Over the last two decades a wealth of new observations of the moon have demonstrated a lunar water system dramatically more complex and rich than was deduced following the Apollo era. Lunar water, and other volatiles, have the potential to be a valuable or enabling resource for future exploration. The NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) have selected a lunar volatiles prospecting mission for a concept study and potential flight in CY2021. The mission includes a rover-borne payload that (1) can locate surface and near-subsurface volatiles, (2) excavate and analyze samples of the volatile- bearing regolith, and (3) demonstrate the form, extractability and usefulness of the materials.
Resource Prospector: An Update on the Lunar Volatiles Prospecting and ISRU Demonstration Mission
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2017 ; 2017 ; The Woodlands, TX, United States
2017-03-20
Conference paper
No indication
English