Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton-Belkovich.

Granites are nearly absent in the Solar System outside of Earth. Achieving granitic compositions in magmatic systems requires multi-stage melting and fractionation, which also increases the concentration of radiogenic elements. Abundant water and plate tectonics facilitate these processes on Earth, aiding in remelting.

Olivine Dissolution in Simulated Lung and Gastric Fluid as an Analog to the Behavior of Lunar Particulate Matter Inside the Human Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Systems.

With the Artemis III mission scheduled to land humans on the Moon in 2025, work must be done to understand the hazards lunar dust inhalation would pose to humans. In this study, San Carlos olivine was used as an analog of lunar olivine, a common component of lunar dust. Olivine was dissolved in a flow-through apparatus in both simulated lung fluid and 0.

Distinct Carbonate Lithologies in Jezero Crater, Mars.

Jezero crater is the landing site for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The Noachian-aged crater has undergone several periods of fluvial and lacustrine activity and phyllosilicate- and carbonate-bearing rocks were formed and emplaced as a result. It also contains a portion of the regional Nili Fossae olivine-carbonate unit.

Nano-FTIR spectroscopic identification of prebiotic carbonyl compounds in Dominion Range 08006 carbonaceous chondrite.

Meteorites contain organic matter that may have contributed to the origin of life on Earth. Carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and carboxylic acids, which occur in meteorites, may be precursors of biologically necessary organic materials in the solar system. Therefore, such organic matter is of astrobiological importance and their detection and characterization can contribute to the understanding of the early solar system as well as the origin of life.

Radiative-transfer modeling of spectra of planetary regoliths using cluster-based dense packing modifications.

In remote sensing of planetary bodies, the development of analysis techniques that lead to quantitative interpretations of datasets has relatively been deficient compared to the wealth of acquired data, especially in the case of regoliths with particle sizes on the order of the probing wavelength. Radiative transfer theory has often been applied to the study of densely packed particulate media like planetary regoliths, but with difficulty; here we continue to improve theoretical modeling of spectra of densely packed particulate media. We use the superposition T-matrix method to compute the scattering properties of an elementary volume entering the radiative transfer equation by modeling it as a cluster of particles and thereby capture the near-field effects important for dense packing.

Formation of lunar swirls by magnetic field standoff of the solar wind.

Lunar swirls are high-albedo markings on the Moon that occur in both mare and highland terrains; their origin remains a point of contention. Here, we use data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Diviner Lunar Radiometer to support the hypothesis that the swirls are formed as a result of deflection of the solar wind by local magnetic fields. Thermal infrared data from this instrument display an anomaly in the position of the silicate Christiansen Feature consistent with reduced space weathering.

Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of cold traps in the Moon's south polar region.

Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment surface-temperature maps reveal the existence of widespread surface and near-surface cryogenic regions that extend beyond the boundaries of persistent shadow. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) struck one of the coldest of these regions, where subsurface temperatures are estimated to be 38 kelvin. Large areas of the lunar polar regions are currently cold enough to cold-trap water ice as well as a range of both more volatile and less volatile species.

Highly silicic compositions on the Moon.

Using data from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, we show that four regions of the Moon previously described as "red spots" exhibit mid-infrared spectra best explained by quartz, silica-rich glass, or alkali feldspar. These lithologies are consistent with evolved rocks similar to lunar granites in the Apollo samples. The spectral character of these spots is distinct from surrounding mare and highlands material and from regions composed of pure plagioclase feldspar.

Global silicate mineralogy of the Moon from the Diviner lunar radiometer.

We obtained direct global measurements of the lunar surface using multispectral thermal emission mapping with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment. Most lunar terrains have spectral signatures that are consistent with known lunar anorthosite and basalt compositions. However, the data have also revealed the presence of highly evolved, silica-rich lunar soils in kilometer-scale and larger exposures, expanded the compositional range of the anorthosites that dominate the lunar crust, and shown that pristine lunar mantle is not exposed at the lunar surface at the kilometer scale.

Spectroscopic identification of carbonate minerals in the martian dust.

Thermal infrared spectra of the martian surface indicate the presence of small concentrations (approximately 2 to 5 weight %) of carbonates, specifically dominated by magnesite (MgCO3). The carbonates are widely distributed in the martian dust, and there is no indication of a concentrated source. The presence of small concentrations of carbonate minerals in the surface dust and in martian meteorites can sequester several bars of atmospheric carbon dioxide and may have been an important sink for a thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere in the martian past.