Space Weathering of Lunar Rocks.

Accession Number

N20120003590

Publication Date

Mar 2012

Media Count

Personal Author

L. P. Keller R. Christoffersen S. K. Noble Z. Rahman

Abstract

All materials exposed at the lunar surface undergo space weathering processes. On the Moon, boulders make up only a small percentage of the exposed surface, and areas where such rocks are exposed, like central peaks, are often among the least space weathered regions identified from remote sensing data. Yet space weathered surfaces (patina) are relatively common on returned rock samples, some of which directly sample the surface of larger boulders. Because, as witness plates to lunar space weathering, rocks and boulders experience longer exposure times compared to lunar soil grains, they allow us to develop a deeper perspective on the relative importance of various weathering processes as a function of time.

Keywords

Extraterrestrial environments
Lunar rocks
Lunar soil
Lunar surface
Moon
Remote sensing
Scanning electron microscopy
Space weathering
Transmission electron microscopy


$17.00-COLOR DOCUMENT

Source Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NTIS Subject Category

54 - Astronomy & Astrophysics
84B - Extraterrestial Exploration

Corporate Author

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.

Document Type

Conference proceedings

Title Note

N/A

NTIS Issue Number

1219

Contract Number

N/A

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