The Clementine bistatic radar experiment.
During the Clementine 1 mission, a bistatic radar experiment measured the magnitude and polarization of the radar echo versus bistatic angle, beta, for selected lunar areas. Observations of the lunar south pole yield a same-sense polarization enhancement around beta = 0. Analysis shows that the observed enhancement is localized to the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. Radar observations of periodically solar-illuminated lunar surfaces, including the north pole, yielded no such enhancement. A probable explanation for these differences is the presence of low-loss volume scatterers, such as water ice, in the permanently shadowed region at the south pole.
Nozette
S
S
U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory, Space Experiments Directorate, 711 North Fayette Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA.
Lichtenberg
C L
CL
Spudis
P
P
Bonner
R
R
Ort
W
W
Malaret
E
E
Robinson
M
M
Shoemaker
E M
EM
D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D007053:Ice; D016081:Moon; D011825:Radar
D007053:Ice