Magnetometer experiment.
Magnetometer experiment for Apollo project to measure lunar surface magnetic field, describing mission requirements and instrumentation
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Magnetometer experiment for Apollo project to measure lunar surface magnetic field, describing mission requirements and instrumentation
Apollo 12 magnetometer data and selenomagnetic field determinations
Lunar surface local magnetic field measurement, describing Apollo 12 magnetometer
Lunar surface magnetometer measurements for determining electrical conductivity and temperature of lunar core
Lunar portable magnetometer experiment to measure steady magnetic field at different sites in Fra Mauro region - Apollo 14 flight
Solar wind lunar impingement induction of magnetic fields used for global sounding of moon structure
Lunar electrical conductivity profile measurements, providing mantle-core stratification near surface thermal gradient, heat flux and composition data
Interplanetary magnetic field measurements from lunar surface and lunar orbit, discussing solar wind effects on bulk electrical conductivity of lunar crust
Lunar magnetic fields measured by magnetometers placed by Apollo 12 and 14 astronauts, considering permanent fields due to fossil magnetic material and transient fields
Lunar interior electrical conductivity and temperature three-layer model from magnetic transient response measurement in solar wind
Apollo 12 magnetic measurements of lunar interior electroconductivity simultaneously on lunar surface and in circumlunar orbit
The Apollo 15 lunar-surface magnetometer (LSM) is one of a network of magnetometers that have been deployed on the moon to study intrinsic remanent magnetic fields and global magnetic response of the moon to large-scale solar and terrestrial magnetic fields. From these field measurements, properties of the lunar interior such as magnetic permeability, electrical conductivity, and temperature can be calculated. In addition, correlation with solar-wind-spectrometer data allows study of the the solar-wind plasma interaction with the moon and, in turn, investigation of the resulting absorption of gases and accretion of an ionosphere. These physical parameters and processes determined from magnetometer measurements must be accounted for by comprehensive theories of origin and evolution of the moon and solar system.
It is shown that the moon possesses an extraordinary response to induction from the solar wind due to a combination of a high interior electrical conductivity together with a relatively resistive crustal layer into which the solar wind dynamic pressure forces back the induced field. The dark side response, devoid of solar wind pressure, is approximately that expected for the vacuum case. These data permit an assessment of the interior conductivity and an estimate of the thermal gradient in the crustal region. The discovery of a large permanent magnetic field at the Apollo 12 site corresponds approximately to the paleomagnetic residues discovered in both Apollo 11 and 12 rock samples. The implications regarding an early lunar magnetic field are discussed and it is shown that among the various conjectures regarding the early field the most prominent are either an interior dynamo or an early approach to the earth though no extant model is free of difficulties.
Study of the compression of the remanent lunar magnetic field by the solar wind, based on measurements of remanent magnetic fields at four Apollo landing sites and of the solar wind at two of these sites. Available data show that the remanent magnetic field at the lunar surface is compressed as much as 40% above its initial value by the solar wind, but the total remanent magnetic pressure is less than the stagnation pressure by a factor of six, implying that a local shock is not formed.
The electrical conductivity of the lunar interior has been determined from magnetic field step transients measured on the lunar dark side. The simplest model which best fits the data is a spherically symmetric three layer model having a nonconducting outer crust, an intermediate layer with electrical conductivity of .00035 mhos/m, and an inner core with conductivity of .01 mhos/m. Temperatures calculated from these conductivities in the three regions for an example of an olivine moon are as follows: crust, below 440 K; intermediate layer, 890 K; and core, 1240 K. The whole-moon relative permeability has been calculated from the measurements to be 1.03 plus or minus 0.13.
The Apollo 16 lunar surface magnetometer (LSM) activation completed the network installation of magnetic observatories on the lunar surface and initiated simultaneous measurements of the global response of the moon to large-scale solar and terrestrial magnetic fields. Fossil remanent magnetic fields have been measured at nine locations on the lunar surface, including the Apollo 16 LSM site in the Descartes highlands area. This fossil record indicates the possible existence of an ancient lunar dynamo or a solar or terrestrial field much stronger than exists at present. The experimental technique and operation of the LSM are described and the results obtained are discussed.
The purpose of the Apollo 16 lunar portable magnetometer (LPM) experiment is to measure the permanent magnetic field at different geological sites on the lunar surface. The LPM field measurements are a vector sum of the steady remanent field from the lunar crust and of the time-varying ambient fields. The remanent magnetic fields measured in the Descartes region are the largest extraterrestrial fields yet measured in situ. These measurements show for the first time that the Descartes highlands have a stronger remanent magnetization than do the mare regions of the previous Apollo landing sites. The experimental technique used in the LPM experiment is described and the preliminary results obtained are discussed.