Infrared and Thermal Properties of Lunar Rock

Abstract

The infrared absorption properties of lunar rock throughout the range 2 to 2000 micrometers were investigated and, in addition, direct measurements of specific heat and thermal conductivity of rock samples were made. The results suggest that pure radiation is an important, if not dominant, process in heat flow in the lunar surface layer. A new method for determining the mean conductivity of this layer gives somewhat lower values than earlier earth-based measurements. There is also evidence to suggest that, at depths of about 10 meters, the rock is still of a porous and fragmental nature.