Abstract
The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) is an in situ dust detector onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. It is designed to characterize the variability of the dust in the lunar exosphere by mapping the size and spatial distributions of dust grains in the lunar environment as a function of local time and the position of the Moon with respect to the magnetosphere of the Earth. LDEX gauged the relative contributions of the two competing dust sources: (a) ejecta production due to the continual bombardment of the Moon by interplanetary micrometeoroids, and (b) lofting of small grains from the lunar surface due to plasma-induced near-surface electric fields.
Access this article
We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.
Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S. Auer, in Instrumentation, ed. by E. Grün, B.A.S. Gustafson, S. Dermott, H. Fechtig (Springer, Berlin, 2001), pp. 387–438
O.E. Berg, F.F. Richardson, H. Burton, Lunar ejecta and meteorites experiment, in Apollo 17: Preliminary Science Report. NASA Special Publication, vol. 330 (1973), p. 16
A. Colaprete et al., The ladee ultraviolet/visible spectrometer. Space Sci. Rev. (2014, this issue)
J.E. Colwell, S. Batiste, M. Horányi, S. Robertson, S. Sture, Lunar surface: Dust dynamics and regolith mechanics. Rev. Geophys. 45, 1–26 (2007)
D.R. Criswell, Horizon-glow and the motion of lunar dust, in Photon and Particle Interactions with Surfaces in Space, ed. by R.J.L. Grard Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol. 37 (1973), p. 545
B.R. De, D.R. Criswell, Intense localized photoelectric charging in the lunar sunset terminator region, 1. Development of potentials and fields. J. Geophys. Res. 82, 999 (1977)
G.T. Delory, R. Elphic, T. Morgan, T. Colaprete, M. Horányi, P. Mahaffy, B. Hine, D. Boroson, The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (ladee), in Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts. Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts, vol. 40 (2009), p. 2025
H. Dietzel, G. Eichhorn, H. Fechtig, E. Grun, H.-J. Hoffmann, J. Kissel, The HEOS 2 and HELIOS micrometeoroid experiments. J. Phys. E, Sci. Instrum. 6, 209–217 (1973)
R.C. Elphic, G.T. Delory, E.J. Grayzeck, A. Colaprete, M. Horányi, P. Mahaffy, B. Hine, J. Salute, D. Boroson, The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE): T-minus one year and counting. LPI Contrib. 1685, 3033 (2012)
R.C. Elphic, B. Hine, G.T. Delory, J.S. Salut, S. Noble, A. Colaprete, M. Horányi, P.R. Mahaffy, D. Boroson, The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE): T-minus 6 months and counting, in Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts. Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts, vol. 44 (2013), p. 3112
R.C. Elphic, G.T. Delory, B.P. Hine, P. Mahaffy, M. Horanyi, A. Colaprete, M. Benna, S. Noble, The lunar atmosphere and dust environment explorer mission. Space Sci. Rev. (2014)
P.D. Feldman, D.A. Glenar, T.J. Stubbs, K.D. Retherford, G. Randall Gladstone, P.F. Miles, T.K. Greathouse, D.E. Kaufmann, J.W. Parker, S. Alan Stern, Upper limits for a lunar dust exosphere from far-ultraviolet spectroscopy by LRO/LAMP. Icarus 233, 106–113 (2014)
D.A. Glenar, T.J. Stubbs, J.E. McCoy, R.R. Vondrak, A reanalysis of the Apollo light scattering observations, and implications for lunar exospheric dust. Planet. Space Sci. 59, 1695–1707 (2011)
D.A. Glenar, T.J. Stubbs, M. Hahn, Y. Wang, Search for a high altitude lunar dust exosphere using clementine navigational star tracker measurements. J. Geophys. Res., Planets (2014)
J.R. Göller, E. Grün, Calibration of the Galileo/Ulysses dust detectors with different projectile materials and at varying impact angles. Planet. Space Sci. 37, 1197–1206 (1989)
E. Grün, H.A. Zook, H. Fechtig, R.H. Giese, Collisional balance of the meteoritic complex. Icarus 62, 244–272 (1985). doi:10.1016/0019-1035(85)90121-6
E. Grün, H. Fechtig, M.S. Hanner, J. Kissel, B.-A. Lindblad, D. Linkert, D. Maas, G.E. Morfill, H.A. Zook, The Galileo dust detector. Space Sci. Rev. 60, 317–340 (1992a)
E. Grün, H. Fechtig, J. Kissel, D. Linkert, D. Maas, J.A.M. McDonnell, G.E. Morfill, G. Schwehm, H.A. Zook, R.H. Giese, The Ulyssses dust experiment. Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 92, 411–423 (1992b)
E. Grün, M. Horányi, Z. Sternovsky, The lunar dust environment. Planet. Space Sci. 59, 1672–1680 (2011). doi:10.1016/j.pss.2011.04.005
J.S. Halekas, A.R. Poppe, G.T. Delory, R.C. Elphic, V. Angelopoulos, M. Horányi, J. Szalay, Artemis observations and data-based modeling in support of ladee, in 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014)
M. Horányi, Z. Sternovsky, E. Gruen, R. Srama, M. Lankton, D. Gathright, The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission, in Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts. Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts, vol. 40 (2009), p. 1741
M. Horányi, Z. Sternovsky, M. Lankton, D. James, J. Szalay, K. Drake, A. Shu, A. Colette, E. Gruen, S. Kempf, R. Srama, A. Mocker, The dust environment of the Moon: Expectations for the lunar dust experiment (LDEX), in Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts. Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts, vol. 43 (2012), p. 2635
M. Horányi, S. Gagnard, D. Gathright, E. Grün, D. James, S. Kempf, M. Lankton, R. Srama, Z. Sternovsky, J. Szalay, The dust environment of the Moon as seen by the lunar dust experiment (LDEX), in 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014)
H. Iglseder, K. Uesugi, H. Svedhem, Cosmic dust measurements in lunar orbit. Adv. Space Res. 17, 177–182 (1996). doi:10.1016/0273-1177(95)00777-C
S. Kempf, U. Beckmann, J. Schmidt, How the Enceladus dust plume feeds Saturn’s E ring. Icarus 206, 446–457 (2010). doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.09.016
S. Kempf, E. Grün, M. Horányi, D. James, M. Lankton, R. Srama, J. Szalay, Z. Sternovsky, Observations of the lunar dust exosphere with LDEX, in 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014)
A.V. Krivov, M. Sremčević, F. Spahn, V.V. Dikarev, K.V. Kholshevnikov, Impact-generated dust clouds around planetary satellites: Spherically symmetric case. Planet. Space Sci. 51, 251–269 (2003)
H. Krüger, A.A. Krivov, D.P. Hamilton, E. Grün, Detection of an impact-generated dust cloud around Ganymede. Nature 399, 558–560 (1999)
H. Krüger, A.V. Krivov, E. Grün, A dust cloud of Ganymede maintained by hypervelocity impacts of interplanetary micrometeoroids. Planet. Space Sci. 48, 1457–1471 (2000)
S.G. Love, D.E. Brownlee, A direct measurement of the terrestrial mass accretion rate of cosmic dust. Science 262, 550 (1993)
P.R. Mahaffy, R. Richard Hodges, M. Benna, T. King, R. Arvey, M. Barciniak, M. Bendt, D. Carigan, T. Errigo, D.N. Harpold, V. Holmes, C.S. Johnson, J. Kellogg, P. Kimvilakani, M. Lefavor, J. Hengemihle, F. Jaeger, E. Lyness, J. Maurer, D. Nguyen, T.J. Nolan, F. Noreiga, M. Noriega, K. Patel, B. Prats, O. Quinones, E. Raaen, F. Tan, E. Weidner, M. Woronowicz, C. Gundersen, S. Battel, B.P. Block, K. Arnett, R. Miller, C. Cooper, C. Edmonson, The neutral mass spectrometer on the lunar atmosphere and dust environment explorer mission. Space Sci. Rev. (2014). doi:10.1007/s11214-014-0043-9
C.B. Markwardt, Non-linear least-squares fitting in Idl with Mpfit, in Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XVIII, ed. by D.A. Bohlender, D. Durand, P. Dowler. Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, vol. 411 (2009), p. 251
J.E. McCoy, Photometric studies of light scattering above the lunar terminator from Apollo solar corona photography, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings, ed. by R.B. Merrill. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings, vol. 7 (1976), pp. 1087–1112
J.E. McCoy, D.R. Criswell, Evidence for a high altitude distribution of lunar dust, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings. Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings, vol. 5 (1974), pp. 2991–3005
A. Mocker, S. Bugiel, S. Auer, G. Baust, A. Colette, K. Drake, K. Fiege, E. Grün, F. Heckmann, S. Helfert, J. Hillier, S. Kempf, G. Matt, T. Mellert, T. Munsat, K. Otto, F. Postberg, H.-P. Röser, A. Shu, Z. Sternovsky, R. Srama, A 2 MV Van de Graaff accelerator as a tool for planetary and impact physics research. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 82(9), 095111 (2011)
D.L. Murphy, R.R. Vondrak, Effects of levitated dust on astronomical observations from the lunar surface, in Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts. Lunar and Planetary Institute Science Conference Abstracts, vol. 24 (1993), pp. 1033–1034
M.A. Pelizzari, D.R. Criswell, Differential photoelectric charging of nonconducting surfaces in space. J. Geophys. Res. 83, 5233–5244 (1978). doi:10.1029/JA083iA11p05233
A.R. Poppe, J.S. Halekas, J.R. Szalay, M. Horányi, G.T. Delory, Model-data comparisons of ladee/ldex observations of low-energy lunar dayside ions, in 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, vol. 1393 (2014)
J.J. Rennilson, D.R. Criswell, Surveyor observations of lunar horizon-glow. Moon Planets 10, 121–142 (1974). doi:10.1007/BF00655715
A. Shu, A. Collette, K. Drake, E. Grün, M. Horányi, S. Kempf, A. Mocker, T. Munsat, P. Northway, R. Srama, Z. Sternovsky, E. Thomas, 3 MV hypervelocity dust accelerator at the Colorado center for lunar dust and atmospheric studies. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83(7), 075108 (2012). doi:10.1063/1.4732820
F. Spahn, J. Schmidt, N. Albers, M. Hörning, M. Makuch, M. Seiß, S. Kempf, R. Srama, V. Dikarev, S. Helfert, G. Moragas-Klostermeyer, A.V. Krivov, M. Sremčević, A.J. Tuzzolino, T. Economou, E. Grün, Cassini dust measurements at Enceladus and implications for the origin of the E ring. Science 311, 1416–1418 (2006). doi:10.1126/science.1121375
R. Srama, T.J. Ahrens, N. Altobelli, S. Auer, J.G. Bradley, M. Burton, V.V. Dikarev, T. Economou, H. Fechtig, M. Görlich, M. Grande, A. Graps, E. Grün, O. Havnes, S. Helfert, M. Horányi, E. Igenbergs, E.K. Jessberger, T.V. Johnson, S. Kempf, A.V. Krivov, H. Krüger, A. Mocker-Ahlreep, G. Moragas-Klostermeyer, P. Lamy, M. Landgraf, D. Linkert, G. Linkert, F. Lura, J.A.M. McDonnell, D. Möhlmann, G.E. Morfill, M. Müller, M. Roy, G. Schäfer, G. Schlotzhauer, G.H. Schwehm, F. Spahn, M. Stübig, J. Svestka, V. Tschernjawski, A.J. Tuzzolino, R. Wäsch, H.A. Zook, The Cassini cosmic dust analyzer. Space Sci. Rev. 114, 465–518 (2004). doi:10.1007/s11214-004-1435-z
M. Sremčević, A.V. Krivov, F. Spahn, Impact-generated dust clouds around planetary satellites: Asymmetry effects. Planet. Space Sci. 51, 455–471 (2003)
S.A. Stern, The lunar atmosphere: History, status, current problems, and context. Rev. Geophys. 37, 453–492 (1999). doi:10.1029/1999RG900005
Z. Sternovsky, P. Chamberlin, M. Horanyi, S. Robertson, X. Wang, Variability of the lunar photoelectron sheath and dust mobility due to solar activity. J. Geophys. Res. 113(12), 10104 (2008). doi:10.1029/2008JA013487
Z. Sternovsky, S. Gagnard, D. Gathright, E. Grün, D. James, S. Kempf, M. Lankton, M. Horányi, R. Srama, J. Szalay, Modeling the uv signal scattered into the lunar dust experiment (ldex) from the surface, in 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014)
J.R. Szalay, M. Horányi, A.R. Poppe, J.S. Halekas, Ldex observations and correlations with artemis measurements, in 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014)
A.D. Taylor, Earth encounter velocities for interplanetary meteoroids. Adv. Space Res. 17, 205–209 (1996). doi:10.1016/0273-1177(95)00782-A
H.A. Zook, J.E. McCoy, Large scale lunar horizon glow and a high altitude lunar dust exosphere. Geophys. Res. Lett. 18, 2117–2120 (1991). doi:10.1029/91GL02235
Acknowledgements
The LADEE/LDEX project has been supported by NASA. The initial development of the dust accelerator facility was supported by NASA’s Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies (CCLDAS), it is currently supported by the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI): Institute for Modeling Plasmas, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT) project. The project also received support from DLR, Germany.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Horányi, M., Sternovsky, Z., Lankton, M. et al. The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) Onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Mission. Space Sci Rev 185, 93–113 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-014-0118-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-014-0118-7