Mineralogical and chemical characterization of lunar highland soils: Insights into the space weathering of soils on airless bodies

With reflectance spectroscopy, one is measuring only properties of the fine‐grained regolith most affected by space weathering. The Lunar Soil Characterization Consortium has undertaken the task of coordinated characterization of lunar soils, with respect to their mineralogical and chemical makeup. It is these lunar soils that are being used as “ground truth” for all airless bodies. Modal abundances and chemistries of minerals and glasses in the...