Lunar Crater Study Refines Water Ice Extraction Calculus for Artemis Program
What happened
Researchers Tong and Liu modeled the lifespan of small lunar craters, finding that craters under 100 meters disappear within about 100 million years. This research, published in Eos, suggests that any ice currently held in these craters must have arrived recently, which has implications for the Artemis program's goals on the Moon.
From techtimes.com
Why it matters
The Artemis program aims to sample and exploit water ice at the Moon's south pole for life support and rocket propellant. Determining the age of the ice changes the scientific understanding and the extraction calculus for these critical lunar resources.
From techtimes.com
Who's involved
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- SpaceXSpeculative
SpaceX could see changes in operational contracts if Artemis mission parameters shift due to lunar science.
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The entities involved
Related events
- Artemis mission involves participation from an astronaut from the European Space Agency.
- A collaboration involving Artemis, the Moon, and the Canadian Space Agency aims to return humans to the lunar surface and work on crewed missions.
- The Artemis mission is progressing with specific technical details emerging about the components involved in the lunar exploration program, including Orion, ULA panels, and the Marshall site.