Photometric Normalization of Chang’e-4 Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer Datasets: A Combined Study of In-Situ and Laboratory Spectral Measurements

Lunar rock investigation and tri-aspect characterization of lunar farside regolith by a digital twin

Yutu-2 rover conducted an exciting expedition on the 41st lunar day to investigate a fin-shaped rock at Longji site (45.44°S, 177.56°E) by extending its locomotion margin on perilous peaks. The varied locomotion encountered, especially multi-form wheel slippage, during the journey to the target rock, established unique conditions for a fin-grained lunar regolith analysis regarding bearing, shear and lateral properties based on terramechanics. Here, we show a tri-aspect characterization of lunar regolith and infer the rock's origin using a digital twin. We estimate internal friction angle within 21.5°-42.0° and associated cohesion of 520-3154 Pa in the Chang'E-4 operational site. These findings suggest shear characteristics similar to Apollo 12 mission samples but notably higher cohesion compared to regolith investigated on most nearside lunar missions. We estimate external friction angle in lateral properties to be within 8.3°-16.5°, which fills the gaps of the lateral property estimation of the lunar farside regolith and serves as a foundational parameter for subsequent engineering verifications. Our in-situ spectral investigations of the target rock unveil its composition of iron/magnesium-rich low-calcium pyroxene, linking it to the Zhinyu crater (45.34°S, 176.15°E) ejecta. Our results indicate that the combination of in-situ measurements with robotics technology in planetary exploration reveal the possibility of additional source regions contributing to the local materials at the Chang'E-4 site, implying a more complicated geological history in the vicinity.

Effect of Lunar Complex Illumination on In Situ Measurements Obtained Using Visible and Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer of Chang’E-4

In-situ measurements of the spectral information on the lunar surface are of significance to study the geological evolution of the Moon. China’s Chang’E-4 (CE-4) Yutu-2 rover has conducted several in-situ spectral explorations on the Moon. The visible and near-infrared imaging spectrometer (VNIS) onboard the rover has acquired a series of in-situ spectra of the regolith at the landing site. In general, the mineralogical research of the lunar surface relies on the accuracy of the in-situ data. However, the spectral measurements of the Yutu-2 rover may be affected by shadows and stray illumination. In this study, we analyzed 106 CE-4 VNIS spectra acquired in the first 24 lunar days of the mission and noted that six of these spectra were affected by the shadows of the rover. Therefore, a method was established to correct the effects of the rover shadow on the spectral measurements. After shadow correction, the FeO content in the affected area is corrected to 14.46 wt.%, which was similar to the result calculated in the normal regolith. Furthermore, according to the visible images, certain areas of the explored sites were noted to be unusually bright. Considering the reflectance, geometric information, and shining patterns of the multi-layer insulation (MLI), we examined the influence of the specular reflection of the MLI on the bright spot regionsd, and found that the five sets of data were likely not affected by the specular reflection of the MLI. The results indicated that the complex illumination considerably influences the in situ spectral data. This study can provide a basis to analyze the VNIS scientific data and help enhance the accuracy of interpretation of the composition at CE-4 landing sites.

Compact Matrix-Exponential-Based FDTD with Second-Order PML and Direct Z-Transform for Modeling Complex Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Problems

To simulate complex subsurface sensing and imaging problems with both propagating and evanescent waves by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, the highly-accurate second-order perfectly matched layer (SO-PML) formulations based on the direct Z-transform (DZT) and the matrix exponential (ME) techniques are compactly and efficiently proposed for modeling open-domain problems. During mathematical deductions, several manipulations, for example, convolution computations, formulation reorganizations, or variable substitutions, can be circumvented due to the fact that the ME-based method shows a compact first-order differential matrix form. Besides, any material attributes can be completely circumvented because of using electric and magnetic flux densities, consequently, the proposed DZT-SO-PML could be applied without needing any alteration. Moreover, the DZT-SO-PML method can not only preserve better absorption accuracies, but also attain palpable improvements in computational efficiencies, even if the distance between the DSP-SO-PML truncation and the target becomes closer for modeling 3D open-domain subsurface sensing and imaging problems. Finally, numerical examples have been carried out to illustrate and validate these proposed formulations.