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| ID No : | 608 Edit | Title: | High Resolution Imaging of Sites of Rapid Changes on the Lunar Surface |
| Summary / Review : |
Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLP or LTP)
"There are several reasons why large, sudden, intrinsic changes might occur on the lunar surface, either temporarily or semi-permanently: cometary and meteoritic impacts, spacecraft impacts (or effects of other human activity), or the still unknown mechanism reported as Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLP or LTP). In the case of the latter, until 20 to 30 years ago, optical transients on the lunar surface were seen as an important, outstanding lunar mystery in need of study. [1,2,3] Since then, we have gained little understanding of TLPs, although recent work offers statistical evidence that they are at least highly correlated with lunar surface outgassing traced by Rn-222. [4] The debate on even the reality of TLPs as a coherent physical effect (as opposed to observer error) has been limited to the popular literature, both pro and con. [5,6] The primary difficulty with TLPs is the largely anecdotal nature of nearly all of the historical observational database. Although many TLP reporters were trained observers, and even though Rn-222 results above [4] were greatly expunged of many such effects, [7] this topic suffers from lack of an unbiased, objective data sample. We report on progress to produce such a dataset exploiting recent advances in robotic telescope technology, and follow-up studies to enhance the value of these observations, simultaneous to lunar satellite surveys bearing on outgassing. The Kaguya/ARD is in lunar polar orbit and designed to detect Rn-222 outbursts like those seen on Apollo and Lunar Prospector. Furthermore, LRO and other lunar satellites maintain orbit over the period 2005-2011, and will image repeatedly the lunar surface at high resolutions. We are conducting a robotic imaging survey of the lunar surface from several ground-based monitors that image the entire Near Side every 20 seconds whenever the Moon is up, the Sun is down and weather permits. This monitoring will record the incandescent plasma flash from any impact large enough to create a permanent change on the order of 100 in larger, corresponding to impacts which might occur on the order of every few years (very roughly). This is also an excellent time sampling for the reported durations of TLPs." (Author's abstract) |
| Author(s) : |
Crotts, A., [NASA (Unspecified Center)] |
| Publication Date: | 2009 |
| Category(s) : |
Exploration and resources / Lunar |
| Progress Type: | A ( A=Analysis only, D=Design, T=Testing, C=Completed or Commercial product ) |
| Web URL : |
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20110012773
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| PERMANENT code(s) : | L,U |
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| NTRS : | 20110012773 |
| Submitted by : | MEP |
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