Gravity Field of the Moon from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission

Maria T. Zuber; David E. Smith; Michael M. Watkins; Sami W. Asmar; Alexander S. Konopliv; Frank G. Lemoine; H. Jay Melosh; Gregory A. Neumann; Roger J. Phillips; Sean C. Solomon; Mark A. Wieczorek; James G. Williams; Sander J. Goossens; Gerhard Kruizinga; Erwan Mazarico; Ryan S. Park; Dah-Ning Yuan

doi:10.1126/science.1231507

journal article Feb 08, 2013

Gravity Field of the Moon from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission

Maria T. Zuber David E. Smith Michael M. Watkins Sami W. Asmar Alexander S. Konopliv Frank G. Lemoine H. Jay Melosh Gregory A. Neumann Roger J. Phillips Sean C. Solomon Mark A. Wieczorek

James G. Williams

Sander J. Goossens Gerhard Kruizinga Erwan Mazarico Ryan S. Park

Dah-Ning Yuan

Science Vol. 339 No. 6120 pp. 668-671 · American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

View at Publisher Save 10.1126/science.1231507

Abstract

The Holy GRAIL?

The gravity field of a planet provides a view of its interior and thermal history by revealing areas of different density. GRAIL, a pair of satellites that act as a highly sensitive gravimeter, began mapping the Moon's gravity in early 2012. Three papers highlight some of the results from the primary mission.

Zuber
et al.

(p.
668
, published online 6 December) discuss the overall gravity field, which reveals several new tectonic and geologic features of the Moon. Impacts have worked to homogenize the density structure of the Moon's upper crust while fracturing it extensively.

Wieczorek
et al.

(p.
671
, published online 6 December) show that the upper crust is 35 to 40 kilometers thick and less dense—and thus more porous—than previously thought. Finally,

Andrews-Hanna
et al.

(p.
675
, published online 6 December) show that the crust is cut by widespread magmatic dikes that may reflect a period of expansion early in the Moon's history.

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Details

Published: Feb 08, 2013
Vol/Issue: 339(6120)
Pages: 668-671

Authors

M

Maria T. Zuber

Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139–4307, USA.

D

David E. Smith

Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139–4307, USA.

M

Michael M. Watkins

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

S

Sami W. Asmar

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

A

Alexander S. Konopliv

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

F

Frank G. Lemoine

Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.

H

H. Jay Melosh

Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.

G

Gregory A. Neumann

Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.

R

Roger J. Phillips

Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.

S

Sean C. Solomon

Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA.

M

Mark A. Wieczorek

Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Diderot, Case 7071, Lamarck A, 5, rue Thomas Mann, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France.

J

James G. Williams

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

S

Sander J. Goossens

University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.

G

Gerhard Kruizinga

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

E

Erwan Mazarico

Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139–4307, USA.

R

Ryan S. Park

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

D

Dah-Ning Yuan

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

Cite This Article

Maria T. Zuber, David E. Smith, Michael M. Watkins, et al. (2013). Gravity Field of the Moon from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission. Science, 339(6120), 668-671. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1231507

Gravity Field of the Moon from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission

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