In order to execute a series of robotic missions, five individual instruments are employed to produce accurate maps and high-resolution images of landing sites, to assess potential lunar resources, and to characterize the radiation environment.The selected instruments are the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND), the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), and the Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP)[8].
The objectives of the various instruments are given briefly.
- Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA): LOLA will determine the global topography of the lunar surface at high resolution, measure landing site slopes, surface roughness, and search for possible polar surface ice in shadowed regions. LOLA Objectives: 1. Global geodetic lunar topography. 2. Characterize polar region illumination. 3. Image permanently shadowed regions. 4. Contribute to the assessment of meter-scale features to facilitate landing-site selection. 5.Identify surface polar ice, if present.
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC): LROC will acquire targeted narrow angle images of the lunar surface capable of resolving meter-scale features to support landing site selection, as well as wide-angle images to characterize polar illumination conditions and to identify potential resources. LROC Objectives:
1. Landing site identification and certification, with unambiguous identification of meterscale hazards.
2. Mapping of permanent shadows and sunlit regions.
3. Meter-scale mapping of polar regions.
4. Repeat observations to enable derivation of meter-scale topography.
5. Global multispectral imaging to map ilmenite and other minerals.
6. Global black and white morphology base map.
7. Characterize regolith properties.
8. Determine recent small impactor rates by re-imaging regions photographed with the Apollo Panoramic Camera (1–2 meter m/pixel). - Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND): LEND will map the flux of neutrons from the lunar surface to search for evidence of water ice, and will provide space radiation environment measurements that may be useful for future human exploration. LEND Objectives:
1. Determine hydrogen content of the subsurface at the polar regions with spatial resolution of 10 km and with sensitivity to concentration variations of 100 parts per million (ppm) at the poles.
2. Characterization of surface distribution and column density of possible near-surface water ice deposits in the Moon’s polar cold traps.
3. Global mapping of Lunar neutron emissions at an altitude of 30–50 km above Moon’s surface, with a spatial resolution of 5 km (pixel radius) at the spectral range of thermal energies up to 15 MeV. - Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE): DLRE will chart the temperature of the entire lunar surface at approximately 500 meter horizontal scales to identify cold-traps and potential ice deposits. DLRE Objectives:
1. Map global day/night surface temperature.
2. Characterize thermal environments for habitability.
3. Determine rock abundances globally and at landing sites.
4. Identify potential polar ice reservoirs.
5. Map variations in silicate mineralogy. - Lyman-Alpha: LAMP will map the entire lunar surface in the far ultraviolet. LAMP will search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions and provide images of permanently shadowed regions illuminated only by starlight. LAMP Objectives:
1. Identify and pinpoint surface exposed frost in Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs).
2. Map all permanently shadowed regions with resolutions down to 100 m.
3. Demonstrate the feasibility of natural starlight and Lyman-Alpha (α) sky-glow illumination for future lunar surface mission applications.
4. Assay the lunar atmosphere and its variability.
