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The moon as seen on the digital geological map made by the United States Geological Survey. Photo: @cbquist / Twitter
The first global unified, digital geological map of the moon was virtually released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Lunar Planetary Institute on April 22, 2020.
The map is a “globally consistent, transparent geological map, scale 1: 5,000,000.”
Called the “Unified Geological Map of the Moon,” it will serve as a blueprint for future human missions and a source of research and analysis for educators and the general public interested in lunar geology.
The moon, the closest cosmic body to Earth through which space discovery can be attempted and documented, has always sparked the interest of humanity.
S Harrel, a student at NASA Space Grant, mapped out the characteristics of the moon’s surface that included crater rim ridges, buried crater rim ridges, fissures, grabens, scarps, mare wrinkle ridges, faults, channels, rilles and guidelines.
The researchers relied on the original digital renewal of the six 1: 5,000,000-scale lunar geological maps comprising the near, central, east, west, north, and south sides that were released in 2013.
The final map consists of 43 geological units on the entire lunar surface, broken down into groups according to characteristics such as crater materials, basins, terra, plains and volcanic units.
Data from recent satellite missions to the moon and resource data from NASA’s Apollo Missions were used to make the map.
“The moon has always fascinated people and when we might come back,” said current USGS director and former NASA astronaut Jim Reilly.
“So it is wonderful to see USGS create a resource that can assist NASA with its planning for future missions,” he added.
This version of the map is a digital version only available in GIS and PDF formats. The map can be downloaded from the Unified Geological Map of the Moon website.
“This map is the culmination of a decades-long project,” said Corey Fortezzo, geologist and lead author of the USGS. “It provides vital information for new scientific studies by connecting exploration of specific sites on the moon with the rest of the lunar surface.”
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chandrayaan 2 is an active mission heading to the Lunar South Pole for exploration.
The Moon’s South Pole is especially interesting because the area is much larger than the North Pole and there could be a possibility of water in these permanently shaded areas. Furthermore, the South Pole region also contains the fossil record of the early Solar System.
Like Chandrayan, other lunar missions such as the Artemis (Human Space Flight Program), which is a manned NASA exploration program, plan to send humans to the Lunar South Pole by 2024 and in due course establish a permanent presence. on the moon.
The success of these present and future lunar missions can be aided by the digital moon map.
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