Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Jan 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002mbns.conf...35l&link_type=abstract
The Moon Beyond 2002: Next Steps in Lunar Science and Exploration, p. 35
Mathematics
Logic
Hydrogen, Cold Traps, Lunar Environment, Lunar Shadow, Lunar Temperature, Ice, Deuterium, Remote Sensing, Mass Spectrometers
Scientific paper
The Discovery Program, through measurements by the Lunar Prospector spacecraft, established that the volatile element hydrogen is enriched in the lunar polar regions. It is virtually certain that this enrichment is due to cold trapping of hydrogen in one or more chemical states owing to the low temperatures of obliquely illuminated and permanently shadowed regions near the Moon's poles. This measurement confirms suggestions that the lunar (and mercurian) polar regions can capture and retain volatiles that encounter these surfaces. Modeling of lunar polar temperatures has indicated that water ice at shallow depths can persist for geologic time, even at high latitude regions which are not permanently shaded. Modeling of permanently shadowed craters indicates that temperatures in the shallow subsurface are low enough, as low as 40 kelvins, to retain for geologic time extremely volatile ices including carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, sulfur dioxide. These model temperatures are also low enough retain a host of low molecular weight organic compounds. Modeling of the Moon's obliquity over time indicates that permanently shaded regions can have persisted for 2.5 BY, exposing them to a host of potential sources of volatiles. The confirmed existence of lunar cold traps raises the possibility that the lunar poles have trapped and retained volatile materials from sources which are central to many aspects of NASA's strategic plans. These sources include comets, asteroids, interplanetary dust particles, interstellar molecular clouds, the solar wind, and lunar volcanic and radiogenic gases. The Polar Night mission will conduct an inventory of volatiles and provide sufficient analysis to determine or greatly constrain the sources of polar volatiles and their nature. Polar Night will determine the chemical composition, abundance and deuterium to hydrogen ratio of volatiles cold-trapped in permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles. These measurements will be conducted in situ using mass spectrometers, and neutron spectrometers deployed on six penetrator hard landers. The landing sites of the penetrators will be selected using remote measurements of the temperature, H-abundance at high resolution, and radar polarization properties measured from orbit during a six month remote sensing campaign.
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