Grant For Research NNX15AV78G

This federal grant award to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is to support research on the interactions between ion cyclotron waves and the lunar exosphere. The $310,864.40 grant, awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), aims to address key science questions about the morphology of these waves, their excitation by pickup ions, and the insights they can provide about the loss and modification of the lunar exosphere. The research leverages data from recent lunar missions, including ARTEMIS, Kaguya, and Apollo, to characterize the ion cyclotron waves and associated electromagnetic fields and charged particle conditions. This work supports the high-priority lunar research area of "characterization of the global variability and structure of the lunar exosphere and/or dust environment." The grant has no set-aside designation, and UCLA will perform the research at its facilities in Los Angeles.