Limits to the lunar atmosphere

Journal Article · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90JA02127· OSTI ID:6160815

Morgan, T H ^[1]; Shemansky, D E ^[2]

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1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. (USA)
2. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson (USA)

The presence of sodium and potassium on the Moon implies that other more abundant species should be present. Volatile molecules like H{sub 2}O are significantly more abundant than sodium in any of the proposed external atmospheric sources. Source mechanisms which derive atoms from the surface should favor abundant elements in the regolith. It is therefore puzzling that the Apollo ultraviolet spectrometer experiment set limits on the density of oxygen of N{sub O} < 5 {times} 10{sup 2} cm{sup {minus}3}, and that the Apollo Lunar Atmospheric Composition Experiment data imply N{sub O} < 50 cm{sup {minus}3} above the subsolar point. These limits are surprisingly small relative to the measured value for sodium. A simple consideration of sources and sinks predicts significantly greater densities of oxygen. It is possible but doubtful that the Apollo measurements occur ed during an epoch in which source rates were small. A preferential loss process for oxygen on the darkside of the Moon is considered in which ionization by electron capture in surface collisions leads to escape through acceleration in the local electric field. Cold trapping in permanently shadowed regions as a net sink is considered and discounted, but the episodic nature of cometary insertion may allow formation of ice layers which act as a stablized source of OH. On the basis of an assumed meteoroid impact source, the authors predict a possible emission brightness of {approximately} 50 R in the OH(A {minus} X)(0,0) band above the lunar bright limb. A very uncertain small comet source of H{sub 2}O could raise this value by more than two orders of magnitude.

• OSTI ID: 6160815
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 96:A2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MOON
SATELLITE ATMOSPHERES
APOLLO PROJECT
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
IONIZATION
LIMITING VALUES
METEOROIDS
ORIGIN
OVERBURDEN
POTASSIUM
SODIUM
VOLATILE MATTER
WATER
ALKALI METALS
ATMOSPHERES
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATTER
METALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SATELLITES
660000* - Physics- (1992-)