NASA scientists and researchers released data showing that physical processes like meteoroid stream impacts, helium and hydrogen particles from the sun, and thermal absorption impact the composition of the moon’s surface. The observations from the data, collected by the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft, will be incorporated into future models of the atmosphere surrounding the moon to help scientists understand how the solar system originated and how it is changing.
“We’re using these findings to build new exosphere models of how the space environment interacts with the surfaces of airless bodies, which we can use to better predict the processes and behaviors around other ‘airless’ bodies,” said Menelaos Sarantos, associate research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center and at UMBC, and coauthor of the paper.
Understanding the behaviors of exospheres enables researchers to learn about the evolution and state of airless bodies, like the moon, and can help scientists better understand the soil composition and processes in atmospheres beyond our solar system.
The data was collected during LADEE’s robotic mission and features an Ultraviolet Visible Spectrometer, which orbited the moon and gathered information about the atmosphere, surficial conditions, and environmental influences. Measurements of sodium and potassium levels on the moon were collected every 12 hours for about five months. LADEE was launched in 2013, and before that time, only three measurements of potassium in the moon’s exosphere were available. The data is published in the journal Science.
Information based on press release from NASA Ames Research Center. Read the full release on the NASA website.
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Photo by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC by 2.0.
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