Observations of the lunar geometric albedo during the ATLAS‐3 mission

Abstract

During the ATLAS‐3 mission on the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS‐66) in November of 1994, a unique opportunity arose that enabled the solar‐viewing instruments to observe ultraviolet radiation from the Moon. During these observations the Moon was at a phase angle of 51.8°. Measurements by the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV) instrument indicate lunar geometric albedo values, after correction to full moon, of 4.4%–8.3% in the wavelength range from 250 nm to 400 nm. These results are in good agreement with past measurements.