Remote Sensing of the Lunar Regolith: A Study of the Apollo 15 Site via Wideband Microwave Radiometry

This study presents a retrieval study for several physical, chemical, and thermal properties of the lunar regolith using microwave radiometry. The Apollo 15 site was selected for the study owing to the abundance of in-situ measurements regarding such regolith properties, and the 4-channel Chang’E-1 microwave radiometer data were used for the retrieval. The results have demonstrated that diurnal brightness temperature measurements with a wideband microwave radiometer can reveal important regolith parameters related with the regolith thickness, density, and temperature, as well as the amount of ilmenite in the regolith. On the other hand, it has also been observed that the retrievals may not be unique; thus, ancillary data may be needed to constrain the estimates.