A global lunar landing site study to provide the scientific context for exploration of the Moon

• Other Authors: Kring, David A. (David Allen), orcid:0000-0002-3440-6282, Durda, Dan, 1965-
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Lunar and Planetary Institute 2012
• Subjects: Moon > Exploration; Lunar landing sites; Aitken; Kring; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11753/1328

In 2007, the National Research Council published a report called The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon, which provided NASA the scientific guidance it needed for an enhanced exploration program that would provide global access to the lunar surface through an integrated robotic and human mission architecture. Over a five year period (2008-2012), eight summer study groups were organized to determine where on the surface those scientific objectives could be addressed. Maps with those locations were compiled for each scientific goal. This was a completely novel and objective way to identify the global distribution of future landing sites. In the end, when the maps for all of the goals are overlaid, a series of scientifically-rich landing sites emerge, some of which had never been considered before. Study Prepared by Members of the LPI-JSC Lunar Exploration Summer Intern Program edited by David A. Kring and Daniel D. Durda. The bombardment history of the inner solar system is uniquely revealed on the Moon--The structure and composition of the lunar interior provide fundamental information on the evolution of a differentiated planetary body--Key planetary processes are manifested in the diversity of lunar crustal rocks--The lunar pole are special environments that may bear witness to the volatile flux over the latter part of solar system history--Lunar volcanism provides a window into the thermal and compositional evolution of the Moon--The Moon is an accessible laboratory for studying the impact process on planetary scales--The Moon is a natural laboratory for regolith processes and weathering on anhydrous airless bodies--Feasibility assessment of all science concepts within South Pole-Aitken Basin