Mapping mineral formation on the lunar surface using remote sensing methods: A case study of TYCHO crater

In this thesis, the mineral structure of Tycho Crater and its region in the southern hemisphere of the Moon was determined and mapped by utilizing the hyperspectral resolution of remote sensing. Within the scope of the study, hyperspectral data produced by the Lunar Mineral Mapping device of India's Chandrayaan-1 satellite were analyzed and visualized in three dimensions with digital elevation model data generated by the Japanese Kaguya satellite and the American Lunar Orbital Laser Altimeter. A spectral library was created from the samples brought back from the Moon by the Apollo missions, and the analyzed hyperspectral data were analyzed to determine the spectral similarities with the samples brought back. The distribution of these minerals in the crater region was mapped and it was observed whether this mapping was in agreement with different mineral analysis algorithms such as band ratio and abundance analysis in %FeO. The spectra matched the pyroxene and olivine minerals brought back to Earth from Apollo 17, and the region was found to be richer in FeO than expected, contrary to the general trend of the lunar surface.