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Lunar Prospector, the third mission of the NASA Discovery series, is scheduled to launch Oct. 24, 1997. One of the objectives of the mission is to map the gravity field of the Moon using radiometric Doppler tracking data from JPL's Deep Space Network.
Celestial Mapping System (CMS) is a software platform to generate virtual 3D globe for celestial bodies within our solar system. Various layers are built on top of the virtual globe to provide visualization of high resolution imagery, enable precise measurements, build analytical capabilities and broad range of functionalities to assist planetary scientists and mission planners. CMS is built using OpenJDK 11 and will run on a wide variety of platforms such as Linux, Windows, OSX, etc. It has a thick client with less overhead to access hardware resources. This allows features such as terrain profiling and distance calculations to be performed on the client and on the fly. The present focus of CMS is on developing lunar mapping tool kits to provide features such as - 3D first person view with zoom and navigational capabilities, realistic terrain visualization based on LRO data, measurement tools, Apollo landing site annotations, stereoscopic view, elevation profiles, line of sight analysis and many more. The application is developed to provide situational and domain awareness on Lunar surface, planning capabilities for equipment placements and traverse path optimization. As data becomes available, CMS has the capabilities to integrate data sets that change dynamically in real-time, which will be useful for monitoring satellites and remotely-sensed data on Lunar surface. CMS utilizes NASA WorldWind Java library and OpenGL to achieve high-performance rendering of data and measurements, and also adheres to OGC standards. CMS supports importing synthetic features in a variety of 3D, 2D, vector and raster formats. Nomenclature is pulled from USGS Moon IAU2000 database, and lunar parameters are based of the standardized IAU2000 Moon ellipsoid. GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) was used to modify and test the accuracy of datasets before integrating into the application. Our high-resolution global elevation model was compared with the LRO LOLA DEM elevation values and tested to ensure accuracy. Celestial Mapping System has several potential use cases for NASA including subsurface lava tubes visualization and analysis, soil analysis, resource visualization and representation on 3D globe.
Mission for surveying and mapping lunar surface
A high-resolution map of lunar radar reflectivity is presented which was obtained at a wavelength of 7.5 m with a radar resolution of 25 to 40 km by a combination of delay-Doppler radar techniques and interferometry. The results are given in the forms of a radar map of normalized echo power and plots of average scattering. A consistent difference in scattering between maria and terrae is observed, along with small differences in scattering between eastern and western maria. Specifically, it is found that the terrae reflect two to four times as much power as the maria, that the weakest echoes come from the youngest and western maria, that a few terra areas have suprisingly weak echoes, and that the average scattering behavior at 7.5 m is remarkably close to the behavior at 68 cm. The results also indicate that the large rayed craters have relatively weak enhancements of 1 to 1.5 over their environs, that the maria and terrae have essentially the same backscattering behavior as a function of incidence angle, and that the average scattering behavior of the moon and the limb darkening at 7.5 m are similar to those at 68 cm.
Images of the lunar surface are being obtained at several wavelengths using a silicon vidicon imaging system and ground-based telescopes. These images are recorded and processed in digital form so that quantitative information is preserved; their photometric precision has been shown to be 1% or better. Ratio images, calculated by dividing those obtained at two wavelengths (0.40/0.56 and 0.95/0.56 micron), were presented in an earlier article, and more are presented here for a total coverage of about 60% of the lunar frontside. Spatial resolution is about 2 km at the subearth point. A complex of distinct units is evident in the images. Earlier work with the reflectance spectrum of lunar materials indicates that for the most part these units are compositionally distinct. These digital images are being used by lunar geologists to interpret the history of the lunar surface.
The use of in-situ resources in lunar regolith for production of propellant, life support, and construction (e.g. polar water ice, hydrogen, helium-3, and regolith minerals) will enable sustainable robotic and human space exploration and pave the way for commercialization of lunar exploration. Currently, the search for and characterization of resources on the Moon uses orbital datasets and local geological and geophysical surveys to map and characterize potential deposits. To develop efficient ISRU systems, it is essential to find, characterize, and map lunar resources in-situ, at local scales, using deployable, analytical payloads. We have developed a 3 kg, TRL4 scientific payload, MoonSHOT (Moon Subsurface Hydrogen Optical Tool), to characterize and map lunar resources from a small lander or rover.
Since the first lunar mapping program ended in the 1970s, new topographical, multispectral, elemental and albedo imaging datasets have become available (e.g., Clementine, Lunar Prospector, Galileo). Lunar science has also advanced within the intervening time period. A new systematic lunar geologic mapping effort endeavors to build on the success of earlier mapping programs by fully integrating the many disparate datasets using GIS software and bringing to bear the most current understanding of lunar geologic history. As part of this program, we report on a 1:2,500,000-scale preliminary map of a subset of Lunar Quadrangle 10 ("LQ-10" or the "Marius Quadrangle," see Figures 1 and 2), and discuss the first-order science results. By generating a geologic map of this region, we can constrain the stratigraphic and geologic relationships between features, revealing information about the Moon s chemical and thermal evolution.
The NASA Lunar Geologic Mapping Program is underway and a mappers handbook is in preparation. This program for systematic, global lunar geologic mapping at 1:2.5M scale incorporates digital, multi-scale data from a wide variety of sources. Many of these datasets have been tied to the new Unified Lunar Control Network 2005 [1] and are available online. This presentation summarizes the current status of this mapping program, the datasets now available, and how they might be used for mapping on the Moon.
The first systematic lunar geologic maps were completed at 1:1M scale for the lunar near side during the 1960s using telescopic and Lunar Orbiter (LO) photographs [1-3]. The program under which these maps were completed established precedents for map base, scale, projection, and boundaries in order to avoid widely discrepant products. A variety of geologic maps were subsequently produced for various purposes, including 1:5M scale global maps [4-9] and large scale maps of high scientific interest (including the Apollo landing sites) [10]. Since that time, lunar science has benefitted from an abundance of surface information, including high resolution images and diverse compositional data sets, which have yielded a host of topical planetary investigations. The existing suite of lunar geologic maps and topical studies provide exceptional context in which to unravel the geologic history of the Moon. However, there has been no systematic approach to lunar geologic mapping since the flight of post-Apollo scientific orbiters. Geologic maps provide a spatial and temporal framework wherein observations can be reliably benchmarked and compared. As such, a lack of a systematic mapping program means that modern (post- Apollo) data sets, their scientific ramifications, and the lunar scientists who investigate these data, are all marginalized in regard to geologic mapping. Marginalization weakens the overall understanding of the geologic evolution of the Moon and unnecessarily partitions lunar research. To bridge these deficiencies, we began a pilot geologic mapping project in 2005 as a means to assess the interest, relevance, and technical methods required for a renewed lunar geologic mapping program [11]. Herein, we provide a summary of the pilot geologic mapping project, which focused on the geologic materials and stratigraphic relationships within the Copernicus quadrangle (0-30degN, 0-45degW).
Lunar radar reflectivity mapping at 7.5 m wavelength for maria and highlands echo powers, using interferometric techniques
The Lunar Precursor Robotics Program (LPRP) is the host program for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate's (ESMD) lunar robotic precursor missions to the Moon. The program includes two missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), and the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). Both missions will provide the required lunar information to support development and operations of those systems required for Human lunar return. LPRP is developing a lunar mapping plan, Called the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project, to create the capability to archive and present all data from LRO, LCROSS, historical lunar missions, and international lunar missions for future mission planning and operations. LPRP is also developing its educational and public outreach activities for the Vision for Space Exploration's first missions. LPRP is working closely with the Science Mission Directorate as their lunar activities come into focus.
The topics covered include the following: a lunar outpost map, lunar resource utilization, asteroid resource utilization, space energy utilization, and space 'real estate' utilization.
Mapping the Moon's topography using Earth based radar interferometric measurements by the Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) has been done several times since the mid 1990s. In 2008 we reported at this conference the generation of lunar topographic maps having approximately 4 m height accuracy at a horizontal posting of 40 m. Since then GSSR radar has been improved to allow 40 MHz bandwidth imaging and consequently obtained images and interferograms with a resolution of about 4 m in range by 5 m in azimuth. The long synthetic aperture times of approximately 90 minutes in duration necessitated a migration from range/Doppler image formation techniques to spotlight mode processing and autofocusing methods. The improved resolution imagery should permit the generation of topographic maps with a factor of two better spatial resolution with about same height accuracy. Coupled the with the recent availability of new lidar topography maps of the lunar surface made by orbiting satellites of Japan and the United States the geodetic control of the radar generated maps products can be improved dramatically. This paper will discuss the hardware and software improvements made to the GSSR and present some of the new high resolution products.
The intensity distribution of lunar radar echoes has been mapped for two-thirds of the earth-visible lunar surface at a wavelength of 70 cm. The depolarizing effects of the lunar surface were observed by simultaneously receiving the radar echoes in opposite polarizations. These echoes were mapped with areal resolutions of 25-100 sq km. Mapping with this resolution confirmed that the young craters have enhanced returns. A few craters were found to have enhanced echoes only from their rims. Backscattering differences were also observed between various areas within a mare, between different highland areas, and between maria and adjacent highlands. These scattering differences were interpreted with a simple model, which assumed that the surface backscattered with varying amounts of quasi-specular and diffuse power. Only an increase in the diffuse power was needed to give the numerical values of the enhancements.
Radar sensor system for acquisition of lunar surface data - Lunar contour mapping system
The present work provides an outline of the history of the efforts to map the topography of the surface of the moon, from the days of pre-telescopic astronomy to the present. The first part of the book covers the time span from 1600 to 1960 and reproduces numerous examples of this early, earth-based selenographic work. The manned lunar missions in the 1960's revolutionized the science of lunar mapping with their high-resolution, close-range photography of the moon. In 1959, a comprehensive lunar mapping program was initiated by two DOD mapping agencies - the U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) and the U.S. Army Map Service (AMS). In the course of this program, the cause of lunar mapping enlisted for the first time the services of professional cartographers; the outcome of their efforts speedily relegated all previous work into absolescence. The methods and results of this work are described, and the underlying principles of physical selenodesy are set forth, including the definition of lunar coordinates and the methods for a determination of three-dimensional coordinates of lunar features. A section is included on lunar mapping in the U.S.S.R.
A computer program has been developed which constructs second generation isothermal contour maps of the lunar surface from Apollo 17 Infrared Scanning Radiometer (ISR) data. The maps clearly show large-scale trends such as the lunar cooling curve and directionality of lunar emission. Direct evidence has been found for the downslope transport of lunar soil. Studies of features have led to a crater degradation sequence based on thermal contours. Unusual cold regions have been found which are not well understood.
New radar observations of the moon in 1981-1984 were made using the 430 MHz (70 cm wavelength) radar at the Arecibo observatory, Puerto Rico. The new observations have produced a high resolution lunar radar map with radar cell-sizes near 2-5 km. This new resolution is a three-fold improvement over the previous mapping done in the late 1960's. Since the Arecibo radar antenna beam is only ten arc-minutes (about one-third of the width of the lunar disk), this new map is a mosaic of some eighteen observations. A radarmetric control between the various pieces of the mosaic was obtained via a 'beam-swing', limb-to-limb calibration. When the limb-to-limb calibration was combined with the mosaic, there were significant radar scattering differences across the maria. Eastern Mare Tranquillitatis and western Oceanus Procellarum have weaker echoes than other maria, while the central portion of Mare Serenitatis and northern Mare Imbrium have stronger echoes. There is a radar scattering difference across the southern terra as areas nearer Mare Orientale have stronger echoes than areas further from Mare Orientale.