In-situ measurements of lunar heat flow

Abstract

During the Apollo program two successful heat flow measurements were made in situ on the lunar surface. At the Apollo 15 site a value of .0000031 W/sq cm was measured, and at the Apollo 17 site a value of .0000022 W/sq cm was determined. Both measurements have uncertainty limits of + or - 20 percent and have been corrected for perturbing topographic effects. The apparent difference between the observations may correlate with observed variations in the surface abundance of thorium. Comparison with earlier determinations of heat flow, using the microwave emission spectrum from the moon, gives support to the high gradients and heat flows observed in situ