A Study of the Lunar Soil in Regions with Temperature Anomalies

Based on a large body of observational data on radio emission from the Moon, we study the dependence of lunar radio temperature variations on illumination conditions. The data were obtained with the RATAN-600 radio telescope with a high sensitivity and resolution, which has not yet been used to construct radio images of the Moon. The harmonic parameters (amplitudes and phase angles) were determined both for the “average” Moon and for regions with temperature anomalies revealed by the RATAN-600 observations. These parameters allow the physical properties of the lunar soil to be investigated. The distribution of the loss-angle tangent (tan Δ), one of the characteristics of the lunar material, over the Moon was determined. The loss-angle tangent is related to the content of ilmenite, a rock containing oxygen, iron, and titanium, in the lunar soil. Studies of the ilmenite distribution on the Moon are particularly important in view of the prospects for building a habitable lunar base that needs oxygen. It is relatively easy and cheap to extract oxygen, iron, and titanium from ilmenite.