Recent Progress of the Taiwan University Lunar Investigation Project

Ian-Lin Lai^{1, *}
Zhong-Yi Lin ¹
Chen-Yen Hsu¹
Wing-Huen Ip ^1
1Graduate Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Taiwan
*ianlai@astro.ncu.edu.tw

摘要 (abstract)

The Taiwan University Lunar Investigation Project (TULIP), supported by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), aims to advance lunar research in Taiwan and lay the groundwork for collaboration with NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). The project comprises three primary scientific objectives: (1) Lunar exosphere simulations, which focus on developing a time-dependent model of the lunar exosphere to investigate volatile transport processes driven by solar radiation, solar wind interactions, and micrometeoroid bombardment. (2) Lunar impact flash monitoring, involving the establishment of the Robotic Lulin Lunar Impact Flash Telescope (RoLIFE) at Lulin Observatory to observe meteoroid impacts on the lunar surface and estimate the physical and dynamic properties of these meteoroids. (3) Long-term lunar sodium tail observations, utilizing ground-based techniques to study the extended structure of the Moon’s sodium tail, with emphasis on D1 and D2 sodium absorption lines. Substantial progress has been made in each of these components, representing a significant milestone in Taiwan’s contributions to international lunar and planetary science research. 關鍵詞：Moon, Exosphere, Meteoroid