crustal thickness and lunar sample chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schonfeld, E.

    1977-01-01

    A correlation between orbital chemistry (FeO, Al2O3, Mg/Al, MgO/FeO, Th) and the lunar crustal thickness is examined. The correlation suggests either lack of complete homogenization by lateral or vertical mixing, or lateral variation in the differentiation process. In addition, links between orbital chemistry and lunar sample chemistry are investigated. In regions with crustal thickness between 100 and 110 km, gabbroic anorthosites are very abundant, while in regions with crustal thickness of about 80 km anorthositic gabbros are frequent. Special attention is given to the distribution of low-potassium Fra Mauro basalt, found in high concentrations in regions with 50 to 60 km crustal thickness.

  16. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 21st, Houston, TX, Mar. 12-16, 1990, Proceedings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ryder, Graham (Editor); Sharpton, Virgil L. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    The present conference on lunar and planetary science discusses the geology and geophysics of Venus; the lunar highlands and regolith; magmatic processes of the moon and meteorites; remote sensing of the moon and Mars; chondrites, cosmic dust, and comets; ammonia-water mixtures; and the evolution of volcanism, tectonics, and volatiles on Mars. Attention is given to volcanism on Venus, pristine moon rocks, the search for Crisium Basin ejecta, Apollo 14 glasses, lunar anorthosites, the sources of mineral fragments in impact melts 15445 and 15455, and argon adsorption in the lunar atmosphere. Also discussed are high-pressure experiments on magnesian eucrite compositions, the early results of thermal diffusion in metal-sulfide liquids, preliminary results of imaging spectroscopy of the Humorum Basin region of the moon, high-resolution UV-visible spectroscopy of lunar red spots, and a radar-echo model for Mars. Other topics addressed include nitrogen isotopic signatures in the Acapulco Meteorite, tridymite and maghemite formation in an Fe-SiO smoke, and the enigma of mottled terrain on Mars.

  17. Orbital studies of lunar magnetism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcleod, M. G.; Coleman, P. J., Jr.

    1982-01-01

    Limitations of present lunar magnetic maps are considered. Optimal processing of satellite derived magnetic anomaly data is also considered. Studies of coastal and core geomagnetism are discussed. Lunar remanent and induced lunar magnetization are included.

  18. Copernicus: Lunar surface mapper

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redd, Frank J.; Anderson, Shaun D.

    1992-01-01

    The Utah State University (USU) 1991-92 Space Systems Design Team has designed a Lunar Surface Mapper (LSM) to parallel the development of the NASA Office of Exploration lunar initiatives. USU students named the LSM 'Copernicus' after the 16th century Polish astronomer, for whom the large lunar crater on the face of the moon was also named. The top level requirements for the Copernicus LSM are to produce a digital map of the lunar surface with an overall resolution of 12 meters (39.4 ft). It will also identify specified local surface features/areas to be mapped at higher resolutions by follow-on missions. The mapping operation will be conducted from a 300 km (186 mi) lunar-polar orbit. Although the entire surface should be mapped within six months, the spacecraft design lifetime will exceed one year with sufficient propellant planned for orbit maintenance in the anomalous lunar gravity field. The Copernicus LSM is a small satellite capable of reaching lunar orbit following launch on a Conestoga launch vehicle which is capable of placing 410 kg (900 lb) into translunar orbit. Upon orbital insertion, the spacecraft will weigh approximately 233 kg (513 lb). This rather severe mass constraint has insured attention to component/subsystem size and mass, and prevented 'requirements creep.' Transmission of data will be via line-of-sight to an earth-based receiving system.

  19. CERN-derived analysis of lunar radiation backgrounds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilson, Thomas L.; Svoboda, Robert

    1993-01-01

    The Moon produces radiation which background-limits scientific experiments there. Early analyses of these backgrounds have either failed to take into consideration the effect of charm in particle physics (because they pre-dated its discovery), or have used branching ratios which are no longer strictly valid (due to new accelerator data). We are presently investigating an analytical program for deriving muon and neutrino spectra generated by the Moon, converting an existing CERN computer program known as GEANT which does the same for the Earth. In so doing, this will (1) determine an accurate prompt neutrino spectrum produced by the lunar surface; (2) determine the lunar subsurface particle flux; (3) determine the consequence of charm production physics upon the lunar background radiation environment; and (4) provide an analytical tool for the NASA astrophysics community with which to begin an assessment of the Moon as a scientific laboratory versus its particle radiation environment. This will be done on a recurring basis with the latest experimental results of the particle data groups at Earth-based high-energy accelerators, in particular with the latest branching ratios for charmed meson decay. This will be accomplished for the first time as a full 3-dimensional simulation.

  20. Lunar outpost agriculture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hossner, Lloyd R.; Ming, Douglas W.; Henninger, Donald L.; Allen, Earl R.

    1991-01-01

    The development of a CELSS for a lunar outpost is discussed. It is estimated that a lunar outpost life support system with a crew of four that produces food would break even in terms of mass and cost to deliver the system to the lunar surface after 2.5 years when compared to the cost of resupply from earth. A brief review is made of research on life support systems and NASA projects for evaluating CELSS components. The use of on-site materials for propellants, construction materials, and agriculture is evaluated, and the use of microbes for waste decomposition and stabilization of ecological balance is touched upon. Areas for further investigation include the behavior of organisms in microgravity, genetic alteration, gas exchange capabilities of organisms, integration of biological and physicochemical components, and automation. The development stages leading to lunar deployment are outlined.

  1. Lunar Sulfur Capture System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berggren, Mark; Zubrin, Robert; Bostwick-White, Emily

    2013-01-01

    The Lunar Sulfur Capture System (LSCS) protects in situ resource utilization (ISRU) hardware from corrosion, and reduces contaminant levels in water condensed for electrolysis. The LSCS uses a lunar soil sorbent to trap over 98 percent of sulfur gases and about two-thirds of halide gases evolved during hydrogen reduction of lunar soils. LSCS soil sorbent is based on lunar minerals containing iron and calcium compounds that trap sulfur and halide gas contaminants in a fixed-bed reactor held at temperatures between 250 and 400 C, allowing moisture produced during reduction to pass through in vapor phase. Small amounts of Earth-based polishing sorbents consisting of zinc oxide and sodium aluminate are used to reduce contaminant concentrations to one ppm or less. The preferred LSCS configuration employs lunar soil beneficiation to boost concentrations of reactive sorbent minerals. Lunar soils contain sulfur in concentrations of about 0.1 percent, and halogen compounds including chlorine and fluorine in concentrations of about 0.01 percent. These contaminants are released as gases such as H2S, COS, CS2,HCl, and HF during thermal ISRU processing with hydrogen or other reducing gases. Removal of contaminant gases is required during ISRU processing to prevent hardware corrosion, electrolyzer damage, and catalyst poisoning. The use of Earth-supplied, single-use consumables to entirely remove contaminants at the levels existing in lunar soils would make many ISRU processes unattractive due to the large mass of consumables relative to the mass of oxygen produced. The LSCS concept of using a primary sorbent prepared from lunar soil was identified as a method by which the majority of contaminants could be removed from process gas streams, thereby substantially reducing the required mass of Earth-supplied consumables. The LSCS takes advantage of minerals containing iron and calcium compounds that are present in lunar soil to trap sulfur and halide gases in a fixedbed reactor

  2. Early differential processing of material images: Evidence from ERP classification.

    PubMed

    Wiebel, Christiane B; Valsecchi, Matteo; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

    2014-06-24

    Investigating the temporal dynamics of natural image processing using event-related potentials (ERPs) has a long tradition in object recognition research. In a classical Go-NoGo task two characteristic effects have been emphasized: an early task independent category effect and a later task-dependent target effect. Here, we set out to use this well-established Go-NoGo paradigm to study the time course of material categorization. Material perception has gained more and more interest over the years as its importance in natural viewing conditions has been ignored for a long time. In addition to analyzing standard ERPs, we conducted a single trial ERP pattern analysis. To validate this procedure, we also measured ERPs in two object categories (people and animals). Our linear classification procedure was able to largely capture the overall pattern of results from the canonical analysis of the ERPs and even extend it. We replicate the known target effect (differential Go-NoGo potential at frontal sites) for the material images. Furthermore, we observe task-independent differential activity between the two material categories as early as 140 ms after stimulus onset. Using our linear classification approach, we show that material categories can be differentiated consistently based on the ERP pattern in single trials around 100 ms after stimulus onset, independent of the target-related status. This strengthens the idea of early differential visual processing of material categories independent of the task, probably due to differences in low-level image properties and suggests pattern classification of ERP topographies as a strong instrument for investigating electrophysiological brain activity. © 2014 ARVO.

  3. Thermophysical properties of lunar media. II - Heat transfer within the lunar surface layer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cremers, C. J.

    1974-01-01

    Heat transfer within the lunar surface layer depends on several thermophysical properties of the lunar regolith, including the thermal conductivity, the specific heat, the thermal diffusivity, and the thermal parameter. Results of property measurements on simulated lunar materials are presented where appropriate as well as measurements made on the actual samples themselves. The variation of temperature on the moon with depth is considered, taking into account various times of the lunar day. The daily variation in temperature drops to about 1 deg at a depth of only 0.172 meters. The steady temperature on the moon below this depth is 225 K.

  4. Can Fractional Crystallization of a Lunar Magma Ocean Produce the Lunar Crust?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rapp, Jennifer F.; Draper, David S.

    2013-01-01

    New techniques enable the study of Apollo samples and lunar meteorites in unprecedented detail, and recent orbital spectral data reveal more about the lunar farside than ever before, raising new questions about the supposed simplicity of lunar geology. Nevertheless, crystallization of a global-scale magma ocean remains the best model to account for known lunar lithologies. Crystallization of a lunar magma ocean (LMO) is modeled to proceed by two end-member processes - fractional crystallization from (mostly) the bottom up, or initial equilibrium crystallization as the magma is vigorously convecting and crystals remain entrained, followed by crystal settling and a final period of fractional crystallization [1]. Physical models of magma viscosity and convection at this scale suggest that both processes are possible. We have been carrying out high-fidelity experimental simulations of LMO crystallization using two bulk compositions that can be regarded as end-members in the likely relevant range: Taylor Whole Moon (TWM) [2] and Lunar Primitive Upper Mantle (LPUM) [3]. TWM is enriched in refractory elements by 1.5 times relative to Earth, whereas LPUM is similar to the terrestrial primitive upper mantle, with adjustments made for the depletion of volatile alkalis observed on the Moon. Here we extend our earlier equilibrium-crystallization experiments [4] with runs simulating full fractional crystallization

  5. Lunar Flashlight: Illuminating the Lunar South Pole

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hayne, P. O.; Greenhagen,, B. T.; Paige, D. A.; Camacho, J. M.; Cohen, B. A.; Sellar, G.; Reiter, J.

    2016-01-01

    Recent reflectance data from LRO instruments suggest water ice and other volatiles may be present on the surface in lunar permanentlyshadowed regions, though the detection is not yet definitive. Understanding the composition, quantity, distribution, and form of water and other volatiles associated with lunar permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) is identified as a NASA Strategic Knowledge Gap (SKG) for Human Exploration. These polar volatile deposits are also scientifically interesting, having the potential to reveal important information about the delivery of water to the Earth- Moon system.

  6. Complex Histories of Two Lunar Zircons as Evidenced by their Internal Structures and U-Pb Ages

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, A. A.; Meyer, Charles

    2006-01-01

    The U-Pb dating of lunar zircon by ion-microprobe provides a robust technique for investigating the timing of lunar events [1,2]. However, we have now identified two cases where the U-Pb systems in a single zircon show more than one age. These complex zircons provide new opportunities for extending our knowledge on the timing of events in the early history of the Moon.

  7. Apollo program soil mechanics experiment. [interaction of the lunar module with the lunar surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scott, R. F.

    1975-01-01

    The soil mechanics investigation was conducted to obtain information relating to the landing interaction of the lunar module (LM) with the lunar surface, and lunar soil erosion caused by the spacecraft engine exhaust. Results obtained by study of LM landing performance on each Apollo mission are summarized.

  8. Constraints on Lunar Heat Flow Rates from Diviner Lunar Radiometer Polar Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paige, D. A.; Siegler, M. A.; Vasavada, A. R.

    2010-12-01

    The heat flow rate from the lunar interior is a fundamental property of the moon that is related to its composition, interior structure and history. Lunar heat flow rates have been measured at the Apollo 15 and 17 landing sites [1], but it is widely believed that the measured values of 0.021 Wm-2 and 0.016 Wm-2 respectively may not be representative of the moon as a whole due to the presence of enhanced radiogenic elements at these landing sites [2]. The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [3] has acquired an extensive set of thermal emission from the lunar surface at infrared wavelengths, including the first radiometric measurements of surface temperatures at the lunar poles [4]. Due to its low obliquity and rough topography, the moon has extensive cryogenic regions at high latitudes that never receive direct sunlight. The temperatures of the coldest of these regions can be used to place upper limits on the heat flow rate from the lunar interior because if other heat sources are neglected, then surface thermal emission is balanced by heat flow from warmer lunar interior [5]. Diviner has mapped the north and south polar regions over a complete annual cycle and we have identified a 4 km2 area within Hermite Crater in the north polar region that has a winter season nighttime Channel 9 (100-400 micron) brightness temperatures in of less than 20K. These low temperatures would imply a lunar heat flow rate of less than 0.010 Wm-2, which may be consistent with expectations for regions of the moon that do not contain enhanced concentrations of radiogenic elements [2,6], as is the case for the north polar region of the moon [7]. [1] Langseth, M. G. et al, Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf, 7th, 3143-3171, 1976. [2] Warren, P. H. and K. K. L. Rasmussen, JGR 92, 3453-3465, 1987. [3] Paige, D. A. et al, Space Sci. Rev, 150:125-160, 2010. [4] Paige, D. A. et al., Science, in press, 2010. [5] Watson, K. JGR 72, 3301-3302, 1967. [6] Wieczorek, M. A. and R

  9. Lunar lander ground support system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The design of the Lunar Lander Ground Support System (LLGSS) is examined. The basic design time line is around 2010 to 2030 and is referred to as a second generation system, as lunar bases and equipment would have been present. Present plans for lunar colonization call for a phased return of personnel and materials to the moons's surface. During settlement of lunar bases, the lunar lander is stationary in a very hostile environment and would have to be in a state of readiness for use in case of an emergency. Cargo and personnel would have to be removed from the lander and transported to a safe environment at the lunar base. An integrated system is required to perform these functions. These needs are addressed which center around the design of a lunar lander servicing system. The servicing system could perform several servicing functions to the lander in addition to cargo servicing. The following were considered: (1) reliquify hydrogen boiloff; (2) supply power; and (3) remove or add heat as necessary. The final design incorporates both original designs and existing vehicles and equipment on the surface of the moon at the time considered. The importance of commonality is foremost in the design of any lunar machinery.

  10. Lunar Polar Coring Lander

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Angell, David; Bealmear, David; Benarroche, Patrice; Henry, Alan; Hudson, Raymond; Rivellini, Tommaso; Tolmachoff, Alex

    1990-01-01

    Plans to build a lunar base are presently being studied with a number of considerations. One of the most important considerations is qualifying the presence of water on the Moon. The existence of water on the Moon implies that future lunar settlements may be able to use this resource to produce things such as drinking water and rocket fuel. Due to the very high cost of transporting these materials to the Moon, in situ production could save billions of dollars in operating costs of the lunar base. Scientists have suggested that the polar regions of the Moon may contain some amounts of water ice in the regolith. Six possible mission scenarios are suggested which would allow lunar polar soil samples to be collected for analysis. The options presented are: remote sensing satellite, two unmanned robotic lunar coring missions (one is a sample return and one is a data return only), two combined manned and robotic polar coring missions, and one fully manned core retrieval mission. One of the combined manned and robotic missions has been singled out for detailed analysis. This mission proposes sending at least three unmanned robotic landers to the lunar pole to take core samples as deep as 15 meters. Upon successful completion of the coring operations, a manned mission would be sent to retrieve the samples and perform extensive experiments of the polar region. Man's first step in returning to the Moon is recommended to investigate the issue of lunar polar water. The potential benefits of lunar water more than warrant sending either astronauts, robots or both to the Moon before any permanent facility is constructed.

  11. Lunar cartographic dossier, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schimerman, L. A. (Editor)

    1975-01-01

    The dossier is designed to provide an up to date summary of the extent and quality of cartographic information as well as describing materials available to support lunar scientific investigation and study. It covers the specific photographic, selenodetic and cartographic data considered to be of continuing significance to users of lunar cartographic information. Historical background data is included. Descriptive and evaluative information is presented concerning lunar maps, photomaps and photo mosaics. Discussion comprises identification of series or individual sheet characteristics, control basis, source materials and compilation methodology used. The global, regional and local selenodetic control are described which were produced for lunar feature location in support of lunar mapping or positional study. Further discussion covers the fundamental basis for each control system, number of points produced, techniques employed and evaluated accuracy. Although lunar photography is an informational source rather than a cartographic product, a photography section was included to facilitate correlation to the mapping and control works described. Description of lunar photographic systems, photography and photo support data are presented from a cartographic-photogrammetric viewpoint with commentary on cartographic applications.

  12. Lunar oasis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duke, Michael B.; Niehoff, John

    1989-01-01

    The 'lunar oasis' emphasizes development toward self-sufficiency in order to reduce dependence on the earth for resupply, and to enable expansion utilizing indigeneous resources. The oasis phase includes: (1) habitation and work facilities for 10 people, (2) capability for extraction of volatile consumables (H2O, O2, N2, etc.) from indigenous resources for resupply of losses and filling of reservoirs, and (3) a highly closed life support system, including food production. In the consolidation phase, the base grows from 10 to 30 crewmembers. Lunar resources are used for expanding the lunar foothold, including construction of habitats, extraction of metals for the fabrication of products for maintenance and repair, and expansion of the power system. The strategy does not produce propellants for space transportation. A 10-year scenario is laid out, which contains all elements needed to allow the base to enter a self-expanding utilization phase. Three lunar missions yer year, two cargo missions and one crew flight, are required. At the end of a decade, the base is producing more than it requires for its continued support, although it is unlikely to be completely self-sufficient.

  13. Conceptual design of a lunar colony

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dalton, C. (Editor); Hohmann, E. (Editor)

    1972-01-01

    A systems engineering study is presented for a proposed lunar colony. The lunar colony was to grow from an existent, 12-man, earth-dependent lunar surface base and was to utilize lunar resources, becoming as earth-independent as possible. An in-depth treatment of some of the aspects of the lunar colony was given. We have found that the use of lunar resources is feasible for oxygen production (both for breathing and for space tug fuel), food production, and building materials. A program is outlined for recycling waste materials developed at the colony as well as a full program for growth and research activity of the colony to a level of 180 colonists. Recommendations for the lunar colony are given.

  14. Lunar ash flows - Isothermal approximation.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pai, S. I.; Hsieh, T.; O'Keefe, J. A.

    1972-01-01

    Suggestion of the ash flow mechanism as one of the major processes required to account for some features of lunar soil. First the observational background and the gardening hypothesis are reviewed, and the shortcomings of the gardening hypothesis are shown. Then a general description of the lunar ash flow is given, and a simple mathematical model of the isothermal lunar ash flow is worked out with numerical examples to show the differences between the lunar and the terrestrial ash flow. The important parameters of the ash flow process are isolated and analyzed. It appears that the lunar surface layer in the maria is not a residual mantle rock (regolith) but a series of ash flows due, at least in part, to great meteorite impacts. The possibility of a volcanic contribution is not excluded. Some further analytic research on lunar ash flows is recommended.

  15. Surface Coatings on Lunar Volcanic Glasses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wentworth, Susan J.; McKay, D. S.; Thomas,-Keprta, K. L.; Clemett, S. J.

    2007-01-01

    We are undertaking a detailed study of surface deposits on lunar volcanic glass beads. These tiny deposits formed by vapor condensation during cooling of the gases that drove the fire fountain eruptions responsible for the formation of the beads. Volcanic glass beads are present in most lunar soil samples in the returned lunar collection. The mare-composition beads formed as a result of fire-fountaining approx.3.4-3.7 Ga ago, within the age range of large-scale mare volcanism. Some samples from the Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 landing sites are enriched in volcanic spherules. Three major types of volcanic glass bead have been identified: Apollo 15 green glass, Apollo 17 orange glass, and Apollo 17 "black" glass. The Apollo 15 green glass has a primitive composition with low Ti. The high-Ti compositions of the orange and black glasses are essentially identical to each other but the black glasses are opaque because of quench crystallization. A poorly understood feature common to the Apollo 15 and 17 volcanic glasses is the presence of small deposits of unusual materials on their exterior surfaces. For example, early studies indicated that the Apollo 17 orange glasses had surface enrichments of In, Cd, Zn, Ga, Ge, Au, and Na, and possible Pb- and Zn-sulfides, but it was not possible to characterize the surface features in detail. Technological advances now permit us to examine such features in detail. Preliminary FE-TEM/X-ray studies of ultramicrotome sections of Apollo 15 green glass indicate that the surface deposits are heterogeneous and layered, with an inner layer consisting of Fe with minor S and an outer layer of Fe and no S, and scattered Zn enrichments. Layering in surface deposits has not been identified previously; it will be key to defining the history of lunar fire fountaining.

  16. Sintering of Lunar and Simulant Glass

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, Bonnie L.

    2007-01-01

    Most oxygen-extraction techniques are temperature-dependent, with higher temperatures resulting in higher oxygen yield. An example is hydrogen reduction, in which the optimum process temperature is 1050 C. However, glass-rich lunar soil begins to show the effects of sintering at temperatures of 900 C or lower. Sintering welds particles together due to viscous relaxation of the glass in the sample. One approach to avoid problems related to sintering, such as difficulty in removing waste material from the reactor, is to keep the soil in motion. One of several methods being studied to accomplish this is fluidized-bed processing techniques, in which the grains are kept in motion by the action of flowing reductant gas. The spent material can be removed from the chamber while still fluidized, or the fluidizing motion can continue until the material has cooled below approx. 500 C. Until end-to-end prototypes are built that can remove the heated soil, the most practical option is to keep the bed fluidized while cooling the waste material. As ISRU technology advances, another option will become valuable, which is to intentionally sinter the material to a great enough extent that it becomes a brick. The free iron in lunar soil is magnetic, and ferromagnetic bricks can be manipulated by robotic systems using electromagnetic end effectors. Finally, if an electromagnetic field is applied to the soil while the brick is being formed, the brick itself will become a magnet. This property can be used to create self-aligning bricks or other building materials that do not require fasteners. Although sintering creates a challenge for early lunar surface systems, knowledge gained during prototype development will be valuable for the advanced lunar outpost.

  17. Absolute, SI-traceable lunar irradiance tie-points for the USGS Lunar Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Steven W.; Eplee, Robert E.; Xiong, Xiaoxiong J.

    2017-10-01

    The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has developed an empirical model, known as the Robotic Lunar Observatory (ROLO) Model, that predicts the reflectance of the Moon for any Sun-sensor-Moon configuration over the spectral range from 350 nm to 2500 nm. The lunar irradiance can be predicted from the modeled lunar reflectance using a spectrum of the incident solar irradiance. While extremely successful as a relative exo-atmospheric calibration target, the ROLO Model is not SI-traceable and has estimated uncertainties too large for the Moon to be used as an absolute celestial calibration target. In this work, two recent absolute, low uncertainty, SI-traceable top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) lunar irradiances, measured over the spectral range from 380 nm to 1040 nm, at lunar phase angles of 6.6° and 16.9° , are used as tie-points to the output of the ROLO Model. Combined with empirically derived phase and libration corrections to the output of the ROLO Model and uncertainty estimates in those corrections, the measurements enable development of a corrected TOA lunar irradiance model and its uncertainty budget for phase angles between +/-80° and libration angles from 7° to 51° . The uncertainties in the empirically corrected output from the ROLO model are approximately 1 % from 440 nm to 865 nm and increase to almost 3 % at 412 nm. The dominant components in the uncertainty budget are the uncertainty in the absolute TOA lunar irradiance and the uncertainty in the fit to the phase correction from the output of the ROLO model.

  18. LUNAR SAMPLES - APOLLO XI

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1969-07-27

    S69-45002 (26 July 1969) --- A close-up view of the lunar rocks contained in the first Apollo 11 sample return container. The rock box was opened for the first time in the Vacuum Laboratory of the Manned Spacecraft Center’s Lunar Receiving Laboratory, Building 37, at 3:55 p.m. (CDT), Saturday, July 26, 1969. The gloved hand gives an indication of size. This box also contained the Solar Wind Composition experiment (not shown) and two core tubes for subsurface samples (not shown). These lunar samples were collected by astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. during their lunar surface extravehicular activity on July 20, 1969.

  19. Zircons as a Probe of Early Luanr History

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crow, C. A.; McKeegan, K. D.; Gilmour, J. D.; Crowther, S. A.; Talor, D. J.

    2013-09-01

    Zircons are ideal for investigating the early lunar bombardment because we can measure both U-Pb crystallization ages and fissiongenic Xe degassing ages for the same crystal. We report U-Pb, Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages for three lunar zircons.

  20. Conceptual design of a lunar oxygen pilot plant Lunar Base Systems Study (LBSS) task 4.2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    The primary objective was to develop conceptual designs of two pilot plants to produce oxygen from lunar materials. A lunar pilot plant will be used to generate engineering data necessary to support an optimum design of a larger scale production plant. Lunar oxygen would be of primary value as spacecraft propellant oxidizer. In addition, lunar oxygen would be useful for servicing nonregenerative fuel cell power systems, providing requirements for life support, and to make up oxygen losses from leakage and airlock cycling. Thirteen different lunar oxygen production methods are described. Hydrogen reduction of ilmenite and extraction of solar-wind hydrogen from bulk lunar soil were selected for conceptual design studies. Trades and sensitivity analyses were performed with these models.

  1. Apollo-11 lunar sample information catalogue

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kramer, F. E. (Compiler); Twedell, D. B. (Compiler); Walton, W. J. A., Jr. (Compiler)

    1977-01-01

    The Apollo 11 mission is reviewed with emphasis on the collection of lunar samples, their geologic setting, early processing, and preliminary examination. The experience gained during five subsequent missions was applied to obtain physical-chemical data for each sample using photographic and binocular microscope techniques. Topics discussed include: binocular examination procedure; breccia clast dexrriptuons, thin section examinations procedure typical breccia in thin section, typical basalt in thin section, sample histories, and chemical and age data. An index to photographs is included.

  2. Lunar flyby transfers between libration point orbits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qi, Yi; Xu, Shijie; Qi, Rui

    2017-06-01

    Lunar flyby or lunar gravity assist is a classical technique to change the energy and trajectory of space vehicle in space mission. In this paper, lunar flyby transfers between Sun-Earth/Moon libration point orbits with different energies are investigated in the Sun-Earth-Moon restricted four-body problem. Distinguished by behaviours before and after lunar flyby, classification of lunar flyby orbits is defined and studied. Research indicates that junction point of special regions of four types of lunar flyby orbits denotes the perilune of lunar flyby transfer between libration point orbits. Based on those special perilunes, retrograde and prograde lunar flyby transfers are discussed in detail, respectively. The mean energy level transition distribution is proposed and applied to analyse the influence of phase angle and eccentricity on lunar flyby transfers. The phase space is divided into normal and chaotic intervals based on the topology pattern of transfers. A continuation strategy of lunar flyby transfer in the bicircular model is presented. Numerical examples show that compared with the single-impulse transfers based on patched invariant manifolds, lunar flyby transfers are more energy efficient. Finally, lunar flyby transfers are further extended to the realistic models.

  3. NASA Lunar Sample Education Disk Program - Space Rocks for Classrooms, Museums, Science Centers and Libraries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allen, J. S.

    2009-12-01

    NASA is eager for students and the public to experience lunar Apollo rocks and regolith soils first hand. Lunar samples embedded in plastic are available for educators to use in their classrooms, museums, science centers, and public libraries for education activities and display. The sample education disks are valuable tools for engaging students in the exploration of the Solar System. Scientific research conducted on the Apollo rocks has revealed the early history of our Earth-Moon system. The rocks help educators make the connections to this ancient history of our planet as well as connections to the basic lunar surface processes - impact and volcanism. With these samples educators in museums, science centers, libraries, and classrooms can help students and the public understand the key questions pursued by missions to Moon. The Office of the Curator at Johnson Space Center is in the process of reorganizing and renewing the Lunar and Meteorite Sample Education Disk Program to increase reach, security and accountability. The new program expands the reach of these exciting extraterrestrial rocks through increased access to training and educator borrowing. One of the expanded opportunities is that trained certified educators from science centers, museums, and libraries may now borrow the extraterrestrial rock samples. Previously the loan program was only open to classroom educators so the expansion will increase the public access to the samples and allow educators to make the critical connections of the rocks to the exciting exploration missions taking place in our solar system. Each Lunar Disk contains three lunar rocks and three regolith soils embedded in Lucite. The anorthosite sample is a part of the magma ocean formed on the surface of Moon in the early melting period, the basalt is part of the extensive lunar mare lava flows, and the breccias sample is an important example of the violent impact history of the Moon. The disks also include two regolith soils and

  4. The Lunar Polesitter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    West, John L.

    2008-01-01

    Here-to-fore, sailcraft mission and system studies have focused on sailcraft applications in support of NASA's science missions and, in a few studies, on the needs of other federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of Defense (DoD). These studies have identified numerous promising applications for solar sails, leading NASA to support proposal efforts for three NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) flight demonstration opportunities (the Space Technology-5, -7, and -9 opportunities) as well as an extensive three-year ground development program in FY 2003-2005 sponsored by the NASA In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program. What has not been done to date, however, is to investigate how the technology might also benefit the nation's (and NASA's) emerging interest in the Human Exploration Initiative (HEI). This paper reports on the first effort to address this shortfall in mission applications studies in support of HEI: the use of solar-sail-propelled Lunar Polesitter spacecraft which make use of the natural properties of the Earth-Moon L2 point and solar sail propulsion to enable their positioning near the Lunar poles to serve as communications relay stations. Suitably positioned, such spacecraft enable continuous communications to and from the Earth from any point on the lunar far side. The paper shows that a viable sailcraft system design exists permitting station-keeping of a Lunar Polesitter relay station at 40 Lunar radii from the Moon in the anti-Earth direction, displaced 6-8 Lunar radii below the Earth- Moon plane.

  5. Lunar and Vesta Web Portals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Law, E.; JPL Luna Mapping; Modeling Project Team

    2015-06-01

    The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project offers Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal (http://lmmp.nasa.gov) and Vesta Trek Portal (http://vestatrek.jpl.nasa.gov) providing interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable users to access mapped Lunar and Vesta data products.

  6. Polarimetric Observations of the Lunar Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, S.

    2017-12-01

    Polarimetric images contain valuable information on the lunar surface such as grain size and porosity of the regolith, from which one can estimate the space weathering environment on the lunar surface. Surprisingly, polarimetric observation has never been conducted from the lunar orbit before. A Wide-Angle Polarimetric Camera (PolCam) has been recently selected as one of three Korean science instruments onboard the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), which is aimed to be launched in 2019/2020 as the first Korean lunar mission. PolCam will obtain 80 m-resolution polarimetric images of the whole lunar surface between -70º and +70º latitudes at 320, 430 and 750 nm bands for phase angles up to 115º. I will also discuss previous polarimetric studies on the lunar surface based on our ground-based observations.

  7. Lunar Lava Tube Sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    York, Cheryl Lynn; Walden, Bryce; Billings, Thomas L.; Reeder, P. Douglas

    1992-01-01

    Large (greater than 300 m diameter) lava tube caverns appear to exist on the Moon and could provide substantial safety and cost benefits for lunar bases. Over 40 m of basalt and regolith constitute the lava tube roof and would protect both construction and operations. Constant temperatures of -20 C reduce thermal stress on structures and machines. Base designs need not incorporate heavy shielding, so lightweight materials can be used and construction can be expedited. Identification and characterization of lava tube caverns can be incorporated into current precursor lunar mission plans. Some searches can even be done from Earth. Specific recommendations for lunar lava tube search and exploration are (1) an Earth-based radar interferometer, (2) an Earth-penetrating radar (EPR) orbiter, (3) kinetic penetrators for lunar lava tube confirmation, (4) a 'Moon Bat' hovering rocket vehicle, and (5) the use of other proposed landers and orbiters to help find lunar lava tubes.

  8. The Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) Paradigm Versus the Realities of Lunar Anorthosites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Treiman, A. H.; Gross, J.

    2018-05-01

    The paradigm of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) is inconsistent with much chemical and compositional data on lunar anorthosites. The paradigm of serial anorthosite diapirism is more consistent, though not a panacea.

  9. Lunar rated fasteners

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gupton, Lindsey; Hyde, Steve; Mckillip, Dan; Player, Bryan; Smith, Greg

    1988-01-01

    A catalog of fasteners is presented for a variety of applications to be used in a lunar environment. The fastening applications targeted include: covers, panels, hatches, bearings, wheels, gears, pulleys, anchors for the lunar surface and structural fasteners (general duty preloadable). The robotic installation and removal of each fastener is presented along with a discussion of failure modes. Structural performance data is tabulated for various configurations. Potential materials for the space environment are presented along with recommendations of appropriate solid film lubricants. Three original fastener designs were found suitable for the lunar environment. A structural analysis is presented for each original design.

  10. Lunar preform manufacturing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leong, Gregory N.; Nease, Sandra; Lager, Vicky; Yaghjian, Raffy; Waller, Chris; Dorrity, J. Lewis

    1992-01-01

    A design for a machine to produce hollow, continuous fiber reinforced composite rods of lunar glass and a liquid crystalline matrix using the pultrusion process is presented. The glass fiber will be produced from the lunar surface, with the machine and matrix being transported to the moon. The process is adaptable to the low gravity and near-vacuum environment of the moon through the use of a thermoplastic matrix in fiber form as it enters the pultrusion process. With a power consumption of 5k W, the proposed machine will run continuously, unmanned in fourteen day cycles, matching the length of moon days. A number of dies could be included that would allow the machine to produce rods of varying diameter, I-beams, angles, and other structural members. These members could then be used for construction on the lunar surface or transported for use in orbit. The benefits of this proposal are in the savings in weight of the cargo each lunar mission would carry. The supply of glass on the moon is effectively endless, so enough rods would have to be produced to justify its transportation, operation, and capital cost. This should not be difficult as weight on lunar mission is at a premium.

  11. The Lunar Dust Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szalay, Jamey Robert

    Planetary bodies throughout the solar system are continually bombarded by dust particles, largely originating from cometary activities and asteroidal collisions. Surfaces of bodies with thick atmospheres, such as Venus, Earth, Mars and Titan are mostly protected from incoming dust impacts as these particles ablate in their atmospheres as 'shooting stars'. However, the majority of bodies in the solar system have no appreciable atmosphere and their surfaces are directly exposed to the flux of high speed dust grains. Impacts onto solid surfaces in space generate charged and neutral gas clouds, as well as solid secondary ejecta dust particles. Gravitationally bound ejecta clouds forming dust exospheres were recognized by in situ dust instruments around the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and had not yet been observed near bodies with refractory regolith surfaces before NASA's Lunar Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. In this thesis, we first present the measurements taken by the Lunar Dust Explorer (LDEX), aboard LADEE, which discovered a permanently present, asymmetric dust cloud surrounding the Moon. The global characteristics of the lunar dust cloud are discussed as a function of a variety of variables such as altitude, solar longitude, local time, and lunar phase. These results are compared with models for lunar dust cloud generation. Second, we present an analysis of the groupings of impacts measured by LDEX, which represent detections of dense ejecta plumes above the lunar surface. These measurements are put in the context of understanding the response of the lunar surface to meteoroid bombardment and how to use other airless bodies in the solar system as detectors for their local meteoroid environment. Third, we present the first in-situ dust measurements taken over the lunar sunrise terminator. Having found no excess of small grains in this region, we discuss its implications for the putative population of electrostatically lofted dust.

  12. Electromagnetic launch of lunar material

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snow, William R.; Kolm, Henry H.

    1992-01-01

    Lunar soil can become a source of relatively inexpensive oxygen propellant for vehicles going from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) and beyond. This lunar oxygen could replace the oxygen propellant that, in current plans for these missions, is launched from the Earth's surface and amounts to approximately 75 percent of the total mass. The reason for considering the use of oxygen produced on the Moon is that the cost for the energy needed to transport things from the lunar surface to LEO is approximately 5 percent the cost from the surface of the Earth to LEO. Electromagnetic launchers, in particular the superconducting quenchgun, provide a method of getting this lunar oxygen off the lunar surface at minimal cost. This cost savings comes from the fact that the superconducting quenchgun gets its launch energy from locally supplied, solar- or nuclear-generated electrical power. We present a preliminary design to show the main features and components of a lunar-based superconducting quenchgun for use in launching 1-ton containers of liquid oxygen, one every 2 hours. At this rate, nearly 4400 tons of liquid oxygen would be launched into low lunar orbit in a year.

  13. Hidden in the Neutrons: Physical Evidence for Lunar True Polar Wander

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keane, J. T.; Siegler, M. A.; Miller, R. S.; Laneuville, M.; Paige, D. A.; Matsuyama, I.; Lawrence, D. J.; Crotts, A.; Poston, M.

    2015-12-01

    Airless bodies like the Moon are time capsules of planetary and solar system evolution. Lunar polar ices, in particular, record a history of volatile delivery, orbital dynamics, and solar system chemistry. However, despite two decades of orbital geochemistry measurements, the observed abundances and spatial distribution of lunar polar volatiles (likely water ice, as inferred by epithermal neutron deficits) remain unexplained. The observed deposits do not correlate with measured surface temperatures or thermal models of ice stability and are notably asymmetric about the lunar poles, with the peak abundance offset from the present-day pole by 5°. Here we show, for the first time, that polar volatile deposits at the North and South pole are antipodal, displaced equally from each each pole along opposite longitudes. These off-polar volatiles likely represent fossilized cold-traps, formed when the moon had a different spin pole. Reorientation of the Moon from this paleopole to the present pole (i.e. true polar wander) altered the locations of cold-traps and resulted in the asymmetric, but antipodal, polar hydrogen distribution. Since true polar wander results from changes in the distribution of mass within a planet, the direction and magnitude of this wander can be used to constrain the evolution of the lunar interior. We find a causal link between this paleopole and the unique thermal evolution of the nearside Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT). Radiogenic heating within this province not only resulted major mare volcanism, but also altered the Moon's moments of inertia. We use a combination of analytical, and numerical 3-D thermochemical convection models to show that the evolution of the PKT naturally produces the correct direction and magnitude of polar wander (albeit early in lunar history, when the PKT was most active). This work provides a self-consistent explanation for the spatial distribution of lunar polar volatiles and opens a deeper connection to the

  14. Lunar Atmosphere Probe Station: A Proof-of-Concept Instrument Package for Monitoring the Lunar Atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazio, J.; Jones, D. L.; MacDowall, R. J.; Stewart, K. P.; Burns, J. O.; Farrell, W. M.; Giersch, L.; O'Dwyer, I. J.; Hicks, B. C.; Polisensky, E. J.; Hartman, J. M.; Nesnas, I.; Weiler, K.; Kasper, J. C.

    2013-12-01

    The lunar exosphere is the exemplar of a plasma near the surface of an airless body. Exposed to both the solar and interstellar radiation fields, the lunar exosphere is mostly ionized, and enduring questions regarding its properties include its density and vertical extent, the extent of contributions from volatile outgassing from the Moon, and its behavior over time, including response to the solar wind and modification by landers. Relative ionospheric measurements (riometry) are based on the simple physical principle that electromagnetic waves cannot propagate through a partially or fully ionized medium below the plasma frequency, and riometers have been deployed on the Earth in numerous remote and hostile environments. A multi-frequency riometer on the lunar surface would be able to monitor, *in situ*, the vertical extent of the lunar exosphere over time. We provide an update on a concept for a riometer implemented as a secondary science payload on future lunar landers, such as those recommended in the recent Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey report or commercial ventures. The instrument concept is simple, consisting of an antenna implemented as a metal deposited on polyimide film and receiver. We illustrate various deployment mechanisms and performance of a prototype in increasing lunar analog conditions. While the prime mission of such a riometer would be probing the lunar exosphere, our concept would also be capable to measuring the properties of dust impactors. The Lunar University Network for Astrophysical Research consortium is funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute to investigate concepts for astrophysical observatories on the Moon. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. Artist's impression of the Lunar Atmosphere Probe Station.

  15. Instrument study of the Lunar Dust eXplorer (LDX) for a lunar lander mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yanwei; Srama, Ralf; Henkel, Hartmut; Sternovsky, Zoltan; Kempf, Sascha; Wu, Yiyong; Grün, Eberhard

    2014-11-01

    One of the highest-priority issues for a future human or robotic lunar exploration is the lunar dust. This problem should be studied in depth in order to develop an environment model for a future lunar exploration. A future ESA lunar lander mission requires the measurement of dust transport phenomena above the lunar surface. Here, we describe an instrument design concept to measure slow and fast moving charged lunar dust which is based on the principle of charge induction. LDX has a low mass and measures the speed and trajectory of individual dust particles with sizes below one micrometer. Furthermore, LDX has an impact ionization target to monitor the interplanetary dust background. The sensor consists of three planes of segmented grid electrodes and each electrode is connected to an individual charge sensitive amplifier. Numerical signals were computed using the Coulomb software package. The LDX sensitive area is approximately 400 cm2. Our simulations reveal trajectory uncertainties of better than 2° with an absolute position accuracy of better than 2 mm.

  16. Beneficiation of lunar ilmenite

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruiz, Joaquin

    1991-01-01

    One of the most important commodities lacking in the moon is free oxygen which is required for life and used extensively for propellent. Free oxygen, however, can be obtained by liberating it from the oxides and silicates that form the lunar rocks and regolith. Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is considered one of the leading candidates for production of oxygen because it can be reduced with a reasonable amount of energy and it is an abundant mineral in the lunar regolith and many mare basalts. In order to obtain oxygen from ilmenite, a method must be developed to beneficiate ilmenite from lunar material. Two possible techniques are electrostatic or magnetic methods. Both methods have complications because lunar ilmenite completely lacks Fe(3+). Magnetic methods were tested on eucrite meteorites, which are a good chemical simulant for low Ti mare basalts. The ilmenite yields in the experiments were always very low and the eucrite had to be crushed to xxxx. These data suggest that magnetic separation of ilmenite from fine grain lunar basalts would not be cost effective. Presently, experiments are being performed with electrostatic separators, and lunar regolith is being waited for so that simulants do not have to be employed.

  17. The Lunar Orbital Prospector

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redd, Frank J.; Cantrell, James N.; Mccurdy, Greg

    1992-01-01

    The establishment of lunar bases will not end the need for remote sensing of the lunar surface by orbiting platforms. Human and robotic surface exploration will necessarily be limited to some proximate distance from the support base. Near real-time, high-resolution, global characterization of the lunar surface by orbiting sensing systems will continue to be essential to the understanding of the Moon's geophysical structure and the location of exploitable minerals and deposits of raw materials. The Lunar Orbital Prospector (LOP) is an orbiting sensing platform capable of supporting a variety of modular sensing packages. Serviced by a lunar-based shuttle, the LOP will permit the exchange of instrument packages to meet evolving mission needs. The ability to recover, modify, and rotate sensing packages allows their reuse in varying combinations. Combining this flexibility with robust orbit modification capabilities and near real-time telemetry links provides considerable system responsiveness. Maintenance and modification of the LOP orbit are accomplished through use of an onboard propulsion system that burns lunar-supplied oxygen and aluminum. The relatively low performance of such a system is more than compensated for by the elimination of the need for Earth-supplied propellants. The LOP concept envisions a continuous expansion of capability through the incorporation of new instrument technologies and the addition of platforms.

  18. The ferroan-anorthositic suite and the extent of primordial lunar melting

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warren, Paul H.; Kallemeyn, Gregory W.

    1992-01-01

    The Apollo highlands rock collection includes more than 100 'pristine' fragments that survived the intense meteoritic bombardment of the ancient lunar crust with unmixed, endogenously igneous compositions. The geochemical anomaly manifested by the 'ferroan-anorthositic suite' (FAS) appears to reflect a geochemical, and probably also a genetic, bimodality among the ancient lunar cumulates. Early models that purported to account for this bimodality as a product of a single magma have been discredited. The model of the present paper implies that the Mg-suite rocks formed by a comparatively normal variety of basaltic fractional crystallization (FC) shortly after the era of magma ocean (MO) crystallization and FAS genesis.

  19. Lunar base scenario cost estimates: Lunar base systems study task 6.1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    The projected development and production costs of each of the Lunar Base's systems are described and unit costs are estimated for transporting the systems to the lunar surface and for setting up the system.

  20. Lunar Prospector: overview.

    PubMed

    Binder, A B

    1998-09-04

    Lunar Prospector is providing a global map of the composition of the moon and analyzing the moon's gravity and magnetic fields. It has been in a polar orbit around the moon since 16 January 1998. Neutron flux data show that there is abundant H, and hence probably abundant water ice, in the lunar polar regions. Gamma-ray and neutron data reveal the distribution of Fe, Ti, and other major and trace elements on the moon. The data delineate the global distributions of a key trace element-rich component of lunar materials called KREEP and of the major rock types. Magnetic mapping shows that the lunar magnetic fields are strong antipodal to Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis and has discovered the smallest known magnetosphere, magnetosheath, and bow shock complex in the solar system. Gravity mapping has delineated seven new gravity anomalies and shown that the moon has a small Fe-rich core of about 300 km radius.

  1. Toward a Suite of Standard Lunar Regolith Simulants for NASA's Lunar Missions: Recommendations of the 2005 Workshop of Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schlagheck, R. A.; Sibille, L.; Carpenter, P.

    2005-01-01

    As NASA turns its exploration ambitions towards the Moon once again, the research and development of new technologies for lunar operations face the challenge of meeting the milestones of a fast-pace schedule, reminiscent of the 1960's Apollo program. While the lunar samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions have revealed much about the Moon, these priceless materials exist in too scarce quantities to be used for technology development and testing. The need for mineral materials chosen to simulate the characteristics of lunar regoliths is a pressing issue that is being addressed today through the collaboration of scientists, engineers and NASA program managers. The issue of reproducing the properties of lunar regolith for research and technology development purposes was addressed by the recently held Workshop on Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials at Marshall Space Flight Center. The conclusions from the workshop and considerations concerning the feasibility (both technical and programmatic) of producing such materials will be presented here.

  2. Modeling Solar-Wind Heavy-Ions' Potential Sputtering of Lunar KREEP Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barghouty, A. F.; Meyer, F. W.; Harris, R. P.; Adams, J. H., Jr.

    2012-01-01

    Recent laboratory data suggest that potential sputtering may be an important weathering mechanism that can affect the composition of both the lunar surface and its tenuous exosphere; its role and implications, however, remain unclear. Using a relatively simple kinetic model, we will demonstrate that solar-wind heavy ions induced sputtering of KREEP surfaces is critical in establishing the timescale of the overall solar-wind sputtering process of the lunar surface. We will also also show that potential sputtering leads to a more pronounced and significant differentiation between depleted and enriched surface elements. We briefly discuss the impacts of enhanced sputtering on the composition of the regolith and the exosphere, as well as of solar-wind sputtering as a source of hydrogen and water on the moon.

  3. Evolution of the lunar highland crust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Taylor, S. R.; Bence, A. E.

    1975-01-01

    The evolution of three distinct element associations in the lunar highland crust is discussed in terms of the Taylor-Jakes model which involves melting of most of the moon during accretion. Sources for (1) high Ca, Al, Sr, Eu, (2) high Mg and Cr, and (3) high K, REE, Zr, Hf, Nb are suggested. Bombardment by large projectiles during the differentiation process causes melting and mixing, which produces a wide range of compositions in the crust. The formation of dunite, troctolite, high-, medium-, and low-K Fra Mauro basalts, and rocks close to the olivine-spinel-plagioclase peritectic point is considered.

  4. Lunar Water Resource Demonstration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muscatello, Anthony C.

    2008-01-01

    In cooperation with the Canadian Space Agency, the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology, Inc., the Carnegie-Mellon University, JPL, and NEPTEC, NASA has undertaken the In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) project called RESOLVE. This project is a ground demonstration of a system that would be sent to explore permanently shadowed polar lunar craters, drill into the regolith, determine what volatiles are present, and quantify them in addition to recovering oxygen by hydrogen reduction. The Lunar Prospector has determined these craters contain enhanced hydrogen concentrations averaging about 0.1%. If the hydrogen is in the form of water, the water concentration would be around 1%, which would translate into billions of tons of water on the Moon, a tremendous resource. The Lunar Water Resource Demonstration (LWRD) is a part of RESOLVE designed to capture lunar water and hydrogen and quantify them as a backup to gas chromatography analysis. This presentation will briefly review the design of LWRD and some of the results of testing the subsystem. RESOLVE is to be integrated with the Scarab rover from CMIJ and the whole system demonstrated on Mauna Kea on Hawaii in November 2008. The implications of lunar water for Mars exploration are two-fold: 1) RESOLVE and LWRD could be used in a similar fashion on Mars to locate and quantify water resources, and 2) electrolysis of lunar water could provide large amounts of liquid oxygen in LEO, leading to lower costs for travel to Mars, in addition to being very useful at lunar outposts.

  5. LUNAR MODULE TEST ARTICLE [LTA] [2R] IS MOVED FOR MATING TO LUNAR MODULE ADAPTER

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1967-01-01

    The Lunar Module Test Article [LTA] 2R, for the second Saturn V mission, is being moved from the low bay of the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building for mating with the spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter. The second Saturn V [502], except for a different lunar return trajectory, will be a repeat of the Apollo 4 unmanned Earth orbital flight of a high apogee for systems testing using several propulsion system burns and a heat shield test at lunar re-entry speed.

  6. PDS Lunar Data Node Restoration of Apollo In-Situ Surface Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, David R.; Hills, H. Kent; Guinness, Edward A.; Lowman, Paul D.; Taylor, Patrick T.

    2010-01-01

    The Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972 deployed scientific instruments on the Moon's surface which made in-situ measurements of the lunar environment. Apollo II had the short-term Early Apollo Surface Experiments Package (EASEP) and Apollos 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 each set up an Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP). Each ALSEP package contained a different suite of instruments which took measurements and radioed the results back to Earth over periods from 5 to 7 years until they were turned off on 30 September 1977. To this day the ALSEP data remain the only long-term in-situ information on the Moon's surface environment. The Lunar Data Node (LDN) has been formed under the auspices of the Planetary Data System (PDS) Geosciences Node to put relevant, scientifically important Apollo data into accessible digital form for use by researchers and mission planners. We will report on progress made since last year and plans for future data restorations.

  7. Conceptual second-generation lunar equipment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The spring 1990 Introduction to Design class was asked to conceptually design second-generation lunar vehicles and equipment as a semester design project. The basic assumption made in designing second-generation lunar vehicles and equipment was that a network of permanent lunar bases already existed. The designs were to facilitate the transportation of personnel and materials. The eight topics to choose from included flying vehicles, ground-based vehicles, robotic arms, and life support systems. Two teams of two or three members competed on each topic and results were exhibited at a formal presentation. A clean-propellant powered lunar flying transport vehicle, an extra-vehicular activity life support system, a pressurized lunar rover for greater distances, and a robotic arm design project are discussed.

  8. Lunar lander ground support system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    This year's project, like the previous Aerospace Group's project, involves a lunar transportation system. The basic time line will be the years 2010-2030 and will be referred to as a second generation system, as lunar bases would be present. The project design completed this year is referred to as the Lunar Lander Ground Support System (LLGSS). The area chosen for analysis encompasses a great number of vehicles and personnel. The design of certain elements of the overall lunar mission are complete projects in themselves. For this reason the project chosen for the Senior Aerospace Design is the design of specific servicing vehicles and additions or modifications to existing vehicles for the area of concern involving servicing and maintenance of the lunar lander while on the surface.

  9. Lunar Regolith Particle Shape Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kiekhaefer, Rebecca; Hardy, Sandra; Rickman, Douglas; Edmunson, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Future engineering of structures and equipment on the lunar surface requires significant understanding of particle characteristics of the lunar regolith. Nearly all sediment characteristics are influenced by particle shape; therefore a method of quantifying particle shape is useful both in lunar and terrestrial applications. We have created a method to quantify particle shape, specifically for lunar regolith, using image processing. Photomicrographs of thin sections of lunar core material were obtained under reflected light. Three photomicrographs were analyzed using ImageJ and MATLAB. From the image analysis measurements for area, perimeter, Feret diameter, orthogonal Feret diameter, Heywood factor, aspect ratio, sieve diameter, and sieve number were recorded. Probability distribution functions were created from the measurements of Heywood factor and aspect ratio.

  10. Re-Os in Lunar Soils and Meteoritic Siderophiles on the Lunar Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, J. H.; Papanastassiou, D. A.; Wasserburg, G. J.

    2001-01-01

    Re-Os isotopes in lunar soils indicate approximately chondritic Re, Os, and Os isotopic compositions and substantial Re/Os fractionation, possibly due to the terminal lunar cataclysm. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  11. Lunar prospector mission design and trajectory support

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lozier, David; Galal, Ken; Folta, David; Beckman, Mark

    1998-01-01

    The Lunar Prospector mission is the first dedicated NASA lunar mapping mission since the Apollo Orbiter program which was flown over 25 years ago. Competitively selected under the NASA Discovery Program, Lunar Prospector was launched on January 7, 1998 on the new Lockheed Martin Athena 2 launch vehicle. The mission design of Lunar Prospector is characterized by a direct minimum energy transfer trajectory to the moon with three scheduled orbit correction maneuvers to remove launch and cislunar injection errors prior to lunar insertion. At lunar encounter, a series of three lunar orbit insertion maneuvers and a small circularization burn were executed to achieve a 100 km altitude polar mapping orbit. This paper will present the design of the Lunar Prospector transfer, lunar insertion and mapping orbits, including maneuver and orbit determination strategies in the context of mission goals and constraints. Contingency plans for handling transfer orbit injection and lunar orbit insertion anomalies are also summarized. Actual flight operations results are discussed and compared to pre-launch support analysis.

  12. Investigation of the daytime lunar atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hodges, R. R., Jr.

    1985-01-01

    Lunar atmosphere research has tended to center on gases with predictably large sources and on those which have been identified by Apollo experiments. An early candidate atmospheric constituent was Ar 40 which was noted by Heyman and Yaniv to have a surface correlated component in returned soil samples, and an abundance in excess of what can be explained by potassium decay. The source of the excess argon was attributed to atmospheric argon ions which have been accelerated by solar wind fields and implanted in soil grains.

  13. Workshop on Past and Present Solar Radiation: The Record in Meteoritic and Lunar Regolith Material

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pepin, R. O. (Compiler); Mckay, D. S. (Compiler)

    1986-01-01

    The principal question addressed in the workshop was the extent to which asteroidal and lunar regoliths have collected and preserved, in meteoritic regolith breccias and in lunar soils and regolith breccias, a record of the flux, energy, and compositional history of the solar wind and solar flares. Six central discussion topics were identified. They are: (1)Trapped solar wind and flare gases, tracks, and micrometeorite pits in regolith components; (2)Comparison between lunar regolith breccias, meteoritic regolith breccias, and the lunar soil; (3)The special role of regolith breccias and the challenge of dating their times of compaction; (4)Implications of the data for the flux and compositional history of solar particle emission, composition, and physical mechanisms in the solar source regions, and the composition of the early nebula; (5)How and to what extent have records of incident radiation been altered in various types of grains; (6)Future research directions

  14. Design and Construction of Manned Lunar Base

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zhijie

    2016-07-01

    Building manned lunar base is one of the core aims of human lunar exploration project, which is also an important way to carry out the exploitation and utilization of lunar in situ resources. The most important part of manned lunar base is the design and construction of living habitation and many factors should be considered including science objective and site selection. Through investigating and research, the scientific goals of manned lunar base should be status and characteristics ascertainment of lunar available in situ resources, then developing necessary scientific experiments and utilization of lunar in situ resources by using special environment conditions of lunar surface. The site selection strategy of manned lunar base should rely on scientific goals according to special lunar surface environment and engineering capacity constraints, meanwhile, consulting the landing sites of foreign unmanned and manned lunar exploration, and choosing different typical regions of lunar surface and analyzing the landform and physiognomy, reachability, thermal environment, sunlight condition, micro meteoroids protection and utilization of in situ resources, after these steps, a logical lunar living habitation site should be confirmed. This paper brings out and compares three kinds of configurations with fabricating processes of manned lunar base, including rigid module, flexible and construction module manned lunar base. 1.The rigid habitation module is usually made by metal materials. The design and fabrication may consult the experience of space station, hence with mature technique. Because this configuration cannot be folded or deployed, which not only afford limit working and living room for astronauts, but also needs repetitious cargo transit between earth and moon for lunar base extending. 2. The flexible module habitation can be folded in fairing while launching. When deploying on moon, the configuration can be inflatable or mechanically-deployed, which means under

  15. The Lunar Source Disk: Old Lunar Datasets on a New CD-ROM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hiesinger, H.

    1998-01-01

    A compilation of previously published datasets on CD-ROM is presented. This Lunar Source Disk is intended to be a first step in the improvement/expansion of the Lunar Consortium Disk, in order to create an "image-cube"-like data pool that can be easily accessed and might be useful for a variety of future lunar investigations. All datasets were transformed to a standard map projection that allows direct comparison of different types of information on a pixel-by pixel basis. Lunar observations have a long history and have been important to mankind for centuries, notably since the work of Plutarch and Galileo. As a consequence of centuries of lunar investigations, knowledge of the characteristics and properties of the Moon has accumulated over time. However, a side effect of this accumulation is that it has become more and more complicated for scientists to review all the datasets obtained through different techniques, to interpret them properly, to recognize their weaknesses and strengths in detail, and to combine them synoptically in geologic interpretations. Such synoptic geologic interpretations are crucial for the study of planetary bodies through remote-sensing data in order to avoid misinterpretation. In addition, many of the modem datasets, derived from Earth-based telescopes as well as from spacecraft missions, are acquired at different geometric and radiometric conditions. These differences make it challenging to compare or combine datasets directly or to extract information from different datasets on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Also, as there is no convention for the presentation of lunar datasets, different authors choose different map projections, depending on the location of the investigated areas and their personal interests. Insufficient or incomplete information on the map parameters used by different authors further complicates the reprojection of these datasets to a standard geometry. The goal of our efforts was to transfer previously published lunar

  16. Advances in Lunar Science and Observational Opportunities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heldmann, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    Lunar science is currently undergoing a renaissance as our understanding of our Moon continues to evolve given new data from multiple lunar mission and new analyses. This talk will overview NASA's recent and future lunar missions to explain the scientific questions addressed by missions such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (Grail), Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS), and the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE). The talk will also overview opportunities for participatory exploration whereby professional and amateur astronomers are encouraged to participate in lunar exploration in conjunction with NASA.

  17. First Lunar Flashes Observed from Morocco (ILIAD Network): Implications for Lunar Seismology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ait Moulay Larbi, Mamoun; Daassou, Ahmed; Baratoux, David; Bouley, Sylvain; Benkhaldoun, Zouhair; Lazrek, Mohamed; Garcia, Raphael; Colas, Francois

    2015-07-01

    We report the detection of two transient luminous events recorded on the lunar surface on February 6, 2013, at 06:29:56.7 UT and April 14, 2013, 20:00:45.4 from the Atlas Golf Marrakech observatory in Morocco. Estimated visual magnitudes are 9.4 ± 0.2 and 7.7 ± 0.2. We show that these events have the typical characteristics of impact flashes generated by meteoroids impacting the lunar surface, despite proof using two different telescopes is not available. Assuming these events were lunar impact flashes, meteoroid masses are 0.3 ± 0.05 and 1.8 ± 0.3 kg, corresponding to diameters of 7-8 and 14-15 cm for a density of 1500 kg m-3. The meteoroids would have produced craters of about 2.6 ± 0.3 and 4.4 ± 0.3 m in diameter. We then present a method based on the identification of lunar features illuminated by the Earthshine to determine the position of the flash. The method does not require any information about the observation geometry or lunar configuration. The coordinates are respectively 08.15° ± 0.15°S 59.1° ± 0.15°E and 26.81° ± 0.15°N 09.10° ± 0.15°W. Further improvement on the determination of the flash position is necessary for seismological applications. This studies demonstrates that permanent lunar impact flashes observation programs may be run in different parts of the globe using mid-sized telescopes. We call for the development of an international lunar impact astronomical detection networks that would represent an opportunity for scientific and cultural developments in countries where astronomy is under-represented.

  18. Comparison of lunar rocks and meteorites: Implications to histories of the moon and parent meteorite bodies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prinz, M.; Fodor, R. V.; Keil, K.

    1977-01-01

    There are many similarities between lunar samples and stone meteorites. Lunar samples, especially from the highlands, indicate that they have been affected by complex and repeated impact processes. Similar complex and repeated impact processes have also been operative on the achondritic and chondritic meteorites. Similarities between lunar and meteoritic rocks are discussed as follows: (1) Monomict and polymict breccias occur in lunar rocks, as well as in achondritic and chondritic meteorites, having resulted from complex and repeated impact processes; (2) Chondrules are present in lunar meteorites, as well as in a few achondritic and most chondritic meteorites. They apparently crystallized spontaneously from molten highly supercooled droplets which may have formed from impact melts or, perhaps, volcanic processes (as well as from the solar nebula, in the case of meteoritic chondrites); (3) Lithic fragments vary from little modified (relative to the apparent original texture) to partly or completely melted and recrystallized lithic fragments. Their detailed study allows conclusions to be drawn about their parent rock types and their origin, thereby gaining insight into preimpact histories of lunar and meteoritic breccias. There is evidence that cumulate rocks were involved in the early history of both moon and parent meteorite bodies.

  19. Mechanical properties of lunar regolith and lunar soil simulant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perkins, Steven W.

    1989-01-01

    Through the Surveyor 3 and 7, and Apollo 11-17 missions a knowledge of the mechanical properties of Lunar regolith were gained. These properties, including material cohesion, friction, in-situ density, grain-size distribution and shape, and porosity, were determined by indirect means of trenching, penetration, and vane shear testing. Several of these properties were shown to be significantly different from those of terrestrial soils, such as an interlocking cohesion and tensile strength formed in the absence of moisture and particle cementation. To characterize the strength and deformation properties of Lunar regolith experiments have been conducted on a lunar soil simulant at various initial densities, fabric arrangements, and composition. These experiments included conventional triaxial compression and extension, direct tension, and combined tension-shear. Experiments have been conducted at low levels of effective confining stress. External conditions such as membrane induced confining stresses, end platten friction and material self weight have been shown to have a dramatic effect on the strength properties at low levels of confining stress. The solution has been to treat these external conditions and the specimen as a full-fledged boundary value problem rather than the idealized elemental cube of mechanics. Centrifuge modeling allows for the study of Lunar soil-structure interaction problems. In recent years centrifuge modeling has become an important tool for modeling processes that are dominated by gravity and for verifying analysis procedures and studying deformation and failure modes. Centrifuge modeling is well established for terrestrial enginering and applies equally as well to Lunar engineering. A brief review of the experiments is presented in graphic and outline form.

  20. Lunar Prospector observations of the electrostatic potential of the lunar surface and its response to incident currents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halekas, J. S.; Delory, G. T.; Lin, R. P.; Stubbs, T. J.; Farrell, W. M.

    2008-09-01

    We present an analysis of Lunar Prospector Electron Reflectometer data from selected time periods using newly developed methods to correct for spacecraft potential and self-consistently utilizing the entire measured electron distribution to remotely sense the lunar surface electrostatic potential with respect to the ambient plasma. These new techniques enable the first quantitative measurements of lunar surface potentials from orbit. Knowledge of the spacecraft potential also allows accurate characterization of the downward-going electron fluxes that contribute to lunar surface charging, allowing us to determine how the lunar surface potential reacts to changing ambient plasma conditions. On the lunar night side, in shadow, we observe lunar surface potentials of ˜-100 V in the terrestrial magnetotail lobes and potentials of ˜-200 V to ˜-1 kV in the plasma sheet. In the lunar wake, we find potentials of ˜-200 V near the edges but smaller potentials in the central wake, where electron temperatures increase and secondary emission may reduce the magnitude of the negative surface potential. During solar energetic particle events, we see nightside lunar surface potentials as large as ˜-4 kV. On the other hand, on the lunar day side, in sunlight, we generally find potentials smaller than our measurement threshold of ˜20 V, except in the plasma sheet, where we still observe negative potentials of several hundred volts at times, even in sunlight. The presence of significant negative charging in sunlight at these times, given the measured incident electron currents, implies either photocurrents from lunar regolith in situ two orders of magnitude lower than those measured in the laboratory or nonmonotonic near-surface potential variation with altitude. The functional dependence of the lunar surface potential on electron temperature in shadow implies somewhat smaller secondary emission yields from lunar regolith in situ than previously measured in the laboratory. These

  1. Mineralogical and chemical properties of the lunar regolith

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKay, D. S.; Ming, D. W.

    The composition of lunar regolith and its attendant properties are discussed. Tables are provided listing lunar minerals, the abundance of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, olivine, and ilmenite in lunar materials, typical compositions of common lunar minerals, and cumulative grain-size distribution for a large number of lunar soils. Also provided are charts on the chemistry of breccias, the chemistry of lunar glass, and the comparative chemistry of surface soils for the Apollo sites. Lunar agglutinates, constructional particles made of lithic, mineral, and glass fragments welded together by a glassy matrix containing extremely fine-grained metallic iron and formed by micrometeoric impacts at the lunar surface, are discussed. Crystalline, igneous rock fragments, breccias, and lunar glass are examined. Volatiles implanted in lunar materials and regolith maturity are also addressed.

  2. Mineralogical and chemical properties of the lunar regolith

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, David S.; Ming, Douglas W.

    1989-01-01

    The composition of lunar regolith and its attendant properties are discussed. Tables are provided listing lunar minerals, the abundance of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, olivine, and ilmenite in lunar materials, typical compositions of common lunar minerals, and cumulative grain-size distribution for a large number of lunar soils. Also provided are charts on the chemistry of breccias, the chemistry of lunar glass, and the comparative chemistry of surface soils for the Apollo sites. Lunar agglutinates, constructional particles made of lithic, mineral, and glass fragments welded together by a glassy matrix containing extremely fine-grained metallic iron and formed by micrometeoric impacts at the lunar surface, are discussed. Crystalline, igneous rock fragments, breccias, and lunar glass are examined. Volatiles implanted in lunar materials and regolith maturity are also addressed.

  3. Lunar surface operations. Volume 1: Lunar surface emergency shelter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shields, William; Feteih, Salah; Hollis, Patrick

    1993-01-01

    The lunar surface emergency shelter (LSES) is designed to provide survival-level accommodations for up to four astronauts for a maximum of five days. It would be used by astronauts who were caught out in the open during a large solar event. The habitable section consists of an aluminum pressure shell with an inner diameter of 6 ft. and a length of 12.2 ft. Access is through a 4 in. thick aluminum airlock door mounted at the rear of the shelter. Shielding is provided by a 14.9 in. thick layer of lunar regolith contained within a second, outer aluminum shell. This provides protection against a 200 MeV event, based on a 15 REM maximum dose. The shelter is self-contained with a maximum range of 1000 km. Power is supplied by a primary fuel cell which occupies 70.7 cu ft. of the interior volume. Mobility is achieved by towing the shelter behind existing lunar vehicles. It was assumed that a fully operational, independent lunar base was available to provide communication support and tools for set-up and maintenance. Transportation to the moon would be provided by the proposed heavy lift launch vehicle. Major design considerations for the LSES were safety, reliability, and minimal use of earth materials.

  4. Impact of Infrared Lunar Laser Ranging on Lunar Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viswanathan, Vishnu; Fienga, Agnès; Manche, Hervé; Gastineau, Mickael; Courde, Clément; Torre, Jean-Marie; Exertier, Pierre; Laskar, Jacques; LLR Observers : Astrogeo-OCA, Apache Point, McDonald Laser Ranging Station, Haleakala Observatory, Matera Laser Ranging Observatory

    2016-10-01

    Since 2015, in addition to the traditional green (532nm), infrared (1064nm) has been the preferred wavelength for lunar laser ranging at the Calern lunar laser ranging (LLR) site in France. Due to the better atmospheric transmission of IR with respect to Green, nearly 3 times the number of normal points have been obtained in IR than in Green [ C.Courde et al 2016 ]. In our study, in addition to the historical data obtained from various other LLR sites, we include the recent IR normal points obtained from Calern over the 1 year time span (2015-2016), constituting about 4.2% of data spread over 46 years of LLR. Near even distribution of data provided by IR on both the spatial and temporal domain, helps us to improve constraints on the internal structure of the Moon modeled within the planetary ephemeris : INPOP [ Fienga et al 2015 ]. IERS recommended models have been used in the data reduction software GINS (GRGS,CNES) [ V.Viswanathan et al 2015 ]. Constraints provided by GRAIL, on the Lunar gravitational potential and Love numbers have been taken into account in the least-square fit procedure. New estimates on the dynamical parameters of the lunar core will be presented.

  5. Design of equipment for lunar dust removal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Belden, Lacy; Cowan, Kevin; Kleespies, Hank; Ratliff, Ryan; Shah, Oniell; Shelburne, Kevin

    1991-01-01

    NASA has a long range goal of constructing a fully equipped, manned lunar base on the near side of the moon by the year 2015. During the Apollo Missions, lunar dust coated and fouled equipment surfaces and mechanisms exposed to the lunar environment. In addition, the atmosphere and internal surfaces of the lunar excursion module were contaminated by lunar dust which was brought in on articles passed through the airlock. Consequently, the need exists for device or appliance to remove lunar dust from surfaces of material objects used outside of the proposed lunar habitat. Additionally, several concepts were investigated for preventing the accumulation of lunar dust on mechanisms and finished surfaces. The character of the dust and the lunar environment present unique challenges for the removal of contamination from exposed surfaces. In addition to a study of lunar dust adhesion properties, the project examines the use of various energy domains for removing the dust from exposed surfaces. Also, prevention alternatives are examined for systems exposed to lunar dust. A concept utilizing a pressurized gas is presented for dust removal outside of an atmospherically controlled environment. The concept consists of a small astronaut/robotic compatible device which removes dust from contaminated surfaces by a small burst of gas.

  6. Summary of the Results from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter after Seven Years in Lunar Orbit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.; Neumann, Gregory A.; Mazarico, Erwan; Lemoine, Frank G.; Head, James W., III; Lucey, Paul G.; Aharonson, Oded; Robinson, Mark S.; Sun, Xiaoli; hide

    2016-01-01

    In June 2009 the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft was launched to the Moon. The payload consists of 7 science instruments selected to characterize sites for future robotic and human missions. Among them, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was designed to obtain altimetry, surface roughness, and reflectance measurements. The primary phase of lunar exploration lasted one year, following a 3-month commissioning phase. On completion of its exploration objectives, the LRO mission transitioned to a science mission. After 7 years in lunar orbit, the LOLA instrument continues to map the lunar surface. The LOLA dataset is one of the foundational datasets acquired by the various LRO instruments. LOLA provided a high-accuracy global geodetic reference frame to which past, present and future lunar observations can be referenced. It also obtained high-resolution and accurate global topography that were used to determine regions in permanent shadow at the lunar poles. LOLA further contributed to the study of polar volatiles through its unique measurement of surface brightness at zero phase, which revealed anomalies in several polar craters that may indicate the presence of water ice. In this paper, we describe the many LOLA accomplishments to date and its contribution to lunar and planetary science.

  7. Using Microwaves to Heat Lunar Soil

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ethridge, Edwin C.

    2011-01-01

    This slide presentation reviews the use of microwaves to heat lunar soil in order to obtain water. There appears to be large amounts of water in the lunar poles, in Martian areas in lower latitudes and some of the Moons of Jupiter. The presence of water in the south lunar polar region was demonstrated by the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission. Microwaves can be used to extract water from lunar soil without excavation. Using microwaves on a lunar soil simulant at least 95% of the water from the regolith permafrost simulant was extracted (2 minutes). The process is modeled using COMSOL Multiphysics Finite Element analysis microwave physics module and demonstrated usingan experiment of an microwave apparatus on a rover.

  8. Apollo lunar surface experiments package

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    Developments in the ALSEP program are reported. A summary of the status for the total ALSEP program is included. Other areas discussed include: (1) status of Apollo 16 (array D) and Apollo 17 (array E), (2) lunar seismic profiling experiment, (3) lunar ejecta and meteorites experiment, and (4) lunar mass spectrometer experiments.

  9. Lunar science. [geophysics, mineralogy and evolution of moon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brett, R.

    1973-01-01

    A review of the recent developments in lunar science summarizing the most important lunar findings and the known restraints on the theories of lunar evolution is presented. Lunar geophysics is discussed in sections dealing with the figure of the moon, mascons, and the lunar thermal regime; recent seismic studies and magnetic results are reported. The chemical data on materials taken from lunar orbit are analyzed, and the lunar geology is discussed. Special attention is accorded the subject of minerology, reflecting the information obtained from lunar samples of both mare and nonmare origin. A tentative timetable of lunar events is proposed, and the problem of the moon's origin is briefly treated.

  10. Processing of Lunar Soil Simulant for Space Exploration Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sen, Subhayu; Ray, Chandra S.; Reddy, Ramana

    2005-01-01

    NASA's long-term vision for space exploration includes developing human habitats and conducting scientific investigations on planetary bodies, especially on Moon and Mars. To reduce the level of up-mass processing and utilization of planetary in-situ resources is recognized as an important element of this vision. Within this scope and context, we have undertaken a general effort aimed primarily at extracting and refining metals, developing glass, glass-ceramic, or traditional ceramic type materials using lunar soil simulants. In this paper we will present preliminary results on our effort on carbothermal reduction of oxides for elemental extraction and zone refining for obtaining high purity metals. In additions we will demonstrate the possibility of developing glasses from lunar soil simulant for fixing nuclear waste from potential nuclear power generators on planetary bodies. Compositional analysis, x-ray diffraction patterns and differential thermal analysis of processed samples will be presented.

  11. Comparison of Morphologies of Apollo 17 Dust Particles with Lunar Simulant, JSC-1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liu, Yang; Taylor, Lawrence A.; Hill, Eddy; Kihm, Kenneth D.; Day, James D. M.

    2005-01-01

    Lunar dust (< 20 microns) makes up approx.20 wt.% of the lunar soil. Because of the abrasive and adhering nature of lunar soil, a detailed knowledge of the morphology (size, shape and abundance) of lunar dust is important for dust mitigation on the Moon. This represents a critical step towards the establishment of long-term human presence on the Moon (Taylor et al. 2005). Machinery design for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon also requires detailed information on dust morphology and general physical/chemical characteristics. Here, we report a morphological study of Apollo 17 dust sample 70051 and compare it to lunar soil stimulant, JSC-1. W e have obtained SEM images of dust grains from sample 70051 soil (Fig. 1). The dust grains imaged are composed of fragments of minerals, rocks, agglutinates and glass. Most particles consist largely of agglutinitic impact glass with their typical vesicular textures (fine bubbles). All grains show sub-angular to angular shapes, commonly with sharp edges, common for crushed glass fragments. There are mainly four textures: (1) ropey-textured pieces (typical for agglutinates), (2) angular shards, (3) blocky bits, and (4) Swiss-cheese grains. This last type with its high concentration of submicron bubbles, occurs on all scales. Submicron cracks are also present in most grains. Dust-sized grains of lunar soil simulant, JSC-1, were also studied. JSC-1 is a basaltic tuff with relatively high glass content (approx.50%; McKay et al. 1994). It was initially chosen in the early 90s to approximate the geotechnical properties of the average lunar soil (Klosky et al. 1996). JSC-1 dust grains also show angular blocky and shard textures (Fig. 2), similar to those of lunar dust. However, the JSC-1 grains lack the Swiss-cheese textured particles, as well as submicron cracks and bubbles in most grains.

  12. Building Strategic Capabilities for Sustained Lunar Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Landgraf, M.; Hufenbach, B.; Houdou, B.

    2016-11-01

    We discuss a lunar exploration architecture that addresses the strategic objective of providing access to the lunar surface. This access enables the most exciting part of the lunar exploration: building a sustained infrastructure on the lunar surface.

  13. Sensitivity of Lunar Resource Economic Model to Lunar Ice Concentration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blair, Brad; Diaz, Javier

    2002-01-01

    Lunar Prospector mission data indicates sufficient concentration of hydrogen (presumed to be in the form of water ice) to form the basis for lunar in-situ mining activities to provide a source of propellant for near-Earth and solar system transport missions. A model being developed by JPL, Colorado School of Mines, and CSP, Inc. generates the necessary conditions under which a commercial enterprise could earn a sufficient rate of return to develop and operate a LEO propellant service for government and commercial customers. A combination of Lunar-derived propellants, L-1 staging, and orbital fuel depots could make commercial LEO/GEO development, inter-planetary missions and the human exploration and development of space more energy, cost, and mass efficient.

  14. Wanted: Lunar detectives to unravel the mysteries of the Moon! Crime to be solved: Mass extinctions on the Moon by meteorite impact!

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neal, Clive R.; Taylor, Lawrence A.

    1991-01-01

    The criteria and clues for identifying meteorite contamination are outlined to aid in the quest for more knowledge regarding the evolution of the Moon and the early Earth. The Warren and Wasson seven criteria for establishing the pristine nature of highland rocks are presented. Other topics covered include iron/nickel metals, monomict nature, and lunar glasses. The major conclusion is that pristinity should not be the primary consideration in the study of lunar rocks. The most important criterion to establish is whether or not the lunar sample contains more than one lunar rock type. Even if a sample is non-pristine, as long as only one lunar rock type is present, petrogenetic interpretation can still be carried out.

  15. Experimental study of lunar and SNC (Mars) magmas

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rutherford, Malcolm J.

    1994-01-01

    The overall objectives of this research were to evaluate the role of C-O-S-Cl degassing processes in explaining vesiculation, oxidation state and fire-fountaining of lunar magmas by analysis of individual lunar glass spherules, and by experimental determination of equilibrium abundances and diffusion rates of C, S and Cl melt species in lunar glass compositions; and to determine possible primitive SNC magma compositions and the mineralogy of the mantle from which they were derived, and to evaluate P, T, XH2O etc. conditions at which they crystallize to form the SNC meteorites. After funding for one year, a project on the A15 volcanic green glass has been completed to the point of writing a first manuscript. Carbon-oxygen species C-O and CO2 are below detection limits (20 ppm) in these glasses, but there is up to 500 ppm S with concentrations both increasing and decreasing toward the spherule margins. Calculations and modeling indicate that C species could have been present in the volcanic gases, however. In a second project, experiments with low PH2O have resulted in refined estimates of the early intercumulus melt composition in the Chassigny meteorite which is generally accepted as a sample from Mars.

  16. Previously Unrecognized Large Lunar Impact Basins Revealed by Topographic Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frey, Herbert V.

    2008-01-01

    The discovery of a large population of apparently buried impact craters on Mars, revealed as Quasi- Circular Depressions (QCDs) in Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter (MOLA) data [1,2,3] and as Circular Thin Areas (CTAs) [4] in crustal thickness model data [5] leads to the obvious question: are there unrecognized impact features on the Moon and other bodies in the solar system? Early analysis of Clementine topography revealed several large impact basins not previously known [6,7], so the answer certainly is "Yes." How large a population of previously undetected impact basins, their size frequency distribution, and how much these added craters and basins will change ideas about the early cratering history and Late Heavy Bombardment on the Moon remains to be determined. Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) data [8] will be able to address these issues. As a prelude, we searched the state-of-the-art global topographic grid for the Moon, the Unified Lunar Control Net (ULCN) [9] for evidence of large impact features not previously recognized by photogeologic mapping, as summarized by Wilhelms [lo].

  17. A two-billion-year history for the lunar dynamo.

    PubMed

    Tikoo, Sonia M; Weiss, Benjamin P; Shuster, David L; Suavet, Clément; Wang, Huapei; Grove, Timothy L

    2017-08-01

    Magnetic studies of lunar rocks indicate that the Moon generated a core dynamo with surface field intensities of ~20 to 110 μT between at least 4.25 and 3.56 billion years ago (Ga). The field subsequently declined to <~4 μT by 3.19 Ga, but it has been unclear whether the dynamo had terminated by this time or just greatly weakened in intensity. We present analyses that demonstrate that the melt glass matrix of a young regolith breccia was magnetized in a ~5 ± 2 μT dynamo field at ~1 to ~2.5 Ga. These data extend the known lifetime of the lunar dynamo by at least 1 billion years. Such a protracted history requires an extraordinarily long-lived power source like core crystallization or precession. No single dynamo mechanism proposed thus far can explain the strong fields inferred for the period before 3.56 Ga while also allowing the dynamo to persist in such a weakened state beyond ~2.5 Ga. Therefore, our results suggest that the dynamo was powered by at least two distinct mechanisms operating during early and late lunar history.

  18. A two-billion-year history for the lunar dynamo

    PubMed Central

    Tikoo, Sonia M.; Weiss, Benjamin P.; Shuster, David L.; Suavet, Clément; Wang, Huapei; Grove, Timothy L.

    2017-01-01

    Magnetic studies of lunar rocks indicate that the Moon generated a core dynamo with surface field intensities of ~20 to 110 μT between at least 4.25 and 3.56 billion years ago (Ga). The field subsequently declined to <~4 μT by 3.19 Ga, but it has been unclear whether the dynamo had terminated by this time or just greatly weakened in intensity. We present analyses that demonstrate that the melt glass matrix of a young regolith breccia was magnetized in a ~5 ± 2 μT dynamo field at ~1 to ~2.5 Ga. These data extend the known lifetime of the lunar dynamo by at least 1 billion years. Such a protracted history requires an extraordinarily long-lived power source like core crystallization or precession. No single dynamo mechanism proposed thus far can explain the strong fields inferred for the period before 3.56 Ga while also allowing the dynamo to persist in such a weakened state beyond ~2.5 Ga. Therefore, our results suggest that the dynamo was powered by at least two distinct mechanisms operating during early and late lunar history. PMID:28808679

  19. Lunar surface mine feasibility study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blair, Brad R.

    This paper describes a lunar surface mine, and demonstrates the economic feasibility of mining oxygen from the moon. The mine will be at the Apollo 16 landing site. Mine design issues include pit size and shape, excavation equipment, muck transport, and processing requirements. The final mine design will be driven by production requirements, and constrained by the lunar environment. This mining scenario assumes the presence of an operating lunar base. Lunar base personnel will set-up a and run the mine. The goal of producing lunar oxygen is to reduce dependence on fuel shipped from Earth. Thus, the lunar base is the customer for the finished product. The perspective of this paper is that of a mining contractor who must produce a specific product at a remote location, pay local labor, and sell the product to an onsite captive market. To make a profit, it must be less costly to build and ship specialized equipment to the site, and pay high labor and operating costs, than to export the product directly to the site.

  20. Lunar Navigation Architecture Design Considerations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    D'Souza, Christopher; Getchius, Joel; Holt, Greg; Moreau, Michael

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Constellation Program is aiming to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. The Constellation elements (Orion, Altair, Earth Departure Stage, and Ares launch vehicles) will require a lunar navigation architecture for navigation state updates during lunar-class missions. Orion in particular has baselined earth-based ground direct tracking as the primary source for much of its absolute navigation needs. However, due to the uncertainty in the lunar navigation architecture, the Orion program has had to make certain assumptions on the capabilities of such architectures in order to adequately scale the vehicle design trade space. The following paper outlines lunar navigation requirements, the Orion program assumptions, and the impacts of these assumptions to the lunar navigation architecture design. The selection of potential sites was based upon geometric baselines, logistical feasibility, redundancy, and abort support capability. Simulated navigation covariances mapped to entry interface flightpath- angle uncertainties were used to evaluate knowledge errors. A minimum ground station architecture was identified consisting of Goldstone, Madrid, Canberra, Santiago, Hartebeeshoek, Dongora, Hawaii, Guam, and Ascension Island (or the geometric equivalent).