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Initial results for the north pole of the Moon from Mini-SAR, Chandrayaan-1 mission
Kirk, R. L.; Neish, C. D.; Butler, B. J. +27 more
We present new polarimetric radar data for the surface of the north pole of the Moon acquired with the Mini-SAR experiment onboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Between mid-February and mid-April, 2009, Mini-SAR mapped more than 95% of the areas polewards of 80° latitude at a resolution of 150 meters. The north polar region displays backscatte…
First observation of a mini-magnetosphere above a lunar magnetic anomaly using energetic neutral atoms
Barabash, Stas; Holmström, Mats; Futaana, Yoshifumi +7 more
The Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) instrument on the Indian Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has produced for the first time an image of a lunar magnetic anomaly in backscattered hydrogen atoms. The image shows that a partial void of the solar wind, a mini-magnetosphere, is formed above the strong magnetic anomaly near the Crisium antipode. The m…
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) Technology Demonstration
Nozette, Stewart; Spudis, Paul; Bussey, Ben +8 more
The Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) system is manifested on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) as a technology demonstration and an extended mission science instrument. Mini-RF represents a significant step forward in spaceborne RF technology and architecture. It combines synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at two wavelengths (S-band and X-band…
Dynamics of solar wind protons reflected by the Moon
Barabash, S.; Holmström, M.; Futaana, Y. +2 more
Solar system bodies that lack a significant atmosphere and significant internal magnetic fields, such as the Moon and asteroids, have been considered passive absorbers of the solar wind. However, ion observations near the Moon by the SELENE spacecraft show that a fraction of the impacting solar wind protons are reflected by the surface of the Moon…
The sunlit lunar atmosphere: A comprehensive study by CHACE on the Moon Impact Probe of Chandrayaan-1
Sridharan, R.; Ahmed, S. M.; Pratim Das, Tirtha +4 more
The altitudinal/latitudinal profile of the lunar atmospheric composition on the sunlit side was unraveled for the first time by the Chandra's Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) on the Moon Impact Probe, a standalone micro-satellite that impacted at the lunar south pole, as a part of the first Indian mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1. Systematic…
Protons in the near-lunar wake observed by the Sub-keV Atom Reflection Analyzer on board Chandrayaan-1
Barabash, S.; Holmström, M.; Futaana, Y. +7 more
Significant proton fluxes were detected in the near-wake region of the Moon by an ion mass spectrometer on board Chandrayaan-1. The energy of these nightside protons is slightly higher than the energy of the solar wind protons. The protons are detected close to the lunar equatorial plane at a 140° solar zenith angle, that is, ∼50° behind the termi…
Minerals mapping of the lunar surface with Clementine UVVIS/NIR data based on spectra unmixing method and Hapke model
Wang, Zhenchao; Yan, Bokun; Gan, Fuping +1 more
The distribution of minerals on the lunar surface is information which could contribute to studying lunar origin and evolution. In this paper, the distribution of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, olivine, ilmenite, and plagioclase on the lunar surface has been mapped based on Hapke radiative transfer model and linear unmixing of spectra with Clementi…
A preliminary experience in the use of Chang’E-1 IIM data
Chen, Jun; Wu, Yunzhao; Zheng, Yongchun +7 more
The Interference Imaging Spectrometer (IIM) onboard the first lunar satellite of China, Chang'E-1, has acquired 84% of the area between south and north latitude 70°. To contribute to its usability, this paper presents our preliminary experience in the use of IIM data. Firstly, we provide one practicable method for the on-orbit correction of the in…
Radiative transfer modeling of near-infrared reflectance of lunar highland and mare soils
Cahill, J. T. S.; Lucey, P. G.; Stockstill-Cahill, K. R. +1 more
With near-infrared hyperspectral data sets returned from KAGUYA/SELENE and Chandrayaan-1's Moon Mineralogic Mapper (M3), accurate evaluation and interpretation of lunar data sets with higher spectral resolution has never been more critical. Here we test a new radiative transfer spectral modeling algorithm to determine composition from h…
Calibration of the C1XS instrument on Chandrayaan-1
Howe, C. J.; Kellett, B. J.; Narendranath, S. +5 more
The Chandrayaan-1 X-ray spectrometer (C1XS) experiment on the Chandrayaan-1 mission was designed to carry out spectroscopic observations in the 1-10 keV range for deriving lunar chemistry. We present results from the ground calibration of the Swept Charge Devices (SCDs) on C1XS at the RESIK X-ray beam facility at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Ch…