The Moon is a primary focus of our research, particularly understanding the distribution, stability, and accessibility of water ice and other volatiles in permanently shadowed regions near the lunar poles.

Shackleton crater rim permanently shadowed regions micro cold traps
(Left) Shackleton crater's rim at the Moon's south pole. (Middle) Permanently shadowed regions that may harbor water ice. (Right) Small-scale "micro cold traps" greatly expand the potential reservoir for lunar ice.

Polar Volatiles

Water ice and other volatiles are trapped in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the lunar poles, where temperatures can drop below 40 K. Our group uses thermal models and remote sensing data to map these cold traps and understand the processes that control volatile delivery, retention, and loss.

Surface Thermophysical Properties

We use data from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to characterize the thermal properties of the lunar regolith. These measurements reveal the structure and composition of the upper few centimeters of the surface, with implications for landing site selection and resource utilization.

Micro Cold Traps

Our research has shown that water ice may be trapped in small-scale cold traps—shadows cast by rocks and small craters—that are far more numerous than the large permanently shadowed regions. These micro cold traps could significantly increase the accessible water inventory on the Moon.

Further information:

  • Hayne, P. O., Aharonson, O., & Schörghofer, N. (2021). Micro cold traps on the Moon. Nature Astronomy, 5, 169–175. Link
  • Li, S., Lucey, P. G., Milliken, R. E., Hayne, P. O., Fisher, E., Williams, J.-P., Hurley, D. M., & Elphic, R. C. (2018). Direct evidence of surface exposed water ice in the lunar polar regions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Link
  • Hayne, P. O., Bandfield, J. L., Siegler, M. A., Vasavada, A. R., Ghent, R. R., Williams, J.-P., ... & Paige, D. A. (2017). Global regolith thermophysical properties of the Moon from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 122, 2371–2400. Link
  • Hayne, P. O., Hendrix, A., Sefton-Nash, E., Siegler, M. A., Lucey, P. G., Retherford, K. D., ... & Paige, D. A. (2015). Evidence for exposed water ice in the Moon's south polar regions from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ultraviolet albedo and temperature measurements. Icarus, 255, 58–69. Link
  • Hayne, P. O., Greenhagen, B. T., Foote, M. C., Siegler, M. A., Vasavada, A. R., & Paige, D. A. (2010). Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of the LCROSS impact. Science, 330, 477–479. Link
  • Paige, D. A., Siegler, M. A., Zhang, J. A., Hayne, P. O., et al. (2010). Diviner Lunar Radiometer observations of cold traps in the Moon's south polar region. Science, 330, 479–482. Link