The Moon is the nearest celestial object and will therefore play a central role in the exploration and utilization of space in the near future. Many countries and private organizations have recognized this and are planning to send various space missions to the moon. For this task, the surface composition of the moon must be known in detail.
The moon is covered by a layer of fine-grained material known as regolith. To obtain information about the regolith, such as grain size or stratification, we used data from the Diviner instrument on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Diviner measures the surface temperature of the regolith at any location on the moon and at any time of day or night.
To determine the regolith properties, we developed a thermophysical model that simulates the surface temperatures. By comparing model and measurement, regolith properties such as grain size and packing density can be derived.
In the current publication, we present the thermophysical model for the lunar regolith and investigate whether the properties of the regolith depend on latitude.
The regolith properties at the lunar poles are of particular interest, as evidence of water ice has been found there and the South Pole is the target of the Artemis mission. In order to better interpret the measured surface temperatures at the poles, we are currently also working on a 3D model that simulates shadows and scattering effects and thus improves the modeling of temperatures at shallow irradiation angles and craters.
related publication:
Bürger, J., Hayne, P. O., Gundlach, B., Läuter, M., Kramer, T., & Blum, J. (2024). A microphysical thermal model for the lunar regolith: Investigating the latitudinal dependence of regolith properties. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129, e2023JE008152. doi.org/10.1029/2023JE008152