Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission Research Articles

Far‐ultraviolet reflectance properties of the Moon's permanently shadowed regions

Although of great interest for science and resource utilization, the Moon's permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near each pole present difficult targets for remote sensing. The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission is able to map PSRs at far‐ultraviolet (FUV) wavelengths using two faint sources of illumination from the night sky: the all‐sky Ly α glow produced as interplanetary medium (IPM) H atoms scatter the Sun's Ly α emissions, and the much fainter source from UV‐bright stars. The reflected light from these two sources produces only a few hundred events per second in the photon‐counting LAMP instrument, so building maps with useful signal‐to‐noise (SNR) ratios requires the careful accumulation of the observations from thousands of individual LRO orbits. In this paper we present the first FUV albedo maps obtained by LAMP of the Moon's southern and northern polar regions. The results show that (1) most PSR regions are darker at all FUV wavelengths, consistent with their surface soils having much larger porosities than non‐PSR regions (e.g., ∼70% compared to ∼40% or so), and (2) most PSRs are somewhat “redder” (i.e., more reflective at the longer FUV wavelengths) than non‐PSR regions, consistent with the presence of ∼1–2% water frost at the surface.

Miniature detector measures deep space radiation

The 1972 journey of Apollo 17 marked not only the last time a human walked on the Moon but also the most recent manned venture beyond the outer reaches of the Earth's atmosphere. With preparations being made for humans to once again explore deep space, important steps are under way to quantify the hazards of leaving low‐Earth orbit. One significant risk for long‐distance missions is the increased exposure to ionizing radiation—energetic particles that can strip electrons off of otherwise neutral materials, affecting human health and the functioning of spacecraft equipment. The deep space probes that are being sent to measure the risks from ionizing radiation and other hazards can be costly, so maximizing the scientific value of each launch is important. With this goal in mind, Mazur et al. designed and developed a miniature dosimeter that was sent into lunar orbit aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in 2009. Weighing only 20 grams, the detector is able to measure fluctuations in ionizing radiation as low as 1 microrad (equivalent to 1.0 × 10‐8 joules of energy deposited into 1 kilogram) while requiring minimal power and computer processing. The postage stamp—sized detector tracked radiation dosages for the first year of LRO's mission, with the results being confirmed by other onboard and near‐Earth detectors. (Space Weather, doi:10.1029/2010SW000641, 2011)

New measurements of total ionizing dose in the lunar environment

We report new measurements of solar minimum ionizing radiation dose at the Moon onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) from June 2009 through May 2010. The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) instrument on LRO houses a compact and highly precise microdosimeter whose design allows measurements of dose rates below 1 micro‐Rad per second in silicon achieved with minimal resources (20 g, ∼250 milliwatts, and ∼3 bits/second). We envision the use of such a small yet accurate dosimeter in many future spaceflight applications where volume, mass, and power are highly constrained. As this was the first operation of the microdosimeter in a space environment, the goal of this study is to verify its response by using simultaneous measurements of the galactic cosmic ray ionizing environment at LRO, at L1, and with other concurrent dosimeter measurements and model predictions. The microdosimeter measured the same short timescale modulations in the galactic cosmic rays as the other independent measurements, thus verifying its response to a known source of minimum‐ionizing particles. The total dose for the LRO mission over the first 333 days was only 12.2 Rads behind ∼130 mils of aluminum because of the delayed rise of solar activity in solar cycle 24 and the corresponding lack of intense solar energetic particle events. The dose rate in a 50 km lunar orbit was about 30 percent lower than the interplanetary rate, as one would expect from lunar obstruction of the visible sky.

Modeling polarimetric radar scattering from the lunar surface: Study on the effect of physical properties of the regolith layer

[1] A theoretical model for radar scattering from the lunar regolith using the vector radiative transfer theory for random media has been developed in order to aid in the interpretation of Mini-SAR data from the Chandrayaan-1 and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions. The lunar regolith is represented as a homogeneous fine-grained layer with rough upper and lower parallel interfaces that possesses embedded inclusions with a different dielectric constant. Our model considers five scattering mechanisms in the regolith layer: diffuse scattering from both the surface and subsurface, volume scattering from buried inclusions, and the interactions of scattering between buried inclusions and the rough interfaces (both the lunar surface and subsurface). Multiple scattering between buried inclusions and coherent backscatter opposite effect are not considered in the current model. The modeled radar scattering coefficients are validated using numerical finite difference time domain simulations and are compared with incident angle–averaged Earth-based radar observations of the Moon. Both polarized and depolarized radar backscattering coefficients and the circular polarization ratio (CPR) are calculated as a function of incidence angle, regolith thickness, surface and subsurface roughness, surface slope, abundance and shape of buried rocks, and the FeO+TiO2 content of the regolith. Simulation results show that the polarized (opposite sense) radar echo strength at S and X bands is mostly dominated by scattering from the rough surface and buried rocks, while the depolarized (same sense) radar echo strength is dominated by scattering from buried rocks or ice inclusions. Finally, to explore the expected polarimetric signature of ice in the polar permanently shadowed areas, four parametric regolith models are considered and the possibility of detecting diffuse ice inclusions by the CPR is addressed. Our study suggests that detection of ice inclusions at the lunar poles using solely the CPR will be difficult given the small dielectric contrast between the regolith and ice.

GLGM‐3: A degree‐150 lunar gravity model from the historical tracking data of NASA Moon orbiters

In preparation for the radio science experiment of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, we analyzed the available radio tracking data of previous NASA lunar orbiters. Our goal was to use these historical observations in combination with the new low‐altitude data to be obtained by LRO. We performed Precision Orbit Determination on trajectory arcs from Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966 to Lunar Prospector in 1998, using the GEODYN II program developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We then created a set of normal equations and solved for the coefficients of a spherical harmonics expansion of the lunar gravity potential up to degree and order 150. The GLGM‐3 solution obtained with a global Kaula constraint (2.5 × 10−4l−2) shows good agreement with model LP150Q from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, especially over the nearside. The levels of data fit with both gravity models are very similar (Doppler RMS of ∼0.2 and ∼1–2 mm/s in the nominal and extended phases, respectively). Orbit overlaps and uncertainties estimated from the covariance matrix also agree well. GLGM‐3 shows better correlation with lunar topography and admittance over the nearside at high degrees of expansion (l> 100), particularly near the poles. We also present three companion solutions, obtained with the same data set but using alternate inversion strategies that modify the power law constraint and expectation of the individual spherical harmonics coefficients. We give a detailed discussion of the performance of this family of gravity field solutions in terms of observation fit, orbit quality, and geophysical consistency.

Parameterizations of the linear energy transfer spectrum for the CRaTER instrument during the LRO mission

[1] The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) instrument was launched as part of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft in June 2009. Its purpose is to measure the linear energy transfer (LET) spectrum in lunar orbit as an aid in determining risks to human crews on future lunar missions. Part of the preparations for the mission involved estimating the LET spectrum for the anticipated environment that the instrument is likely to see during the 1 year operational phase of the LRO mission. Detailed estimates of LET spectra in the six silicon detectors and two tissue equivalent plastic segments were made using the beta version of the HETC-HEDS Monte Carlo transport code. Tables of LET in each detector component, for incident particle elemental species from hydrogen through iron, were carried out at incident particle energies from 20 MeV per nucleon to 3 GeV per nucleon. The LET values in these tables have been parameterized by elemental species and energy for ease in quickly and accurately estimating the LET response for any input solar or galactic cosmic ray spectrum likely to be encountered during the lifetime of the instrument. The parameterized LET values are in excellent agreement with the HETC-HEDS calculations. Typical differences are on the order of a few percent. These parameterizations will also be useful in validation studies of the Earth-Moon-Mars Radiation Environment Module using CRaTER measurements in lunar orbit.

LAMP: The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission

The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) is a far-ultraviolet (FUV) imaging spectrograph on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission. Its main objectives are to (i) identify and localize exposed water frost in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), (ii) characterize landforms and albedos in PSRs, (iii) demonstrate the feasibility of using natural starlight and sky-glow illumination for future lunar surface mission applications, and (iv) characterize the lunar atmosphere and its variability. As a byproduct, LAMP will map a large fraction of the Moon at FUV wavelengths, allowing new studies of the microphysical and reflectance properties of the regolith. The LAMP FUV spectrograph will accomplish these objectives by measuring the signal reflected from the night-side lunar surface and in PSRs using both the interplanetary HI Lyman-α sky-glow and FUV starlight as light sources. Both these light sources provide fairly uniform, but faint, illumination. With the expected LAMP sensitivity, by the end of the primary 1-year LRO mission, the SNR for a Lyman-α albedo map should be >100 in polar regions >1 km2, providing useful FUV constraints to help characterize subtle compositional and structural features. The LAMP instrument is based on the flight-proven Alice series of spectrographs flying on the Rosetta comet mission and the New Horizons Pluto mission. A general description of the LAMP instrument and its initial ground calibration results are presented here.

Introduction to special section on the Earth‐Moon‐Mars Radiation Environment Module

[1] The United States is preparing to return humans to the Moon and is setting the stage for exploration to Mars and beyond. However, it is unclear if long missions outside of low-Earth orbit (LEO) can be accomplished with acceptable risk. The central objective of the NASA Living With a Star Earth-Moon-Mars Radiation Environment Module (EMMREM) is to develop and validate a numerical module for completely characterizing time-dependent radiation exposure in the Earth-Moon-Mars and interplanetary space environments. EMMREM currently provides the capability to predict radiation exposure in the interplanetary environment outside of Earth’s protective atmosphere and magnetosphere and at various heights of a nominal Mars atmosphere. Ongoing and future efforts will fold in the effects of Earth’s atmosphere and the geomagnetic field so that the radiation environment can be predicted near the Earth’s surface, at LEO, and at various geomagnetic latitudes. EMMREM is being designed for broad use by researchers to predict radiation exposure by integrating over time-evolving incident particle distributions from interplanetary space. The EMMREM represents a growing and developing system of coupled models that describe particle acceleration and transport in interplanetary space and secondary transport through shielding materials, atmospheres, and various parts of the human body to determine doses, dose rates, and linear energy transfer spectra. Thus, EMMREM makes the explicit connection from observations and simulations of solar energetic particles and galactic cosmic rays to characterization of the potential hazards of the radiation environment and to acute radiation risks. The papers in this special section will describe the following. [2] 1. Observations near 1 AU from ACE, GOES, and IMP 5 for the historic August 1972 event to characterize the near-Earth radiation environment are used as timedependent boundary conditions near 1 AU in an energetic particle propagation and acceleration module (the Energetic Particle Radiation Environment Module (EPREM)) to predict the radiation environment throughout the inner heliosphere. Observations at Ulysses (near 5 AU) are then used to validate the EPREM predictions. [3] 2. Event-based simulations in the inner heliosphere predict time-dependent estimates of organ exposures for human crews in deep space. [4] 3. A paper provides a risk assessment approaches for solar particle events. [5] 4. Several papers describe a model for prompt solar energetic particle (SEP) dose rate forecasting for the Earth-Moon system. [6] 5. The transmission of SEPs and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) through the Mars atmosphere predicts the radiation environment at Mars. [7] 6. The coupling between the Energetic Particle Radiation Environment Module and magnetohydrodynamic models improves the predictions of the radiation environment in the inner heliosphere. [8] 7. Ulysses observations and a model of GCRs are used to improve our understanding of recent GCR fluxes and associated GCR dose rates throughout the inner heliosphere. [9] 8. A paper provides predictions of the linear energy transfer spectrum for the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation detector during the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. [10] 9. Several papers describe predictions of the space radiation environment during gradual solar energetic particle events using physics-based particle acceleration models. [11] Thus, the papers in this special section of Space Weather introduce the EMMREM project and provide a baseline for current understanding of the space environment beyond Earth’s protective atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Optical system design and integration of the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), developed for the 2009 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, is designed to measure the Moon's topography via laser ranging. A description of the LOLA optical system and its measured optical performance during instrument-level and spacecraft-level integration and testing are presented.

A simulation study of multi-beam altimetry for lunar reconnaissance orbiter and other planetary missions

The combined use of altimetry, Earth-based Doppler and Earth-based range measurements in the lunar reconnaissance orbiter (LRO) mission (Chin et al. in Space Sci Rev 129:391–419, 2007) has been examined in a simulation study. It is found that in the initial phases of the mission orbit and altimeter geolocation accuracies should be better than 10 m in the radial component and 60 m overall. It is demonstrated that LRO’s precise 1-way laser range measurement from Earth-based stations (Smith et al. in Proceedings of the 15th International Laser Ranging Workshop, Canberra, Australia, October 15–20, 2006) will be useful for gravity recovery. The advantages of multiple laser beams are demonstrated for altimeter calibration, orbit determination and gravity recovery in general planetary settings as well as for LRO.

Experiment LEND of the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter for High-Resolution Mapping of Neutron Emission of the Moon

The scientific objectives of neutron mapping of the Moon are presented as 3 investigation tasks of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. Two tasks focus on mapping hydrogen content over the entire Moon and on testing the presence of water-ice deposits at the bottom of permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles. The third task corresponds to the determination of neutron contribution to the total radiation dose at an altitude of 50 km above the Moon. We show that the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) will be capable of carrying out all 3 investigations. The design concept of LEND is presented together with results of numerical simulations of the instrument's sensitivity for hydrogen detection. The sensitivity of LEND is shown to be characterized by a hydrogen detection limit of about 100 ppm for a polar reference area with a radius of 5 km. If the presence of ice deposits in polar "cold traps" is confirmed, a unique record of many millions of years of lunar history would be obtained, by which the history of lunar impacts could be discerned from the layers of water ice and dust. Future applications of a LEND-type instrument for Mars orbital observations are also discussed.

Prognosis of TiO 2 abundance in lunar soil using a non-linear analysis of Clementine and LSCC data

We suggest a technique to determine the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface using artificial neural networks (ANNs). We demonstrate this powerful non-linear approach for prognosis of TiO 2 abundance using Clementine UV–VIS mosaics and Lunar Soil Characterization Consortium data. The ANN technique allows one to study correlations between spectral characteristics of lunar soils and composition parameters without any restrictions on the character of these correlations. The advantage of this method in comparison with the traditional linear regression method and the Lucey et al. approaches is shown. The results obtained could be useful for the strategy of analyzing lunar data that will be acquired in incoming lunar missions especially in case of the Chandrayaan-1 and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions.

Advances in Space Traveling-Wave Tubes for NASA Missions

Significant advances in the performance and reliability of traveling-wave tubes (TWTs) utilized in amplifying space communication signals for NASA missions have been achieved over the last three decades through collaborative efforts between NASA and primarily L-3 Communications Electron Technologies, Inc. (L-3 ETI). This paper summarizes some of the key milestones during this period and includes development of TWTs for the Communications Technology Satellite, Cassini, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions. Technical advances in computer modeling, design techniques, materials, and fabrication have enabled power efficiency to increase by almost 40% and the output power/mass figure-of-merit to increase by an order of magnitude during this period.