Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission and Spacecraft Design

Tooley, Craig; Houghton, M. B.; Saylor, Richard; Peddie, C.; Everett, D.; Baker, Charles Laurence; Safdie, Kristina N.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-6391-8_4

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…We included data collected in the pre‐mapping 30 × 216 km orbit during the first 60 days after the lunar orbit insertion sequence [ Tooley et al , 2010] resulting in variable spatial resolution data. The 32 pixels per degree (PPD) bin size effectively resamples the data to ∼500–1000 m/pixel and in most cases spatial resolution is reduced by a factor of 2–4, but with the higher altitude pre‐mapping orbit data acquired near periapsis at higher latitudes, data can be oversampled by a factor of ∼2 in the cross‐track direction.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lunar surface rock abundance and regolith fines temperatures derived from LRO Diviner Radiometer data

Bandfield¹,

Ghent²,

Vasavada³

et al. 2011

J. Geophys. Res.

282

385

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[1] Surface temperatures derived from thermal infrared measurements provide a means of understanding the physical properties of the lunar surface. The contrasting thermophysical properties between rocks and regolith fines cause multiple temperatures to be present within the field of view of nighttime multispectral data returned from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Diviner Radiometer between 60°N/S latitudes. Regolith temperatures are influenced by the presence of rocks in addition to factors such as the thermophysical properties of the regolith fines, latitude and local slopes, and radiative heating from adjacent crater walls. Preliminary comparisons of derived rock concentrations with LRO Camera images show both qualitative and quantitative agreement. Although comparisons of derived rock concentrations with circular polarization ratio radar data sets display general similarities, there are clear differences between the two data sets in the relative magnitude and areal extent of rocky signatures. Several surface units can be distinguished based on their regolith temperature and rock concentration values and distributions including maria and highlands surfaces, rocky impact craters, rilles, and wrinkle ridges, dark mantled deposits, and isolated cold surfaces. Rock concentrations are correlated with crater age and rocks are only preserved on the youngest surfaces or where steep slopes occur and mass wasting prevents mantling with fines. The presence of rocky surfaces excavated by young impacts allows for the estimation of minimum regolith thickness from the size of the impact. The derived rock concentrations confirm the presence of thicker regolith cover in the highlands and in locations of radar-dark haloes.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lunar surface rock abundance and regolith fines temperatures derived from LRO Diviner Radiometer data

Bandfield¹,

Ghent²,

Vasavada³

et al. 2011

J. Geophys. Res.

282

385

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While commissioning was characterized by an elliptical orbit (45–190 km altitude), the primary mission and the first months of the science mission are characterized by a quasi‐circular polar orbit. The orbit altitude varies between 35 and 65 km, with a mean of 50 km [ Tooley et al , 2010].…”

Section: Image Characterization and Stereo Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

GLD100: The near‐global lunar 100 m raster DTM from LROC WAC stereo image data

et al. 2012

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[1] We derived near-global lunar topography from stereo image data acquired by the Wide-angle Camera (WAC) of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) system. From polar orbit tracks, the LROC WAC provides image data with a mean ground resolution at nadir of 75 m/pixel with substantial cross-track stereo overlap. WAC stereo images from the one-year nominal mission and the first months of the science mission phase are combined to produce a near-global digital terrain model (DTM) with a pixel spacing of 100 m, the Global Lunar DTM 100 m, or "GLD100." It covers 79 S to 79 N latitudes, 98.2% of the entire lunar surface. We compare the GLD100 with results from previous stereo and altimetry-based products, particularly with the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) altimetry, which is the current topographic reference for the Moon. We describe typical characteristics of the GLD100 and, based upon the comparison to the LOLA data set, assess its vertical and lateral resolution and accuracy. We conclude that the introduced first version of the stereo-based GLD100 is a valuable topographic representation of the lunar surface, complementary to the LOLA altimetry data set. Further improvements can be expected from continuative investigations.

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“…The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, one of seven instruments on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO; Chin et al, ; Tooley et al, ; Vondrak et al, ), has been acquiring solar reflectance and midinfrared radiance measurements of the Moon since July of 2009 (Paige et al, ). These radiance measurements have provided information on how regolith on airless bodies store and exchange thermal energy with the space environment (Bandfield et al, , ; Hayne et al, ; Vasavada et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Polar Temperatures on the Moon

et al. 2019

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The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been acquiring visible and infrared radiance measurements of the Moon for nearly 10 years. These data have been compiled into polar stereographic maps of temperatures poleward of 80° latitude at fixed local times and fixed subsolar longitudes to provide an overview of diurnal temperatures of the polar regions. The data have been divided into winter and summer seasons, defined by the times of year when the subsolar latitude is above or below the equator, to characterize the variations in seasonal temperatures that result from the 1.54° angle between the Moon's spin pole and the ecliptic plane. Since the illumination in the polar regions is perpetually at grazing angles, topography plays a dominate role in surface temperatures. Consequently, the surface and near‐surface thermal environment can vary in complex ways with time of day and season, which produces areas that are seasonally shadowed for prolonged periods and that are much more extensive than the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). We find that surfaces below 110 K capable of cold trapping water over 1 Gyr increases by factors of 2.8 and 4.3 in the winter for the south and north polar regions, respectively, with seasonal residence times of adsorbed water molecules occurring at higher temperatures and thus larger areas.

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission and Spacecraft Design

Cited by 17 publications

References 4 publications

Lunar surface rock abundance and regolith fines temperatures derived from LRO Diviner Radiometer data

Lunar surface rock abundance and regolith fines temperatures derived from LRO Diviner Radiometer data

GLD100: The near‐global lunar 100 m raster DTM from LROC WAC stereo image data

Seasonal Polar Temperatures on the Moon

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