Abstract Any in-situ experiment planned to probe lunar surface/sub-surface properties requires a prior knowledge of their behavior on the Moon. For this purpose, a small chamber/facility for carrying out experiments, in particular for understanding lunar thermo-physical behavior, in a simulated lunar environment (pressure and temperatures) is designed and its performance has been evaluated. A soil stratum of 10–20 cm similar to the top layer of lunar surface can be simulated using this chamber. Two novelties of this setup are 1. A provision to heat/cool a copper platform inside the chamber, to simulate lunar day/night temperatures in the soil stratum, through a copper road; 2. A perforated sample holder to efficiently degas trapped gases in the sample stratum. The basic motivation of this work is to achieve a simulated environment close to that of the Moon and to carryout experiments with a limited sample size and sensors to understand the thermo-physical behavior of the outermost lunar surface. Several experiments were carried out using the chamber to demonstrate its capability. Thermal conductivity measurements under vacuum were carried in a soil stratum with this setup to demonstrate its temperature dependence. With minor modifications, the same chamber can also be used for similar other experiments.

中文翻译：

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开发模拟月球表面环境的腔室

摘要 任何计划探测月球表面/亚表面特性的原位实验都需要事先了解它们在月球上的行为。为此，设计了一个小室/设施，用于在模拟月球环境（压力和温度）中进行实验，特别是用于了解月球热物理行为，并对其性能进行了评估。使用该腔室可以模拟类似于月球表面顶层的 10-20 厘米的土壤层。这种设置的两个新颖之处是： 1. 提供加热/冷却室内铜平台，通过铜路模拟土壤层中的月球昼/夜温度；2. 带孔的样品架可有效地对样品层中的残留气体进行脱气。这项工作的基本动机是实现一个接近月球的模拟环境，并使用有限的样本和传感器进行实验，以了解最外层月球表面的热物理行为。使用该室进行了几项实验以证明其能力。真空下的热导率测量是在土壤层中用这种设置进行的，以证明其温度依赖性。稍加修改，同一个腔室也可用于类似的其他实验。真空下的热导率测量是在土壤层中用这种设置进行的，以证明其温度依赖性。稍加修改，同一个腔室也可用于类似的其他实验。真空下的热导率测量是在土壤层中用这种设置进行的，以证明其温度依赖性。稍加修改，同一个腔室也可用于类似的其他实验。