Space Weathering Processes and Effects on the Moon

Space weathering on airless bodies (including Moon, asteroids, and comets) is the physical and chemical alteration due to irradiation from solar wind particles and bombardment by micrometeorites. This paper compiles current lunar space weathering results from lunar soil studies, and ion and laser irradiation simulations. On the basis of these, hypothesizes about origin of amorphous rim and nanophase Fe0 on lunar soil particles were analyzed. In current researches, the contribution of solar wind irradiation and micrometeorite impact in lunar space weathering effects could not be completely distinguished. And it is suggested that lunar space weathering model should not be directly invoked for asteroids and other bodies. In the future, more microstructure and chemical compositions of samples from lunar, asteroids and IDP, more appropriate simulations are essential for resolving of the above problems.