Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute and UT San Antonio are studying how space weathering alters lunar surface materials to improve interpretation of the Moon’s far-ultraviolet maps.
Revealing Lunar Evolution Through Apollo Sample Analysis
In their recent work, the team examined how space weathering affects the FUV spectral response. A few Apollo-returned grains revealed how solar wind and micrometeoroids shaped the lunar surface over billions of years, says SwRI’s Dr. Ujjwal Raut.
Researchers used advanced instruments and analytical methods to gain new insights from lunar soil samples returned by NASA’s Apollo 11, 16, and 17 missions.
“These Apollo-era samples remain fundamental to lunar science, offering the most direct evidence of the Moon’s surface processes and evolution, including the effects of space weathering,” Raut said.
The study, led by Caleb Gimar, a recent SwRI–UT San Antonio physics Ph.D. graduate, was funded by NASA’s Lunar Data Analysis Program. Raut was the project’s principal investigator.
“We are studying how space weathering alters lunar grains, affecting their far-ultraviolet reflectance and explaining why soils with different weathering levels vary in brightness and light scattering,” Gimar said.
Advancing Moon Water Ice Detection with LRO-LAMP
This work helps scientists better interpret remote sensing data from LRO-LAMP, orbiting the Moon since 2009.
“The SwRI-led LAMP instrument detects potential water ice in permanently shadowed polar craters using far-UV starlight, said Dr. Kurt D.” Retherford, principal investigator for LAMP.
“Detecting lunar ice and its abundance requires knowing dry soil’s far-UV reflectance and correcting for space-weathering to isolate hydration signals.”
Nanoscale Imaging Unveils Lunar Grain Composition
This research highlights SwRI’s CLASSE and UT San Antonio’s KAMC, which conducted nanoscale imaging of lunar grains.
“We employed a cutting-edge transmission electron microscope capable of imaging individual atoms,” said Dr. Ana Stevanovic, KAMC director. “This tool examines lunar dust grains in detail, revealing tiny minerals, space-weathering features, and chemical composition.”
“The images showed weathered grains coated with nanophase iron, each 1/10,000 the width of a hair, Stevanovic explained.” Grains with less weathering had far fewer of these nanophase iron particles, making them appear brighter in the far-ultraviolet.
Read the original article on: Phys.Org
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