Small Lunar Penetrators

Abstract

Introduction: Small lunar penetrators are poised to become a valuable new tool for lunar science and exploration during the next decade. These low-cost ballistic probes can be deployed from orbit, or from descending robotic or crewed vehicles in large numbers to explore and characterize the diversity of extreme lunar shallow subsurface environments. In this white paper, we describe the science opportunities for these penetrators, their general characteristics, as well as two mission concepts that employ them to enable ground-breaking lunar science.Lunar Science in the Next Decade: Lunar exploration during the next decade will see many opportunities for human and robotic missions. Some key next-decade mission goals currently under consideration include sample return, lunar network science, and exploring extreme environments (LEAG, 2016). The Moon's extreme environments that have thus far been identified through analysis of orbital data include: Permanently shadowed regions at the lunar poles; Steep topographic slopes; Extreme rocky regions; Lunar caves and pits, and the Lunar swirls. These extreme environments present significant challenges for accessibility, as well as potentially significant rewards for science. Small penetrators hold great potential for precursor and survey missions for the exploration of extreme lunar environments, producing early science data and geotechnic information crucial to science goals and later mission planning.One of the biggest remaining mysteries about the Moon are its polar volatile deposits. We have several lines of evidence that a range of volatiles are present in the Moon's permanently shadowed regions (