Related papers: Micrometeoroid Impacts: Dual Pathways for Iron Red…
Understanding the interplay between micrometeoroid impacts and solar wind irradiation is crucial for interpreting lunar surface evolution. Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations and surface binding energy (SBE) analyses, this study…
Nanophase iron (npFe) plays a crucial role in controlling the optical, chemical, and physical evolution of lunar regolith grains. While in-situ formation of npFe via reduction of native Fe-bearing minerals has long been considered a…
Space weathering of lunar minerals, due to bombardment from solar wind (SW) particles and micrometeoroid impacts, modifies the mineralogy within tens of nanometers of the surface, i.e., the rim. Via remote sensing, spectroscopic signatures…
Lunar hematite is formed by the oxidation of iron on the surface of the Moon by oxygen from the Earth's upper atmosphere. The Moon's surface is continuously affected by solar particles from the sun. However, Earth's magnetic tail blocks 99…
This study analyzes the mechanical and elemental properties of lunar meteorites DHOFAR 1084, JAH 838, NWA 11444, and HED meteorite NWA 6013. Utilizing microscale rock mechanics experiments, i.e., nanoindentation testing, this research…
Airless planetary bodies are directly exposed to space weathering. The main spectral effects of space weathering are darkening, reduction in intensity of silicate mineral absorption bands, and an increase in the spectral slope towards…
Space weathering is an important surface process occurring on the Moon and other airless bodies, especially those that have no magnetic field. The optical effects of the Moon's space weathering have been largely investigated in the…
The aim of this work is to investigate contrasting spectral trends observed in carbonaceous chondrites by simulating space weathering effects on a subset of minerals found in these meteorites. We use pulsed laser irradiation to simulate…
The weathering of iron-rich phases within meteorites is a process that significantly alters the microstructure and chemical composition based on the environmental conditions at the location of landing and exposure time since fall. This work…
The mechanical properties of minerals in planetary materials are not only interesting from a fundamental point of view but also critical to the development of future space missions. Here we present nanoindentation experiments to evaluate…
The effect of silica-promotion on the reduction of iron oxides in hydrogen was investigated using in situ X-ray diffraction and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to understand the mechanism of reduction and the identity…
Context. Airless planetary bodies are directly exposed to solar wind ions, which can scatter or become implanted upon impact with the regolith-covered surface, while also sputtering surface atoms. Aims. We construct a semi-analytical model…
In the pursuit of lunar exploration and the investigation of water presence on the lunar surface, a comprehensive understanding of plasma-surface interactions is crucial since the regolith's space weathering can create H$_2$O. However, the…
Lunar sulfides and oxides are a significant source of noble and base metals and will be vital for future human colonies' self-sustainability. Sulfide detection (pyrite and troilite) applies to many technological fields and use cases, for…
Mercury, due to its close location to the Sun, is surrounded by an environment whose conditions may be considered as "extreme" in the entire Solar System. Both solar wind and radiation are stronger with respect to other Solar System bodies,…
Current lunar origin scenarios suggest that Earth's Moon may have resulted from the merger of two (or more) smaller moonlets. Dynamical studies of multiple moons find that these satellite systems are not stable, resulting in moonlet…
Space weathering is a process that changes the surface of airless planetary bodies. Prime space weathering agents are solar wind irradiation and micrometeoroid bombardment. These processes alter planetary reflectance spectra and often…
The multiple impact hypothesis proposes that the Moon formed through a series of smaller collisions, rather than a single giant impact. This study advances our understanding of this hypothesis, as well as moon collisions in other contexts,…
NASA's Artemis Mission aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a base at the lunar south pole. A key challenge is understanding the threat from micrometeoroid impacts, which are too small to monitor directly. Using NASA's…
Biotite crystals are phyllosilicate trioctahedral micas with the general chemical formula K(Mg,Fe)3AlSi3O10(OH)2 that form a solid-solution series with iron-poor phlogopite and iron-rich annite endmembers. With a wide band gap energy and a…