Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10701377 | Icarus | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
We report on the detection of H2 as seen in our analysis of twilight observations of the lunar atmosphere observed by the LAMP instrument aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Using a large amount of data collected on the lunar atmosphere between September 2009 and March 2013, we have detected and identified, the presence of H2 in the native lunar atmosphere, for the first time. We derive a surface density for H2 of 1.2 ± 0.4 Ã 103 cmâ3 at 120 K. This is about 10 times smaller than originally predicted, and several times smaller than previous upper limits from the Apollo era data.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
S. Alan Stern, Jason C. Cook, Jean -Yves Chaufray, Paul D. Feldman, G. Randall Gladstone, Kurt D. Retherford,