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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
VOL. 37,
L06204,
6 PP., 2010
doi:10.1029/2009GL042259
Initial results for the north pole of the Moon from Mini-SAR, Chandrayaan-1 mission
Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Proxemy Research Inc., Laytonsville, Maryland, USA
National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA
Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad, India
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Astrogeology Program, U. S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Vexcel Inc., Boulder, Colorado, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
We present new polarimetric radar data for the surface of the north pole of the Moon acquired with the Mini-SAR experiment onboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft. Between mid-February and mid-April, 2009, Mini-SAR mapped more than 95% of the areas polewards of 80° latitude at a resolution of 150 meters. The north polar region displays backscatter properties typical for the Moon, with circular polarization ratio (CPR) values in the range of 0.1–0.3, increasing to over 1.0 for young primary impact craters. These higher CPR values likely reflect surface roughness associated with these fresh features. In contrast, some craters in this region show elevated CPR in their interiors, but not exterior to their rims. Almost all of these features are in permanent sun shadow and correlate with proposed locations of polar ice modeled on the basis of Lunar Prospector neutron data. These relations are consistent with deposits of water ice in these craters.
Received 22 December 2009; accepted 22 February 2010; published 31 March 2010.
Citation: (2010), Initial results for the north pole of the Moon from Mini-SAR, Chandrayaan-1 mission, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L06204, doi:10.1029/2009GL042259.
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