Use of an Analytical Theory for the Physical Libration of the Moon to Detect Free Nutation of the Lunar Core

A brief review of modern observational achievements and the theoretical basis of physical libration of the Moon is presented. Special attention is given to the inferred existence of a lunar core and determination of its parameters. The creation of a theory of physical libration of the Moon, which requires analyses of semi-empirical series of long-term laser observations and the use of the highly accurate DE421 dynamical ephemeris, is related to this. A large role in this area has been played by the analytical theory of physical libration of the Moon constructed by Yu.V. Barkin, which made it possible for the first time to derive parameters of the free nutation of the lunar core from observations. This paper is based on a talk given at the conference “Modern Astrometry 2017,” dedicated to the memory of K.V. Kuimov (Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, October 23–25, 2017).

     

The Moon 35 years after Apollo: What's left to learn?

With the cancellation of the Apollo program after Apollo 17 returned from the Moon in 1972, the focus of NASA switched to other areas of the Solar System. Study of the Moon did continue through analysis of the returned samples and remotely sensed data sets (both orbital and surface), as well as through Earth-based telescopic studies. In the 1990s, new orbital data were obtained from several missions (fly-by and orbital), the first being Galileo that allowed the lunar farside to be mapped, followed by global mapping by the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions.Interest in the Moon started to increase at the beginning of the 21st century as other nations focused their space exploration programs on the Moon. The speech by President Bush in January 2004 put the Moon back into the critical exploration path for NASA, paving the way for humans to return to the lunar surface by 2020. This return will be critical for developing technologies and protocols for the eventual human exploration of other parts of the solar system. At the time of writing (June 2008), the SELENE/Kaguya mission (Japan and Chang’e-1 (China) are orbiting the Moon, with Chandrayaan-1 (India) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (USA) being scheduled to launch later in 2008.The past (and present) exploration of the Moon begs the question “what's left to be done?” With the renewed focus on the Moon, now that it is on the pathway for the exploration of Mars (and beyond) a similar question has been raised - what should the astronauts do on the Moon? The publication of the New Views of the Moon book [Jolliff et al., 2006. New Views of the Moon, Reviews in Mineralogy, vol. 60. American Mineralogical Society, 721pp] highlighted a number of important scientific questions that remain unanswered as well as posing many more on the basis of the currently available data. These questions resonated in three Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) reports pertinent to this discussion, which were also published (on line) during 2006 (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/leag), and in the National Research Council of the National Academies [2007. The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon. National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 112pp] report entitled “The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon”. This paper synthesizes these recent studies, along with those from the 1980s and 1990s, to emphasize the lunar science questions that remain unanswered. In addition, it summarizes the missions already flown to the Moon along with those that are planned in order to give the reader an idea of exactly what lunar science has been and will be conducted in the hope that it will inspire proposals for missions to address the outstanding science questions.     

Studies of Modern Star Catalogs Based on Photoelectric Observations of Lunar Occultations of Stars

An important area of investigation in astronomy is the relationship between fundamental and dynamical coordinate systems. Valuable material for such studies is provided by photoelectric occultation observations of stars by the Moon, which can provide high precision of detecting rapidly occurring processes and have been carried out over a long time interval. This latter feature is especially important for analyses of the stellar propermotions dynamics. A method has been developed to use photoelectric occultation observations to determine the orientation and rotational parameters of the axes of the coordinate system used for modern star catalogs relative to the coordinate axes of a highly accurate dynamical ephemeris of theMoon. A complete database of photoelectric occultation observations has been created for this purpose, containing data for 57 365 events. The combination of photoelectric occultation observations and other astronomical observations such as lunar laser-ranging data enables the highly accurate determination of parameters of the Moon’s dynamics, such as systematic errors in catalog coordinate systems, including various geodetic reference systems. The parameters of shifts and the rotation of the axes of the Hipparcos Celestial Reference Frame relative to the DE421 dynamical system are obtained. This paper is based on a talk given at the conference “Modern Astrometry 2017,” dedicated to the memory of K.V. Kuimov (Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, October 23–25, 2017).

     

SMART-1 after lunar capture: First results and perspectives

SMART-1 is a technology demonstration mission for deep space solar electrical propulsion and technologies for the future. SMART-1 is Europe’s first lunar mission and will contribute to developing an international program of lunar exploration. The spacecraft was launched on 27th September 2003, as an auxiliary passenger to GTO on Ariane 5, to reach the Moon after a 15-month cruise, with lunar capture on 15th November 2004, just a week before the International Lunar Conference in Udaipur. SMART-1 carries seven experiments, including three remote sensing instruments used during the mission’s nominal six months and one year extension in lunar science orbit. These instruments will contribute to key planetary scientific questions, related to theories of lunar origin and evolution, the global and local crustal composition, the search for cold traps at the lunar poles and the mapping of potential lunar resources     

Frontiers in lunar science based on bibliometric analysisSCIEI北大核心CSCD

月球是人类开展深空探测的首选目标,月球探测是世界各国科技竞争的制高点。开展月球科学前沿研判,对我国实施深空探测战略、规划行星科学研究路径,进而赢得未来竞争优势至关重要。基于Web of Science数据库,本文利用文献计量学方法,对月球科学领域论文产出数量、学科和期刊分布、主要国家和领先机构的竞争力、国际合作等进行了深度分析,并通过聚类分析获得当前研究热点,梳理出五大研究领域和七大前沿问题。过去20年,我国在月球科学研究取得了长足进步,但仍然存在优秀论文少、顶尖学者少、学术期刊少的问题。未来月球科学可能在三个方向上实现突破:月球的水仍将是国际月球探测和研究的重点;月球内部结构探测或是我国弯道超车的机遇;新的月球样品将进一步揭示月球形成和演化的奥秘。本研究结果可以为我国未来月球探测和研究的规划与组织提供参考。     

月球资源探测信息的管理与可视化探讨

在中国未来的月球探测计划中,可能获取的月球表层数据包括地形、地貌、岩层、土壤、资源、环境以及各种相关的结构、物质成分数据。这些数据既有空间数据,也有属性数据。为了实现月球资源探测工作信息化,可以借鉴“数字地球”的理念并采用“多S”结合与集成化技术,对所获取的海量月球表层数据进行一体化存贮管理,构建一个“数字月球”并实现其空间数据和属性数据之间的双向查询检索,以及对表层复杂结构信息分析的可视化。     

月球极区冻结模拟月壤物理力学特性研究

近年来越来越多的探测结果表明,月球极区永久阴影区月壤中存在水冰。水是人类赖以生存的化学物质,也是理解月球独特的形成与演化过程的关键环节。因此,各航天大国均将月球极区作为探月工程的重要目标。冻结月壤的导热系数和单轴抗压强度是月球极区原位探测取样的基础和关键参数。本研究采用低温试验研究了冻结模拟月壤的导热系数和单轴抗压强度。结果表明：冻结模拟月壤导热系数随含水率增大而线性增大,冻结模拟月壤的导热系数为0.2~1.3 W?m^-1?K^-1。冻结模拟月壤单轴压缩过程中发生脆性破坏,5%含水率冻结模拟月壤单轴抗压强度约为5 MPa,10%含水率冻结模拟月壤单轴抗压强度约为13 MPa。在初始加载阶段,干密度相同、含水率不同的冻结模拟月壤试样因微裂纹压密导致的应变量基本相同;在线弹性阶段,冻结模拟月壤有效弹性模量随含水率增大而增大,其主要原因是含水率增大使得月壤颗粒间的冻结强度增大;在破坏阶段,含水率较高的冻结模拟月壤表现出脆性破坏特征,含水率较低的冻结模拟月壤表现出更显著的塑性特征。研究结果将为月球永久阴影区水冰探测方案制定、探测器研制等提供基础的科学数据支撑。     

我国月球探测的总体科学目标与发展战略

在简述月球探测的历程与趋势的基础上,强调当代月球探测的总体目标为：①研究月球与地月系的起源和演化,特别是月球大气层与磁场的消失,矿物与岩石的分布和形成环境、月壤和内部层圈结构的形成以及月球演化的历程;②探测月球的资源、能源和特殊环境的开发利用及对人类社会长期可持续发展的支撑。我国不载人月球探测划分为绕、落、回三个阶段。为了全球性、整体性重新认识月球,绕月卫星探测的科学目标是为了获取全月面三维影像,探测14种有用元素的全球分布与丰度,探测月壤厚度并估算氦 3资源量以及太阳活动对空间环境的影响。"落"为月球探测器软着陆就位探测和月球车巡视探测,建立月基光学、低频射电和极紫外天文观测平台。"回"为月球探测器软着陆就位探测和取样返回地面。     

Correlated δ18O and [Ti] in lunar zircons: a terrestrial perspective for magma temperatures and water content on the Moon

Zircon grains were separated from lunar regolith and rocks returned from four Apollo landing sites, and analyzed in situ by secondary ion mass spectrometry. Many regolith zircons preserve magmatic δ¹⁸O and trace element compositions and, although out of petrologic context, represent a relatively unexplored resource for study of the Moon and possibly other bodies in the solar system. The combination of oxygen isotope ratios and [Ti] provides a unique geochemical signature that identifies zircons from the Moon. The oxygen isotope ratios of lunar zircons are remarkably constant and unexpectedly higher in δ¹⁸O (5.61 ± 0.07 ‰ VSMOW) than zircons from Earth’s oceanic crust (5.20 ± 0.03 ‰) even though mare basalt whole-rock samples are nearly the same in δ¹⁸O as oceanic basalts on Earth (~5.6 ‰). Thus, the average fractionation of oxygen isotopes between primitive basalt and zircon is smaller on the Moon [Δ¹⁸O(WR-Zrc) = 0.08 ± 0.09 ‰] than on Earth (0.37 ± 0.04 ‰). The smaller fractionations on the Moon suggest higher temperatures of zircon crystallization in lunar magmas and are consistent with higher [Ti] in lunar zircons. Phase equilibria estimates also indicate high temperatures for lunar magmas, but not specifically for evolved zircon-forming melts. If the solidus temperature of a given magma is a function of its water content, then so is the crystallization temperature of any zircon forming in that melt. The systematic nature of O and Ti data for lunar zircons suggests a model based on the following observations. Many of the analyzed lunar zircons are likely from K, rare earth elements, P (KREEP)-Zr-rich magmas. Zircon does not saturate in normal mafic magmas; igneous zircons in mafic rocks are typically late and formed in the last most evolved portion of melts. Even if initial bulk water content is moderately low, the late zircon-forming melt can concentrate water locally. In general, water lowers crystallization temperatures, in which case late igneous zircon can form at significantly lower temperatures than the solidus inferred for a bulk-rock composition. Although lunar basalts could readily lose H₂ to space during eruption, lowering water fugacity; the morphology, large size, and presence in plutonic rocks suggest that many zircons crystallized at depths that retarded degassing. In this case, the crystallization temperatures of zircons are a sensitive monitor of the water content of the parental magma as well as the evolved zircon-forming melt. If the smaller Δ¹⁸O(zircon–mare basalt) values reported here are characteristic of the Moon, then that would suggest that even highly evolved zircon-forming magmas on the Moon crystallized at higher temperature than similar magmas on Earth and that magmas, though not necessarily water-free, were generally drier on the Moon.     

中国未来载人登月月震实验必要性和方案设计

Apollo被动月震台站仅覆盖了月球正面有限的面积,不能对全月球的内部结构进行精细分析,因此在我国未来的载人登月中继续开展月震探测是非常必要的。基于我国现有的空间探测技术条件,并针对未来载人登月的探测任务,设计了两种月震观测网络方案:一是基本方案,可以基本满足对月球内部结构进行探测的要求;二是优化方案,可满足较高分辨率的月球内部结构探测。两种方案中的月震仪网络在月球正面、背面和南北极均有覆盖,可对全月球的内部结构进行探测。最后对月震观测的基本技术参数、设备及布置地点提出了相应的要求。     

Origin of the Earth's moon: Constraints from alkali volatile trace elements

Although the Moon is depleted in volatile elements compared to the Earth, these depletions are not in accord with simple volatility. For example, the $\text{Cs}\text{Rb}$ ratios of the Earth and Moon inferred from basalts are approximately one seventh and one half of the CI ratio, respectively. Volatility considerations alone predict that the lunar $\text{Cs}\text{Rb}$ ratio should be equal to or lower than the terrestrial ratio if the Moon was derived entirely from Earth mantle material. Thus hypotheses such as rotational fission which invoke derivation of lunar material entirely from the Earth's mantle may be excluded. The collisional ejection hypothesis of lunar origin requires at least 18% of lunar material to be derived from a projectile with dehydrated CI composition to match the lunar $\text{Cs}\text{Rb}$ ratio, and 25%–50% to match both the lunar $\text{Cs}\text{Rb}$ ratio and absolute concentrations of Cs and Rb. It remains to be demonstrated that this relatively large contribution of projectile material is consistent with other elemental abundances and element ratios in the Moon.     

A protracted timeline for lunar bombardment from mineral chemistry,Ti thermometry and U–Pb geochronology of Apollo 14 melt breccia zircons

New zircon U–Pb and trace element investigations from Apollo 14 lunar impact breccia sample #14311 reveal at least three distinct (Concordia, 2σ) age populations at 4334 ± 10, 4245 ± 10 and 3953 ± 10 Ma. Titanium-in-zircon thermometry (Ti ^xln ) results correlated with U–Pb ages range from ~800–1200 ºC. Lattice strain models used to infer zircon versus whole-rock rare earth element contents, and partitioning calculations against lunar impact breccia component compositions, quantitatively constrain formation conditions for the different age populations. A compilation of new data with published work shows that Apollo 14 zircons older than ca. 4300 Ma formed by igneous processes associated with lunar crust formation. Compositional variability in the ca. 4240 Ma zircon age population is interpretable, however, via a mixture of inherited and melt-generated components from one or more large impacts perhaps related to a marked increase in bombardment flux. Ages from the youngest zircon group at ca. 3950 Ma coincide with the classical “late heavy bombardment” (LHB) as documented from previous lunar geochronologies. These results lend support to the idea that instead of a simple unimodal LHB scenario, or a monotonic decline in impacts, the Moon was battered by multiple cataclysms since ca. 4240 Ma. Such a “Picket fence”-like bombardment to the Moon best describes the mode and tempo of impacts that accompanied the late stages of solar system formation and giant planet migration.     

Origin of titaniferous lunar basalts

Delineation of low pressure phase equilibria in the composition space relevant to titaniferous lunar basalts demonstrates a significant degree of control by those equilibria on the compositions of the basalts. The existence of two distinct chemical groups of basalts (high and low-K) which cannot be related one to the other by fractional crystallization at any pressure, suggests that melting is responsible for the two groups. Consideration of the pressure shift required to produce the differences between groups constrains magma segregation to have occurred in the outer 150 km of the Moon. It is difficult to relate low-Ti and high-Ti basalts to the same source region. The preferred source region of high-Ti basalts, based on phase equilibrium considerations, is a late ilmenite-rich cumulate produced from the residual liquid of the primordial differentiation of the outer portions of the Moon. This ilmenite-rich layer is sandwiched between the lunar feldspathic crust and a complementary mafic cumulate.     

月球引力场和磁场探测新进展

简要地回顾了前苏联、美国探测月球引力场和磁场的历史,介绍了各国的探月计划;较详细地介绍和分析了美国克莱门汀(Clementine,Cl）和月球探测者(Lunar Prospector,LP)两艘飞船探测月球引力场和磁场的最新成果：Konopliv A S等根据月球探测者数据绘制的最新月球重力图(LP100j,月球正面n=90,背面n=60),Halekas J S等根据月球探测者电子反射测量数据绘制的第一张全月球磁场图,Zuber M T等根据克莱门汀数据制作的月球(自由空间和布格)重力异常图和月壳厚度图;提出了开展有关研究工作的几点建议。     

月球形成演化与月球地质图编研

按照大碰撞假说,月球形成于一次大碰撞事件,抛射出的高能量物质留在绕地轨道上,最后吸积形成月球。月球核幔在早期迅速发生分离,并出现全球性的岩浆熔融,形成了岩浆圈层（岩浆洋）。岩浆洋的结晶分异和固化导致了月壳的形成。随着月壳与月幔发生持续分异,形成了固化的月壳。而在月球后期的演化历史中,撞击作用是最重要的地质作用,形成了多尺度、多期次的撞击盆地和撞击坑,而大型撞击盆地多形成于月球演化的早期。月球地质图是开展月球形成与演化研究的重要手段,从20世纪60年代起,到70年代末止,通过对阿波罗时代探月成果的系统总结,完成了第一轮月球地质图的研制。但尽管从20世纪90年代以来国际月球探测和月球科学的研究进入一个新的高潮,获得了大量有关月球形成和演化的新认识,但还没有正式的新的月球地质图发布,因此开展新一轮月球地质图的编研,系统总结后阿波罗时代的月球探测与研究成果,是非常必要和迫切的。在新一轮月球地质图的编制过程中,需重点关注图件比例尺的选择、月面历史的划分以及月球构造和岩石建造的表达。     

月岭形成机制及其与潮汐力的相关性分析

月岭作为月表常见的线性构造类型之一,具有一定的分布规律。利用LRO(Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter)的DEM数据提取月岭剖面并进行了构造分析,认为月岭主体为逆冲断层叠加牵引褶皱的挤压构造形成机制。前人多用月海盆地沉降叠加月球热能收缩解释月岭的成因,但它无法解释盆地中央月岭呈近南北向的优选方位,这种现象可能是受到近东西向区域性挤压应力的影响,与潮汐力对月球中低纬度区域的应力作用状态相符,推测潮汐力可能是盆地中央月岭形成的主因。综合利用嫦娥一号CCD影像数据、Lunar Orbiter和LRO全色波段影像数据,解译识别出月球正面中低纬度1 464条月岭。对其进行方向统计,结果表明,月岭整体走向也与Melosh预测的在潮汐力作用下形成的构造样式相似。由此推测,月岭的展布与潮汐力具有很强的相关性,进一步论证了月岭的形成与潮汐力有关。     

Shadow–highlight feature matching automatic small crater recognition using high-resolution digital orthophoto map from Chang’E Missions

This paper introduces a new method of small lunar craters’ automatic identification, using digital orthophoto map (DOM) data. The core of the approach is the fact that the lunar exploration DOM data reveal contrasting highlight and shadow characteristics of small craters under sunlight irradiation. This research effort combines image processing and mathematical modeling. Overall it proposes a new planetary data processing approach, to segment and extract the highlight and shadow regions of small craters, using the image gray frequency (IGF) statistical method. IGF can also be applied to identify the coupling relationships between small craters’ shape and their relative features. This paper presents the highlight and shadow pair matching (HSPM) model which manages to perform high-precision automatic recognition of small lunar craters. Testing was performed using the DOM data of Chang’E-2 (CE-2). The results have shown that the proposed method has a high level of successful detection rate. The proposed methodology that uses DOM data can complement the drawbacks of the digital elevation model (DEM) that has a relatively high false detection rate. A hybrid fusion model (FUM) that combines both DOM and DEM data, was carried out to simultaneously identify small, medium, and large-sized craters. It has been proven that the FUM generally shows stronger recognition ability compared to previous approaches and it can be adapted for high precision identification of craters on the whole lunar surface. The results meet the requirements for a reliable and accurate exploration of the Moon and the planets.

     

Advances in lunar science from the Clementine mission: A decadal perspective

The Clementine spacecraft orbited the Moon and acquired science data for 10 weeks in the Spring of 1994. During this time it collected global 11-band multispectral images and near global altimetry. Select areas of the Moon were imaged at 25 m/pixel in visible light and 60 m/pixel in thermal wavelengths. From these datasets a new paradigm for the evolution of the lunar crust emerged. The Moon is no longer viewed as a two-terrane planet, the Apollo samples were found not to represent the lunar crust as a whole, and the complexity of lunar crustal stratigraphy was further revealed. More than ten years later the Clementine datasets continue to significantly advance lunar science and will continue to do so as new measurements are returned from planned missions such as Chandrayaan, SELENE, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This paper highlights the scientific research conducted over the last decade using Clementine data and summarizes the influence of Clementine on our understanding of the Moon.     

Mechanical characteristics of a lunar regolith simulant at low confining pressure

Manned lunar exploration has recently attracted renewed interest. This includes the NASA Constellation program to return humans to the Moon by 2020, the ESA Aurora program which may use the Moon as a way station to prepare for major interplanetary exploration by 2025, and the PRC program to send a human to the Moon by 2030 and build a temporary manned lunar base by 2040. One of the problems demanding a solution is the stresses on the mechanical characteristics of the lunar regolith under the microgravity environment. The gravity on the Moon is about 1/6 that on Earth. The regolith is subject to very low confining stresses under a microgravity environment and the mechanical properties can change correspondingly. Because of the limited amount of lunar regolith brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions, a lunar regolith simulant was developed using silicon carbide to investigate the properties of the lunar regolith. Based on triaxial tests, this study analyzed the mechanical properties of the lunar regolith simulant at low stresses including the shear strength, peak strength and dilatation angle. The research results provide useful information on lunar regolith characteristics for astronauts returning to the Moon and for building a temporary manned lunar base.     

月球岩浆洋演化的实验岩石学研究进展SCIEI北大核心CSCD

由于缺少直接来自月球深部的岩石样品,实验和计算模拟是认识早期月球演化过程的有效方法和手段。20世纪70年代以来,陆续开展了大量的实验岩石学和实验地球化学工作对月球岩浆洋(lunar magma ocean,LMO)演化模型进行验证和修正。但是,学界对LMO模型中的两个关键性参数,即初始物质组成和熔融深度,仍然存在不同的认识。根据月震和重力探测数据推测的平均月壳厚度的差异、月球样品含水量的研究以及新的遥感数据解译发现月表广泛分布富镁铝尖晶石(Cr#<5)等等,直接影响我们对月球初始物质组成和LMO深度以及月球深部高压矿物相的评估。本文通过整理高温高压实验岩石学和实验地球化学在研究LMO演化方面的一系列研究成果,主要聚焦以下几个科学问题:(1)月球初始物质组成中的难熔元素和挥发分含量,以及LMO深度对月壳厚度、结晶矿物的种类及含量有着决定性的影响;(2)高压矿物相石榴子石在月球深部稳定存在的可能性及其对残余岩浆中微量元素的分配行为的制约;(3)特殊类型的月球样品(包括火山玻璃、镁质岩套等)的成因机制对月球深部物质组成具有指示意义;(4)月核的不同物质组成对LMO模型的初始成分含量,特别是微量元素的限定作用。我们以最新的观测数据和月球样品的分析结果为依据,对已有的LMO演化模型进行重新评估,提出月球深部含有石榴子石的LMO演化模型的可能性,并对该方向亟需开展的工作进行探讨。