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In December, 1973, a Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites (LEAM) experiment was placed in the Taurus-Littrow area of the moon by the Apollo 17 Astronauts. Objectives of the experiment were centered around measurements of impact parameters of cosmic dust on the lunar surface. During preliminary attempts to analyze the data it became evident that the events registered by the sensors could not be attributed to cosmic dust but could only be identified with the lunar surface and the local sun angle. The nature of these data coupled with post-flight studies of instrument characteristics, have led to a conclusion that the LEAM experiment is responding primarily to a flux of highly charged, slowly moving lunar surface fines. Undoubtedly concealed in these data is the normal impact activity from cosmic dust and probably lunar ejecta, as well. This paper is based on the recognition that the bulk of events registered by the LEAM experiment are not signatures of hypervelocity cosmic dust particles, as expected, but are induced signatures of electrostatically charged and transported lunar fines.

A 3‐axes cosmic dust experiment placed on the lunar surface by the APOLLO 17 crew is registering impact parameters of cosmic dust and lunar ejecta. 1,117 events have been recorded in 8 months of data. Preliminary conclusions on the nature of the data include possible evidence of lunar soil transport associated with the terminators. Particle fluxes derived for two of the three sensor systems and for specified conditions of exposure are: 6×10−4m−2sec−1(2πsr)−1(EAST Sensor) 2×10−4m−2sec−1(2πsr)−1(UP Sensor)

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