Future lunar missions and investigation of dusty plasma processes on the Moon

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
SERGEY I. POPEL ◽  
LEV M. ZELENYI
Keyword(s):  
Dusty Plasma ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Charged Dust ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Plasma System ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dusty Plasma System

AbstractFrom the Apollo era of exploration, it was discovered that sunlight was scattered at the terminators giving rise to “horizon glow” and “streamers” above the lunar surface. Subsequent investigations have shown that the sunlight was most likely scattered by electrostatically charged dust grains originating from the surface. A renaissance is being observed currently in investigations of the Moon. The Luna-Glob and Luna-Resource missions (the latter jointly with India) are being prepared in Russia. Some of these missions will include investigations of lunar dust. Here we discuss the future experimental investigations of lunar dust within the missions of Luna-Glob and Luna-Resource. We consider the dusty plasma system over the lunar surface and determine the maximum height of dust rise. We describe mechanisms of formation of the dusty plasma system over the Moon and its main properties, determine distributions of electrons and dust over the lunar surface, and show a possibility of rising dust particles over the surface of the illuminated part of the Moon in the entire range of lunar latitudes. Finally, we discuss the effect of condensation of micrometeoriod substance during the expansion of the impact plume and show that this effect is important from the viewpoint of explanation of dust particle rise to high altitudes in addition to the dusty plasma effects.

Lunar Dust

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Zakharov
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Lunar Regolith ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
The Impact

The surface of the Moon, as well as the surface of an airless body of the solar system, is subject to constant bombardment of micrometeorites, the effects of solar radiation, solar wind, and other space factors. As a result of the impact of high-speed micrometeorites for billions of years, the silicate base of the lunar surface is crushed, turning into particles with an approximately power-law-sized distribution. Given the explosive nature of the occurrence, these particles are characterized by an extremely irregular shape with pointed edges, either droplets close to spheres or conglomerates sintered at high temperatures. The plasma of the solar wind and the solar radiation, especially its ultraviolet part of the spectrum, when interacting with the upper layer of regolith causes a charge of the regolith upper layer and creates a near-surface double layer and an electric field. In this field, regolith particles of micron and submicron sizes can break away from the surface and levitate above the surface. Such dynamic processes lead to the transfer of dust particles over the surface of the Moon, as well as to the scattering of sunlight on these particles. Glows above the lunar surface of this nature were observed by television systems of American and Soviet landers in the early stages of lunar exploration. The American astronauts who landed on the lunar surface during the Apollo program experienced the aggressive properties of lunar dust. The results of the Apollo missions showed that dust particles are one of the main causes of danger to humans, spacecraft systems, and activities on the lunar surface. Based on the results of late 20th- and early 21st-century lunar research, as well as the proposed models, the article discusses the formation of the lunar regolith and the near-surface exosphere of the Moon under the influence of external factors in outer space. Relevant considerations include the causes and conditions of dust particle dynamics, the consequences of these processes as well as possible threats to humans, engineering systems during the implementation of planned research programs, and the exploration of the Moon. Also of relevance are models of the formation of a plasma-dust exosphere, the dynamics of dust particles in the near-surface region, and dust clouds at a distance of several tens of kilometers from the Moon’s surface, based on the available experimental data. The main unresolved problems associated with the dynamics of the dust component of lunar regolith are given, and methods for solving problematic issues are discussed. The Moon research programs of leading space agencies and their role in the study of Moon dust, its dynamics, human impact, and its activities in the implementation of promising programs for the study and exploration of the Moon are examined.

scholarly journals Пылевые звуковые солитоны в плазме запыленной экзосферы Луны

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
С.И. Копнин ◽  
С.И. Попель
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Soliton Solutions ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Charged Dust ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Electrons And Ions ◽  
Dust Acoustic

This paper shows a possibility of the existence and propagation of dust acoustic solitons in plasmas of dusty exosphere of the Moon, which contains, in addition to electrons and ions of the solar wind and photoelectrons from the lunar surface, also charged dust particles, as well as photoelectrons emitted from the surfaces of these particles. Soliton solutions are found and the ranges of possible velocities and amplitudes of such solitons are determined depending on the height above the lunar surface for different subsolar angles.

Effects of polarization force and fast electrons on DA shock waves in a strongly coupled dusty plasma

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. PERVIN ◽  
S. S. DUHA ◽  
M. ASADUZZAMAN ◽  
A. A. MAMUN
Keyword(s):  
Shock Waves ◽  
Dusty Plasma ◽  
Charged Dust ◽  
Plasma System ◽  
Strongly Coupled ◽  
Polarization Force ◽  
Dust Acoustic ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Strongly Coupled Dusty Plasma ◽  
Dusty Plasma System

AbstractA strongly coupled dusty plasma system consisting of non-thermal electrons, Maxwellian ions, and negatively charged dust in presence of polarization force has been considered. The nonlinear propagation of dust-acoustic shock waves in such a dusty plasma system has been theoretically investigated by employing the reductive perturbation method. The effects of the polarization force and non-thermal electrons, on the properties of these dust-acoustic shock waves are briefly discussed. It is shown that the strong correlation among the charged dust grains is a source of dissipation, and is responsible for the formation of the dust-acoustic shock waves. It has been found that the effects of polarization force and non-thermal electrons significantly modify the basic features of such shock waves. It has been proposed to design a new laboratory experiment, which will be able to identify the basic features of the dust-acoustic shock waves predicted in this present investigation.

Dusty plasma system in the surface layer of the illuminated part of the moon

JETP Letters ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 182-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Golub’ ◽  
G. G. Dol’nikov ◽  
A. V. Zakharov ◽  
L. M. Zelenyi ◽  
Yu. N. Izvekova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Layer ◽  
Dusty Plasma ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Plasma System ◽  
Dusty Plasma System

LUMIO: a CubeSat to monitor the lunar farside

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianmario Merisio ◽  
Vittorio Franzese ◽  
Carmine Giordano ◽  
Mauro Massari ◽  
Pierluigi Di Lizia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Visible Spectrum ◽  
Parent Body ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Impact Flux ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Near Future

<p>Vast amounts of meteoroids and micrometeoroids continuously enter the Earth–Moon system and consequently become a potential threat. Lunar meteoroid impacts have caused a substantial change in the lunar surface and its properties. The Moon having no atmospheric blanket to protect itself, it is subjected to impacts from meteoroids ranging from a few kilograms to 10’s of grams each day. The high impact rate on the lunar surface has important implications for future human and robotic assets that will inhabit the Moon for significant periods of time. Therefore, a greater understanding of the meteoroid population in the cislunar environment is required for future exploration of the Moon.</p> <p>Moreover, refining current meteoroid models is of paramount importance for many applications. For instance, since meteoroids may travel dispersed along the orbit of their parent body, understanding meteoroids and associated phenomena can be valuable for the study of asteroids and comets themselves. Studying meteoroid impacts can help deepening the understanding of the spatial distribution of near-Earth objects in the Solar system. The study of dust particles can be also of interest because, together with the solar wind, they determine the space weather. Finally, it is critical to be able to predict impacts by relying on accurate impact flux models. That because the impact of small asteroids with Earth, even slightly larger than meteoroids, can cause severe damage.</p> <p>In this context, the Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer (LUMIO) is a CubeSat mission to observe, quantify, and characterise the meteoroid impacts by detecting their flashes on the lunar far-side. This complements the knowledge gathered by Earth-based observations of the lunar nearside, thus synthesising a global information on the lunar meteoroid environment. LUMIO envisages a 12U CubeSat form-factor placed in a halo orbit at Earth-Moon L2. The mission employs the LUMIO-Cam, an optical instrument capable of detecting light flashes in the visible spectrum. LUMIO is one of the two winner of ESA’s LUCE (Lunar CubeSat for Exploration) SysNova competition, and as such it is being considered by ESA for implementation in the near future. The Phase A study has been conducted in 2020 under ESA's General Support Technology Programme (GSTP) and successfully completed at the beginning of 2021, after an independent mission assessment performed by ESA’s CDF team.</p> <p>In this work, the latest results of the Phase A study of the LUMIO lunar CubeSat will be shown. An overview of the present-day LUMIO CubeSat A design will be given, with a focus on the latest developments. An overview on how LUMIO will impact the currently existing knowledge of meteoroid models will be given supported by high-fidelity simulated data.</p>

scholarly journals A new method of inferring the size, number density, and charge of mesospheric dust from its in situ collection by the DUSTY probe

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1673-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ove Havnes ◽  
Tarjei Antonsen ◽  
Gerd Baumgarten ◽  
Thomas W. Hartquist ◽  
Alexander Biebricher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Method ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Bottom Plate ◽  
Charged Dust ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Dust Charge ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
June July ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. We present a new method of analyzing measurements of mesospheric dust made with DUSTY rocket-borne Faraday cup probes. It can yield the variation in fundamental dust parameters through a mesospheric cloud with an altitude resolution down to 10 cm or less if plasma probes give the plasma density variations with similar height resolution. A DUSTY probe was the first probe that unambiguously detected charged dust and aerosol particles in the Earth's mesosphere. DUSTY excluded the ambient plasma by various biased grids, which however allowed dust particles with radii above a few nanometers to enter, and it measured the flux of charged dust particles. The flux measurements directly yielded the total ambient dust charge density. We extend the analysis of DUSTY data by using the impact currents on its main grid and the bottom plate as before, together with a dust charging model and a secondary charge production model, to allow the determination of fundamental parameters, such as dust radius, charge number, and total dust density. We demonstrate the utility of the new analysis technique by considering observations made with the DUSTY probes during the MAXIDUSTY rocket campaign in June–July 2016 and comparing the results with those of other instruments (lidar and photometer) also used in the campaign. In the present version we have used monodisperse dust size distributions.

scholarly journals 2.2.4 Lunar Soil Movement Registered by the Apollo 17 Cosmic Dust Experiment

1976 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otto E. Berg ◽  
Henry Wolf ◽  
John Rhee
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Lunar Soil ◽  
Cosmic Dust ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Normal Impact ◽  
Soil Movement ◽  
Impact Parameters

In December, 1973, a Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites (LEAM) experiment was placed in the Taurus-Littrow area of the moon by the Apollo 17 Astronauts. Objectives of the experiment were centered around measurements of impact parameters of cosmic dust on the lunar surface. During preliminary attempts to analyze the data it became evident that the events registered by the sensors could not be attributed to cosmic dust but could only be identified with the lunar surface and the local sun angle. The nature of these data coupled with post-flight studies of instrument characteristics, have led to a conclusion that the LEAM experiment is responding primarily to a flux of highly charged, slowly moving lunar surface fines. Undoubtedly concealed in these data is the normal impact activity from cosmic dust and probably lunar ejecta, as well. This paper is based on the recognition that the bulk of events registered by the LEAM experiment are not signatures of hypervelocity cosmic dust particles, as expected, but are induced signatures of electrostatically charged and transported lunar fines.

scholarly journals 2.2.5 Electrostatic Disruption of Lunar Dust Particles

1976 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 238-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Rhee
Keyword(s):  
Surface Potential ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Lunar Dust ◽  
Electrostatic Charging

An investigation has been made to study a possibility that dust particles might catastrophically explode on the lunar surface due to electrostatic charging. It is shown that for the dark side along the terminator zone, dust balls and compact stony particles of micron and submicron sizes will be blown up if their surface potential is as low as a kilovolt negative. This mechanism will not operate on the sunlit side because the potential is only 3.5 ~ 20 volts positive. Some of these fragments may possibly levitate in the vicinity of the terminator.

scholarly journals Design of a hybrid NAR-RBFs neural network for nonlinear dusty plasma system

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 3325-3345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayaz Hussain Bukhari ◽  
Muhammad Sulaiman ◽  
Muhammad Asif Zahoor Raja ◽  
Saeed Islam ◽  
Muhammad Shoaib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Dusty Plasma ◽  
Plasma System ◽  
Dusty Plasma System
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