NASA has selected two scientific instruments intended for astronauts to deploy on the lunar surface during the Artemis IV mission to the moon's south polar region. These instruments will improve our knowledge of the lunar environment to support NASA's continued exploration of the Moon and Mars.
“The Apollo era taught us that the further humanity is from Earth, the more we depend on science to protect and sustain human life on other planets,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By placing these two scientific instruments on the lunar surface, our test site, NASA is leading the world in creating a guide to human interplanetary survival to ensure the health and safety of our spacecraft and human explorers as we begin our epic journey back to the Moon and on to Mars.”
After his journey to the lunar surface during Apollo 17, astronaut Gene Cernan admitted the problem is that moon dust is a long-term study of the Moon. Moon dust sticks to everything it touches and is very abrasive. Knowledge gained from the DUSTER (DUst and PlaSma environment SurvEyoR) study will help reduce risks to human health and research. DUSTER, consisting of a suite of instruments mounted on a small autonomous rover, will measure dust and plasma around the landing site. These measurements will contribute to understanding the natural dust and plasma environment of the Moon and how this environment reacts to human presence, including any interference during crew exploration activities and lander launch. The DUSTER toolkit is led by Xu Wang from the University of Colorado Boulder. The contract is worth $24.8 million over three years.
SPSS (South Pole Seismic Station) data will allow scientists to characterize the Moon's internal structure to better understand the geological processes that influence planetary bodies. The seismometer will help determine the current speed of meteorites falling on the Moon, monitor the seismic environment in real time and how it may affect astronauts' work, and determine the properties of the Moon's deep interior. The crew will additionally conduct an active source experiment using a “tamper” that creates seismic energy to probe the shallow structure around the landing site. The SPSS tool is led by Mark Panning of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The award is worth $25 million over three years.
“These two science explorations will be conducted by researchers on the Moon to achieve science goals that have been identified as strategically important by both NASA and the broader science community,” said Joel Kerns, associate associate administrator for exploration for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “We are excited to bring these groups of instruments together into the Artemis IV science group.”
Two payloads were selected for further development for flights on Artemis IV; however, final decisions on the mission will be made at a later date.
With Artemis, NASA will address high-priority science questions, focusing on those best addressed by human explorers on and around the Moon, and by leveraging the unique attributes of the lunar environment through robotic ground and orbital systems. The Artemis missions will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discoveries, economic benefits and the foundation for the first manned missions to Mars.
For more information about Artemis visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
[email protected] / [email protected]
