Selecting a Superior Landing Area in the Region Far From Procellarum KREEP Terrane

The area far from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) is important for future landing exploration. Mare Crisium, located in the area, has been identified as an essential landing option for the Lunar Geophysical Network (LGN) mission. Utilizing high-resolution images, topographic data, surface compos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE journal of selected topics in applied earth observations and remote sensing 2024, Vol.17, p.9492-9502
Main Authors: Chang, Wenqing, Meng, Zhiguo, Dong, Xuegang, Zou, Meng, Zhang, Xiaoping, Zhang, Yuanzhi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crust and mantle properties
Electron tubes
geomorphological feature
Geomorphology
Image resolution
Kreep
landing detection area
Lava
Lunar crust
Lunar landing
Lunar maria
Lunar surface
Magnetic anomalies
Mare Crisium
Mare Smythii
Mathematical models
Microwave imaging
Microwave radiometers
Microwave radiometry
microwave thermal emission
Moon
Morphology
Radiometers
Regolith
regolith properties
Thermal emission
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Summary:The area far from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) is important for future landing exploration. Mare Crisium, located in the area, has been identified as an essential landing option for the Lunar Geophysical Network (LGN) mission. Utilizing high-resolution images, topographic data, surface compositions, and Chang'e-2 microwave radiometer (MRM) data, a systematic analysis and comparison have been done between Maria Crisium and Smythii in terms of geomorphological feature, regolith properties, lunar crust and mantle properties, and microwave thermal emission characteristics. The results indicate that, except for investigating central magnetic anomaly in situ, Mare Smythii can complete all the scientific goals in Mare Crisium proposed by predecessors. Moreover, Mare Smythii has more complex geomorphology; the regolith here has a high detection priority including the cryptomare, swirls, and the probable water ice and volatile; and there exists the MRM anomaly, probably representing a new material that has not been detected until now. Generally, Mare Smythii should have a high priority for future exploration of the lunar surface in the region far from the PKT.
ISSN:1939-1404
2151-1535
DOI:10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3393534