Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rachael M. Marshal, Ottaviano Ruesch, Christian Woehler, Kay Wohlfarth, Sergey Velichko
Summary: The study and investigation of meter and sub-meter scale geological features, especially boulders and boulder fields, on the surface of airless bodies can provide insight into the evolution of the regolith and the contribution of various processes to its formation. Prior studies have examined the photometric properties of the lunar regolith surrounding young craters using image ratios. We extend this methodology to extracting surface properties, in particular the roughness characteristics, exclusive to boulder fields and the boulders that constitute them around impact craters.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Emerson J. Speyerer, Mark S. Robinson, Aaron Boyd, Victor H. Silva, Samuel Lawrence
Summary: The UVVIS camera on the Clementine spacecraft provided a global, multispectral view of the Moon. Cross-mission comparisons were impaired by spatial offsets between the derived products. With new data from the LRO and GRAIL missions, image-based feature-matching algorithms were used to improve the positional accuracy of the UVVIS observations with the LROC WAC basemap, resulting in a foundational geospatial data product that aligns with the current lunar reference frame.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Huicun He, Jianglong Ji, Yue Zhang, Sen Hu, Yangting Lin, Hejiu Hui, Jialong Hao, Ruiying Li, Wei Yang, Hengci Tian, Chi Zhang, Mahesh Anand, Romain Tartese, Lixin Gu, Jinhua Li, Di Zhang, Qian Mao, Lihui Jia, Xiaoguang Li, Yi Chen, Li Zhang, Huaiwei Ni, Shitou Wu, Hao Wang, Qiuli Li, Huaiyu He, Xianhua Li, Fuyuan Wu
Summary: Analysis of lunar soils returned by the Chang'e-5 mission suggests that impact glass beads on the Moon's surface may contain a significant amount of solar wind-derived water. This finding supports the existence of a hydrated layer in lunar soils that plays a role in the global water cycle on the Moon. The study also reveals that impact glass beads can serve as reservoirs for water on other airless bodies.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
K. L. Laferriere, J. M. Sunshine, L. M. Feaga
Summary: Measurements from spacecraft observations have revealed the presence of hydroxyl and potentially molecular water on the Moon, with widespread but variable hydration. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms of production and loss of water on the lunar surface.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ayame Ikeda, Hiroyuki Kumagai, Tomokatsu Morota
Summary: Recent studies have found that boulder falls on the lunar surface are likely triggered by meteorite impacts rather than moonquakes. A proposed model suggests that boulders and regolith may be generated and transported on slopes by meteorite impacts, which could be directly related to the degradation of crater slopes on the Moon.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
O. Ruesch, C. Woehler
Summary: Understanding the properties and evolution of airless surfaces is important, and the efficiency of regolith production plays a key role in this. We developed a model to study the morphological evolution of the rock-fillet system on the Moon, and found that different cohesive rocks have distinct morphological evolution of fillets. This allows us to distinguish rock cohesion from its surface exposure age by examining the fillet around a rock. Combining topographic diffusion modeling with images of known age rocks, we determined that the abrasion rate for m-sized rocks is higher than for cm-sized rocks. Our findings suggest that fillets around lunar rocks are a result of isotropic micrometeoroid bombardment.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Tianyi Xu, Wei Cai, Min Shu, Xiaoping Zhang, Peng Zhang, Chengbao Liu, Hanzhe Yang, Yunzhao Wu
Summary: The GaoFen-4 (GF-4) satellite captured high-resolution images of the entire moon's disk in a single exposure, providing valuable data for studying the photometric properties of the moon. Using the GF-4 observations, the researchers modeled the lunar reflectance phase functions and analyzed the lunar surface features. The results showed pronounced backscattering on the lunar surface, with smoother maria compared to the highlands. The study also compared different models and derived the geometric and spherical albedo of the moon.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
R. Bugiolacchi, G. -P. Hu, Y. C. Zheng
Summary: A new lunar map was generated using data from two frequency channels of nocturnal microwave radiance, revealing areas of anomalous high differences related to young impact craters. Microwave features are likely influenced by terrain roughness and ejecta materials, providing additional information on buried materials. However, the low spatial resolution of available microwave data hinders accurate quantitative analysis.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Pedro H. Hasselmann, Sonia Fornasier, Maria A. Barucci, Alice Praet, Beth E. Clark, Jian-Yang Li, Dathon R. Golish, Daniella N. DellaGiustina, Jasinghege Don P. Deshapriya, Xian-Duan Zou, Mike G. Daly, Olivier S. Barnouin, Amy A. Simon, Dante S. Lauretta
Summary: By studying the dark asteroid (101955) Bennu through NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, researchers found that its surface is boulder-rich and dust-poor, making it an ideal natural laboratory for investigating single-scattering processes in rough particulate media. Utilizing statistical models and digital terrain models, researchers were able to obtain scattering parameters and discovered a low non-zero specular ratio on Bennu's surface.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
D. R. Golish, D. N. DellaGiustina, J-Y Li, B. E. Clark, X-D Zou, P. H. Smith, J. L. Rizos, P. H. Hasselmann, C. A. Bennett, S. Fornasier, R-L Ballouz, C. Drouet D'Aubigny, B. Rizk, M. G. Daly, O. S. Barnouin, L. Philpott, M. M. Al Asad, J. A. Seabrook, C. L. Johnson, D. S. Lauretta
Summary: The OSIRIS-REx mission aims to return a sample of asteroid Bennu, with photometric modeling of Bennu's surface playing a key role in sample site characterization and broader scientific understanding. The study highlights the importance of resolution in shape modeling for accurate photometric analysis and corrections. Global imaging data is used to fit empirical photometric models for Bennu's surface, revealing insights that can be applied to photometric corrections and albedo analyses of features on Bennu's surface.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Julian Baasch, Lisa Windisch, Frank Koch, Stefan Linke, Enrico Stoll, Carsten Schilde
Summary: Future plans to establish a human outpost on the Moon will require new materials, methods, and processes. Casting metals can be used to manufacture tools, construction elements, and infrastructure on the Moon, and sand-casting or permanent mold casting processes can be adapted for lunar manufacturing using regolith. Initial experiments show that a wide range of aluminum parts can be cast using lunar regolith, indicating the possibility of new ISRU-based adapted processes for lunar manufacturing.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Alexander Zakharov, Anton Yu Poroykov, Sergei A. Bednyakov, Andrey N. Lyash, Inna A. Shashkova, Ilia A. Kuznetsov, Gennadiy G. Dolnikov
Summary: This study showcases the visualization and recovery of 3D dynamic trajectories of charged microparticles in electric field conditions, with the aim of simulating plasma-dust processes above the surfaces of the Moon and other Solar system bodies without atmospheres. The experimental setup includes a vacuum chamber for simulation and a stereo camera system for image registration, along with image processing techniques developed for estimating particle trajectories in 3D. Examples of processing results and potential applications are also discussed.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Dijun Guo, Wenzhe Fa, Bo Wu, Yuan Li, Yang Liu
Summary: This study presents the millimeter-to decimeter-scale surface slope and roughness of the Moon at China's Chang'e-4 landing regions for the first time. The bidirectional slope and RMS height show scale-dependent behaviors, with bidirectional slope decreasing from micrometer to kilometer scales. Lunar surface roughness is mainly controlled by small impact craters, rocks, and regolith properties at millimeter-scale.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
C. I. Honniball, P. G. Lucey, S. Li, S. Shenoy, T. M. Orlando, C. A. Hibbitts, D. M. Hurley, W. M. Farrell
Summary: Observations on the Moon at 6 mu m wavelength region by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) revealed a signature of molecular water, distinguishing it from other forms of hydration. The estimated water abundance ranges between 100 to 400 mu g g(-)(1) at high latitudes, potentially trapped within impact glasses or in between grains.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yiren Chang, Zhiyong Xiao, Yang Liu, Jun Cui
Summary: Self-secondaries are a background population of secondary craters formed by impacts of sub-vertically launched ejecta, posing a potential threat to the reliability of crater chronology. They are mainly located around complex impact craters on the Moon, but their first discovery around simple craters has been reported. The spatial density of self-secondaries is highly heterogeneous and they are more abundant downrange of the ejecta deposits from non-vertical impacts.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hao Zhang, Yazhou Yang, Ye Yuan, Weidong Jin, Paul G. Lucey, Meng-Hua Zhu, Vadim G. Kaydash, Yuriy G. Shkuratov, Kaichang Di, Wenhui Wan, Bin Xu, Long Xiao, Ziwei Wang, Bin Xue
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2015)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Weidong Jin, Hao Zhang, Ye Yuan, Yazhou Yang, Yuriy G. Shkuratov, Paul G. Lucey, Vadim G. Kaydash, Meng-Hua Zhu, Bin Xue, Kaichang Di, Bin Xu, Wenhui Wan, Long Xiao, Ziwei Wang
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2015)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Evgenij Zubko, Gorden Videen, Dean C. Hines, Yuriy Shkuratov, Vadym Kaydash, Karri Muinonen, Matthew M. Knight, Michael L. Sitko, Carey M. Lisse, Max Mutchler, Diane H. Wooden, Jian-Yang Li, Hiroshi Kobayashi
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2015)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Y. Shkuratov, V. Kaydash, L. Rohacheva, V. Korokhin, M. Ivanov, Y. Velikodsky, G. Videen
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yu. I. Velikodsky, V. V. Korokhin, Yu. G. Shkuratov, V. G. Kaydash, Gorden Videen
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Viktor Korokhin, Yuriy Shkuratov, Vadym Kaydash, Alexander Basilevsky, Larysa Rohachova, Yuri Velikodsky, Nickolay Opanasenko, Gorden Videen, Dmitry Stankevich, Olena Kaluhina
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Dean C. Hines, Gorden Videen, Evgenij Zubko, Karri Muinonen, Yuriy Shkuratov, Vadim G. Kaydash, Matthew M. Knight, Michael L. Sitko, Carey M. Lisse, Max Mutchler, Derek Hammer, Padmavati A. Yanamandra-Fisher
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2014)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yuriy Shkuratov, Vadim Kaydash, Gorden Videen
Article
Optics
Y. Shkuratov, V. Kaydash, V. Korokhin, Y. Velikodsky, D. Petrov, E. Zubko, D. Stankevich, G. Videen
JOURNAL OF QUANTITATIVE SPECTROSCOPY & RADIATIVE TRANSFER
(2013)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yuriy Shkuratov, Vadym Kaydash, Xenija Sysolyatina, Alexandra Razim, Gorden Videen
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2013)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vadym Kaydash, Yuriy Shkuratov, Gorden Videen
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2013)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Viktor V. Korokhin, Yuri I. Velikodsky, Eugene V. Shalygin, Yuriy G. Shkuratov, Vadym G. Kaydash, Gorden Videen
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2014)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
V. G. Kaydash, Yu. G. Shkuratov
SOLAR SYSTEM RESEARCH
(2014)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Vadym Kaydash, Carle Pieters, Yuriy Shkuratov, Viktor Korokhin
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2013)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Maria Angeles Lopez-Cayuela, Maria-Paz Zorzano, Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado, Carmen Cordoba-Jabonero
Summary: The atmospheric dust cycle on Mars plays a dominant role in the planetary radiative balance, atmospheric photochemistry escape, and redistribution of materials on the surface. A methodology is presented to accurately describe the annual dust redistribution cycle on Mars using orbital global and seasonal measurements of atmospheric dust opacity. The analysis shows that approximately 4 trillion kilograms of dust is transported globally in the atmosphere during a typical Mars year.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Audrey Vorburger, Shahab Fatemi, Shane R. Carberry Mogan, Andre Galli, Lucas Liuzzo, Andrew R. Poppe, Lorenz Roth, Peter Wurz
Summary: The study presents new model results for the composition of Ganymede's atmosphere, finding that sublimation remains the major source process for H2O, while radiolysis induced by auroral electrons dominates the source fluxes for O2 and H2.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Qi He, Zhi Cao, Yuqi Qian, Hejiu Hui, Ioannis Baziotis, Long Xiao, Zaicong Wang, Biji Luo, Yiheng Li, Zongjun Ying, Yang Li
Summary: The Chang'e-5 mission collected lunar soil containing magnesian troctolitic granulites, which provide valuable information on the composition of the lunar crust. Through analysis and modeling, it is suggested that these granulites may have originated from the Pythagoras crater and were transported to the landing site.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jordan M. Bretzfelder, Kathryn M. Stack, Abigail A. Fraeman, Mackenzie Day, William E. Dietrich, Alexander B. Bryk
Summary: This study investigates the development of bedrock ridges on Mars and their implications for wind history, deposition, and erosion in Gale crater.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lot Ram, Diptiranjan Rout, Rahul Rathi, Paul Withers, Sumanta Sarkhel
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) on the Martian ionosphere, specifically the behavior of the ionospheric peak density and height during ICME passages. The study used observations from the Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE) aboard the MAVEN spacecraft and selected 8 ICMEs from existing catalogs. The results show that ICMEs lead to an elevation of the ionospheric peak height and a decrease in peak density, and propose that vertical pressure gradient and electron temperature enhancement are plausible causes for ionospheric variability.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Benoit Jabaud, Riccardo Artoni, Gabriel Tobie, Erwan Le Menn, Patrick Richard
Summary: The Cassini spacecraft discovered active jets of water vapour and ice grains at the South Pole of Enceladus, resulting in the deposit of freshly erupted materials on the moon's icy surface. Similar processes may be happening on Europa as well. Determining the mechanical properties of fresh icy powder-like materials is essential for future landing and sampling missions. The flowability and surface energy of ice powders decrease with increasing temperatures, which may have implications for stable landing and the flow of ice materials on Enceladus and Europa.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lydie Bonal, Eric Quirico, Gilles Montagnac, Mutsumi Komatsu, Yoko Kebukawa, Hikaru Yabuta, Kana Amano, Jens Barosch, Laure Bejach, George D. Cody, Emmanuel Dartois, Alexandre Dazzi, Bradley De Gregorio, Ariane Deniset-Besseau, Jean Duprat, Cecile Engrand, Minako Hashiguchi, Kanami Kamide, David Kilcoyne, Zita Martins, Jeremie Mathurin, Smail Mostefaoui, Larry Nittler, Takuji Ohigashi, Taiga Okumura, Laurent Remusat, Scott Sandford, Miho Shigenaka, Rhonda Stroud, Hiroki Suga, Yoshio Takahashi, Yasuo Takeichi, Yusuke Tamenori, Maximilien Verdier-Paoletti, Shohei Yamashita, Tomoki Nakamura, Hiroshi Naraoka, Takaaki Noguchi, Ryuji Okazaki, Hisayoshi Yurimoto, Shogo Tachibana, Masanao Abe, Akiko Miyazaki, Aiko Nakato, Satoru Nakazawa, Masahiro Nishimura, Tatsuaki Okada, Takanao Saiki, Kanako Sakamoto, Satoshi Tanaka, Fuyuto Terui, Yuichi Tsuda, Tomohiro Usui, Sei-ichiro Watanabe, Toru Yada, Kasumi Yogata, Makota Yoshikawa
Summary: This paper focuses on characterizing the thermal history of asteroid Ryugu by studying the structure of polyaromatic carbonaceous matter in the returned samples. The study finds that there is no structural difference in the polyaromatic component between the two sampling sites on Ryugu, indicating that the thermal metamorphism related to radioactive decay was not significant. However, some structural variability is observed within the particle set.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Luginin, A. Fedorova, D. Belyaev, F. Montmessin, O. Korablev, J. -l. Bertaux
Summary: Spectroscopic solar occultation measurements by the SPICAV/SOIR instrument onboard the Venus Express orbiter provided new data on the upper haze aerosol properties, its distribution, and variations. A joint analysis of data from two spectrometers revealed a bimodal distribution in about 50% of observations previously believed to be unimodal, and characterized the size distribution 10 km higher in the atmosphere compared to previous analysis.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. Mahieux, S. Viscardy, K. L. Jessup, F. P. Mills, L. Trompet, S. Robert, S. Aoki, A. Piccialli, A. C. Vandaele
Summary: We report on the mean upper limit number densities and volume concentrations of H2CO, O-3, NH3, HCN, N2O, NO2, NO, and HO2 at the Venus terminator above the cloud layer. Attempts to detect these species using a statistical algorithm and the method presented by Trompet et al. (2021) were unsuccessful, and upper limits of detection are provided.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. M. Streeter, S. R. Lewis, M. R. Patel, J. A. Holmes, K. Rajendran
Summary: The northern polar vortex on Mars shows a high degree of interannual repeatability in its structure and evolution, except during large dust storms. The seasonal timing of these storms seems to be the key factor determining their impacts on the polar vortex.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Michael T. Mellon, Hanna G. Sizemore, Jennifer L. Heldmann, Christopher P. McKay, Carol R. Stoker
Summary: The search for life is a major focus of Mars exploration, with temperature and water activity being key factors for habitability. The most recent habitable conditions occurred about 510 kyrs ago and lasted for about 10s of kyrs each occurrence. All latitudes offer potential for life exploration, but middle-latitude sites have access to 100-kyr-old ice that experienced past habitable conditions, while high-latitude sites offer access to ancient ice over 1 Myrs old.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Anthony Ozerov, Jeffrey C. Smith, Jessie L. Dotson, Randolph S. Longenbaugh, Robert L. Morris
Summary: The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instruments, with their large combined field of view, are useful for studying the population of atmospheric phenomena like bolides. However, there are biases when using GLM for non-lightning purposes, which need to be studied and accounted for before precise measurements of bolide flux can be obtained. A Bayesian Poisson regression model was developed to estimate instrumental biases and the latitudinal variation of bolide flux concurrently. The estimated bias corresponds to the known sensitivity of the GLM instruments, and the latitudinal flux variation estimates are consistent with a strong bias towards high-velocity bolides, as compared to existing theoretical models.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. Beck, P. Y. Meslin, A. Fau, O. Forni, O. Gasnault, J. Lasue, A. Cousin, S. Schroeder, S. Maurice, W. Rapin, R. C. Wiens, A. M. Ollila, E. Dehouck, N. Mangold, B. Garcia, S. Schwartz, W. Goetz, N. Lanza
Summary: Analysis of data obtained by ChemCam on Mars reveals that the carbon signal is mainly related to ionization of the atmosphere, with variability potentially linked to the physical state of the atmosphere. Up to sol 3355, no carbonate was detected in the ChemCam dataset, suggesting that it is not a major constituent (>50%) in the analyzed targets and that carbon in soils is not enriched beyond the limit of detection. The dominant salts found in Gale are sulfate and chlorides, while the absence of carbonates, seen in Jezero, may be due to differences in protolith.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Eloy Pena-Asensio, Jaakko Visuri, Josep M. Trigo-Rodriguez, Hector Socas-Navarro, Maria Gritsevich, Markku Siljama, Albert Rimola
Summary: The observation of interstellar objects 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov suggests the existence of a larger population of smaller projectiles that impact our planet with unbound orbits. A statistical evaluation of uncertainties in the CNEOS database and study of its hyperbolic fireballs reveals an anisotropic geocentric radiant distribution and low orbital inclinations, challenging the assumption of a randomly incoming interstellar population. These findings suggest that apparent interstellar meteors may, in fact, be the result of accelerated meteoroid impacts caused by close encounters with massive objects within or passing through our solar system.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cecilia W. S. Leung, Leslie K. Tamppari, David M. Kass, German Martinez, Erik Fischer, Michael D. Smith
Summary: Using a combination of orbital and surface observations, this study investigates the vertical distribution of water vapor in the lower atmospheres of Mars. The findings suggest that the assumption of uniformly mixed water vapor in the boundary layer is not always consistent with observational constraints. The results provide important insights into the seasonal transport of water and the role of regolith-atmospheric exchange.