Comparison of physical and chemical properties of the surface in the regions of operation of the Lunokhod-1 and Yutu rovers on the Moon

Abstract

Through the example of comparison of the natural features of two regions in the northern part of Mare Imbrium, that were directly investigated in detail with remotely controlled rovers on the lunar surface, the capabilities of combining orbital remote measurements of the physical and mechanical properties and the chemical composition of the lunar soil with their direct measurements have been shown. From the remotely determined spectropolarimetric and gamma-spectrometric characteristics of the regolith surface layer, the exposure age (the maturity), the mean effective size of particles of the fine fraction, the absolute age of the formations, and the iron content in the soil were estimated. To compare the characteristics of the considered regions, the results of the investigations carried out directly on the lunar surface by the Lunokhod-1 rover and the analogous vehicle Yutu were used.