Investigate Potential Mars or Lunar Resources

The objective of this project is to map the thickness of a dust/water ice layer in the Permanently Shaded Regions (PSRs) in the lunar polar regions by considering mixing processes. Water is a key element of future resource in planetary explorations. Signs of water ice have been detected on the Moon by different techniques. Their sources may result from impacts of asteroids and comets, volcanism, or implantation by the solar wind. Classical theories discuss that the accumulation of water ice on the lunar surface is related to heat transfer. Water ice particles in the surface layer can be sublimated (or melted) by various processes such as impact cratering and solar heating. Then, they may be transported at low attitude but trapped by cold spots including the PSRs. However, this explanation is incomplete because lunar surface materials are mixed by impacts and electromagnetic forces. The present project will investigate how material mixing affects the thickness of a dust/water ice layer. The current project will explore the mixing depth of a dust/water ice layer on the floors of three craters, Amundsen, Cabeus B, and Lovelace. The first two craters are located in the south pole region while the third one is in the north pole region. Thus, the investigations of these craters allow us to infer the contrast of the water ice distribution in the PSRs at the north and south poles. We will divide a PSR within each crater into two locations. The first location is a PSR region far from the sunlit-shadow boundary (SSB), or Area 1. The second region is at the SSB, defined as Area 2. We consider that mixing in Area 1 is only controlled by impact bombardment, while that in Area 2 is influenced by both impact cratering and electromagnetic forces. To accomplish this goal, we employ data analysis, statistical modeling, and experiments. Following are the planned tasks. Task A will conduct data analysis by using archived data in NASA/PDS from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)s the Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) instrument and its camera system (LROC). We will use data from the LROC and LAMP instruments archived in the Planetary Data System. LROC images will be used to develop the crater production function and analyze the crater conditions. LAMP images will be used to analyze the amount of water ice in the SPRs. Task B will quantify the impact-driven mixing depth on the floor of the target craters by using an established statistical model. This model will provide the statistical distribution of the impact-driven mixing depth of a dust/water ice layer in Areas 1 and 2 for each crater, given the CSFD from Task A. In this task, we will assume that the CSFDs of the PSR and the sun-lit region are similar within a crater. Task C will experimentally measure the total amount of dust/water ice transported at the SSB. Experiments will be performed in the Magnetized Plasma Research Laboratory (MPRL) in the Auburn University Physics Department. Task D will integrate all the results in these tasks to give constraints on the effect of material mixing on the thickness of a dust/water ice layer in the PSRs. The present call seeks research of potential for resources including near surface lunar ice with high H2O concentration. Based on the expected results, our project fits the calls goal by providing ideas for water ice sampling technologies.

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