USING THERMAL INFRARED OBSERVATIONS TO CHARACTERIZE THE THERMOPHYSICAL AND COMPOSITIONAL PROPERTIES OF THE LACUS MORTIS REGION OF THE MOON

Thermal infrared emission observations by the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have provided valuable information on the compositional and thermophysical properties of the lunar surface [e.g. 1,2,3,4]. We have compiled over 11 years of Diviner data into a comprehensive dataset of the Lacus Mortis region which includes the landing ellipse of the Astrobotic Mission One lander mission. Using this dataset we identify several features that display distinct variations in compositional, radiative, and thermophysical properties in the Lacus Mortis region. We identify contrasting properties of materials in the walls of Bürg crater, hummocks of materials on the southeast margin of the mare basalts, and materials exposed or excavated by impacts. Additionally we find an exceptionally rocky fault scarp that predates the formation of Bürg crater suggesting the observed boulders are replenished on a timescale < 1 Ga. Within the Astrobotic landing ellipse, temperatures are observed to range from ~88 K to ~359 K with sunrise and sunset local times constrained to 5.85 – 6.25 hr and 17.85 and 18.05 hr respectively.

[1] Bandfield et al. (2011) JGR: Planets, 116. [2] Greenhagen et al. (2010) Science 329, 1507. [3] Glotch et al. (2010) Science 329, 1510. [4] Hayne et al. (2017) JGR: Planets 122, 2371-2400.