Lunar regolith is the broken up rock that comprises most of the lunar surface down to several meters) that has been generated over eons due primarily to impacts and micrometeorite bombardment. Any systems operating on the lunar surface will interact with the regolith, and most remote-sensing systems interrogate primarily the upper mm of the surface. Our current understanding of lunar regolith characteristics comes from samples returned from the Apollo missions, some in situ measurements, and remote sensing data.
View ThemeThis document summarizes community input from the LSSW #4 workshop focused on lunar Planetary Protection issues. Here we outline high priority scientific investigations at the Moon that require planetary protection considerations. We also address protection considerations for lunar heritage sites and future exploration architecture regions. This document focuses on both scientific and resultant policy implications for lunar planetary protection.
View ThemeDuring Artemis missions, astronauts will collect samples from the lunar surface and return them to Earth for analysis. Samples are needed to address scientific as well as engineering knowledge gaps. Samples collected during the Apollo missions have been studied for five decades and continue to be investigated vigorously; Artemis provide a unique opportunity to build on and complement the success of Apollo science.
View ThemeSummarizing two breakout discussions on the themes of ‘Characterizing and Sampling Polar Volatiles’ (~44 participants) and ‘Understanding and Operating in the Polar Environment’ (~25 participants), organized as part of the Lunar Surface Science Workshop Virtual Session on Lunar Volatiles on July 29, 2020. The summary also incorporates points raised during a subsequent community discussion (~12 participants) at the Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) on September 15, 2020.
View ThemeThe goal of this document is to provide a summary of the deployment styles of payloads expected for lunar surface science and resulting EVA implications. The goal is not to discuss specific measurement techniques, but instead to summarize how astronauts will deploy science payloads on the lunar surface.
View ThemeThe goal of this document is to compile a list of outstanding questions about building and developing science instrumentation that is EVA-compatible. The LSSW Organizing Committee will work to get answers to as many of these questions as possible, but do not guarantee that answers will be provided for every question asked.
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