ExploringPitCraterstoUnderstandtheLunarMariaL.Kerber,L.Keszthelyi,D.H.Needham,J.W.Head,R.L.Klima,A.M.Stickle,K.DonaldsonHanna,J.W.Ashley,P.O.Hayne,M.Malaska,L.
Jozwiak,J.Whitten,P.Isaacson,L.Wilson,K.Mitchell,R.C.Anderson,B.Denevi,L.Cheek,J.Bleacher
CriticalAreas
CriticalAreas
Lunar Regolith Larry Taylor
Sand with MAHLI. NASA/JPL
BP-1 simulant, E. Suescun-Florez et al. 2014
Randy Korotev
CriticalAreas
TheRegolith/BedrockInterface:• Howregolithismade(fracturesinthebedrock?)
• Howthecompositionoftheregolithcomparestothelavasunderneathit
Keszthelyietal.
http://volcano.oregonstate.edu
Quinn Dombrowski
Themare:Thick,flood-like flows,orslower, complexinflatedflows?
Paleoregolith layers?
C.E. Jones-TheLunarSourcebook
Context!Texture,mineralogy,andelementalchemistry
TheLavaTube:• Pristinelavaonthefloorandwalls• Geometry• Precursorforhumanexploration
• Protectedfromradiationandmicrometeorites
• Balmytemperatureof-30Cyear-round
CriticalAreas
Whichisbest?
• Thicknessofsection
• Verticalityofregolithcone
• Context• Possibilityofa
largetube
17
11
MareTranquillitatis Pit
Kepler
Aristarchus
ReinerGamma
MariusHillsPit
Access:TheAxelRover• Poweredby
solarpanelsonthesurface
• Communicationlinkthroughitstether
OperationofLunakhod
Divingintothehistoryofthemare
Payload:• Contextcameras• Microimager• APXS• SWIRspectrometer
