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NUMEROUS LUNAR MISSIONS (I.E. CLEMENTINE LUNAR PROSPECTOR LRO LCROSS CHANDRAYAAN-1) AND LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS ONLUNAR MATERIALS (I.E. H IN PYROCLASTIC GLASSES F-CL-H IN APATITE FROM MARE BASALTS AND IMPACT MELTS) HAVE PROVIDED VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO POTENTIAL LUNAR VOLATILE RESERVOIRS (I.E. PERMANENTLY SHADOWED POLAR NON-POLAR REGOLITH AND MANTLE) ROLES OF H AND OTHER VOLATILES IN SHAPING THE MOON AND THE POTENTIAL OF UTILIZING THESE RESERVOIRS FOR FUTURE LUNAR EXPLORATION. BESIDES THE VOLCANIC GLASSES FROMPYROCLASTIC DEPOSITS AND APATITE IN MARE BASALTS THERE ARE OTHER SAMPLES WITHIN THE APOLLO PROGRAM COLLECTION THAT BOTH RECORD THE VOLATILE HISTORY AND EXHIBIT THE ROLE OF VOLATILES IN THEIR PETROGENESIS. MANY OF THESE SAMPLES HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN GREAT DETAIL. THIS PROPOSED STUDY IS DIFFERENT THAN THESE PAST STUDIES IN THAT IT USES A NEW LEVEL OF DETAIL (I.E. NANOMETER SCALE ENABLED BY FIB AND TEM) AND LOOKS AT THIS DETAIL WITH A NEW SET QUESTIONS RESULTING FROM OBSERVATIONS OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS. UTILIZING THESE SAMPLES WE WILL EXPLORE NEW PERSPECTIVES OF VOLATILE ACTIVITY ON THE MOON THROUGH THREE TASKS: (TASK 1) INVESTIGATE VOLATILE DEGASSING AT THE LUNAR SURFACE AND INCORPORATION OF VOLATILES IN THE LUNAR REGOLITH BY USING MICROBEAM STUDIES (EMP FIB TEM) OF VOLATILE ENRICHMENTS AND ALTERATION MINERALOGY IN IMPACT MELT BRECCIA 66095 ( RUSTY ROCK ) AND ASSOCIATED SOILS (I.E. 62201) (2) INVESTIGATE VOLATILE DEGASSING OF MARE BASALTS AND IMPACT LITHOLOGIES (I.E. EJECTA BLANKETS) AT THE LUNAR SURFACE THROUGH MICROBEAM STUDIES (SEM EMP FEB SIMS) OF MINERALOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF VESICLE-VUG LININGS AND (TASK 3) INVESTIGATE VOLATILE ELEMENT TRANSPORT IN THE LUNAR CRUST THROUGH MINERALOGICAL AND SULFUR ISOTOPIC STUDIES OF ALTERATION ASSEMBLAGES IN CLASTS THAT REPRESENT CRUSTAL PLUTONIC LITHOLOGIES. THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF OUR RESEARCH IS TO DECIPHER THE EVOLUTION AND HISTORY OF ROCK-VOLATILE INTERACTIONS RECORDED IN THESE LUNAR LITHOLOGIES AND IN DOING SO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THE COMPOSITION OF LUNAR VOLATILES AND THE ROLE THEY PLAY IN SHAPING THE MOON S CRUST.

$544,344FY2014National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

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