WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE TWO MAJOR QUESTIONS RELATED TO SPACE WEATHERING ON THE MOON. THE FIRST QUESTION DERIVES FROM TWO RECENT PAPERS WHICH HAVE FOUND A SURPRISING CORRELATION BETWEEN MATURITY AND OXIDATION STATE OF NANOPHASE IRON [2 3]. TO INVESTIGATE MECHANISMS THAT WOULD AFFECT REDOX ENVIRONMENT WITHIN AMORPHOUS RIMS WE WILL DIRECTLY PROBE THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF TRANSITION ELEMENTS. FO2 VALUES WILL BE INFERRED FROM VALENCE DETERMINATION OF TRANSITION ELEMENTS PRESENT ABOVE 1 WEIGHT PERCENT IN VARIOUS MINERALS. THE REDOX STATE OF THE SAMPLES WILL THEN BE RELATED BACK TO THE REGOLITH MATURITY. WE WILL MEASURE THE REDOX ENVIRONMENT OF NORMALLY AND SPECIALLY CURATED SAMPLES TO DETERMINE WHETHER TERRESTRIAL OXIDATION HAS OCCURRED. THE SECOND QUESTION RELATES TO FORM OF OH WHICH MAY ATTACH TO DIFFERENT METAL CATIONS (E.G. FE AL TI AND MG) AND WOULD GIVE RISE TO BROAD 2.8 M ABSORPTION FEATURES THAT COULD EXPLAIN THE VARYING SIGNAL IN REMOTE SENSING DATA [4 5]. WE WILL INVESTIGATE THE CHEMICAL FORM OF HYDROXYL AND PEROXO-BEARING SPECIES BOTH REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES IN THE SPACE WEATHERED RIMS OF REGOLITH GRAINS. THESE AIMS WILL BE ADDRESSED USING SYNCHROTRON BASED X-RAY SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS WHICH BENEFIT FROM BEING ELEMENT SELECTIVE TECHNIQUES CAPABLE OF DIRECTLY PROBING THE CHARGE STATES OF ATOMS. AS THESE AIMS FOCUS ON CHEMICAL SPECIES THAT ARE PREDICTED TO BE INSTABLE IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN OR MOISTURE THEY WILL GREATLY BENEFIT FROM ACCESS TO PRISTINE MATERIAL.