Full Moon exploration

Abstract

Ian Crawford, Sarah Fagents and Katherine Joy make the case for exploring the basaltic lava flows of Oceanus Procellarum: valuable (non-polar) lunar science facilitated by a return to the Moon. The Moon is a promising science target, made a priority in recent space exploration plans. So far, polar landing sites have been preferred, but many promising scientific objectives lie elsewhere. Here we summarize the potential value of one such scientific target, northern Oceanus Procellarum, which includes basalts of a wide range of ages. Studying these would allow refinement of the lunar stratigraphy and chronology, and a better understanding of lunar mantle evolution. We consider how exploration of such areas might be achieved in the context of lunar exploration plans.