Science Panels and Thematic Questions to be addressed by LRO Targeting
The overall meeting charge is to ensure that LRO has the best possible list of scientific targets to maximize science return of the mission. The charge to the contributors is to present and discuss new science targets for LRO that address major lunar science questions and to help summarize a prioritized list of targets. Each thematic panel will address lunar science questions in six themes, describing in each case what LRO measurements can be made to increase understanding and fill in gaps, and how data from other missions can also contribute to that understanding. The outcome of this approach is to identify targets for which coordinated observations (across multiple instruments and platforms) will yield high science payoff. In each case, presenters should discuss what targeted and/or unique observations should be made by LRO, and what gaps will remain. Major lunar science questions to be addressed by each panel include those noted below.
Other Lunar Missions and Measurements for Science
(Moderator: C. Pieters, Brown University.)
- What other lunar missions are obtaining or will obtain science measurements of the Moon?
- What are the scientific data types to be returned by the other missions?
- How can LRO measurements enhance or be enhanced or complemented by data from these other missions (coordinated observations)?
- Where should .coordinated. observations be made?
- What important lunar science data are not being acquired by LRO and/or other planned missions?
Lunar Regolith
(Moderator: M. Duke, Colorado School of Mines)
- What are the thicknesses of regolith and how does thickness vary? How does thickness correlate with maturity, age, and composition of surface?
- Is the regolith within permanently shadowed craters different in fundamental ways from regolith outside the permanent shadow?
- Can areas be identified where fossil regoliths occur?
- How do rays from recent large impact craters modify the regolith such that they are visible and what is the mechanism for their disappearance? How well can they be used to determine the age of craters?
- Are there local variations (10s to 100s of meters) of regolith within mare or highlands units?
Volcanism: Timing, Form and Composition
(Moderator: R. Greeley, Arizona State University)
- What are the morphologic / morphometric characteristics of volcanic vents and effusive lavas, and what do these tell us about origin and emplacement of magmas within the crust and at the surface?
- What is the range of volcanic structures, styles, and associations and what do they mean for mantle and crustal petrogenesis?
- What is the range of ages of volcanic materials and what do those ages indicate about the volcanic flux over time?
- What is the distribution and what are the characteristics of lunar pyroclastic deposits, and what do these reveal about their origin, eruption and emplacement and the thermal and magmatic evolution of the mantle?
- What is the relationship of impact basin formation and subsequent volcanic filling?
Composition of the Lunar Crust and Clues to the Interior
(Moderator: P. Lucey, University Hawaii)
- What is the range of compositional and lithologic variation of lunar crustal rocks?
- How can LRO aid in determining the lateral and vertical compositional variations within the lunar crust?
- What are the characteristics of geologic contacts between mare and/or highlands units, and what do these tell us about mixing of surface materials?
- What are the predictions of thermal evolution models for the Moon and how do they compare with observations of structures and topography?
- What are the characteristics of compressional and extensional tectonic features, and what do these reveal about surface stresses and the lunar interior?
Habitation and Lunar Resources
(Moderator: Jeffrey Plescia, Applied Physics Laboratory / Johns Hopkins University
- What are the surface characteristics (morphology, topography, hazards, mobility, lighting) of potential sites for human outposts or bases?
- What do we need to know about in situ characteristics of potential lunar resources before decisions are made regarding their use or exploitation?
- What are the thicknesses, maturity, and extents of regolith developed on titanium-rich basalts and pyroclastic deposits?
- How can LRO data be used to better define lunar resources?
- Where are features such as roofed lava tubes that may prove useful for future habitation?
Impact Cratering and History
(Moderator: Barbara Cohen, NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center)
- What can be learned about the current impact flux from the identification of impact craters formed since the Apollo era?
- What lithologic variability can be identified in central peaks, peak rings, and other ring structures, and what are the implications for bedrock formations and diversity?
- What are the thicknesses, extents, and effects of basin-ejecta-emplaced plains and melt deposits?
- What are the detailed characteristics of craters and their ejecta blankets and ray deposits, and what do these tell us about the physical and compositional properties of the substrate and degradation processes?
- What is the relationship of impact-basin formation and subsequent volcanic filling?
Lunar Volatiles: Polar and Exospheric
(Moderator: D. Lawrence, Applied Physics Laboratory / Johns Hopkins University)
- What are the potential sources of polar and exospheric volatiles?
- What are the solar illumination and thermal conditions in the polar regions over diurnal, seasonal, and longer-period cycles?
- How will LRO data and observations expand our knowledge of the polar volatiles, volatile transport in the lunar environment, and endogenous/exogenous volatile concentrations?
- What are the exchange mechanisms and relationships between hot and cold surface regolith and exospheric volatiles?
- What are the detailed characteristics of sites of observed transient lunar phenomena, and are changes observed by LRO?
