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Field Testing Near-IR and Neutron Spectrometer Prospecting: Applications to Resource Prospector on the MoonWhile we know there are volatiles sequestered at the poles of the Moon, the detailed 3-D distribution, abundance, and physical and chemical form are largely unknown. The next giant leap, Resource Prospector (RP), will use landed assets to fully characterize the volatile composition and distribution at scales of tens to hundreds of meters. To achieve this range of scales, mobility is required. Near real-time operation of surface assets is desirable, with a concept of operations very different from that of rovers on Mars. For RP, new operational approaches are required to carry out real-time robotic exploration. The Mojave Volatiles Project (MVP) is a Moon- Mars Analog Mission Activities (MMAMA) program effort aimed at (1) determining effective approaches to operating a real-time but short-duration lunar surface robotic mission, and (2) performing prospecting science in a natural setting, as a test of these approaches. Here we describe some results from the first such test, carried out in the Mojave Desert between 16 and 24 October, 2014. The test site was an alluvial fan just E of the Soda Mountains, SW of Baker, California. This site contains desert pavements, ranging from the late Pleistocene to early-Holocene in age. These pavements are dissected by the ongoing development of washes. A principal objective was to determine the hydration state of different types of desert pavement and bare ground features. The mobility element of the test was the KREX-2 rover, designed and operated by the Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center.
Document ID
20160000570
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Elphic, R. C.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Colaprete, A.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Heldmann, J. L.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Deans, M. C.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
January 11, 2016
Publication Date
October 20, 2015
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
ARC-E-DAA-TN27036
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2015 Annual Meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group
Location: Columbia, MD
Country: United States
Start Date: October 20, 2015
End Date: October 22, 2015
Sponsors: Universities Space Research Association
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
Keywords
Mojave Volatiles Project (MVP)
neutron albedo at thermal and epithermal energies
poles of the Moon
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