scholarly journals Remotely distinguishing and mapping endogenic water on the Moon

2017 ◽  
Vol 375 (2094) ◽  
pp. 20150391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Klima ◽  
Noah E. Petro
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Solar System ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Testing Hypotheses ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Geological Features ◽  
Insight Into

Water and/or hydroxyl detected remotely on the lunar surface originates from several sources: (i) comets and other exogenous debris; (ii) solar-wind implantation; (iii) the lunar interior. While each of these sources is interesting in its own right, distinguishing among them is critical for testing hypotheses for the origin and evolution of the Moon and our Solar System. Existing spacecraft observations are not of high enough spectral resolution to uniquely characterize the bonding energies of the hydroxyl molecules that have been detected. Nevertheless, the spatial distribution and associations of H, OH − or H 2 O with specific lunar lithologies provide some insight into the origin of lunar hydrous materials. The global distribution of OH − /H 2 O as detected using infrared spectroscopic measurements from orbit is here examined, with particular focus on regional geological features that exhibit OH − /H 2 O absorption band strengths that differ from their immediate surroundings. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System’.

Geological Characteristics of the Moon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Xiao ◽  
James W. Head
Keyword(s):  
The Moon ◽  
Planetary Evolution ◽  
Geological Characteristics ◽  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Geological Features ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lunar Evolution ◽  
Human Exploration

The geological characteristics of the Moon provide the fundamental data that permit the study of the geological processes that have formed and modified the crust, that record the state and evolution of the lunar interior, and that identify the external processes that have been important in lunar evolution. Careful documentation of the stratigraphic relationships among these features can then be used to reconstruct the sequence of events and the geological history of the Moon. These results can then be placed in the context of the geological evolution of the terrestrial planets, including Earth. The Moon’s global topography and internal structures include landforms and features that comprise the geological characteristics of its surface. The Moon is dominated by the ancient cratered highlands and the relatively younger flat and smooth volcanic maria. Unlike the current geological characteristics of Earth, the major geological features of the Moon (impact craters and basins, lava flows and related features, and tectonic scarps and ridges) all formed predominantly in the first half of the solar system’s history. In contrast to the plate-tectonic dominated Earth, the Moon is composed of a single global lithospheric plate (a one-plate planet) that has preserved the record of planetary geological features from the earliest phases of planetary evolution. Exciting fundamental outstanding questions form the basis for the future international robotic and human exploration of the Moon.

scholarly journals Advances in Cosmochemistry Enabled by Antarctic Meteorites

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-258
Author(s):  
Meenakshi Wadhwa ◽  
Timothy J. McCoy ◽  
Devin L. Schrader
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Lunar Meteorite ◽  
Planetary Bodies ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Melt Pockets ◽  
Scientific Advances

At present, meteorites collected in Antarctica dominate the total number of the world's known meteorites. We focus here on the scientific advances in cosmochemistry and planetary science that have been enabled by access to, and investigations of, these Antarctic meteorites. A meteorite recovered during one of the earliest field seasons of systematic searches, Elephant Moraine (EET) A79001, was identified as having originated on Mars based on the composition of gases released from shock melt pockets in this rock. Subsequently, the first lunar meteorite, Allan Hills (ALH) 81005, was also recovered from the Antarctic. Since then, many more meteorites belonging to these two classes of planetary meteorites, as well as other previously rare or unknown classes of meteorites (particularly primitive chondrites and achondrites), have been recovered from Antarctica. Studies of these samples are providing unique insights into the origin and evolution of the Solar System and planetary bodies. ▪  Antarctic meteorites dominate the inventory of the world's known meteorites and provide access to new types of planetary and asteroidal materials. ▪  The first meteorites recognized to be of lunar and martian origin were collected from Antarctica and provided unique constraints on the evolution of the Moon and Mars. ▪  Previously rare or unknown classes of meteorites have been recovered from Antarctica and provide new insights into the origin and evolution of the Solar System.

scholarly journals Abundances of hydrogen and helium isotopes in the Protosolar Cloud

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S268) ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Geiss ◽  
George Gloeckler
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Big Bang ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Density Profiles ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
System 2 ◽  
The Big Bang ◽  
The Universe

AbstractFor our understanding of the origin and evolution of baryonic matter in the Universe, the Protosolar Cloud (PSC) is of unique importance in two ways: 1) Up to now, many of the naturally occurring nuclides have only been detected in the solar system. 2) Since the time of solar system formation, the Sun and planets have been virtually isolated from the galactic nuclear evolution, and thus the PSC is a galactic sample with a degree of evolution intermediate between the Big Bang and the present.The abundances of the isotopes of hydrogen and helium in the Protosolar Cloud are primarily derived from composition measurements in the solar wind, the Jovian atmosphere and “planetary noble gases” in meteorites, and also from observations of density profiles inside the Sun. After applying the changes in isotopic and elemental composition resulting from processes in the solar wind, the Sun and Jupiter, PSC abundances of the four lightest stable nuclides are given.

scholarly journals Lunar exploration: opening a window into the history and evolution of the inner Solar System

2014 ◽  
Vol 372 (2024) ◽  
pp. 20130315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A. Crawford ◽  
Katherine H. Joy
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Lunar Exploration ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Moon System ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Geological Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rocky Planets

The lunar geological record contains a rich archive of the history of the inner Solar System, including information relevant to understanding the origin and evolution of the Earth–Moon system, the geological evolution of rocky planets, and our local cosmic environment. This paper provides a brief review of lunar exploration to-date and describes how future exploration initiatives will further advance our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon, the Earth–Moon system and of the Solar System more generally. It is concluded that further advances will require the placing of new scientific instruments on, and the return of additional samples from, the lunar surface. Some of these scientific objectives can be achieved robotically, for example by in situ geochemical and geophysical measurements and through carefully targeted sample return missions. However, in the longer term, we argue that lunar science would greatly benefit from renewed human operations on the surface of the Moon, such as would be facilitated by implementing the recently proposed Global Exploration Roadmap.

Sherlock Holmes: Chemist

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
James O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
Solar System ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Sherlock Holmes ◽  
Interest In Research ◽  
Working Out ◽  
The Brain

The previous chapter discussed Sherlock Holmes as a scientifically oriented detective. He was also knowledgeable about science in general. Practically every story contains at least some mention of one of the sciences. Having explored how Holmes used science in his detective work, we now look at his interest in research and his love of things scientific. In The “Gloria Scott” (GLOR), one of just two of the sixty stories narrated by Holmes instead of Watson, he says, “during the first month of the long vacation. I went up to my London rooms where I spent seven weeks working out a few experiments in organic chemistry.” Watson tells us in The Three Students (3STU) that without his chemicals, Holmes was “an uncomfortable man.” So there are clear indications that Holmes was devoted to science and that his first love was chemistry (see figure 4.1).Commentators disagree about Holmes’s chemistry abilities. Most praise Holmes as a chemist (see Cooper 1976; Gillard 1976; Graham 1945; Holstein1954; Michell and Michell 1946). The most notable critic of Holmes’s chemistry is Isaac Asimov. His objections are discussed in section 4.4. Dr. Watson even disagrees with himself about Holmes the chemist! Before Watson even meets Holmes, at the very outset of A Study in Scarlet (STUD), he is told by Young Stamford that Holmes is “a first-class chemist.” Stamford then performs the historic role of introducing Holmes and Watson. It doesn’t take Watson long to realize that his new roommate is a unique mixture of knowledge and ignorance. When he learns in STUD that Holmes is unfamiliar with the Copernican theory and the composition of the solar system, Watson is stunned. . . . Holmes: you say we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work. Watson: But the Solar System. Holmes: What the deuce is it to me?. . . Holmes believes the brain has a limited capacity. Therefore useless facts like the nature of the solar system should be forgotten, lest they crowd out important things.

scholarly journals 3.10 Mariner Mission to Encke 1980

1976 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 346-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Yeates ◽  
K. T. Nock ◽  
R. L. Newburn
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Atmospheric Effects ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Small Bodies ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Great Insight ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Actual Formation

The planetary program has always been conducted with the hope that the results would reveal great insight into the early period of solar system history and perhaps into the actual formation processes themselves. However, little knowledge has been gained of this very early stage for several reasons: The intense surface bombardment of all larger bodies, particularly in the inner solar system during that period; the subsequent differentiation of large bodies; and atmospheric effects and continued bombardment of the surface. The most promising approach to acquisition of knowledge pertaining to the early state of the solar system, its origin and evolution, therefore seems to be in the study of small bodies, e. g., comets and asteroids.

Chemical highlights from the Rosetta mission

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S332) ◽  
pp. 153-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Altwegg ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Solar Nebula ◽  
Oort Cloud ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Rosetta Mission ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Isotopic Abundances ◽  
Dust Grain ◽  
Comet 67P ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe overall goal of the ESA Rosetta mission was to help decipher the origin and evolution of our solar system. Looking at the chemical composition of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is one way of doing this. The amount of very volatile species found and the insight into their isotopic abundances show that at least some presolar ice has survived the formation of the solar system. It shows that the solar nebula was not homogenized in the region where comets formed. The D/H ratio in water furthermore indicates that Jupiter family comets and Oort cloud comets probably formed in the same regions and their difference is then purely due to their different dynamical history. The organics found in 67P are very diverse, with abundant CH- and CHO- bearing species. Sulphur bearing species like S3 and S4 and others show evidence of dust grain chemistry in molecular clouds.

scholarly journals Existence and Role of Amorphous Grains in the Solar System

1980 ◽  
Vol 90 ◽  
pp. 381-384
Author(s):  
R. Smoluchowski
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Interplanetary Space ◽  
Nucleation And Growth ◽  
Radiation Belts ◽  
Growth Processes ◽  
Erosion Processes

Consideration of the nucleation and growth processes and observational arguments suggest that besides crystalline grains in the solar system and interplanetary space there are also amorphous H20-ice, Si02 and C grains. Of particular importance are effects of the bombardment of these grains by protons in the solar wind and in the planetary radiation belts and the ensuing various erosion processes. Differences in the physical properties of crystalline and amorphous grains lead to interesting astrophysical consequences.

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