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C. I. Fassett

Publications and source records attributed to C. I. Fassett.

5 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2020

Effective Crewed Surface Science near the Lunar South Pole: Some Illumination Considerations

Exploration near the lunar South Pole has substantial scientific promise for expanding our understanding of the Moon beyond what has been accomplished by Apollo and other lunar missions. An obvious difference from the Apollo experience is that the polar location for Artemis will guarantee the Sun is going to be low above the horizon. A great deal of excellent work has been, and is being, done on the availability of light (“yes/no”) for exploration purposes [e.g., 1-4]. However, we raise the additional consideration of the qualitative effects of low solar elevation on crew traverses, crew observations, and other science measurements [see also 5, though ground rules of that study presumed higher Sun]. We emphasize that our view is that these issues are unlikely to be mission objective-threatening, particularly if adequately considered in advance.

C. I. Fassett↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Using Secondary Craters to Assess Strength Differences Between Neighboring Surface Units

An issue with Martian remote sensing studies is the difficulty inferring surface and crustal material properties. For direct information we rely on the instruments of landed missions, like InSight, and extrapolate to other locations. To apply that extrapolation, we would like to use a methodology that can benefit from remote sensing data. We are exploring using secondary craters, which are often thought of as nuisances when determining accurate ages, to calculate crustal properties. The upside of secondary craters is that they are from ejecta blocks moving at relatively lower speeds, this lets them reside in a different crater scaling regime [1], one that is more sensitive to the crust’s effective strength (Yeff) and porosity/internal friction (through the μ and KD terms [A]).

Mars↗