@inproceedings{BuergerGundlachBlumetal., author = {B{\"u}rger, Johanna and Gundlach, Bastian and Blum, J{\"u}rgen and Hayne, Paul and L{\"a}uter, Matthias and Kramer, Tobias}, title = {Lunar regolith properties derived from LRO/Diviner data and thermophysical modelling}, series = {Europlanet Science Congress}, booktitle = {Europlanet Science Congress}, doi = {10.5194/epsc2022-92}, pages = {EPSC2022-92}, abstract = {The Moon as our nearest celestial object is one of the most important bodies for space resource exploration and planetary science. However, knowledge of the physical properties of the lunar regolith is required for the exploitation of lunar resources and for understanding the Moon's geologic history. This knowledge comes mainly from Apollo in-situ experiments and returned samples, but the global distribution of these properties is still poorly understood. Remote sensing measurements offer the opportunity to derive properties of unsampled areas with the help of models. In our study, a microphysical thermal model for the lunar regolith was developed and the simulated surface temperatures were compared with thermal emission measurements from the Diviner radiometer on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to derive regolith properties. This work expands upon previous investigations of lunar regolith properties using Diviner data, by more directly simulating physical properties such as particle size and porosity.}, language = {en} } @article{BuergerHayneGundlachetal., author = {B{\"u}rger, Johanna and Hayne, Paul and Gundlach, Bastian and L{\"a}uter, Matthias and Kramer, Tobias and Blum, J{\"u}rgen}, title = {A Microphysical Thermal Model for the Lunar Regolith: Investigating the Latitudinal Dependence of Regolith Properties}, series = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets}, volume = {129}, journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1029/2023JE008152}, abstract = {The microphysical structure of the lunar regolith provides information on the geologic history of the Moon. We used remote sensing measurements of thermal emission and a thermophysical model to determine the microphysical properties of the lunar regolith. We expand upon previous investigations by developing a microphysical thermal model, which more directly simulates regolith properties, such as grain size and volume filling factor. The modeled temperatures are matched with surface temperatures measured by the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The maria and highlands are investigated separately and characterized in the model by a difference in albedo and grain density. We find similar regolith temperatures for both terrains, which can be well described by similar volume filling factor profiles and mean grain sizes obtained from returned Apollo samples. We also investigate a significantly lower thermal conductivity for highlands, which formally also gives a very good solution, but in a parameter range that is well outside the Apollo data. We then study the latitudinal dependence of regolith properties up to ±80° latitude. When assuming constant regolith properties, we find that a variation of the solar incidence-dependent albedo can reduce the initially observed latitudinal gradient between model and Diviner measurements significantly. A better match between measurements and model can be achieved by a variation in intrinsic regolith properties with a decrease in bulk density with increasing latitude. We find that a variation in grain size alone cannot explain the Diviner measurements at higher latitudes.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BuergerHayneGundlachetal., author = {B{\"u}rger, Johanna and Hayne, Paul and Gundlach, Bastian and L{\"a}uter, Matthias and Kramer, Tobias and Blum, J{\"u}rgen}, title = {Investigating the Latitudinal Dependence of Lunar Regolith Properties Using LRO/Diviner Data and a Microphysical Thermal Model}, series = {Bulletin of the AAS}, volume = {55}, booktitle = {Bulletin of the AAS}, number = {8}, abstract = {Regolith is formed through weathering of the local rock by meteorite bombardment, space weathering (Pieters \& Noble, 2016) and thermal erosion (Delbo et al., 2014). In the case of the Moon, the space weathering effects and diurnal temperature variations are reduced towards the poles. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the lunar regolith properties derived from the comparison of regolith temperatures measured by the Diviner radiometer (Paige et al., 2010) on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) with simulated temperatures derived from a microphysical thermal model show a latitudinal dependence. The developed microphysical thermal model expands upon previous models by more directly simulating regolith properties, such as grain radius and volume filling factor.}, language = {en} }