Geology topics

Stewart Nozette

Publications and source records attributed to Stewart Nozette.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1998

The clementine bistatic radar experiment: Evidence for ice on the moon

Ice deposits, derived from comets and water-bearing meteorites hitting the Moon over geological times, have long been postulated to exist in dark areas near the poles of the Moon. The characteristics of radio waves beamed from the Clementine spacecraft into the polar areas, reflected from the Moon's surface, and received on the large dish antennas of the Deep Space Network here on Earth show that roughly the volume of a small lake (0.9-1.8 km 3 ) of water ice makes up part of the Moon's surface layer near the south pole. The discovery of ice near the lunar south pole has important ramifications for a permanent return to the Moon. These deposits could be used to manufacture rocket propellant and to support human life on the Moon.

Solar System Research↗

USGS1996

The Clementine bistatic radar experiment

During the Clementine 1 mission, a bistatic radar experiment measured the magnitude and polarization of the radar echo versus bistatic angle, β, for selected lunar areas. Observations of the lunar south pole yield a same-sense polarization enhancement around β = 0. Analysis shows that the observed enhancement is localized to the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. Radar observations of periodically solar-illuminated lunar surfaces, including the north pole, yielded no such enhancement. A probable explanation for these differences is the presence of low-loss volume scatterers, such as water ice, in the permanently shadowed region at the south pole.

Science↗

USGS1994

The Clementine mission to the Moon: Scientific overview

In the course of 71 days in lunar orbit, from 19 February to 3 May 1994, the Clementine spacecraft acquired just under two million digital images of the moon at visible and infrared wavelengths. These data are enabling the global mapping of the rock types of the lunar crust and the first detailed investigation of the geology of the lunar polar regions and the lunar far side. In addition, laser-ranging measurements provided the first view of the global topographic figure of the moon. The topography of many ancient impact basins has been measured, and a global map of the thickness of the lunar crust has been derived from the topography and gravity.

Science↗