The behavior of volatiles on the lunar surface

Abstract

Volatiles, and water in particular, have been thought to be unstable on the lunar surface because of the rapid removal of constituents of the lunar atmosphere by solar radiation, solar wind, and gravitational escape. The limiting factor in removal of a volatile from the moon, however, is actually the evaporation rate of the solid phase, which will be collected at the coldest points on the lunar surface. We present a detailed theory of the behavior of volatiles on the lunar surface based on solid-vapor kinetic relationships, and show that water is far more stable there than the noble gases or other possible constituents of the lunar atmosphere. Numerical calculations indicate the amount of water lost from the moon since the present surface conditions were initiated is only a few grams per square centimeter of the lunar surface. The amount of ice eventually detected in lunar ‘cold traps’ thus will provide a sensitive indication of the degree of chemical differentiation of the moon.