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The possibility of extracting asteroids and the Moon is on the minds of many people lately. Maybe it’s all the growth that has happened in the commercial aerospace industry in the past few decades. Or maybe it’s because of Trump’s recent executive order to allow the extraction of asteroids and moles. Either way, there is no shortage of entrepreneurs and futurists who can’t wait to start prospecting and reaping the natural bounty of space!
Coincidentally, future lunar miners now have a complete map of the lunar surface, created by the Astrogeology Science Center of the United States Geological Society (USGS), in collaboration with NASA and the Lunar Planetary Institute (LPI). This map shows the distribution and classification of mineral deposits on the Moon’s surface, effectively letting us know what your familiar mosaic of light and dark spots is.
Known as the “Unified Geological Map of the Moon”, this immensely detailed 1: 5,000,000 scale map is available online and is intended for use by the scientific community, educators, and the general public. Additionally, the USGS says it will serve as a “definitive blueprint for the surface geology of the moon for future human missions.”
Current USGS Director and former NASA astronaut Jim Reilly said in a USGS statement:
“People have always been fascinated by the moon and when we could return. Therefore, it is wonderful to see USGS create a resource that can assist NASA with its planning for future missions. “
To create the new digital map, USGS scientists synthesized data from six of the Apollo missions along with updated information from recent satellite missions. These include the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) wide-angle camera element (WAC), as well as its Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), which gathered images and topographic data from the Moon during the ten-year mission. of the LRO.
Then there were the elevation data for the equatorial region of the moon, which was obtained by the Terrain Camera at JAXA’s SELenological and Engineering ExpLorEr (SELENE). Also known as Kaguya, this recent mission made stereo observations of the Moon’s equatorial region. The mission data from both missions was used to update the north and south polar regions of the Moon.
In addition to merging new and old data, the USGS researchers also developed a unified description of the rock layers on the Moon (also known as stratigraphy). This solved problems with previous maps, which included inconsistencies with names, descriptions, and ages. Corey Fortezzo, a USGS geologist and lead author of the study describing the map, said:
“This map is the culmination of a decades-long project. 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 research that led to this map was made possible by a grant issued by NASA’s Planetary Data Storage, Restoration and Tools (PDART) program. In the coming years, the data contained therein is likely to inform surface operations for the Artemis Project, which are slated to begin in 2024 with the Artemis III mission.
This will be the first time that astronauts have gone to the Moon since the Apollo era. But unlike the heady days of the Space Race, NASA intends to establish a program for “sustainable lunar exploration” this time, which includes elements that will allow a permanent human presence on the Moon, such as the Lunar Gate and the Lunar Base Camping.
Commercial access to the Moon has been an important part of this plan from the beginning. In addition to partnering with aerospace companies to develop these and other elements that will make future missions to the Moon possible, NASA’s long-term plans include partnering with other space agencies and companies so they can use this same infrastructure to facilitate their own missions and goals.
In addition to that, legal precedents for commercial companies on the Moon began before the executive order, titled “Fostering International Support for the Recovery and Use of Space Resources.” In 2015, the Obama administration enacted the United States Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act to “facilitate a growth-friendly environment for the developing commercial space industry.”
Now that businesses and individual citizens have the right to claim, own and sell the resources they extract from asteroids and other celestial bodies, a comprehensive map of where those resources are (at least on the Moon) will come in handy! Meanwhile, it is a great scientific and educational resource and is likely to lead to some exciting advances in astrogeological research.
Further reading: USGS, USRA
