Solar-Storm/Lunar Atmosphere Model (SSLAM): An overview of the effort and description of the driving storm environment

W. M Farrell; J. S Halekas; R. M Killen; G. T Delory; N Gross; L. V Bleacher; D Krauss-Varben; P Travnicek; D Hurley; T. J Stubbs; M. I Zimmerman; T. L Jackson

doi:10.1029/2012JE004070

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Solar-Storm/Lunar Atmosphere Model (SSLAM): An overview of the effort and description of the driving storm environment

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Solar-Storm/Lunar Atmosphere Model (SSLAM): An overview of the effort and description of the driving storm environment

W. M Farrell, J. S Halekas, R. M Killen, G. T Delory, N Gross, L. V Bleacher, D Krauss-Varben, P Travnicek, D Hurley, T. J Stubbs, …

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol.117(E10), E00K04

10/2012

DOI: 10.1029/2012JE004070

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Abstract

[1] On 29 April 1998, a coronal mass ejection (CME) was emitted from the Sun that had a significant impact at Earth. The terrestrial magnetosphere became more electrically active during the storm passage. Less explored is the effect of such a storm on an exposed rocky body like our Moon. The solar-storm/lunar atmosphere modeling effort (SSLAM) brings together surface interactions, exosphere, plasma, and surface charging models all run with a common driver – the solar storm and CME passage occurring from 1 to 4 May 1998. We present herein an expanded discussion on the solar driver during the 1–4 May 1998 period that included the passage of an intense coronal mass ejection (CME) that had >10 times the solar wind density and had a compositional component of He++ that exceeded 20%. During this time, the plasma mass flux to the exposed lunar surface increased by over 20 times compared to the nominal solar wind, to a value near 10−13 kg/m2-s. Over a two day CME passage by the Moon, this amount approaches 300 tons of added mass to the Moon in the form of individual proton and helium ions. Such an increase in ion flux should have a profound impact on sputtering loss rates from the surface, since this process scales as the mass, energy, and charge state of the incident ion. Associated loss processes were addressed by SSLAM and will be discussed herein.

exosphere

Moon

plasma

solar storm

Details

Title: Subtitle: Solar-Storm/Lunar Atmosphere Model (SSLAM): An overview of the effort and description of the driving storm environment
Creators: W. M Farrell - Goddard Space Flight Center
J. S Halekas - University of California, Berkeley
R. M Killen - Goddard Space Flight Center
G. T Delory - University of California, Berkeley
N Gross - Boston University
L. V Bleacher - Goddard Space Flight Center
D Krauss-Varben - NASA Lunar Science Institute, Moffett Field, California, USA
P Travnicek - University of California, Berkeley
D Hurley - NASA Lunar Science Institute
T. J Stubbs - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
M. I Zimmerman - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
T. L Jackson - Goddard Space Flight Center
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, Vol.117(E10), E00K04
DOI: 10.1029/2012JE004070
ISSN: 0148-0227
eISSN: 2156-2202
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Number of pages: 11
Language: English
Date published: 10/2012
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984200028802771

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