A New Model for Determining Lunar Rock Abundance and Landing Hazards

Abstract

Introduction: With NASA’s return to the Moon, the determination of safe landing sites for future robotic and human missions is crucial, and rock abundance will be important criteria for landing site selection. Thermal inertias derived from remote sensing in the thermal infrared is a powerful technique for assessing rock abundance for the purpose of landing site selection on Mars [1,2]. Rocks a meter or more in size present similar hazards for lunar landing systems as for Mars landers, and safe lunar exploration will depend in part upon the determination of the rock abundance at potential landing sites. Mars thermal data, however, vastly exceeds current lunar thermal data. The Diviner Lunar Radiometer [3] on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will provide a new opportunity for acquisition of thermal data that can be used in the evaluation of potential landing sites. In anticipation of LRO we have created a new lunar thermal model that, when coupled with lunar nighttime temperature data, will assist in the creation of rock distribution maps covering potential lunar landing sites at most latitudes.