An improved map of the lunar south pole with earth based radar interferometry

Abstract

NASApsilas long-term exploration goals include a return to manned missions to the Moon that will culminate in a permanent manned station on the Moon. Prior to embarking on such a mission, a series of precursor unmanned robotic missions are required to ascertain the best locations for manned exploration or a permanent lunar base. These precursor missions will consist of both orbital missions, such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and missions for which probes will be landed on the lunar surface. The south polar region of the Moon has attracted much recent attention due to the possibility of significant amounts of frozen water being trapped in permanently shadowed regions in craters in that region. In order to better plan and determine the optimal landing sites for such probes, as much a priori information as possible on the lunar south polar region is desired. Of particular importance from a landing survivability and accessible exploration region perspective is knowledge concerning the lunar topography. This paper will discuss processing of recently acquired radar interferometric data from Earth-based radar, namely the NASA Goldstone Solar System Radar, into topographic maps.