Instrumentation and observation target of the Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) experiment on-board the SELENE spacecraft

Abstract

The Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) on-board the SELENE lunar orbiter is currently being equipped to provide the data of subsurface stratification and tectonic features in the shallow part (several km deep) of the lunar crust, by using an FM/CW radar technique in HF (∼5 MHz) frequency range. Knowledge of the subsurface structure is crucial to better understanding, not only of the geologic history of the Moon, but also of the Moon's regional and global thermal history of the Moon and of the origin of the Earth-Moon system. In addition to the subsurface radar experiment, LRS will provide the spectrum of plasma waves and solar and planetary radio waves in a wide frequency range from 10 Hz to 30 MHz. This paper provides the basic function parameter of the LRS system based on the final function test and proposes observation targets and data analysis that will provide important information leading to a greater understanding of the tectonics and thermal history of the Moon. Copyright © The Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (SGEPSS); The Seismological Society of Japan; The Volcanological Society of Japan; The Geodetic Society of Japan; The Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences; TERRAPUB.