Commercial lander vehicles will carry NASA’s science and technology payloads to the lunar surface, paving the way for NASA astronauts to land on the moon in 2024. Credit: NASA
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As NASA proceeds with plans for several commercial deliveries to the lunar surface each year, the agency has selected three new scientific investigative payload groups to advance understanding of Earth’s closest neighbour. Two payload wings will land on the far side of the moon, a first for NASA. All three investigations will accept flights to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, or CLPS initiative, which is part of the agency’s Artemis approach.
Payload represents the agency’s first choice for Payloads and Research Investigations on the Moon (PRISM) to submit proposals.
“This choice adds to our strong line of scientific and investigative payloads that will be sent to the Moon via CLPS,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “With each new PRISM election, we will build on our capabilities to enable greater and better science and demonstrate technology that will help pave the way for astronauts to return to the Moon via Artemis.”
credit: NASA
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The Lunar Vertex, one of the three options, is a clear mix of lander and rover that will be sent to Reiner Gamma – one of the most distinctive and mysterious natural features on the moon, known as the lunar vortex. Scientists don’t fully understand what lunar vortices are or how they form, but they do know that they are closely related to anomalies associated with the moon’s magnetic field. The Lunar Vertex spacecraft will make detailed measurements of the lunar surface magnetic field using the onboard magnetometer. The lunar surface magnetic field data collected by the probe will enhance data collected by spacecraft in orbit around the Moon and help scientists better understand how these mysterious lunar vortexes form and develop, as well as provide further insight into the Moon’s interior and core. This ward is led by Dr. David Bloit of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
NASA has also selected two separate payload wings for tandem delivery to the Schrödinger Basin, a large impact crater on the far side of the moon near the moon’s south pole. The Farside Seismic Suite (FSS), one of two payloads to be delivered to the Schrödinger Basin, will carry two seismometers: a broadband seismometer and a short-period sensor. NASA has measured seismic activity on the near side of the moon as part of the Apollo program, but the FSS will return the agency’s first seismic data from the far side of the moon – a potential future goal for astronauts Artemis. This new data could help scientists better understand tectonic activity on the far side of the moon, reveal how the far side of the moon has been affected by small meteorites, and provide new limits to the moon’s internal structure. The FSS service will continue to retrieve data for several months on the lunar surface beyond the life of the probe. To survive the two-week long lunar night, the FSS package will be self-sufficient with independent power, communications and thermal control. Dr Mark Banning of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California led the payload group.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the Schrödinger Basin, a large crater near the south pole on the far side of the moon. Credit: NASA/LRO/Ernie Wright
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The Lunar Internal Temperature and Material Collection (LITMS), another payload headed for the Schrödinger Basin, is a set of two tools: the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder and the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder. This payload set will investigate the heat flow and electrical conductivity of the lunar interior in the Schrödinger Basin, providing an in-depth look at the lunar internal mechanical flow and heat. The LITMS data will also complement the seismic data obtained by the FSS to provide a more complete picture of the near and deep surfaces of the far side of the Moon. Dr Robert Grimm of the Southwest Research Institute led this payload group.
While this determination is final, negotiations for each award amount are ongoing.
“This investigation demonstrates the power of CLPS in delivering big science in a small package, providing access to the lunar surface to address high-priority science goals for the Moon,” said Laurie Glaese, director of NASA’s Division of Planetary Sciences. “When scientists analyze this new data together with lunar samples returned from Apollo and data from many of our orbital missions, they will advance our knowledge of the lunar surface and interior, and enhance our understanding of important phenomena such as space weathering to inform manned missions. in the future. to the moon and beyond.”
With the choice made, NASA will work with the CLPS office at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to issue a mission order to send this payload group to the Moon within 2024.
For this payload group, the agency also selected two project scientists to coordinate scientific activities including selection of landing sites, development of operating concepts, and archiving of scientific data obtained during surface operations. Dr. Heidi Haviland of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will coordinate the packages scheduled for delivery to Rainer Gamma, and Dr. Brent Gary of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will coordinate delivery of the payload to the Schrödinger Basin.
CLPS is a key part of NASA’s Artemis moon exploration effort. The scientific and technological payload sent to the lunar surface as part of the CLPS will help lay the groundwork for human missions and a continued human presence on the lunar surface. The agency has awarded six mission order awards to provider CLPS for lunar deliveries between late 2021-2023, with more awards expected through at least 2028.
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