Space-based weather observatory at Earth-Moon Lagrange point L1 to monitor earth's magnetotail effects on the Moon

TL;DR

This paper proposes placing a space weather observatory at the Earth-Moon L1 point to study how Earth's magnetotail influences lunar surface oxidation, utilizing advanced sensors and numerical methods for precise monitoring.

Contribution

It introduces a novel space-based platform at Earth-Moon L1 for real-time monitoring of Earth's magnetotail effects on the Moon's surface oxidation process.

Findings

L1 point provides an optimal location for lunar weather observation.

Magnetotail influences oxygen transport to the lunar surface.

Numerical methods improve prediction accuracy.

Abstract

Lunar hematite is formed by the oxidation of iron on the surface of the Moon by oxygen from the Earth's upper atmosphere. The Moon's surface is continuously affected by solar particles from the sun. However, Earth's magnetic tail blocks 99 % of the solar wind and provides windows of opportunity to transport oxygen from Earth's upper atmosphere to the Moon through magnetotail when it is in its full moon phase. Here, we propose to place a space weather observatory at the Earth-Moon L1 Lagrange point carrying a crucial payload onboard to study how Earth's magnetotail causes the Moon's surface to rust. The space weather observatory monitors the effect of Earth's magnetic field on the Moon using advanced spectroscopic sensors from Lagrange-based stations. Earth-moon L1 Lagrange point is the key location for space-weather observation as spacecraft near this point obtains a nearly unobstructed view of the moon. Numerical methods needed for a high-order analytical approximation have been implemented for more accurate predictions.