Scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory, a unit of the Space Department, have developed a comprehensive three-dimensional thermophysical model to infer the surface and subsurface temperatures of the Moon.
According to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), this model will help understand the local thermal environment at any location on the Moon, which is an essential aspect for future human exploration and lunar habitation.
renewed interest
“Importantly, this work has gained significance in view of the recent renewed interest in lunar exploration and planned efforts to send humans back to the moon,” ISRO said.
A unique feature of this model is its ability to calculate lateral heat transport in three dimensions to calculate realistic surface and subsurface temperatures at any scale (from a few cm to several kilometers) using the actual topography of any location on the Moon.
ISRO says that such a model is a novel one. “Such a model is not available till date. The model considers all reasonable conditions and parameters to derive lunar surface and subsurface temperatures and thermophysical parameters to represent the most realistic scenario,” ISRO said.
Model results compare well with laboratory experiments and are validated using Apollo in-situ measurements. The model’s capabilities are demonstrated through the thermophysical behavior of a small area of NASA’s Apollo 17 landing site at both regional and local scales.
Several applications
ISRO added that this work has several applications for both aspects of lunar science and exploration. To list a few, it can be used to constrain the nature of the outermost porous/dust layer.
ISRO also said that in conjunction with laboratory measurements, the model will help interpret data returned from future in-situ experiments, such as the Chandrayaan-3 lander’s Chandra Surface Thermo Physical Experiment (CHASTE) experiment. The purpose of ChaSTE is to measure the thermal properties of the lunar surface near the polar regions.
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