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Photometric anomalies in the Apollo landing sites as seen from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

2010; Elsevier BV; Volume: 211; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.024

1090-2643

V. G. Kaydash, Yuriy Shkuratov, V. V. Korokhin, Gorden Videen,

Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life

Phase-ratio imagery is a new tool of qualitative photometric analyses of the upper layer of the lunar regolith, which allows the identification of natural surface structure anomalies and artificially altered regolith. We apply phase-ratio imagery to analyze the Apollo-14, -15, and -17 landing sites. This reveals photometric anomalies of ∼170 × 120 m size that are characterized by lower values of the phase-function steepness, indicating a smoothing of the surface microstructure caused by the engine jets of the landing modules. Other photometric anomalies characterized by higher phase-function slopes are the result of regolith loosening by astronaut boots and the wheels of the Modular Equipment Transporter and the Lunar Roving Vehicle. We also provide a possible explanation for the high brightness of the wheel tracks seen in on-surface images acquired at very large phase angles.