Authors

J. E. Lane; P. T. Metzger

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Acta Geophys.

Keywords

Mie Scattering; Efficiency Factor For Extinction; Particle Size; Distribution; Mass Erosion Rate; Shear Stress; Shape Factor; Plume Impingement; Geochemistry & Geophysics

Abstract

A technique to estimate mass erosion rate of surface soil during landing of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and total mass ejected due to the rocket plume interaction is proposed and tested. The erosion rate is proportional to the product of the second moment of the lofted particle size distribution N(D), and third moment of the normalized soil size distribution S(D), divided by the integral of S(D).D-2/v(D), where D is particle diameter and v(D) is the vertical component of particle velocity. The second moment of N(D) is estimated by optical extinction analysis of the Apollo cockpit video. Because of the similarity between mass erosion rate of soil as measured by optical extinction and rainfall rate as measured by radar reflectivity, traditional NWS radar/rainfall correlation methodology can be applied to the lunar soil case where various S(D) models are assumed corresponding to specific lunar sites.

Journal Title

Acta Geophysica

Volume

63

Issue/Number

2

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

568

Last Page

599

WOS Identifier

WOS:000351934000014

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