| Autor: |
Moriarty, D. P.1,2,3 (AUTHOR) daniel.p.moriarty@nasa.gov, Petro, N. E.1 (AUTHOR) |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets. Apr2024, Vol. 129 Issue 4, p1-18. 18p. |
| Abstrakt: |
The lunar south pole is a region of focused scientific and exploration interest, with several crewed and robotic missions to this region planned within the next decade. Understanding the mineralogy of the region is essential to inform landing site characterization and selection and provides the key context for interpreting samples and in situ observations. At high latitudes, extreme illumination conditions (high phase angles) can negatively impact the data quality of orbital instruments. This is especially true for passive near‐infrared spectrometers such as the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) and the Kaguya Spectral Profiler, which measure the spectral properties of the surface using reflected sunlight. Using Moon Mineralogy Mapper data, we observed that the south polar region is associated with a detectable mafic signature consistent with the presence of pyroxenes. The strongest mafic signatures are associated with the South Pole—Aitken Basin, suggesting that impact melt and basin ejecta from the lower crust and upper mantle are present within this region. This observation is validated in several ways: (a) comparisons between M3 data acquired during different mission phases, (b) comparisons between multiple spectral parameters sensitive to the presence of mafic minerals, (c) comparisons between the north and south lunar polar regions, and (d) comparisons with publicly available Kaguya polar mineralogy maps and Lunar Prospector elemental abundances. We also investigate the nature of an anomalous high‐albedo region within 2–3° of the south pole observed in Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter reflectance data exhibiting a spatially conflicting apparent FeO abundance pattern between several data sets. Plain Language Summary: The lunar south pole region is a region of focused scientific and exploration interest, with several crewed and robotic missions to this region currently planned within the next decade and beyond. The rocks and minerals at the lunar south pole are very different from those encountered during the Apollo missions and will provide insight into a wide range of important science questions. It is important to understand the abundance and distribution of these different materials to effectively choose landing sites and plan surface science experiments and sampling targets. We combine several data sets from orbital satellites to determine the types and distribution of rocks across the south polar region. We see evidence for the presence of lower crust and upper mantle materials excavated by a nearby giant impact basin. Key Points: Moon Mineralogy Mapper data shows that the south polar region exhibits a mafic signature consistent with the presence of pyroxenesMafic signatures are spatially correlated with ejecta from the South Pole—Aitken Basin, which may be sampled by Artemis astronautsAn anomalous high‐albedo region within ∼3° of the south pole exhibits spatially conflicting apparent FeO abundance patterns between several data products [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
GreenFILE |
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