Scientific preparations for lunar exploration with the European Lunar Lander

Abstract

Recent Lunar missions and new scientific results in multiple disciplines have shown that working and operating in the complex lunar environment and exploiting the Moon as a platform for scientific research and further exploration poses major challenges. Underlying these challenges are fundamental scientific unknowns regarding the Moon's surface, its environment, the effects of this environment and the availability of potential resources. The European Lunar Lander is a mission proposed by the European Space Agency to prepare for future exploration. The mission provides an opportunity to address some of these key unknowns and provide information of importance for future exploration activities.Areas of particular interest for investigation on the Lunar Lander include the integrated plasma, dust, charge and radiation environment and its effects, the properties of lunar dust and its physical effects on systems and physiological effects on humans, the availability, distribution and potential application of in situ resources for future exploration. A model payload has then been derived, taking these objectives to account and considering potential payloads proposed through a request for information, and the mission's boundary conditions. While exploration preparation has driven the definition there is a significant synergy with investigations associated with fundamental scientific questions. This paper discusses the scientific objectives for the ESA Lunar Lander Mission, which emphasise human exploration preparatory science and introduces the model scientific payload considered as part of the on-going mission studies, in advance of a formal instrument selection.

Characterisation of potential landing sites for the European Space Agency's Lunar Lander project

“…In addition, some of the areas are located on the top of very narrow topographic height, such as the rim of the Shackleton crater. The areas present elongated shapes, which could accommodate larger dispersions along-track, at the cost of constraints at mission level in terms of direction of the approach path and consequently descent orbit (Carpenter et al, 2012). LQCIP duration ranges from 4 to 9 months within the area (using typical design parameters of 60 hours and 2 m height), but drops quickly to less than one month outside.…”

“…The horizon is computed in general using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the surrounding topography, but the method with which the DEM is used changes slightly from tool to tool (see below). The tools can simulate different horizons taking as an input the height above the surface, which corresponds to the height of the solar arrays, or more precisely to the lower end of the solar array strings (the solar arrays are mounted on the lateral body of the lander, see Carpenter et al, 2012, and the strings run vertically, dividing the panels in two horizontal parts).…”

“…The mission objectives are to demonstrate technologies for soft-precision landing with hazard avoidance and to conduct surface investigations in preparation for future robotic and human exploration. Carpenter et al (2012) provide a detailed description of mission and system design, science and payload definition activities.…”

A semi-analytical guidance algorithm for autonomous landing

“…Together with Mars, the Moon is a main destination for exploration. The European Space Agency has conducted several studies concerning a possible unmanned lunar lander (Carpenter et al, 2012), while NASA is planning to send humans back to space. ESA will supply the Orion/MPCV European Service Module (ESM) for the 2018 unmanned Exploration-1 Mission, including ground and flight operation support (Marshall and Norris, 2013).…”

High-resolution mapping of lunar polar hydrogen with a low-resource orbital mission

“…A better knowledge of the polar hydrogen spatial and depth distribution will provide key input to studies of PSR volatile processes by isolating individual craters that host enhanced hydrogen concentrations. In addition, data from such a mission will be valuable for future landed missions that seek to target landing sites with volatile enhancements [25].…”