NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon by the end of this decade, but a couple of related side projects promise to offer a fascinating new science that could broaden our understanding of lunar geology and human biology.
On the northeastern edge of the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon are three very strange protrusions known as Gruithuisen domes. The unusually rounded mountains stand out from the otherwise flat topography, except for the nearby crater from which they are named. The largest of the three domes, Mons Gruithuisen Gamma, is 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) wide and rises to 4,900 feet (1,500 meters).
Side view of Gruithuisen domes, photographed during the Apollo 15 mission. (Photo: NASA)
Gruithuisen domes are rare from a geological perspective, as they were formed from processes that have not yet been fully understood. Scientists will finally have the opportunity to study these giant piles in detail, as NASA has chosen to send a recently announced set of scientific instruments to the region later this decade. The space agency has also approved a second study to test the effects of space on yeast. Together, the two projects will address key scientific issues about our Moon, as explained by Joel Kearns, associate associate administrator for exploration at NASA’s Scientific Mission Directorate, in a statement from the agency.
“The first will study the geological processes of the first planetary bodies preserved on the moon, investigating a rare form of lunar volcanism,” Kearns said. “The second will study the effects of the low-gravity and radiation environment of the Moon on yeast, a model organism used to understand the response and repair of DNA damage.”
Both were chosen as part of NASA’s payload and lunar surface research (PRISM) program, and both will be delivered to the lunar surface by vendors participating in the cargo services initiative. commercial lunar utility (CLPS) agency, a key component. of the Artemis program. CLPS missions, of which there are now seven, are intended to further enable human missions to the Moon.
The scientific instruments sent to the Gruithuisen domes are collectively known as Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE). The leader of this payload suite is planetary geologist Kerri Donaldson Hanna of the University of Central Florida. Of the five different instruments in this suite, two will be connected to a stationary landing, while the remaining three will be placed in a mobile rover. Both the landing and the rover will be obtained from a CLPS vendor, with NASA aiming for 2026 for the lunar mission.
Image of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera showing the three Gruithuisen domes (Delta, Gamma and NW) and the crater by which they are named. (Image: NASA-LROC)
Once on the moon, the rover will attempt to ascend and investigate the top of a Gruithuisen dome. NASA explains the strangeness of these features as follows:
Based on early telescopic and spacecraft observations, it has long been suspected that these domes were formed by silica-rich magma, similar in composition to granite. Observations from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) confirmed that the Gruithuisen domes are different from the surrounding terrain, which is covered by ancient basaltic lava flows. Basaltic lavas are fluid and thin and flow like engine oil, unlike siliceous lavas, which are thicker and flow more like peanut butter. Gruithuisen domes were formed by eruptions of silica lava, which did not flow out easily, creating domes.
As for how silica-rich magmas could form on the Moon, this is an open question, especially considering that, on Earth, these features are formed in the presence of water and plate tectonics, both of which are very rare on the moon. Lunar-VISE, with its on-board sampling capabilities, is expected to shed new light on this mystery.
The second of the two recently announced scientific suites is called the Lunar Explorer Instrument for Space Biology Applications (LEIA) and is led by Andrew Settles of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. For this mission, a small CubeSat-based device will deliver some yeast to the lunar surface, specifically a sample of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as brewer’s yeast. This yeast is important for scientists studying human biology, as it is a good model for studying the genetics and processes behind cell replication, division, and repair.
Here, scientists hope to study DNA damage, among other biological factors, as a result of space radiation and partial gravity. In fact, the lunar environment, unlike the International Space Station, is far beyond the protective shield of the Earth’s magnetosphere, making it an ideal place to study these things. If we are going to send humans to the Moon for extended stays (or to Mars on the other hand), we must have a good handling of biological risks. LEIA should help in this regard.
Artemis’ upcoming missions, which aim to bring a man and a woman to the moon no earlier than 2025, will no doubt be exciting. But these side missions will also be very good. One I am looking forward to is VIPER, or Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, in which a four-wheeled rover will explore the South Polar regions of the Moon to find signs of lunar water. The 100-day mission is currently scheduled to begin in late 2023.