The Clementine Bistatic Radar Experiment

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Nozette, S., Lichtenberg, C. L., Spudis, P., Bonner, R., Ort, W., Malaret, E., Robinson, M., Shoemaker, E. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1996
• Subjects: North Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.274.5292.1495; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.274.5292.1495

During the Clementine 1 mission, a bistatic radar experiment measured the magnitude and polarization of the radar echo versus bistatic angle, β, for selected lunar areas. Observations of the lunar south pole yield a same-sense polarization enhancement around β = 0. Analysis shows that the observed enhancement is localized to the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. Radar observations of periodically solar-illuminated lunar surfaces, including the north pole, yielded no such enhancement. A probable explanation for these differences is the presence of low-loss volume scatterers, such as water ice, in the permanently shadowed region at the south pole.