As the last stage of China's Chang'e (CE) lunar program, the Chang'e-5 lunar rover will land on the surface of moon, obtain lunar samples and then return back to Earth. The Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer (LMS) is one of CE-5's onboard payloads, which is an important data source for the lunar exploration project. LMS spectral data is used to identify the composition of lunar minerals to aid in rock classification and stratigraphic analysis-all of which provide data required to support research on moon formation, geologic evolution and rock-water interactions. Compared with the CE-3 VIS/NIR imaging spectrometer (VNIS), the CE-5 LMS extends the spectral range from 450~2 400 to 480~3 200 nm. In addition to identifying the major minerals such as pyroxene and olivine, it can also detect absorption peaks around 3 000 nm characteristic of hydrous minerals. In addition, Chang'e-5 will sample thematerialbelow the surface of the moon, and LMS can detect the area before and after sampling, to analyze the spectral characteristics of lunar soil under different depths and weathering degrees, then compared with the laboratory spectra of the later return samples. In order to ensure the reliability of LMS lunar data, a pre-flight LMS ground validation experiment was carried out, using a variety of minerals and mineral mixed samples, collecting the detection data of LMS under different test environment, combining with a standard instrument to analyze the spectral quality. In this paper, spectral uncertainty parameters of all experiment samples were calculated and evaluated. Moreover, the LMS spectral data were consistent with those simultaneously obtained from standard comparison spectrometers under the same conditions, indicating that LMS could effectively identify the spectral profile and absorption peak of the targets.
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... China plans to launch Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission in 2020 (Xinhua, 2020). As shown in Fig.1, the Chang'e-5 probe is composed of 4 modules: orbiter, returner, lander and ascender (Cai et al., 2019) . The lander, carrying the ascender, will land in the northwest part of Oceanus Procellarum and take back at least 2 kilograms lunar samples (Gbtimes, 2017;Zhao et al., 2017;Xinhua, 2020). ...
... Then, the samples will be transferred to the ascender, and be brought to the orbiter after the processing of rendezvous and docking. After separating with orbiter, the returner will bring the samples back to Earth (Cai et al, 2019; Wang et al., 2019). Detailed topographic analysis of sampling areas is crucial to the effectiveness and safety of sampling operation. ...
The topographic mapping of sampling areas, providing basic sampling environment information, is crucial in sample return mission. The fixed monitoring cameras were designed for mapping of sampling areas in fixed effective resolution. In order to perform more detailed topographic analysis of sampling areas, this paper proposed a topographic mapping method based on the sequential sample images captured with the movements of manipulator arm. The tie point matching results and the image exterior orientation parameters obtained from measurements of manipulator arm joints were employed to the weighted bundle adjustment based optimization for the accurate topographic mapping. The simulated images were adopted to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.
... The visible spectrometer can acquire images of the drilling and sampling sites. The measuring capabilities of LMS are listed below (Li et al., 2015;Cai et al., 2019) . 1. Spectral range: 480 ∼3200 nm, covered by a VIS/NIR and an IR module. ...
Chang’e-5 mission is China’s first lunar sample return mission, 44 years after last robotic sampling by Luna-24 in 1976. Chang’e-5 aims at returning ~2 kg of lunar samples. It launched on November 24, 2020, landed on the Moon on December 1, 2020, sampled ~1731 g of lunar samples both by drilling and scooping, and returned back to the Earth on December 17, 2020. The Chang’e-5 landing site is in the Northern Oceanus Procellarum in the northwest nearside, which is covered by some of the youngest mare basalts on the Moon. The returned samples will be managed by Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center and stored in Ground Research Application System. The primary storage facility, equipped with qualified instruments, will be responsible for sample classification and curation. Both scientists from China and around the world can apply these samples upon application with outstanding research ideas.
In the early morning on December 17, 2020 Beijing time, China's chang'E-5 probe successfully returned to the Earth with 1731 grams of lunar samples after completing drilling, shoveling, packaging of lunar soil and scientific exploration on lunar surface. It is the successful completion of the third phase of China's lunar exploration project, namely “circling, landing and returning to the moon”. The scientific objectives of CE-5 mission are to carry out in situ investigation and analysis of the lunar landing region, laboratory research and analysis of lunar return samples.
This paper analyzes scientific exploration tasks of CE-5 mission conducted on the lunar surface, and carries out the scientific payload system architecture design and individual scientific payload design with the scientific exploration task requirements as the target, and proposes the working mode and main technical index requirements of the scientific payloads. Based on the preliminary geological background study of the Mons Ruemker region which is the landing region of CE-5, the lunar scientific exploration and the laboratory physicochemical characterization of the return samples are of great scientific significance for our in-depth understanding of the formation and evolution of the Earth-Moon system and the chemical evolution history of the lunar surface.
As China’s first unmanned spacecraft to collect lunar surface samples and return them to Earth, the Chang’E-5 detector is a crucial probe that will complete lunar surface sampling in China’s lunar exploration project. This lunar sampling will be the first successful lunar surface sampling return mission in China. Sampling decisions needs to be made based on topographical analysis results and characteristics of the area to be explored. Due to the unknown extraterrestrial terrain and uncertainty of sampled objects, we propose a sampling feasibility estimation for safely implementing lunar surface sampling.Our strategy took into account the influence of factors that may interfere with the sampling process, and provided quantitative assessment of the sampling feasibility for the area to be explored. We combined the three-dimensional topography of the lunar surface with five parameters of the sampling area, flatness, slope, slope aspect, accessibility of the mechanical arm distal end, and safety of sampling conditions. The first three values were calculated based on a digital elevation model (DEM) of the landing area generated using stereo images. The other values were computed based on the mechanical properties of the arm and kinematic analysis of its articulated joints. Based on the above-mentioned quantitative parameters, they were weighed to obtain an evaluation value for the sampling feasibility of each DEM pixel. Meanwhile, a multichannel sampling area analysis graph was generated that combined all the above indicators as well as the sampling feasibility values, which provides a visualization for determining detection targets in the Chang’E-5 sampling mission.
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January 2004 · Earth Moon and Planets
A human return to the Moon will require that astronauts are well equipped with instrumentation to aid their investigations during geological field work. Two instruments are described in detail. The first is a portable X-ray Spectrometer, which can provide rapid geochemical analyses of rocks and soils, identify lunar resources and aid selection of samples for return to Earth. The second instrument
... [Show full abstract] is the Geological and Radiation environment package (GEORAD). This is an instrument package, mounted on a rover, to perform in-situ measurements on the lunar surface. It can be used for bulk geochemical measurements of rocks and soils (particularly identifying KREEP-enriched rocks), prospect for ice in shadowed areas of craters at the poles and characterise the lunar radiation environment. Read more January 2006
The robotic element of planetary exploration missions does play a crucial role for a successful mission completion. The development of reliable and rugged systems with at the same time low resource requirements and a generous acceptance of harsh environmental conditions is an important constituent of supportive research and development programs. This paper introduces a selection of new
... [Show full abstract] technologies developed by ESA support programs to foster the European scientific community and industry. Presented is a focused selection of potential scientific payload carrier modules and its highly integrated scientific instruments designed for in-situ exploration missions to planets and small bodies of our solar system. These developments could serve surface modules with very low resource availability. Low resource requirements and a highly integrated character is an important technology driver of all development plans. The Nanokhod micro-rover is a mobile element capable to explore the surrounding of a stationary lander unit within a radius of 50 meter. Via a tether connection the provision of all communication and power distribution is ensured. The Nanokhod concepts merges the idea of the design of an "as small as possible" mobile element yet keeping the capability to carry a substantial scientific payload suite to analyse the near-by landing site. The engineering model has been build and will undergo a challenging test campaign in the near future. The development of the Geochemistry Instrument Package Facility (GIPF), the payload suite designed for the Nanokhod rover, has been finalized and delivered to ESA. It consists of an Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), a Mössbauer spectrometer (MIMOS2) and a micro camera (MIROCAM). The instrument front ends have already been thermally qualified at cryogenic temperatures. Beyond a partial heritage from existing flight models all instruments were modified towards an accommodation in the rover's payload cabin and an increased performance. An alternative payload element for the payload cabin is an extremely small Laser Mass Spectrometer (LMS). A breadboard of this instrument is currently part of an extensive 1 test and evaluation campaign. Also this instrument will be re-designed to fit into the Nanokhod modular payload suite. The Instrumented Mole System (IMS) is based on a device that penetrates regolith down to a depth of 5 meter. The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3 ) demonstrates that a scientifically meaningful payload can be integrated into the payload compartment. This package comprises an active temperature measurement module, a densitometer to determine the density of the penetrated regolith and a device to determine the precise location of the mole. An alternative instrument is based on an Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) infrared spectrometer. It will observe and analyse through a window all material adjacent to the hull of the payload compartment within the penetration hole. A newly implemented project is the design and fabrication of a melting probe. This probe enables the subsurface exploration of icy layers. It will be capable to carry scientific instrumentation into depth and decipher the stratigraphy of ice and dust deposition on planetary bodies. The overall goal of all support activities is to analyse, design and built all critical components of a technologies which has no space application so far. Once all technical hurdles have been overcome by the breadboard development, a given instrumentation can rapidly be inserted into a flight model programme. 2 Read more Conference Paper
Full-text available
March 2014
Introduction: On 14 December 2013, China's Chang'e 3 made the first soft landing on the Moon since the Russian Luna 24 lander in 1976. On 24 De-cember 2013, images obtained by the Lunar Recon-naissance Orbiter (LRO) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) captured the landing site, which is located at 44.12°N, 340.49°E in Mare Imbrium [1,2]. The highest resolution images were taken on 25 December when LRO was
... [Show full abstract] approximately 150 km above the surface [2]. These images show the lander and the Yutu rover, as well as an area of increased reflectance around the lander (Fig. 1). In this abstract we present reflectance profiles derived from the NAC images to characterize the increase in reflectance of the area around the lander as well as the size of the affected area. LRO also im-aged the area prior to the landing [2], and we compare the reflectance of the exact area of the landing before and after. Our motivation is to investigate the change in physical properties at the landing site, presumably related to the impingement of rocket exhaust from the lander, which can then be compared to the effects ob-served with NAC images at the landing sites of Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor spacecraft. Methods: The reflectance changes within the area of the landing site were quantified using NAC images obtained over a range of illumination conditions [2]. Images were processed using the USGS's Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) [3]. Calibrated NAC images provide reflectance (I/F) measurements from which we quantify the reflectance changes. Because the illumination conditions were different for the before and after images, we use a Hapke pho-tometric function to fit the reflectance data. We first normalized to the Lommel-Seeliger function (IoF/LS) to reduce the effects of different illumination geome-tries [4,5]. We then normalized the reflectance to a 45° phase angle for comparison of the before and after images, and to compare with reflectance changes at the Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor landing sites. We use ISIS tools to measure the spatial extent of the area of in-creased reflectance on a map-projected image. Results: Photometry: Comparing before and after images of the Chang'e 3 landing site with similar illu-mination conditions (Fig. 1) provides information about reflectance changes. To compare, we construct profiles across the area of the landing site before and after landing (Fig. 2), and we determine the percent change in reflectance. Figure 2 shows the reflectance profiles taken across the landing site. The shape of the profiles indicates that reflectance is highest in the area of increased reflec-tance and decreases and levels off in the surrounding undisturbed areas. The shape of the profiles are con-sistent with trends observed at the Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor landing sites [6]. At the Apollo sites, an area View full-text January 2003
SMART-1 is the first of ESA’s Small Missions for Advanced Research
and Technology. Its objective is to demonstrate Primary Solar Electric
Propulsion for future Cornerstones (such as Bepi-Colombo) and to test
new technologies for spacecraft and instruments. The 370 kg spacecraft
is to be launched in summer 2003 as Ariane-5 auxiliary passenger and
after a 15 month cruise is to orbit the Moon for 6
... [Show full abstract] months with possible
extension. SMART-1 will carry out observations during the cruise and in
lunar orbit with a science and technology payload (19 kg total mass): a
miniaturised high-resolution camera (AMIE) a near-infrared
point-spectrometer (SIR) for lunar mineralogy a very compact X-ray
spectrometer (D-CIXS) mapping surface elemental composition a Deep Space
Communication experiment (KaTE) a radio-science investigations (RSIS) a
Laser-Link Experiment an On Board Autonomous Navigation experiment
(OBAN) and plasma sensors (SPEDE). SMART-1 will study accretional and
bombardment processes that led to the formation of rocky planets and the
origin and evolution of the Earth-Moon system. Its science
investigations include studies of the chemical composition of the Moon
of geophysical processes (volcanism tectonics cratering erosion
deposition of ices and volatiles) for comparative planetology and the
preparation for future lunar and planetary exploration. Read more April 2018 · The Astronomical Journal
How bright the Moon is forms a simple but fundamental and important question. Although numerous efforts have been made to answer this question such as use of sophisticated electro-optical measurements and suggestions for calibration sites, the answer is still debated. An in situ measurement with a calibration panel on the surface of the Moon is crucial for obtaining the accurate absolute
... [Show full abstract] reflectance and resolving the debate. China's Chang'E-3 (CE-3) "Yutu" rover accomplished this type of measurement using the Visible-Near Infrared Spectrometer (VNIS). The measurements of the VNIS, which were at large emission and phase angles, complement existing measurements for the range of photometric geometry. The in situ reflectance shows that the CE-3 landing site is very dark with an average reflectance of 3.86% in the visible bands. The results are compared with recent mission instruments: the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Wide Angle Camera (WAC), the Spectral Profiler (SP) on board the SELENE, the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M³) on board the Chandrayaan-1, and the Chang'E-1 Interference Imaging Spectrometer (IIM). The differences in the measurements of these instruments are very large and indicate inherent differences in their absolute calibration. The M³ and IIM measurements are smaller than LROC WAC and SP, and the VNIS measurement falls between these two pairs. When using the Moon as a radiance source for the on-orbit calibration of spacecraft instruments, one should be cautious about the data. We propose that the CE-3 landing site, a young and homogeneous surface, should serve as the new calibration site. © 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Read more February 1993
The Galileo spacecraft completed its first Earth-Moon flyby (EMI) in
December 1990 and its second flyby (EM2) in December 1992.
Copernican-age craters are among the most prominent features seen in the
SSI (Solid-State Imaging) multispectral images of the Moon. The
interiors, rays, and continuous ejecta deposits of these youngest
craters stand out as the brightest features in images of albedo
... [Show full abstract] and
visible/1-micron color ratios (except where impact melts are abundant).
Crater colors and albedos (away from impact melts) are correlated with
their geologic emplacement ages as determined from counts of superposed
craters; these age-color relations can be used to estimate the
emplacement age (time since impact event) for many Copernican-age
craters on the near and far sides of the Moon. The spectral
reflectivities of lunar soils are controlled primarily by (1) soil
maturity, resulting from the soil's cumulative age of exposure to the
space environment; (2) steady-state horizontal and vertical mixing of
fresh crystalline materials ; and (3) the mineralogy of the underlying
bedrock or megaregolith. Improved understanding of items (1) and (2)
above will improve our ability to interpret item (3), especially for the
use of crater compositions as probes of crustal stratigraphy. We have
examined the multispectral and superposed crater frequencies of large
isolated craters, mostly of Eratosthenian and Copernican ages, to avoid
complications due to (1) secondaries (as they affect superposed crater
counts) and (2) spatially and temporally nonuniform regolith mixing from
younger, large, and nearby impacts. Crater counts are available for 11
mare craters and 9 highlands craters within the region of the Moon
imaged during EM1. The EM2 coverage provides multispectral data for 10
additional craters with superposed crater counts. Also, the EM2 data
provide improved spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratios over the
western nearside. Read more November 2014 · Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics
The Chang'e-3 Visible and Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VNIS) is one of the four payloads on the Yutu rover. After traversing the landing site during the first two lunar days, four different areas are detected, and Level 2A and 2B radiance data have been released to the scientific community. The released data have been processed by dark current subtraction, correction for the effect of
... [Show full abstract] temperature, radiometric calibration and geometric calibration. We emphasize approaches for reflectance analysis and mineral identification for in-situ analysis with VNIS. Then the preliminary spectral and mineralogical results from the landing site are derived. After comparing spectral data from VNIS with data collected by the M3 instrument and samples of mare that were returned from the Apollo program, all the reflectance data have been found to have similar absorption features near 1000 nm except lunar sample 71061. In addition, there is also a weak absorption feature between 1750~2400 nm on VNIS, but the slopes of VNIS and M3 reflectance at longer wavelengths are lower than data taken from samples of lunar mare. Spectral parameters such as Band Centers and Integrated Band Depth Ratios are used to analyze mineralogical features. The results show that detection points E and N205 are mixtures of high-Ca pyroxene and olivine, and the composition of olivineat point N205 is higher than that at point E, but the compositions of detection points S3 and N203 are mainly olivine-rich. Since there are no obvious absorption features near 1250 nm, plagioclase is not directly identified at the landing site. Read more Article
Full-text available
February 2005
Mossbauer spectrometers on the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have played a valuable role in identifying mineralogy at both the Gusev and Meridiani landing sites. Key to the application of Mossbauer results is the issue of how accurately the peak positions, on which the mineral identifications are based, can be determined. Remote Mossbauer spectroscopy has by necessity some unusual experimental
... [Show full abstract] constraints that may influence the confidence with which peak positions can be fit. We present here an analysis of the effects of variable temperature and short duration run times on spectral resolution. View full-text February 2003
A key task for human or robotic explorers on the surface of Mars is choosing which particular rock or mineral samples should be selected for more intensive study. The usual challenges of such a task are compounded by the lack of sensory input available to a suited astronaut or the limited downlink bandwidth available to a rover. Additional challenges facing a human mission include limited surface
... [Show full abstract] time and the similarities in appearance of important minerals (e.g. carbonates, silicates, salts). Yet the choice of which sample to collect is critical. To address this challenge we are developing science analysis algorithms to interface with a Geologist's Field Assistant (GFA) device that will allow robotic or human remote explorers to better sense and explore their surroundings during limited surface excursions. We aim for our algorithms to interpret spectral and imaging data obtained by various sensors. The algorithms, for example, will identify key minerals, rocks, and sediments from mid-IR, Raman, and visible/near-IR spectra as well as from high resolution and microscopic images to help interpret data and to provide high-level advice to the remote explorer. A top-level system will consider multiple inputs from raw sensor data output by imagers and spectrometers (visible/near-IR, mid-IR, and Raman) as well as human opinion to identify rock and mineral samples. Read more April 2013 · IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics
We have developed a novel planetary subsurface explorer that is capable of excavating lunar soil and carrying out scientific investigations. Our developed device consists of two units: a propulsion unit and an excavation unit. The propulsion unit that is based on the peristaltic crawling of earthworm maintains the body position and orientation of the robot and also reduces friction, which is the
... [Show full abstract] factor that traditionally prevents robots from excavating to significant depths. The excavation unit excavates and clears a space for the robot to tunnel into densely packed soil. In this paper, we discuss strategies for underground excavation. Next, we develop the excavation and propulsion units, and conduct several experiments to test these units. Finally, we develop a prototype subsurface robot with both units integrated in one package. The prototype exhibits good excavation performance in terms of depth reached-430 mm-both under its own full weight and for 1/6 of its own weight. In other words, the prototype shows excellent robustness to the gravity differences on the Earth and the Moon. With appropriate dust removal, operation has been demonstrated to a depth of 650 mm without any slowing down. The same performance is considered possible for much greater depths. Read more April 2007 · American Mineralogist
We present a diagram that shows the effect of pH, temperature, grain size, composition, hydrodynamics, and the laboratory/field
discrepancy on the lifetime of olivine grains in weathering environments. Because the persistence of olivine grains on Mars
can be used to constrain the duration of liquid water, we can use this diagram to predict a range of possible maximum contact
times for olivine
... [Show full abstract] grains with liquid water before they dissolve away completely. Depending upon the physicochemical conditions,
this contact time could range between a few thousand and several million years. Read more December 1998
The South Pole Aitken Basin (SPA) is the largest and oldest observed
feature on the Moon. Compositional and topographic data from Galileo,
Clementine, and Lunar Prospector have demonstrated that SPA represents a
distinctive major lunar terrane, which has not been sampled either by
sample return missions (Apollo, Luna) or by lunar meteorites. The floor
of SPA is characterized by mafic compositions
... [Show full abstract] enriched in Fe, Ti, and Th
in comparison to its surroundings. This composition may represent melt
rocks from the SPA event, which would be mixtures of the preexisting
crust and mantle rocks. However, the Fe content is higher than expected,
and the large Apollo basin, within SPA, exposes deeper material with
lower iron content. Some of the Fe enrichment may represent mare and
cryptomare deposits. No model adequately accounts for all of the
characteristics of the SPA and disagreements are fundamental. Is mantle
material exposed or contained as fragments in melt rock and breccias? If
impact melt is present, did the vast sheet differentiate? Was the
initial mantle and crust compositionally different from other regions of
the Moon? Was the impact event somehow peculiar, (e.g., a low-velocity
impact)? The precise time of formation of the SPA is unknown, being
limited only by the initial differentiation of the Moon and the age of
the Imbrium event, believed to be 3.9 b.y. The questions raised by the
SPA can be addressed only with detailed sample analysis. Analysis of the
melt rocks, fragments in breccias, and basalts of SPA can address
several highly significant problems for the Moon and the history of the
solar system. The time of formation of SPA, based on analysis of melt
rocks formed in the event. would put limits on the period of intense
bombardment of the Moon, which has been inferred by some to include a
"terminal cataclysm." If close to 3.9 Ga, the presumed age of the
Imbrium Basin, the SPA date would confirm the lunar cataclysm. This
episode, if it occurred, would have affected all of the planets of the
inner solar system, and in particular, could have been critical to the
history of life on Earth. If the SPA is significantly older, a more
orderly cratering history may be inferred. Secondly, melt-rock
compositions and clasts in melt rocks or breccias may yield evidence of
the composition of the lunar mantle, which could have been penetrated by
the impact or exposed by the rebound process that occurred after the
impact. Thirdly, study of mare and cryptomare basalts could yield
further constraints on the age of SPA and the thermal history of the
crust and mantle in that region. The integration of these data may allow
inferences to be made on the nature of the impacting body. Secondary
science objectives in samples from the SPA could include analysis of the
regolith for the latitudinal effects of solar wind irradiation, which
should be reduced from its equatorial values; possible remnant
magnetization of very old basalts; and evidence for Imbrium Basin ejecta
and KREEP materials. If a sampling site is chosen close enough to the
poles, it is possible that indirect evidence of polar-ice deposits may
be found in the form of oxidized or hydrated regolith constituents. A
sample return mission to the Moon may be possible within the constraints
of NASA's Discovery Program. Recent progress in the development of
sample return canisters for Genesis, Stardust, and Mars Sample Return
missions suggests that a small capsule can be returned directly to the
ground without a parachute, thus reducing its mass and complexity.
Return of a 1-kg sample from the lunar surface would appear to be
compatible with a Delta 11 class launch from Earth, or possibly with a
piggyback opportunity on a commercial launch to GEO. A total mission
price tag on the order of 100 million would be a goal. Target date would
be late 2002. Samples would be returned to the curatorial facility at
the Johnson Space Center for description and allocation for
investigations. Concentration of milligram-to gram-sized rocklets is a
very effective strategy for sample studies of the lunar regolith. A rake
accomplished this type of sampling in the Apollo missions. For the SPA
sample return mission, either a small rover or an arm on a lander would
deliver regolith to a sieving mechanism that retains fragments in the
1-10 mm size range. Approximately 10% of the mass of Apollo 16 regolith
samples, which were from possibly similar highland terrain, consisted of
fragments in the size range. To return 1 kg of rock fragments, about 5 x
103 cubic cm of regolith would have to be sampled. Warren et
al. suggested 7-10 mm as the optimum size for individual samples, which
would require more regolith to be sieved. This mission would represent
the first lander mission to the lunar farside and, as such, would
require that a communication link be established with the Earth. A
growing number of assets at the Sun-Earth L-1 libration point may
provide access to a viable communication link, avoiding the need for a
communications orbiter. The mission need only be designed to last
through a single lunar day, which could make it relatively
straightforward; if a rover is chosen as the implementation for
sampling, it may be possible to keep the rover alive for longer. This
would be a cost/benefit tradeoff to be determined as part of the mission
analysis. Issues on which the lunar sample community should make input
include: identification of additional scientific problems that can be
addressed by samples from SPA; choice of landing site to maximize the
probability of addressing the first-order problems; sample size and the
distribution between regolith and rocklet samples; details of sample
collection (range from lander, depth, avoidance of contamination from
lander); and environmental control constraints on samples (maximum
temperatures, acceptable leak rates on Earth). Additional information is
contained in the original Read more Last Updated: 05 Jul 2022
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