High-priority lunar landing sites for in situ and sample return studies of polar volatiles

• We conduct a spatial analysis to find the best sites to study lunar polar volatiles.
• We find 12 regions that have the highest scientific return potential.
• We find that Amundsen crater is a prime candidate for a lunar exploration mission.
• We provide a case study for a mission to the Intercrater Polar Highlands (north pole).
• We provide a case study for a mission to Amundsen crater (south pole).

Our understanding of the Moon has advanced greatly over the last several decades thanks to analyses of Apollo samples and lunar meteorites, and recent lunar orbital missions. Notably, it is now thought that the lunar poles may be much more enriched in H2O and other volatile chemical species than the equatorial regions sampled during the Apollo missions. The equatorial regions sampled, themselves, contain more H2O than previously thought. A new lunar mission to a polar region is therefore of great interest; it could provide a measure of the sources and processes that deliver volatiles while also evaluating the potential in situ resource utilization value they may have for human exploration. In this study, we determine the optimal sites for studying lunar volatiles by conducting a quantitative GIS-based spatial analysis of multiple relevant datasets. The datasets include the locations of permanently shadowed regions, thermal analyses of the lunar surface, and hydrogen abundances. We provide maps of the lunar surface showing areas of high scientific interest, including five regions near the lunar north pole and seven regions near the lunar south pole that have the highest scientific potential according to rational search criteria. At two of these sites—a region we call the “Intercrater Polar Highlands” (IPH) near the north pole, and Amundsen crater near the south pole—we provide a more detailed assessment of landing sites, sample locations, and exploration strategies best suited for future human or robotic exploration missions.

High-priority lunar landing sites for in situ and sample return studies of polar volatiles.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (576 K)Download as PowerPoint slide