NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Collections About News Help Login
Back to Results
The Lunar Dust PendulumShadowed regions on the lunar surface acquire a negative potential. In particular, shadowed craters can have a negative potential with respect to the surrounding lunar regolith in sunlight, especially near the terminator regions. Here we analyze the motion of a positively charged lnnar dust grain in the presence of a shadowed crater at a negative potential in vacuum. Previous models describing the transport of charged lunar dust close to the surface have typically been limited to one-dimensional motion in the vertical direction, e.g. electrostatic levitation; however. the electric fields in the vicinity of shadowed craters will also have significant components in the horizontal directions. We propose a model that includes both the horizontal and vertical motion of charged dust grains near shadowed craters. We show that the dust grains execute oscillatory trajectories and present an expression for the period of oscillation drawing an analogy to the motion of a pendulum.
Document ID
20120003680
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Abstract
Authors
Kuntz, Kip (Johns Hopkins Univ. Baltimore, MD, United States)
Collier, Michael R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Stubbs, Timothy J. (Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Catonsville, MD, United States)
Farrell, William M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
May 3, 2011
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
GSFC.ABS.5740.2011
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2011 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
Location: San Francisco, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: December 5, 2011
End Date: December 9, 2011
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

Related Records

There are no records associated with this record.
No Preview Available