Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of cold traps in the Moon's south polar region.
Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment surface-temperature maps reveal the existence of widespread surface and near-surface cryogenic regions that extend beyond the boundaries of persistent shadow. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) struck one of the coldest of these regions, where subsurface temperatures are estimated to be 38 kelvin. Large areas of the lunar polar regions are currently cold enough to cold-trap water ice as well as a range of both more volatile and less volatile species. The diverse mixture of water and high-volatility compounds detected in the LCROSS ejecta plume is strong evidence for the impact delivery and cold-trapping of volatiles derived from primitive outer solar system bodies.
Paige
David A
DA
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 595 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. dap@moon.ucla.edu
Siegler
Matthew A
MA
Zhang
Jo Ann
JA
Hayne
Paul O
PO
Foote
Emily J
EJ
Bennett
Kristen A
KA
Vasavada
Ashwin R
AR
Greenhagen
Benjamin T
BT
Schofield
John T
JT
McCleese
Daniel J
DJ
Foote
Marc C
MC
DeJong
Eric
E
Bills
Bruce G
BG
Hartford
Wayne
W
Murray
Bruce C
BC
Allen
Carlton C
CC
Snook
Kelly
K
Soderblom
Laurence A
LA
Calcutt
Simon
S
Taylor
Fredric W
FW
Bowles
Neil E
NE
Bandfield
Joshua L
JL
Elphic
Richard
R
Ghent
Rebecca
R
Glotch
Timothy D
TD
Wyatt
Michael B
MB
Lucey
Paul G
PG
D003080:Cold Temperature; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D007053:Ice; D016081:Moon; D011874:Radiometry; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared
D007053:Ice