Surface Volatiles

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Introduction

Quantifying Present Day Volatiles

  1. Abundance
    • PSRs—LCROSS, LEND/LPNS, LAMP, LOLA, visible images LROC & Kaguya, radar
    • Global—M3/Cassini/EPOXI, LAMP, LOLA, Apollo samples
  2. Composition
    • PSRs—LCROSS
    • Global—Apollo samples, M3/Cassini/EPOXI, lab irradiation spectral, exosphere composition
  3. Distribution
    • PSRs lateral distribution—LAMP, LOLA, LEND/LPNS, Mini-RF
    • PSRs depth distribution—LEND/LPNS, Mini-RF
    • Global latitudinal distribution—LAMP, M3/EPOXI
    • Global local time distribution—LAMP, M3/EPOXI
    • Other temporal variability
  4. Physical Form
    • PSR Radar data
    • PSR LCROSS—ice grains, H2 abundance/timing
    • Global 2.8/3.0 um spectral shape

Volatile System

  1. Sources
    • Comets—model impacts and retention; expected flux
    • Meteoroids—model impact and retention; LADEE NMS H2O observations; Apollo sample isotopic analysis
    • Solar wind—Apollo agglutinates isotopic analysis, H budget from Kaguya H+, ARTEMIS H+, Chandrayaan-1 H, IBEX H, LAMP H2; lab studies of ion irradiation of lunar soils/rocks; swirls
    • Outgassing—Aristarchus, He & Ar LADEE NMS data, Schroedinger
  2. Redistribution
    • Migration/hopping in exosphere
    • Migration/diffusion through regolith
    • Impact gardening
  3. Stability
    • Thermal mapping—Diviner
    • Sublimation stability
    • Adsorption stability
    • Depth to thermally stable zone
    • Orbital evolution effects on thermal stability
  4. Loss
    • Sputtering
    • Impact vaporization
    • Photodesorption/dissociation
    • Sublimation/thermal desorption

Outstanding Questions