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Surface-Correlated Nanophase Iron Metal in Lunar Soils: Petrography and Space Weathering EffectsSpace weathering is a term used to include all of the processes that act on material exposed at the surface of a planetary or small body. In the case of the Moon, it includes a variety of processes that formed the lunar regolith, caused the maturation of lunar soils, and formed patina on rock surfaces. The processes include micrometeorite impact and reworking, implantation of solar wind and flare particles, radiation damage and chemical effects from solar particles and cosmic rays, interactions with the lunar atmosphere, and sputtering erosion and deposition. Space weathering effects collectively result in a reddened continuum slope, lowered albedo, and attenuated absorption features in reflectance spectra of lunar soils as compared to finely comminuted rocks from the same Apollo sites. Understanding these effects is critical in order to fully integrate the lunar sample collection with remotely sensed data from recent robotic missions (e.g., Lunar Prospector, Clementine, Galileo). Our objective is to determine the origin of space weathering effects in lunar soils through combined electron microscopy and microspectrophotometry techniques applied to individual soil particles from <20 pm size factions (dry-sieved) of mature lunar soils. It has been demonstrated that it is the finest size fraction (<25 pm) of lunar soils that dominates the optical properties of the bulk soils.
Document ID
19990046137
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Keller, Lindsay P.
(MVA, Inc. Norcross, GA United States)
Wentworth, Susan J.
(Lockheed Martin Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX United States)
McKay, David S.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1998
Publication Information
Publication: Workshop on New Views of the Moon: Integrated Remotely Sensed, Geophysical, and Sample Datasets
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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