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NASA NTRS1991

In situ extraction and analysis of volatile elements and molecules from carbonaceous chondrites

A laser microprobe mass spectrometer was used to measure volatiles released, on a scale of 30-50 microns, from freshly broken, sawed, and weathered surfaces in fragments of the Allende, Murchison, Coolidge, Felix, and Orgueil carbonaceous chondrites. Samples were heated to about 120 C under a vacuum of 200 ntorr and illuminated with the focused beam of a Q-switched Nd:glass laser of variable energy output (0.1-1.0 J); the gases released were analyzed using a computer-controlled mass-selective detector. The results are presented in tables and graphs and discussed in detail, with particular attention to aqueous alteration; weathering; thermal metamorphism; the distribution of sulfur-bearing phases; and differences in the amounts of volatiles in matrix, inclusions, and chondrules.

Hartmetz, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Characterizing the California Current System through Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity

Characterizing temperature and salinity (T-S) conditions is a standard framework in oceanography to identify and describe deep water masses and their dynamics. At the surface, this practice is hindered by multiple air–sea–land processes impacting T-S properties at shorter time scales than can easily be monitored. Now, however, the unsurpassed spatial and temporal coverage and resolution achieved with satellite sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS) allow us to use these variables to investigate the variability of surface processes at climate-relevant scales. In this work, we use SSS and SST data, aggregated into domains using a cluster algorithm over a T-S diagram, to describe the surface characteristics of the California Current System (CCS), validating them with in situ data from uncrewed Saildrone vessels. Despite biases and uncertainties in SSS and SST values in highly dynamic coastal areas, this T-S framework has proven useful in describing CCS regional surface properties and their variability in the past and in real time, at novel scales. This analysis also shows the capacity of remote sensing data for investigating variability in land–air–sea interactions not previously possible due to limited in situ data.

Marisol García-Reyes↗
NASA NTRS2004

Subsurface Sampling and Sensing Using Burrowing Moles

Finding evidence for life on Mars will likely require accessing the subsurface since the Martian surface is both hostile to life and to preservation of biosignatures due to the cold dry conditions, the strong W environment, and the presence of strong oxidants. Systems are needed to probe beneath the sun and oxidant baked surface of Mars and return samples to the surface for analysis or to bring the instrument sensing underground. Recognizing this need, the European Space Agency incorporated a small subsurface penetrometer or Mole onto the Beagle 2 Mars lander. Had the 2003 landing been successful, the Mole would have collected samples from 1-1.5 m depth and delivered them to an organic analysis instrument on the surface. The de- vice called the Planetary Underground Tool (PLUTO), also measured soil mechanical and thermophysical properties. Constrained by the small mass and volume allowance of the Beagle lander, the PLUTO mole was a slender cylinder only 2 cm diameter and 28 cm long equipped with a small sampling device designed to collect samples and bring them to the surface for analysis by other instrument. The mass of the entire system including deployment mechanism and tether was 1/2 kg. sensor package underground to make in situ measurements. The Mars Underground Mole (MUM) is a larger Mole based on the PLUTO design but incorporating light collection optics that interface to a fiber optic cable in the tether that transmits light to a combined stimulated emission Raman Spectrometer and Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) reflectance Spectrometer with sensitivity from 0.7 to 2.5 micrometers. This instrument is called the Dual Spectral Sensor and uses a Digital Array Scanning Interferometer as the sensor technology, a type of fourier transform interferometer that uses fixed element prisms and thus is highly rugged compared to a Michaelson interferometer. Due to the size limitations of an on-Mole instrument compartment, and the availability of a tether, the sensor head, light sources, and control electronics for the instrument are on the surface. The DSS sensor is capable of sensing a wide range of minerals relevant to Mars Astrobiology objectives including hydrated minerals, clays, carbonates, sulfates, and ice. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy is effective for detecting organics. The MUM is designed to achieve a maximum depth of penetration of 5 m in Mars regolith and can be repeatedly deployed and retrieved. The ability to perform repeated sampling, combined with the low mass and power requirements, means that Moles could be incorporated into a rover mission as well as used on a stationary platform. The Mole mechanism is a pointed slender cylinder that advances into soil by way of an internal sliding hammer mechanism. Part of the energy released by the spring-loaded hammer with each shock is transferred to the Mole casing and from there to the soil, resulting in penetration by displacing and compressing the surrounding soil. A backwards-directed impulse as a re- action to each forward shock is transferred via a suppressor mass against a second weaker spring allowing forward motion without requiring reactive forces provided by the lander. The Mole tip can be opened to collect soil samples. The Mole casing is tethered to a supporting mechanism that supplies power. Components supporting the Mole on the surface include a launch tube, tether reel and winch for pulling in tether, in addition to the tether itself.

Stoker, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The in situ exobiological investigation of the Martian surface mineralogy during unmanned missions

An important goal of exobiological research is to determine if life arose on planets other than Earth. The only other planet known, to date, on which life may have arisen is Mars. The data suggest that the physical environment of early Mars (i.e., temperature, pressure, and radiation regimes) was suitable for life to arise. Thus far, the data also suggest that early Mars possessed sufficient quantities of the required building blocks and a number of the chemical compounds necessary for life to arise. It is not known, however, if water existed in the appropriate state (i.e., liquid) in sufficient quantities long enough for life to arise. Determining the mineralogy and components of the Martian soil through in situ analyses during missions to Mars will provide information from which an assessment can be made for the probability of the origin of life on Mars. Missions to Mars in the near future will be unmanned and capable of in situ analyses. Our studies have shown that differential thermal analysis coupled with gas chromatography (DTA/GC) is a more appropriate analytical technique than, x-ray fluorescence, x-ray diffraction, alpha-proton backscatter, gamma-ray spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry coupled with mass spectrometry (DSC/MS), or DSC/GC to identify the mineralogy of the Martian surface material in situ. DTA/GC is an advancement over the pyrolytic techniques flown on previous missions that have supplied only limited mineralogical information (Biemann et al. 1977).

Mancinelli, Rocco L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Nanopore Sequencing in Space: The Advancement of In Situ Microbiome Analysis for the International Space Station and Beyond

Introduction: Routine assessment of the International Space Station (ISS) microbiome has been performed through in-flight culture and Earth-based analysis. Through utilization of the ISS, significant progress toward in situ microbial identification has been achieved. In 2016, the molecular space age began when DNA-based, Earth-prepared samples were amplified within miniPCR (Genes in Space-1), and subsequent samples were sequenced with the MinION (Biomolecule Sequencer). The following year, these platforms were used collectively to yield the first off-Earth identification of unknown bacteria collected and cultured onboard the ISS (Genes in Space-3). Further advancement occurred in 2018 when a culture-independent, direct swab-to-sequencer method revealed a more thorough depiction of the ISS surface microbiome (BEST). As NASA looks towards Artemis and extended exploration missions, it is critical to continue to harness the ISS to expand in situ nanopore sequencing-based analysis in support of microbial-related crew health, planetary protection, and space research initiatives.

Christian G. Mena↗
NASA NTRS2008

Martian Chronology and Atmospheric Composition: In Situ Measurements versus Sample Return

I examine two significant issues of martian science from the point of view of in situ measurements by robotic spacecraft versus sample return and analysis in terrestrial labs. (1) To define martian history, ages of geological processes and surface features are required. Estimated ages from surface crater densities have limitations, and the ages measured for martian meteorites cannot be associated with specific martian locales. Whereas returned martian rocks could be accurately dated, some have suggested sending a robotic spacecraft to Mars to measure rock ages using the classical K- Ar-40 technique, considered the easiest to implement. (2) To understand the evolution of the martian atmosphere and its interactions with the surface, requires precise measurements of atmospheric composition. A significant amount of information has derived from measurements by Viking and of martian meteorites. Instrumentation on the Mars Science Lander (MSL) spacecraft to be launched in the near future promises to determine atmospheric composition even more precisely. If MSL is successful, which questions about atmospheric composition will remain and thus will require atmospheric sample return to answer?

Bogard, Donald D.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Using CubeSats to Monitor Debris Flux

Recent updates to NASA's Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM 3.0) include a population of small particles (1-2 mm in size) composed of high-density materials (e.g., steel) that drive much of the predicted risk for satellites in the 700-1000 km altitude regime. This modeled population was based on the analysis of returned surfaces of the Shuttle, which flew below 600 km altitude. The cessation of Shuttle missions, plus the lack of in situ data above 600 km means that a data source is being sought to either confirm or modify this high-density population. One possible data source would be a database of anomalous sporadic changes in spacecraft orbit/orientation that might be due to momentum transfer from small particles too small to seriously damage the spacecraft. Because the momentum imparted from an impact would be tiny, it would most likely show up in the orbital behavior of cubesats and other small satellites. While such small satellites were few in number, this was not a particularly attractive option, but now with the proliferation of cubesats in multiple orbit planes and altitudes, the possible collecting area has increased significantly. This presentation will discuss the physics of momentum-transferring impacts from hypervelocity collisions, and make predictions about rates, directions, and locations of such impacts. In addition, it will include recommendations for satellite users on what kind of data might be worth archiving and investigating.

Matney, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2017

Status and Plans for Reanalysis at NASA/GMAO

Reanalysis plays a critical role in GMAOs goal to enhance NASA's program of Earth observations, providing vital data sets for climate research and the development of future missions. As the breadth of NASAs observations expands to include multiple components of the Earth system, so does the need to assimilate observations from currently uncoupled components of the system in a more physically consistent manner. GMAOs most recent reanalysis of the satellite era, MERRA-2, has completed the period 1980-present, and is now running as a continuing global climate analysis with two- to three-week latency. MERRA-2 assimilates meteorological and aerosol observations as a weakly coupled assimilation system as a first step toward GMAOs longer term goal of developing an integrated Earth system analysis (IESA) capability that will couple assimilation systems for the atmosphere, ocean, land and chemistry. The GMAO strategy is to progress incrementally toward an IESA through an evolving combination of coupled systems and offline component reanalyses driven by, for example, MERRA-2 atmospheric forcing. Most recently, the GMAO has implemented a weakly coupled assimilation scheme for analyzing ocean skin temperature within the existing atmospheric analysis. The scheme uses background fields from a near-surface ocean diurnal layer model to assimilate surface-sensitive radiances plus in-situ observations along with all other observations in the atmospheric assimilation system. In addition, MERRA-2-driven simulations of the ocean (plus sea ice) and atmospheric chemistry (for the EOS period) are currently underway, as is the development of a coupled atmosphere-ocean assimilation system. This talk will describe the status of these ongoing efforts and the planned steps toward an IESA capability for climate research.

MERRA-2↗
NASA NTRS1986

Satellite detection of phytoplankton export from the mid-Atlantic Bight during the 1979 spring bloom

Analysis of Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) imagery confirms shipboard and in situ moored fluorometer observations of resuspension of near-bottom chlorophyll within surface waters (1 to 10 m) by northwesterly wind events in the mid-Atlantic Bight. As much as 8 to 16 micrograms chl/l are found during these wind events from March to May, with a seasonal increase of algal biomass until onset of stratification of the water column. Rapid sinking or downwelling apparently occurs after subsequent wind events, however, such that the predominant surface chlorophyll pattern is approx. 0.5 to 1.5 micrograms/l over the continental shelf during most of the spring bloom. Perhaps half of the chlorophyll increase observed by satellite during a wind resuspension event represents in-situ production during the 4 to 5 day interval, with the remainder attributed to accumulation of algal biomass previously produced and temporarily stored within near-bottom water. Present calculations suggest that about 10% of the primary production of the spring bloom may be exported as ungrazed phytoplankton carbon from mid-Atlantic shelf waters to those of the continental slope.

Walsh, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Variability in equatorial Pacific sea surface topography during the verification phase of the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission

As part of the verification phase of the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission, 10-day gridded fields of altimeter data derived from TOPEX geophysical data records are compared with 10-day gridded fields of dynamic height derived from more than 60 moorings of the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere-Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TOGA-TAO) array in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Access to TAO data in real time permits the first 500 days of the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission to be placed in the context of complementary, in-situ measurements of surface winds, sea surface temperatures, and upper ocean thermal structure, as well as the time history of these variables prior to launch. Analysis of the space-time structure in the TOPEX and TAO surface topography data increases sea level variability primarily due to equatorial Kelvin wave activity generated by intense wind bursts west of the date line in association with the 1991-1993 El Nino. Cross correlations between the two data sets are generally greater than 0.7, with root mean square (RMS) differences less than 4 cm. However, for reasons not fully understood, correlations drop to less than 0.5 in certain regions off the equator in the eastern Pacific and RMS differences can be greater than 5 cm north of the equator in the central and eastern Pacific.

Busalacchi, Antonio J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Assessing Hurricane Katrina Vegetation Damage at Stennis Space Center using IKONOS Image Classification Techniques

Hurricane Katrina inflicted widespread damage to vegetation in southwestern coastal Mississippi upon landfall on August 29, 2005. Storm damage to surface vegetation types at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) was mapped and quantified using IKONOS data originally acquired on September 2, 2005, and later obtained via a Department of Defense ClearView contract. NASA SSC management required an assessment of the hurricane s impact to the 125,000-acre buffer zone used to mitigate rocket engine testing noise and vibration impacts and to manage forestry and fire risk. This study employed ERDAS IMAGINE software to apply traditional classification techniques to the IKONOS data. Spectral signatures were collected from multiple ISODATA classifications of subset areas across the entire region and then appended to a master file representative of major targeted cover type conditions. The master file was subsequently used with the IKONOS data and with a maximum likelihood algorithm to produce a supervised classification later refined using GIS-based editing. The final results enabled mapped, quantitative areal estimates of hurricane-induced damage according to general surface cover type. The IKONOS classification accuracy was assessed using higher resolution aerial imagery and field survey data. In-situ data and GIS analysis indicate that the results compare well to FEMA maps of flooding extent. The IKONOS classification also mapped open areas with woody storm debris. The detection of such storm damage categories is potentially useful for government officials responsible for hurricane disaster mitigation.

Spruce, Joseph P.↗
NASA NTRS2012

OASIS: Organics Analyzer for Sampling Icy Surfaces

Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a well established laboratory technique for detecting and analyzing organic molecules. This approach has been especially fruitful in the analysis of nucleobases, amino acids, and establishing chirol ratios [1 -3]. We are developing OASIS, Organics Analyzer for Sampling Icy Surfaces, for future in situ landed missions to astrochemically important icy bodies, such as asteroids, comets, and icy moons. The OASIS design employs a microfabricated, on-chip analytical column to chromatographically separate liquid ana1ytes using known LC stationary phase chemistries. The elution products are then interfaced through electrospray ionization (ESI) and analyzed by a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). A particular advantage of this design is its suitability for microgravity environments, such as for a primitive small body.

Getty, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Instrument for Analysis of Organic Compounds on Other Planets

The goal of this project is to develop the Instrument for Solvent Extraction and Analysis of Extraterrestrial Bodies using In Situ Resources (ISEE). Specifically, ISEE will extract and characterize organic compounds from regolith which is found on the surface of other planets or asteroids. The techniques this instrument will use are supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). ISEE aligns with NASA's goal to expand the frontiers of knowledge, capability, and opportunities in space in addition to supporting NASA's aim to search for life elsewhere by characterizing organic compounds. The outcome of this project will be conceptual designs of 2 components of the ISEE instrument as well as the completion of proof-of-concept extraction experiments to demonstrate the capabilities of SFE. The first conceptual design is a pressure vessel to be used for the extraction of the organic compounds from the regolith. This includes a comparison of different materials, geometry's, and a proposition of how to insert the regolith into the vessel. The second conceptual design identifies commercially available fluid pumps based on the requirements needed to generate supercritical CO2. The proof-of-concept extraction results show the percent mass lost during standard solvent extractions of regolith with organic compounds. This data will be compared to SFE results to demonstrate the capabilities of ISEE's approach.

supercritical fluids↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Variable Pressure - Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM)

Variable Pressure (or Environmental) Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) is one of the most powerful methods for characterizing the sub-micron topography and chemical composition of uncoated samples. Terrestrially, VP-SEM is extensively used to non-destructively study geologic and manufactured materials with high spatial resolution (tens of nanometers) and large depth-of-field. An SEM offers a geologist a first survey of microscopic mineral phases via secondary electron imaging (SEI), which provides a topographic look at a sample, as well as backscattered electron (BEI) imaging, which contrasts the phases present based on their geochemistry (atomic number). A VP-SEM utilizes a gas in the sample chamber as a charge dissipation and signal amplification method, allowing analysis of a sample without preparation in the form of a conductive coating. A miniaturized VP-SEM operating in-situ on a lander or rover would be able to use the CO2-rich Martian atmosphere (e.g., Nier et al., 1976; Williams 2016) as an imaging medium for this purpose. Adaptation of a VP-SEM for in-situ Mars surface studies will provide a new imaging capability (via SEI) that is at least an order of magnitude higher resolution than the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the Mars Science Laboratory (Williams et al., 2015), and equal to or better than the achieved resolution of the Atomic Force Microscope on the Phoenix Mars lander (Pike et al., 2011). In addition, the MVP-SEM is capable of BSI and simultaneous chemical analysis of the imaged region. In this sense, the MVP-SEM can be regarded as an instrument suite that will provide a new set of information not achievable by any other instrument. The Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) was designed, built, and benchtop tested by a team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Jacobs Space Exploration Group, Applied Physics Technologies, Inc. (AP-Tech), and Creare LLC, working with a team of technical and science collaborators. Benchtop testing was successful, proving concept feasibility. To date, the MVP-SEM has achieved an imaging resolution of <100 nm in the lab, and with continued optimization, even better performance (~50 nm resolution) is possible. Use in-situ on the lunar or other planetary surfaces would require some redesign to optimize instrument performance, but such an instrument would be equally useful.

Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Miniature Variable Pressure - Scanning Electron Microscopy (MVP-SEM)

Variable Pressure (or Environmental) Scanning Electron Microscopy (VP-SEM) combined with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) is one of the most powerful methods for characterizing the sub-micron topography and chemical composition of uncoated samples. Terrestrially, VP-SEM is extensively used to non-destructively study geologic and manufactured materials with high spatial resolution (tens of nanometers) and large depth-of-field. An SEM offers a geologist a first survey of microscopic mineral phases via secondary electron imaging (SEI), which provides a topographic look at a sample, as well as backscattered electron (BEI) imaging, which contrasts the phases present based on their geochemistry (atomic number). A VP-SEM utilizes a gas in the sample chamber as a charge dissipation and signal amplification method, allowing analysis of a sample without preparation in the form of a conductive coating. A miniaturized VP-SEM operating in-situ on a lander or rover would be able to use the CO2-rich Martian atmosphere (e.g., Nier et al., 1976; Williams 2016) as an imaging medium for this purpose. Adaptation of a VP-SEM for in-situ Mars surface studies will provide a new imaging capability (via SEI) that is at least an order of magnitude higher resolution than the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on the Mars Science Laboratory (Williams et al., 2015), and equal to or better than the achieved resolution of the Atomic Force Microscope on the Phoenix Mars lander (Pike et al., 2011). In addition, the MVP-SEM is capable of BSI and simultaneous chemical analysis of the imaged region. In this sense, the MVP-SEM can be regarded as an instrument suite that will provide a new set of information not achievable by any other instrument. The Miniaturized Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (MVP-SEM) was designed, built, and benchtop tested by a team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Jacobs Space Exploration Group, Applied Physics Technologies, Inc. (AP-Tech), and Creare LLC, working with a team of technical and science collaborators. Benchtop testing was successful, proving concept feasibility. To date, the MVP-SEM has achieved an imaging resolution of <100 nm in the lab, and with continued optimization, even better performance (~50 nm resolution) is possible. Use in-situ on the lunar or other planetary surfaces would require some redesign to optimize instrument performance, but such an instrument would be equally useful.

Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy↗
NASA NTRS2023

Spatial distributions of Tribrachidium, Rugoconites, and Obamus from the Ediacara Member (Rawnsley Quartzite), South Australia

The spatial distribution of in situ sessile organisms, including those from the fossil record, provides information about life histories, such as possible dispersal and/or settlement mechanisms, and how taxa interact with one another and their local environments. At Nilpena Ediacara National Park (NENP), South Australia, the exquisite preservation and excavation of 33 fossiliferous bedding planes from the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite reveals in situ communities of the Ediacara Biota. Here, the spatial distributions of three relatively common taxa, Tribrachidium, Rugoconites, and Obamus, occurring on excavated surfaces were analyzed using spatial point pattern analysis. Tribrachidium have a variable spatial distribution, implying that settlement or post-settlement conditions/preferences had an effect on populations. Rugoconites display aggregation, possibly related to their reproductive methods in combination with settlement location availability at the time of dispersal and/or settlement. Additionally, post-settlement environmental controls could have affected Rugoconites on other surfaces, resulting in lower populations and densities. Both Tribrachidium and Rugoconites also commonly occur as individuals or in low numbers on a number of beds, thus constraining possible reproductive strategies and environmental/substrate preferences. The distribution of Obamus is consistent with selective settlement, aggregating near conspecifics and on substrates of mature microbial mat. This dispersal process is the first example of substrate-selective dispersal among the Ediacara Biota, thus making Obamus similar to numerous modern sessile invertebrates with similar dispersal and settlement strategies. Resumen La distribución espacial de los organismos sésiles in situ, incluyendo los del registro fósil, brinda información sobre las historias de vida, tal como los posibles mecanismos de dispersión y/o asentamiento, y sobre cómo los taxones interactúan entre sí y entre sus entornos locales. En el Parque Nacional Nilpena Ediacara (NENP), Australia Meridional, la excelente preservación y excavación de 33 planos de lecho fosilífero del Miembro Ediacara de la Cuarcita Rawnsley revela comunidades in situ de la biota ediacárica. En este estudio analizamos las distribuciones espaciales de tres taxones relativamente comunes, Tribrachidium, Rugoconites y Obamus, que se encuentran en superficies excavadas mediante el análisis de patrones de puntos espaciales. Tribrachidium tiene una distribución espacial variable, lo que implica que las condiciones/preferencias durante o después del asentamiento tuvieron un efecto en las poblaciones. Rugoconites muestran agregación, posiblemente relacionado con sus métodos reproductivos en combinación con la disponibilidad de lugares de asentamiento en el momento de la dispersión y/o asentamiento. Además, los controles ambientales posteriormente al asentamiento podrían estar afectando a Rugoconites en otras superficies, lo que resultaría en poblaciones y densidades más bajas. Tanto Tribrachidium como Rugoconites ocurren como individuos en varios lechos, restringiendo las posibles estrategias reproductivas y las preferencias ambientales/de sustrato. La distribución de Obamus es consistente con un asentamiento selectivo, agregando cerca de sus congéneres y sobre sustratos de tapete microbiano maduro. Este proceso de dispersión es el primer ejemplo de dispersión selectiva de sustrato entre la biota ediacárica, lo que hace que Obamus sea similar a numerosos invertebrados sésiles modernos con estrategias similares de dispersión y asentamiento.

Phillip C. Boan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Global 3D Data Visualization and Analysis Platform with Advanced Machine Learning Capabilities in Support of Lunar Exploration

Introduction: The science goals for NASA’s Artemis program include: a) Understanding the character and origin of lunar polar volatiles, b) Conducting experimental science in the lunar environment and c) Investigating and mitigating exploration risks. The permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) on the Lunar south pole are expected to host large quantities of water-ice and volatiles that are important for sustainable Lunar exploration. There are several missions such as onboard Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO: Korean name Danuri) with onboard ShadowCam camera, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One [4], and other efforts underway to obtain high resolution topographic, minerals, volatiles and other information on the moon. We envision a need in immediate future for platforms to integrate these data sets, provide rendering and visualization capabilities in the context of a 3D Lunar globe for easier information access and analysis. NASA's Celestial Mapping System (CMS) is developed to address the need for 3D tools for planetary science investigations, mission planning, in-situ operations, in a 3D-first design constructed around a unified view of a planetary globe. At present CMS provides many critical functionalities that include: 1) equipment planning and optimized placement on Lunar surface 2) line-of-sight (LOS) analysis 3) powerful measurement tools based on 3D terrain with realistic 3D models to represent rovers, astronauts and equipment 4) visualization of derived mapping products (e.g. resource maps), and 5) a data engine for hosting new observations that are not available in other contemporary lunar data tools. Planetary Data Ingestion: CMS can consume and analyze data from locally hosted and external third party sources. It is compatible with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) data and file standards and currently integrates datasets from the Astrogeology Science Center of USGS. This includes global and local data acquired from NASA (LRO, Clementine, Lunar Orbiter) and JAXA (SELENE/Kaguya), with capability of integrating more datasets. In addition, users can specify other WMS-hosted data endpoints, which CMS can then query and stream data from automatically. To set-up an automated process for ingestion and accurate rendering, visualization and analysis of external 3rd party planetary datasets within CMS, we initiated the process of ingesting unique dataset of super-enhanced images of the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles which were produced by the Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software (HORUS) tool. This tool was developed to enhance the extremely low-light images of the interior of PSRs and provide the ability to see within these regions at and discern surface features (i.e. boulders and craters) down to 3 meters in size. We focused on the Nobile region on the Lunar south pole, selected site for VIPER mission and stitched several images to create a high-resolution map within one of the PSR of Nobile crater. Figure 1 shows the dark PSR zone form the original NAC layer of LRO as the base layer (left image) and the illuminated areas within that crater (center) which was created by ingesting and merging several of HORUS generated images. At present we employ a semi-automated process to ensure spatial accuracy and merger of several overlapping zones. However, we are in the process of completely automating this process by employing AI based techniques that would rank, sort, and stack the images based on their information density. The georectification of the images would employ selected features. Analysis on Ingested Planetary Datasets: Once an external planetary data-set is successfully ingested, georectified and merged seamlessly as a data-layer; CMS’ numerous analysis tools can be used on this data. A Line of Sight (LOS) tool has been developed for CMS which analyzes terrain profiles and obstructions to determine visibility for remote observers. Figure 1 (right image) shows the viewshed analysis on the same PSR in the Nobile region. The yellow pin shows the observer location outside the PSR. The yellow area shows the visible part of PSR. The obstructed area with no visibility for the observer is shown in red. The Measurements tool allows the user to take area and distance measurements of features on the terrain using various shapes. Measurement type can be specified in a number of ways: Line, Path, Polygon, Circle, Ellipse, Square, Rectangle or Freehand. Once the shape is specified, elevation information can then be extracted along each of these shapes. Figure 2 (left) shows the measurements performed on a crater n illuminated PSR in Nobile region. The equipment placement tool allows the user to place a 3D equipment model at a desired location and analyze its coverage area. The equipment placement tool is coupled with LOS to determine the coverage. Figure 2 (right) shows an equipment placed on the Lunar terrain and it’s coverage area. The red rays are blocked sight lines and the green rays are non-obstructed sight lines with the cyan lines showing the point of intersection with the terrain. More details are provided in the video demonstrations in Reference 5. Overcoming Polar Distortions: 3D geospatial applications exhibit significant distortions in polar imagery due to several reasons: 1) distortions in the source imagery, 2) incompatible tessellation algorithms at the poles, and 3) map projections. We are leveraging new tessellation algorithms and reprojecting data using projections that are better suited for Lunar poles. The goal is to seamlessly switch to polar projections while maintaining 3D view and navigation.

Maps↗