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.     

月地岩矿光谱特征对比及月表信息提取方法简介

分析了月、地同类岩石矿物的光谱特征差异,对比了遥感地质信息提取方法和模型的适用性。利用Clemen-tine UV-VIS（紫外—可见光）数据,以月表典型撞击坑Aristillus（阿里斯基尔）和典型月海Humorum（湿海）为研究区,对月球表面岩矿信息提取方法进行了初步实践。     

基于Clementine热红外数据的Apollo17登月点区域氧化钙含量反演

为了研究利用Clementine热红外数据反演月球表面岩石的氧化钙(Ca O)含量,论文选取了两景覆盖Apollo17登月点的Clementine热红外影像,将其覆盖的区域选为研究区。利用月球表面温度物理模型模拟月表温度,结合普朗克函数,完成发射率反演。在此基础上,对LPI中35个除Apollo17登月计划外所采集的样品Ca O含量与其热红外发射率特征做回归统计分析,发现存在很好的线性关系(R2=0.661)。由此,基于Clementine热红外发射率实现了研究区Ca O含量反演。通过利用LPI Apollo17月岩(壤)样品实际Ca O含量分析数据对反演结果进行精度评价,发现8组反演值与实际值的相对误差最小为1.77%,最大为9.29%,均方根误差为0.767。研究结果表明,使用发射率进行Ca O含量反演方法可行,为利用Clementine热红外数据对月表矿物成分含量定量反演提供一种新的思路。     

A Large Basin on the Near Side of the Moon

The differences between the surface structure of the near side and the far side of the Moon have been topics of interest ever since photographs of the far side have been available. One recurrent hypothesis is that a large impact on the near side has deposited ejecta on the far side, resulting in thicker crust there. Specific proposals were made by P.H. Cadogan for the Gargantuan Basin and by E.A. Whitaker for the Procellarum Basin. Despite considerable effort, no consensus has been reached on the existence of these basins. The problem of searching for such a basin is one of finding its signature in a somewhat chaotic field of basin and crater impacts. The search requires a model of the topographic shape of an impact basin and its ejecta field. Such a model is described, based on elevation data of lunar basins collected by the Lidar instrument of the Clementine mission and crustal thickness data derived from tracking Clementine and other spacecraft. The parameters of the model are scaled according to the principles of dimensional analysis and isostatic compensation in the early Moon. The orbital dynamics of the ejecta and the curvature of the Moon are also taken into account. Using such a scaled model, a search for the best fit for a large basin led to identification of a basin whose cavity covers more than half the Moon, including the area of all of the impact basins visible on the near side. The center of this basin is at 22 degrees east longitude and 8.5 degrees north latitude and its average radius is approximately 3,160 km. It is a megabasin, a basin that contains other basins (the far side South Pole-Aitken Basin also qualifies for that designation). It has been called the Near Side Megabasin. Much of the material ejected from the basin escaped the Moon, but the remainder formed an ejecta blanket that covered all of the far side beyond the basin rim to a depth of from 6 to 30 km. Isostatic compensation reduced the depth relative to the mean surface to a range of 1–5 km, but the crustal thickness data reveals the full extent of the original ejecta. The elevation profile of the ejecta deposited on the far side, together with modification for subsequent impacts by known basins (especially the far side South Pole-Aitken Basin) matches the available topographic data to a high degree. The standard deviation of the residual elevations (after subtracting the model from the measured elevations) is about one-half of the standard deviation of the measured elevations. A section on implications discusses the relations of this giant basin to known variations in the composition, mineralogy, and elevations of different lunar terranes.     

The Clementine mission —A 10-year perspective

Clementine was a technology demonstration mission jointly sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA that was launched on January 25th, 1994. Its principal objective was to use the Moon, a near-Earth asteroid, and the spacecraft’s Interstage Adapter as targets to demonstrate lightweight sensor performance and several innovative spacecraft systems and technologies. The design, development, and operation of the Clementine spacecraft and ground system was performed by the Naval Research Laboratory. For over two months Clementine mapped the Moon, producing the first multispectral global digital map of the Moon, the first global topographic map, and contributing several other important scientific discoveries, including the possibility of ice at the lunar South Pole. New experiments or schedule modifications were made with minimal constraints, maximizing science return, thus creating a new paradigm for mission operations. Clementine was the first mission known to conduct an in-flight autonomous operations experiment. After leaving the Moon, Clementine suffered an onboard failure that caused cancellation of the asteroid rendezvous. Despite this setback, NASA and the DOD applied the lessons learned from the Clementine mission to later missions. Clementine set the standard against which new small spacecraft missions are commonly measured. More than any other mission, Clementine has the most influence (scientifically, technically, and operationally) on the lunar missions being planned for the next decade.     

基于光谱分解的Clementine UV/VIS/NIR数据月表矿物填图

月表主要矿物的空间分布是研究月球起源演化等科学问题的重要基础信息之一。基于Hapke模型与光谱线性分解的矿物提取方法,利用Clementine UV/VIS/NIR数据提取月表单斜辉石、斜方辉石、橄榄石、斜长石及钛铁矿等5类主要矿物的体积百分含量分布,并基于阿波罗（Apollo）月岩（壤）矿物分析数据对提取结果进行评价,对方法和提取结果中存在的问题进行分析,提出了进一步改进的措施。     

Research on the Distribution and Content of Water Ice in Lunar Pole Regions Using Clementine UVVIS Data

Interest in the Moon started to increase at the beginning of the 21st century,and henceforth,more and more attention has been paid to the content and distribution of water ice in the lunar polar regions.The existence of water or ice in the regolith can apparently change its dielectric features.Therefore,in this article,the Dobson model is adopted and improved according to the Moon's environmental features,to construct the relationship between the volumetric water ice content and the dielectric constant.Ther...     

Automated identification of basalt spectra in Clementine lunar data

The identification of fresh basalt spectra plays an important role in lunar stratigraphic studies; however, the process can be time consuming and labor intensive. Thus motivated, we developed an empirically derived algorithm for the automated identification of fresh basalt spectra from Clememtine UVVIS data. This algorithm has the following four parameters and limits: BC Ratio=3(R950−R900)/(R900−R750)<1.1, CD Delta=(R1000−R950)/R750−1.09(R950−R900)/R750>0.003 and <0.06, B Slope=(R900−R750)/(3R750)<−0.012, and Band Depth=(R750−R950)/(R750−R415)>0.1, where R750 represents the unnormalized reflectance of the 750 nm Clementine band, and so on. Algorithm results were found to be accurate to within an error of 4.5% with respect to visual classification, though olivine spectra may be under-represented. Overall, fresh basalts identified by the algorithm are consistent with expectations and previous work in the Mare Humorum area, though accuracy in other areas has not yet been tested. Great potential exists in using this algorithm for identifying craters that have excavated basalts, estimating the thickness of mare and cryptomare deposits, and other applications.     

Distribution of Olivine and Pyroxene Derived from Clementine Data in Crater Copernicus

In order to derive the distribution of olivine and pyroxene in Crater Copernicus,we compute two band ratios(950/750 and 2 000/1 500 nm) ,percent content of elements(Al%,Ca%,Mg%,FeO%) and maturity(Is/FeO) based on Clementine UVVIS and NIR image data.The central peaks of Copernicus,which are known to be olivine-rich or pyroxene-rich,are chosen as ground truth and ROIs used to derive the distribution of olivine and pyroxene with a decision tree and spectral angle mapper(SAM) .Additionally,we compared previous ...     

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。