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Barbara A. Cohen

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara A. Cohen.

6 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

Lunar Flashlight Science Ground and Flight Measurements and Operations Using a Multi-band Laser Reflectometer

The Lunar Flashlight cubesat mission was designed and flown to collect new data on the abundance and distribution of water ice frost in lunar permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) using active laser spectroscopy. Key advantages of active spectroscopy are that it can collect surface reflectance data in locations and conditions where passive spectroscopy cannot operate, specifically nightside locations where no indirect lighting is available, and in the deepest parts of PSRs where indirect lighting may be too faint for passive spectroscopy. Lunar Flashlight launched in 2022 but because of a propulsion system failure, did not make it to the Moon to conduct its science investigation. However, Lunar Flashlight proved to be an extremely successful technology demonstration mission, meeting or exceeding all its technology-focused mission goals, including demonstrating its instrument functionality. This paper describes the extensive ground and test campaigns to characterize the Lunar Flashlight laser reflectometer instrument and its planned utility for science observations, along with recommendations for future instrument design, development, verification, and use.

Moon↗
NASA NTRS2020

Is a Linear or a Walkabout Protocol More Efficient When Using a Rover to Choose Biologically Relevant Samples in a Small Region of Interest?

We conducted a field test at a potential Mars analog site to provide insight into planning for future robotic missions such as Mars 2020, where science operations must facilitate efficient choice of biologically relevant sampling locations. We compared two data acquisition and decision-making protocols currently used by Mars Science Laboratory: (1) a linear approach, where sites are examined as they are encountered and (2) a walkabout approach, in which the field site is first examined with remote rover instruments to gain an understanding of regional context followed by deployment of time- and power-intensive contact and sampling instruments on a smaller subset of locations. The walkabout method was advantageous in terms of both the time required to execute and a greater confidence in results and interpretations, leading to enhanced ability to tailor follow-on observations to better address key science and sampling goals. This advantage is directly linked to the walkabout method's ability to provide broad geological context earlier in the science analysis process. For Mars 2020, and specifically for small regions to be explored (e.g., <1 sq. km), we recommend that the walkabout approach be considered where possible, to provide early context and time for the science team to develop a coherent suite of hypotheses and robust ways to test them.

R. Aileen Yingst↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Summary of Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) and Insights for Artemis Preliminary Examination Activities

Analyses of Apollo samples have provided fundamental insights into the origin and history of the Earth-Moon system and the solar system broadly. With great foresight, a subset of samples from Apollo were left unprocessed so that they could be studied by future generations with their modern technology. To prepare for the return of samples from the Moon by the Artemis Program, NASA initiated the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis Program (ANGSA) to analyze a subset of the previously unprocessed Apollo samples. The ANGSA consortium consisted of 9 original teams funded by NASA that combined into a single science team referred to as the ANGSA Science Team. ANGSA was designed to function like the sample analysis phase of a sample return mission with a goal to investigate the lower portion of a double drive tube previously sealed on the lunar surface (73001), the upper portion of that drive tube that had remained unopened (73002), and a variety of Apollo 17 samples that had remained stored at -20 ºC for approximately 50 years.

Francis M. McCubbin↗