极区月壤和水冰形成演化机制及物理特性研究

月球极区独特的光照条件和表面环境特征是水富集和保存的理想场所,探测永久阴影区内的水冰对科学研究和开发利用月球资源具有重要的意义.综合调研了国际上在月球极区开展的理论研究和遥感探测成果,阐述了极区地质、表面光照条件和热环境特征.介绍了极区月壤和水的形成演化机制及水冰可能的赋存状态.系统梳理了国际上关于极区水冰的探测历程和...     

"牧羊人"魂归何处?

撞月地点位于月球南极卡比厄斯月坑的永久阴影区，科学家认为在月坑永久阴影区有可能存在水冰。水冰可能来自撞击月球的彗星。月球南极的卡比厄斯月坑大约位于南纬85度、东经310度。     

“月球坑观测与感知卫星”将撞击月球

2009年6月,“月球坑观测与感知卫星”（LCROSS）将作为次要载荷与“月球勘测轨道器”（LRO）同时发射升空。1概述LRO与LCROSS是美国航空航天局（NASA）多项无人月球探测计划的第1项任务,主要目的是：研究、测绘和了解月球表面的情况,探测未来的潜在月球着陆点;勘察月球极地永久阴影区的水资源,验证“克莱门汀”（Clementine）和“月球勘探者”（LunarProspector）探测器对月球水冰的探测结果,为航天员重返月球作准备。     

可持续性月球水资源提取利用设计与分析

月球极区水冰资源开发利用是月球基地建设和可持续性运行的重要支撑技术之一。在对月球南极永久阴影区的工作地点进行选址的基础上，调研了国内外月球极区水冰资源开发利用计划、实施方案和发展趋势。提出了一种可持续性月球极区含冰月壤水资源提取利用方案，由移动式基地载具、原位钻取机器人和可移动式反射镜组三部分组成，具有灵活布置以持续性开采阴影坑内水冰资源的能力。对所设计方案的物质流和能量流进行了计算建模，并进行了程序化分析。计算结果表明，通过提升太阳能传递效率、光电转换效率、热提取加热效率和水电解效率，初始水冰质量含量高于5.0%,可以显著减少系统任务的总能耗。方案设计与分析结果可为中国月球基地任务提供参考。     

月球永久阴影区着陆点选取要求的高分辨率极化SAR数据分析

月球两极永久阴影区(Permanently Shadowed Regions,PSR)全年没有直接光照,搜寻PSR内的月球水冰是"嫦娥七号"的主要任务之一.人类至今没有在PSR着陆,中国的"嫦娥七号"任务计划在PSR附近的太阳直射区域登陆,着陆器上携带的飞跃器将进入PSR进行采样与分析.如何选择登月点和取样点是该项任务...     

以太阳风为源水分子在月球空间环境中的分布特征

近年来,越来越多的观测结果均显示月球上存在水.本文通过运用Monte-Carlo方法及基于能量守恒的有心力场中粒子轨道算法对水分子在近月表的输运过程进行建模,得到了水分子在近月表分布随时间演化的图像.模拟结果显示,分布在高纬地区的水分子较同经度的中低纬地区要多,这与目前探测得到的结论是一致的.同时,对最终进入永久阴影区的水分子的百分比进行了统计,在光解离常数为6.4×10⁴s的情况下,有大约4.12%的水分子会被永久阴影区存储下来,这个比例与前人估算结果相吻合.     

月球水冰资源综合开发技术研究概况

水冰作为月球的重要资源，是未来月球科研站以及月球基地建设和运行的基本保障，开展月球水冰资源综合开发技术研究是目前各航天大国的关注热点之一。本文调研了有关月球水冰的探测和研究成果，阐述了月球水冰的赋存状态与分布特征，详细分析了月球水冰资源在开采提取、分离纯化、储存运输和分解利用等环节的技术方案，并简要评述了各个方案的优缺点。结合中国未来国际月球科研站的建设规划与美国以建立月球基地为目标的阿尔忒弥斯（Artemis）计划，评价分析了适宜开展月球水冰资源综合开发的地区和可行的技术方案，为中国在月球两极地区的水冰资源开发利用方案提供参考。     

月球两极存在大量冰态水

月球两极存在大量冰态水□□美国航宇局艾姆斯研究中心３月５日宣布说，根据迄今“月球勘探者”太空探测器对月球的初步探测，已有充分的证据表明，月球两极地区表层下面存在大量零散的冰块，且北极蕴藏的冰块数量约为南极的两倍。月球上有无可利用的大面积水资源对于未来...     

月球极区水冰采样探测技术综述

面向月球水冰科学探测需求,根据月球极区环境及水冰特性,总结了实施月球极区水冰采样探测任务面临的挑战及所需的关键技术.根据水冰采样点选址预判需求,概述了力学触探、热电物性触探、雷达探测、光谱探测、中子谱探测5种方法;面向表层暴露水冰采样需求,阐述了铲挖式、浅钻式、磨削式3类表取采样技术;根据次表层埋藏水冰采样需求,概括了...     

一片冰心在玉壶“月球勘探者”证实月球存在水冰

一片冰心在玉壶“月球勘探者”证实月球存在水冰□□１９９８年３月５日，美国航宇局的刘易斯研究中心，向新闻界公布了“月球勘探者”探测器获得的第一批月球探测结果，证实了月球上确实存在水冰，并初步测算出月面上水的总储量可能在１１×１０６ｔ～３．３×１０８ｔ之...     

Concept of wireless sensor network for future in-situ exploration of lunar ice using wireless impedance sensor

It is known that a wireless sensor network uses some sort of sensors to detect a physical quantity of interest, in general. The wireless sensor network is a potential tool for exploring the difficult-to-access area on the earth and the concept may be extended to space applications in future. Recently, lunar water has been detected by a few lunar missions using remote sensing techniques. The lunar water is expected to be in the form of ice at very low temperatures of permanently dark regions on the moon. To support the remote observations and also to find out potential ice bearing sites on the moon, in-situ measurement of the lunar ice is essential. However, a rover may not be able to reach the permanently shadowed regions due to terrain irregularity. One possibility to access such areas is to use a wireless sensor network on the lunar surface.     

Wireless Sensor Networks – A potential tool to probe for water on Moon

A Wireless Sensor Network for in situ probing of lunar water/ice is proposed. The mission scenario in single and multi-tier architectures for probing water in a permanently shadowed region of the Moon and different scenarios of exploration are discussed. The ideas presented in the paper are a positive assertion of feasibility for the sensor node hardware, given current levels of technological advancements.     

Influence of lunar topography on simulated surface temperature

The surface temperature of the Moon is one of the essential parameters for the lunar exploration, especially to evaluate the Moon thermophysical features. The distribution of the temperature is heavily influenced by the Moon topography, which, however, is rarely studied in the state-of-art surface temperature models. Therefore, this paper takes the Moon topography into account to improve the surface temperature model, Racca model. The main parameters, such as slopes along the longitude and latitude directions, are estimated with the topography data from Chang’E-1 satellite and the Horn algorithm. Then the effective solar illumination model is then constructed with the slopes and the relative position to the subsolar point. Finally, the temperature distribution over the Moon surface is obtained with the effective illumination model and the improved Racca model. The results indicate that the distribution of the temperature is very sensitive to the fluctuation of the Moon surface. The change of the surface temperature is up to 150 K in some places compared to the result without considering the topography. In addition, the variation of the surface temperature increases with the distance from the subsolar point and the elevation, along both latitude and longitude directions. Furthermore, the simulated surface temperature coincides well with the brightness temperature in 37 GHz observed by the microwave sounder onboard Chang’E-2 satellite. The corresponded emissivity map not only eliminates the influence of the topography, but also hints the inherent properties of the lunar regolith just below the surface. Last but not the least, the distribution of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) in the lunar pole area is also evaluated with the simulated surface temperature result.     

Gamma-ray spectrometer for Japanese lunar polar orbiter

We review the current status of the development of Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) for the Lunar mission SELENE. The GRS instrument will measure gamma-rays in the energy range from 100 keV to 9 MeV. The instrument is a high-purity Ge detector surrounded by BGO and plastic scintillators which are operated as an anticoincidence shield, and is cooled by a Stirling cycle cryocooler. The primary objective is to provide global maps of the lunar composition. Measurements are anticipated for Fe, Ti, U, Th, K, Si, Mg, Al, O, Ca and Na over the entire lunar surface. The abundance of water ice in the permanently shaded craters at both the lunar poles will be measured with this instrument.     

月球氦-3资源的原位开采热释放行为研究

月球氦-3资源的原位利用不仅可以解决深空探测的能源供给问题,而且能够极大地减少深空探测的成本.选取钛铁矿作为月壤的代表矿物,建立了氦-3原子以空位和间隙两种缺陷赋存于钛铁矿中的分子动力学模型,阐述了不同温度下氦-3原子在钛铁矿中的扩散和释放行为.模拟计算结果表明:当氦-3在钛铁矿中扩散时,这些原子倾向于聚集成气泡.根据氦-3释放量随温度的增长率,整个加热释放的过程可以划分为两个阶段.月球氦-3资源原位开采的最优加热温度应在1000K以上,该温度下以不同形式赋存的氦-3均可以大量释放.      

Optimal multi-site selection for a PV-based lunar settlement based on a novel method to estimate sun illumination profiles

Recently, space organizations have considered the Moon to host lunar bases. Such bases require power and energy to function. However, the efficient and safe use of the energy resources on the Moon is a huge challenge. Space photovoltaic (PV) power systems are appealing technologies due to their maturity and high solar energy availability at some locations on the Moon. The effectiveness of these PV systems depends on their selenographic location, which might necessitate the deployment of energy storage technologies to cover the base’s energy demand. Some analysts have proposed the installation of PV modules on kilometers-tall towers near the lunar poles to harvest more solar energy and limit the need for energy storage systems (ESSs). Alternatively, this paper proposes to harvest the energy from multiple sites in the lunar South Pole region using a novel technique to compute the Sun illumination profile and the LOLA topographic databases to compute the terrain elevations. The proposed algorithm seeks the most optimal configuration of sites and tower heights to minimize the longest night period and total distance between the sites. This study assesses groups of 1 to 6 sites assuming the use of towers having heights of 10, 100, and 500 [m]. The time horizon for the analysis is one Axial Precession Cycle, which is approximately 18.6 years. According to the results, a system of two sites with a separation of 42.05 [km] and towers of 500 [m] height has a maximum darkness period of only 3 [h] while another solution proposes a system of three sites with towers of 10 [m] that removes the need of EES (solar eclipse periods by the Earth are not considered). The proposed technique is suitable for engineering applications, such as base planning and operation management.     

X-ray fluorescence spectrometrywith the SELENE orbiter

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry of the Moon using a CCD-based instrument “XRS” is planned with the SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) orbiter, which will be launched in 2003. In the Apollo 15 and 16 missions, elemental mapping of Mg, Al and Si has been performed at the lunar equatorial regions for only 9% of the total surface. Much improved datasets will be obtained by using the XRS to map most of major elements, for 90% coverage of the total surface, and within 20 km spatial resolution. Key scientific objectives are (a) to measure the global average of lunar surface composition for investigation of the overall properties of lunar crust, (b) to map the rock-type distribution to study the formation and evolution of the crust and the maria, and to speculate the origin of the dichotomy, (c) to survey the chemical pattern of lava flows, or bottoms of craters or basins, for surveying the vertical structure and composition of the lunar crust and mantle. We describe the XRS instrument.     

月球粒子辐射环境探测现状

月球表面没有磁场的保护,粒子辐射是人类在月球活动的重要风险要素。概述了月球的辐射环境以及辐射来源,并介绍了月球探测的现状,特别提及了近年来几个较为典型的月球辐射探测实例及其探测结果;介绍了我国“嫦娥4号”上搭载的月表中子与辐射剂量探测仪（Lunar Lander Neutron&Dosimetry,LND）的科学目标及其技术指标。LND的科学目标主要包括：载人登月辐射剂量的测量、月球南极艾特肯盆地水含量的测量、艾特肯盆地FeO含量的测量,以及为日球层科学的研究提供依据。     

Use of lunar regolith as a substrate for plant growth.

Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS) will be required to regenerate air, water, and wastes, and to produce food for human consumption during long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. It may be possible to supplement some of the materials needed for a lunar RLSS from resources on the Moon. Natural materials at the lunar surface may be used for a variety of lunar RLSS needs, including (i) soils or solid-support substrates for plant growth, (ii) sources for extraction of essential, plant-growth nutrients, (iii) substrates for microbial populations in the degradation of wastes, (iv) sources of O2 and H2, which may be used to manufacture water, (v) feed stock materials for the synthesis of useful minerals (e.g., molecular sieves), and (vi) shielding materials surrounding the outpost structure to protect humans, plants, and microorganisms from harmful radiation. Use of indigenous lunar regolith as a terrestrial-like soil for plant growth could offer a solid support substrate, buffering capacity, nutrient source/storage/retention capabilities, and should be relatively easy to maintain. The lunar regolith could, with a suitable microbial population, play a role in waste renovation; much like terrestrial waste application directly on soils. Issues associated with potentially toxic elements, pH, nutrient availability, air and fluid movement parameters, and cation exchange capacity of lunar regolith need to be addressed before lunar materials can be used effectively as soils for plant growth.     

An ion analyzer for the lunar surface with E-parallel–B

We present a novel instrument concept to measure the energy and mass spectra of ions incident on the lunar surface, based on the E-parallel–B or Thomson-parabola device used extensively as a diagnostic in the plasma fusion community. The Apollo-era Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment (SIDE) was the first instrument package to perform in-situ measurements of ions incident on the lunar surface. The ions can originate from a variety of sources, including the solar wind, the Earth’s magnetotail, and photoionization of the thin lunar atmosphere. The species and energy distribution of ions arriving at the lunar surface depend in a complicated and poorly-understood fashion on the phase of the lunar day, the position of the Moon with respect to the Earth, and on the local plasma environment.