Search Results

The feasibility of extended human presence on the Moon and Mars depends critically on in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to mitigate the high interplanetary transportation costs. Key resource requirements include water, oxygen, fuel and a variety of building materials. This paper discusses the robotic instrumentation associated with the LORE (Lunar Origins and Resource Exploration) miniature payload proposed for JAXA's Selene-2, and the potential follow-on CSA INUKSHUK landed-Mars mission. LORE would for the first time systematically explore the lunar surface and subsurface ice distribution, dust, mineralogy and resources using combined UV/VIS/MIR reflectance spectroscopy. The spectral differences between ilmenite and other lunar minerals in the ultraviolet region will be exploited for mapping ilmenite distribution and abundances on the lunar surface and subsurface.