'Exciting' news from SOFIA, about the Moon Options

[marsbug]

This has just popped up in my news feed: NASA will be making an 'exciting' announcement regarding SOFIA observations of the Moon on the 26th... And that's more or less all we've got. Given what we know about the wavelengths SOFIA uses, and observation campaigns it's been used for that might be relevant to the Moon, I wondered if anyone might have any insight?

[djellison]

This is the only selected SOFIA observation out of 7 rounds to mention the moon.

https://www.sofia.usra.edu/science/proposin...ls/abstracts#61

Proposal ID: 07_0061

Principal Investigator: Paul Lucey

Title: Water abundance on the Moon from 6 µm observations

Abstract: This Thesis Enabling Program aims to detect or place upper limits on the abundance of molecular water on the lunar surface. A hydrogen-bearing species is causing an unexpected 3 µm absorption on the lunar surface. However existing data, including the proposers’ observations of the Moon at 3 µm using the InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF), cannot resolve the chemical form of this hydrogen, whether molecular water or the hydroxyl radical. The chemical form of the 3 µm absorber provides information on solar wind interaction with the lunar surface, and whether the hydrogen bearing compound is mobile. Low resolution spectroscopy at 6 µm is uniquely sensitive to the presence of molecular water in a spectral region both inaccessible from the ground and lacking in existing and planned spacecraft observations. SOFIA observations will enable definitive establishment of abundance limits of water and its degree of mobility. The project will produce 6 µm spectra of the Moon as a function of time, location and temperature for use by the wider planetary astronomy and lunar science community.