Mark S. Robinson’s research while affiliated with Arizona State University and other places

The ShadowCam instrument on the Danuri spacecraft provides high-resolution views of shadowed portions of the Moon, which are illuminated by naturally scattered light from nearby sunlit terrain. The sensitive time-delay integration detector captures high signal-to-noise observations within the permanently shadowed regions and areas in shadow for part of the year. We characterized the geometric properties of the images, enabling accurate placement of observations within the lunar cartographic framework. This work describes the internal and external orientation parameters using laboratory observations and images collected during the cruise and commissioning phase of the mission. We identified a radial distortion in the cross-track direction from these observations, which is correctable during our standard calibration pipeline procedures. We also calculated the pointing of the camera relative to the spacecraft bus within ~0.001°. Using these models, corrections, and the initial ephemeris provided by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, images can be aligned within 60 m on the surface (95% confidence interval). This calibration and a precise radiometric model will enable reliable interpretation of ShadowCam images and the development of future derived products, including precisely mapped mosaics and meter-scale digital elevation models.

Sample analyses consideration as part of the Artemis III sampling plan.

In permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), the surface temperature is influenced by secondary illumination, which changes daily and seasonally due to the sunlight reflected by the surrounding terrain. Understanding how topography affects the transfer of radiant energy can help us quickly interpret the thermal behavior using available topographic data. The amount of radiant energy transferred from a sunlit lunar surface to a PSR depends on the distance and orientation of the sunlit surface to the PSR, and is represented by view factors. In this study, we introduce an approach to systematically represent the combined effects of multiple surfaces using statistical analysis applied to view factor maps. We demonstrate that our proposed approach can explain the contrasting temperatures of two PSRs at the lunar south pole. We verify our theoretical findings using PSR images acquired by the ShadowCam instrument aboard the Danuri lunar orbiter.

Plain Language Summary The southern polar region of the Moon is the focus of future human exploration missions due to the presence of essential resources like water and the possible capability to sustain a prolonged human presence on the Moon. Thus, it is vital to understand the geologic context of the region for a correct interpretation of returned samples. In this paper, we used the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data sets to investigate the age and origin of 41 smooth deposits around the lunar south pole. Of these, 22 could be accurately dated using the size‐frequency distribution of craters, and we found groups of smooth deposits of similar ages that can be related to a one or more source impacts. Some of them are related to the Schrödinger basin impact, while others are likely related to the Orientale basin on the farside of the Moon. We also found two deposits of younger age, likely related to fresh nearby craters, and other ejecta deposits that represent the formation age of the Shackleton crater. Therefore, these deposits appear to have formed from both basin/crater ejecta and local materials. Samples collected in this region will exhibit a diverse range of materials and sources from multiple events.

Faustini crater (41 km diameter) hosts a large (664 km ² ) permanently shadowed region (PSR) with a high potential to harbor water-ice deposits. One of the 13 candidate Artemis III landing areas contains a portion of the crater rim and proximal ejecta. The ShadowCam instrument aboard the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter provides detailed images of the PSR within Faustini. We characterize the terrain and thermal environment within the Faustini PSR from ShadowCam images, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter thermal measurements and laser ranging, and thermal modeling. Our mapping revealed three distinct areas of the floor of Faustini based on elevations, slopes, and surface roughness. These units broadly correlate with temperatures; thus, they may be influenced by variations in volatile sublimation. Crater retention and topographic diffusion rates appear to be asymmetric across the floor, likely due to differences in maximum and average temperatures. Several irregular depressions and a pronounced lobate-rim crater are consistent with subsurface ice. However, differences in the thicknesses of deposited materials on the floor may also explain the asymmetry. Additionally, zones of elevated surface roughness across Faustini appear to result from overprinted crater ray segments, possibly from Tycho and Jackson craters. Mass wasting deposits and pitting on opposite sides of the crater wall may have resulted from the low-angle delivery of material ejected by the Shackleton crater impact event, suggesting that the Artemis III candidate landing region named “Faustini Rim A” will contain material from Shackleton.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images and their derived products make up one of the highest-resolution and most spatially accurate data sets available for the Moon, making them a crucial resource for planners of landed lunar missions. However, it is essential to understand the best uses for each data type and the limits on the accuracy and resolution of the data sets available. With this understanding, users can better interpret and communicate their results. In this paper, we describe what assumptions may be made about the accuracy of LROC NAC images and the various derived products created by the LROC team. NAC digital terrain models and their corresponding orthophotos have the best accuracy of all NAC products, usually better than 10 m horizontally, and should be used where available. Other controlled NAC products usually have accuracies better than 30 m. For areas without controlled products, we describe how to process NAC images to obtain coordinates with the highest possible accuracy. We also recommend best practices for data users interacting with LROC data through online map servers, such as QuickMap or Lunaserv, and for processing LROC data locally using the US Geological Survey Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers.

Impact-derived ejecta covers most of the lunar surface, originating from recent impacts through to the beginning of the geologic record. Despite how common ejecta is, accurate measurements of ejecta thickness are difficult to obtain, and existing estimates of ejecta thickness vary widely. This study uses excavation by meter-scale impacts on the fresh ejecta blankets of larger, kilometer-scale impacts to make point measurements of ejecta thickness. We estimate ejecta thickness at the rims of 73 lunar craters (0.1–4.8 km diameter) and create isopach maps of ejecta thickness for three craters. We derive an equation for ejecta thickness, t = 0.14 ± 0.062 R ( 0.77 ± 0.080 ) r / R ( − B ) , where r is the horizontal distance from the center of the crater, R is the center-to-rim crater radius, and B describes the rate at which ejecta thickness decays with radial distance. Our average value for B (2.8 ± 0.1) is similar to previous work, though we observe that B can vary significantly within an ejecta blanket.

italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched in 2009 to study and map the Moon and is now completing its fifth extended science mission. The LRO (see Figure 1 ) hosts a payload of seven different scientific instruments. The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation instrument has characterized the lunar radiation environment and allowed scientists to determine potential impacts to astronauts and other life. The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE) has identified cold traps where ice could reside and mapped global thermophysical and mineralogical properties by measuring surface and subsurface temperatures. The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project has found evidence of exposed ice in south polar cold traps as well as global diurnal variations in hydration. The Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector has been used to create high-resolution maps of lunar hydrogen distribution and gather information about the neutron component of the lunar radiation environment. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) is a system of three cameras [one wide-angle camera and two narrow-angle cameras (NACs)] mounted on the LRO that capture high-resolution black-and-white images and moderate resolution multispectral (seven-color band) images of the lunar surface. These images can be used, for example, to learn new details about the history of lunar volcanism or the present-day flux of impactors. The Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument is an advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can probe surface and subsurface coherent rock contents to identify the polarization signature of ice in cold traps. The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) has been used to generate a high-resolution, 3D map of the Moon that serves as the most accurate geodetic framework available for co-locating LRO (and other lunar) data. The data produced by the LRO continue to revolutionize our scientific understanding of the Moon, and are essential to planning NASA’s future human and robotic lunar missions.

Investigations that can be conducted at the Artemis III candidate landing regions will benefit from the knowledge of the thermal environment within permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). Within PSRs, secondary illumination controls the surface temperature, varying diurnally and seasonally, affecting the stability and concentration of volatiles cold-trapped within the PSRs. In this case study, we characterize the dynamic nature of secondary illumination at four PSRs that overlap five of the Artemis III candidate landing regions. Our analysis is based on secondary illumination model-generated images paired with PSR images acquired by ShadowCam on board the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter. We find that illumination and thermal conditions can change rapidly within the PSRs, and knowledge of time-variable secondary illumination can be decisive for the efficient design of investigations and sample collection operations at the PSRs.