Comments on: Robotic Sample Return and Interpreting Lunar History: The Importance of Getting it Right

By: How the Mars community shot itself in the foot | The Once and Future Moon

How the Mars community shot itself in the foot | The Once and Future Moon — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:39:36 +0000

[...] return, it must collect samples whose context can be reconstructed and fully understood. As discussed here previously, given the difficulty of such reconstruction for the Apollo samples (which were carefully [...]

By: Cataclysmic Conundrum | The Once and Future Moon

Cataclysmic Conundrum | The Once and Future Moon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:06:24 +0000

[...] going to the Moon in the near future. Robotic spacecraft can collect rocks and soil, so perhaps a robotic sample return mission could provide the samples to resolve this problem. But where would we send such a [...]

By: Searching for the Moon’s Mantle | The Once and Future Moon

Searching for the Moon’s Mantle | The Once and Future Moon — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:02:37 +0000

[...] cautiously. Just as a sample return mission to the floor of the largest basin on the Moon is no guarantee that we will obtain the rocks needed to answer questions about early cratering history, the new finding of abundant olivine on the Moon [...]

By: Paul D. Spudis

Paul D. Spudis — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:40:46 +0000

Jack,

What are the weight and volume limits limits for samples that would be returned by Moonrise?

I don’t know what the current design is as I am not on the team, but it’s probably on the order of 1-2 kg mass total. You don’t need a great deal of sample mass to answer most scientific questions, so this keeps the sample-return mission small enough to be feasible.

By: Jack Kline

Jack Kline — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:15:40 +0000

Great post Paul. What are the weight and volume limits limits for samples that would be returned by Moonrise? I am wondering about both the amount that can be picked up at once and the sum total limits. Thanks and keep up the good work.

By: Paul D. Spudis

Paul D. Spudis — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:17:00 +0000

any permanently shaded spots within the useful (for Moonrise purposes) SPA Basin potential landing zone

As far as I can determine, the Moonrise team is focusing on landing sites at or near the center of the basin, presumably so as to provide the best geological context for sample collection. There is no permanently shadowed terrain in this region.

However, the two goals could be combined if the mission were to land near the south pole, which happens to be on the rim of the SPA basin. The problem is that the context of the samples is much less clear.

By: Warren Platts

Warren Platts — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:42:48 +0000

You’re very welcome sir. I wonder if there are any permanently shaded spots within the useful (for Moonrise purposes) SPA Basin potential landing zone. It would be nifty if they could scratch out a little water ice along with their regolith sample!

By: Paul D. Spudis

Paul D. Spudis — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:42:09 +0000

Warren,

Many thanks for your comments.

The robotic probe won’t be able tell the difference between a meteorite and bedrock

Probably not, but this particular mission concept involves taking a random scoop of regolith (which includes rocks) and assuming that it is representative of the regional unit. Thus, your potential for success is entirely dependent upon choosing the right place to go.

By: Warren Platts

Warren Platts — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:49:25 +0000

Awesomely informative posts Paul! It’s quite a coincidence (or not) that the earliest evidence for life on Earth and the “cataclysm” are both estimated to have occurred around 3.8 billion years ago. It suggests that life can occur spontaneously under the right conditions in a very short time, geologically speaking. One is tempted to invoke panspermia. The robotic probe won’t be able tell the difference between a meteorite and bedrock, though, I presume. That’s why I wish we could send humans to do the sample collecting. Robots are cool, and we learn a lot from them, but the results are always just so darned tantalizing! (But I guess the same could be said for the Apollo samples…) That said, it will be neat if the proposed mission is successful.

Please keep the posts flowing Paul!

By: Cataclysmic Events on the Moon | The Once and Future Moon

Cataclysmic Events on the Moon | The Once and Future Moon — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:53:14 +0000

[...] my next post, I will discuss some of the difficulties in deciphering the cratering history of the Moon from its [...]