Impact ejecta on the moon

Abstract

The response of a lunar-sized object to the impact of meteoroids no more than about 100 km in radius is studied by means of a numerical model. The partitioning of impact energy into the kinetic and internal energy of the ejecta is obtained by using the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations in finite-difference form within an Eulerian framework with approximate equations of state. The calculations are performed for a 15 km/sec impact of an iron object 5 cm in radius on a gabbroic anorthosite surface. Ejecta ballistic analysis is then performed. Most of the material lost escaping the moon is lunar crust material. Only 0.2% of the meteoroid escapes, all in the vapor phase.