Other
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p23c1264g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P23C-1264
Other
[5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [5465] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Rings And Dust, [6015] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Dust, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon
Scientific paper
Excess brightness attributed to high altitude lunar exospheric dust was observed by McCoy (1976), in Apollo 15 and 17 photographic measurements of the solar corona. One of the calibrated photographic sequences (Apollo 15 post-sunset) displayed prominent and systematically declining excess light as the command module moved further into lunar shadow. This sequence was used by McCoy to infer coarse estimates for the concentration of monodisperse (0.1 micron radius) dust grains at three altitudes, without corrections for film spectral response. These concentration estimates (McCoy's "Model 0") were subsequently incorporated into models for the lunar dust environment, and have also been used to guide the observational planning for the upcoming LADEE mission. However, the excess brightness measurements were also found to be highly variable between missions, and even between sunrise and sunset sequences, suggesting a strong dependence on surface location and other factors. We have begun a reanalysis of the Apollo excess light measurements in an attempt to improve-upon these prior dust concentration estimates, and also to examine the variability in vertical dust abundance between Apollo orbits and missions. Our forward model is a Mie-based scattered light simulation code developed at NMSU for simulating lunar horizon glow in the presence of coronal-zodiacal light. Vertical dust density distribution is retrieved from the measurements using a stabilized, linear perturbation retrieval algorithm, with no prior assumptions about the dust vertical distribution, other than smoothness constraints on the density scale height. We summarize the results from our initial retrievals as well as our estimates for the accompanying uncertainties.
Glenar David A.
Stubbs Timothy J.
Vondrak Richard R.
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