Remote Sensing Assessment Of Lunar Resources: We Know Where To Go To Find What We Need.

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Remote Sensing Assessment Of Lunar Resources We
Know Where To Go To Find What We Need.

• J.J. Gillis, G. J. Taylor, and P.G. Lucey
• Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology,
  University of Hawaii

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The presidents charge to NASA Undertake lunar
exploration activities to enable sustained and
affordable human and robotic exploration to Mars
and more distant destinations in the Solar
System.
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In order to get what you want you have to know
what it is you want!
Dr. Phil
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Lunar Prospecting

• Remote sensing surveys will provide the ability
  to select a site for the first lunar base.
• Future depends on developing a strategy for
  resource exploration, and efficient methods of
  extraction

sunlight
Future missions H2O and other ices, physical
properties, thermal inertia, and surface
temperature
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Remote Measurements

• Caveats
• Noble gasses only for regolith, assume solar
  ratio.
• Incompatible trace element and REE correlations
  assume KREEP relationship (Sm, La, Hf, Th, Ba,
  Ce, Nd, Tb, Dy,Yb,Lu KP).
• Some ratios work best/only for the highlands (Sm
  and La, Ba, Th, K, P)
• This is all possible because we have samples from
  the Moon

UVVIS-NIR-IR, X-ray, gamma-ray,and neutron
energies
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TiO2 Distribution

• Maps showing the distribution of basalt with the
  highest Ti concentrations can similarly be used
  as a proxy for solar wind implanted elements and
  nobel gasses (H, C, N, and 3He) Johnson et al.,
  1999.

Gillis et al., 2003
LP data Prettyman et al., 2002 Elphic et al.,
2002
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Optical Maturity
Clem 750nm

• Regolith can be used for shielding, building
  materials, and to yield oxygen, solar wind
  implanted gases, and meteoric metal (Fe).
• Radar data to map regolith structure Campbell et
  al., 1997

OMAT Lucey et al., 2000
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Solar Wind

• Concentrations of H, C, and N are in the 100 mg/g
  range or below (3He lt30 ng/g). Apollo 15, 16,
  and 17 drill cores suggest concentrations hold to
  a depth of 2 m or more.
• There is enough H, C, N and other elements in a
  cubic meter of typical lunar soil to produce a
  substantial lunch for two, if converted into
  edible forms Haskin, 1988.

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FeO distribution

• FeO is correlated with Cr, and maybe TiO2
• May be processed to yield O

LP data Lawrence et al., 2002 Elphic et al.,
2000
Gillis et al., 2004
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Incompatible elements

• Incompatible trace elements behave as a coherent
  group during most geochemical separation, high Th
  concentrations can be used to infer high
  concentrations of other trace elements (e.g. K,
  REEs, P, U, and Zr).

LP data Lawrence et al., 2000 Elphic et al.,
1999
Gillis et al., 2004
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Pyroclastic Distribution

• Pyroclastics can be processed to yield O
• Pyroclastics contain Fe, Ti, Zr Cd, Pb, Cu, and F

From Gaddis et al., 2003
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Polar Volatiles

• LP neutron data indicate the presence of H at the
  lunar poles Feldman et al., 2000
• Discrepancy between Earth-based radar and
  Clementine bi-static radar observations
• Need more data

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To Do List

• Ascertain the nature of the hydrogen deposits at
  the lunar poles
• Conduct localized prospecting studies, such as
  rover-transported geochemical remote sensing and
  sample collection.
• Determine necessary ore grade in 3 dimensions
• Perform in situ resource utilization
  demonstration
• Return to the Moon with humans