For the NLSI, lunar science is broadly defined
to include studies:

1) Of the Moon: Investigations of the nature and history of the Moon (including research on lunar samples) to learn about this specific object and thereby provide insights into the evolution of our solar system.

2) On the Moon: Investigations of the effects of the lunar environment on terrestrial life and the equipment that supports lunar inhabitants, and the effects of robotic and human presence on the lunar environment.

3) From the Moon: Use of the Moon as a platform for performing scientific investigations, including observations of the Earth and other celestial phenomena that are uniquely enabled by being on the lunar surface.

An important new National Research Council study was released in 2007 pertaining in large part (but not exclusively) to item 1 above, entitled "The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon."

These investigations of the Moon include research to place the Moon in a solar system context (e.g., to understand the impact history of the Earth-Moon system) and use improved understanding of the Moon to illuminate the processes at work on our own planet. Investigations on the Moon can cover studies from both robotic and piloted spacecraft and include issues of engineering as well as pure scientific interest, such as the role of lunar dust. From the perspective of life sciences, the experience of being on the Moon also serves as a precursor for potential flights to asteroids and to Mars. Studies from the Moon take advantage of the lunar platform for observing the Earth, Sun and the Universe. Of particular interest are the opportunity to make astronomical observations from the lunar farside, and the unique perspective of the Earth from the Moon, seeing the effects of diurnal, phase, and seasonal cycles.

Suggestions for refining and clarifying these research objectives are welcome (send to David Morrison, Interim Director of NLSI, at david.morrison@nasa.gov, or Jennifer Heldmann, NLSI Senior Scientist, at Jennifer.L.Heldmann@nasa.gov).

NASA determined in 2008 that its Lunar Science Project will pursue the launch of an orbiter to the Moon in the 2011 timeframe. This planned orbiter, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), will seek new information about the tenuous lunar atmosphere and dust environment before that environment is altered by extended human activity on the Moon.

NASA formed a Science Definition Team (SDT) to devise goals and measurement objectives for LADEE and to consider candidate payloads. The SDT Report summarizes their activities and recommendations

• How did the Moon form and how did its interior structure arise?
• How has the impact history of the Earth-Moon system been recorded on the lunar surface?
• How have volcanic process on the Moon been initiated over lunar history and how do the volcanic flows reflect the interior composition?
• How have solar processes and space weather altered the lunar surface over time and been recorded in the lunar regolith?
• How will the lunar environment (e.g., dust) affect surface operations and influence designs for living on the Moon?
• What are the environmental conditions and the volatile content of the lunar poles?
• How will increased human activities alter the lunar environment?
• How can life from Earth adapt to long stays on the Moon?
• How can the Moon be used as a platform to advance important science goals in astronomy, Earth observation, and basic physics?

1. Use lunar studies to investigate the bombardment history of the inner solar system, including establishing a unique chronology, determining the reality of the "late heavy bombardment", assessing recent impact flux, and understanding the nature of the impacting projectiles.

2. Investigate the structure and composition of the lunar interior to yield fundamental information on the evolution of a differentiated planetary body. This includes determining the thickness of the crust, the stratification of the mantle, and the state of the core.

3. Inventory the diversity of lunar crustal rocks, studying their variety, age distribution, the origin of lunar rock types, and investigating the composition and nature of the crust and megaregolith.

4. Explore the lunar poles with special attention to the composition, distribution, and history of lunar volatiles, the existence of possible reservoirs of water ice, and the ability to use trapped lunar volatiles to explore the ancient solar environment.

5. Study lunar volcanism to provide a window on the thermal and compositional evolution of the Moon, including determination of chronology of volcanic activity.

6. Use the Moon as a laboratory to investigate impact processes on a planetary scale, including investigation of melt sheets, multi-ring impact basins, and the lateral and vertical mixing of ejecta material.

7. Use the Moon as a laboratory for study of regolith processes and weathering on anhydrous airless bodies.

8. Characterize the lunar surface environment, including atmospheric and dust processes, while this environment remains in a pristine state.