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Surface Examination of the LCROSS impact site, Would direct examination be productive scientifically? |
 Feb 6 2010, 03:37 PM
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 Newbie  Group: Members Posts: 6 Joined: 3-March 06 Member No.: 693  |
As a follow on to the LCROSS impact mission, I propose a near-term (<1000 days from today to launch) lunar landing mission be dispatched to examine the impact site for distribution of volatiles in the impact crater and at nearby locations. The instrumentation should be modest, based on established rover designs, use RTGs and have trenching and volatile analysis capatility. Near real-time control capability would be possible. Perhaps a stripped down version of Mars Surface Laboratory could be considered.
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Feb 6 2010, 08:41 PM
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10265 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Being in permanent shadow is not an advantage for solar powered rovers. The other point to consider is where the most suitable landing sites are, and where rovers can drive successfully into a shaded area. I agree that ground truth is very useful, but it may not need to be at exactly the same place, the actual LCROSS crater. Also there are permanent shadow areas that permit a direct communication link with Earth (at certain seasons), i.e. not needing a relay, and that is not true at the LCROSS site, as far as I understand it.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PDF: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Feb 6 2010, 09:20 PM
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#3
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 6 Joined: 3-March 06 Member No.: 693 |
I'll try to dig up some charts of solar insolation/Earth visibility as a function of time for the Cabeus region.
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pilotpirx Surface Examination of the LCROSS impact site Feb 6 2010, 03:37 PM
ElkGroveDan It's all about costs and tradeoffs. The missi... Feb 6 2010, 04:28 PM
pilotpirx Thanks, you've made great points about cost an... Feb 6 2010, 05:03 PM Phil Stooke The mission you describe would appear to be simila... Feb 6 2010, 06:54 PM pilotpirx Thank you for the information on future projects i... Feb 6 2010, 08:09 PM |
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