The US space agency is seeking to study puzzling lunar geological features called Gruitusen domes. These domes are two mysterious structures made of granite rock that scientists suspect were formed from silica-rich magma. These mounds have puzzled researchers, as such structures on Earth can only be created in the presence of both water and volcanic activity caused by the displacement of tectonic plates, none of which exist on the moon.
Using its links with the private space industry, NASA hopes to launch the Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE), which consists of a package of five instruments.
Two of them will be mounted on a stationary lander on the lunar surface, while the other three will be attached to a mobile rover.
The rover will have to climb the top of one of these Gruitweisen domes in ten Earth days to study its chemical composition and understand these structures.
Researchers believe that Lunar VISE, together with the Lunar Explorer tool for space biology applications (LEIA), will collect data that will be vital for future missions to the moon.
Joel Kearns, deputy assistant research administrator at NASA’s Scientific Missions Directorate, said: “The two selected studies will address important scientific issues related to the moon.
“The first will study the geological processes of early planetary bodies preserved on the moon, studying a rare form of lunar volcanism.
“The second will study the effects of the Moon’s low gravity and radiation environment on yeast, a model organism used to understand the response and repair DNA damage.”
LEIA, the second mission chosen, is a small CubeSat-based device that will provide biological research on the moon that “cannot be simulated or reproduced with high accuracy on Earth or the International Space Station.”
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Both of these missions will be delivered to the moon through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which is a key part of their plans to explore Artemis’ moon.
According to NASA: “The payloads of science and technology sent to the surface of the moon will help lay the groundwork for human missions on and around the moon.
The agency has awarded seven awards to CLPS suppliers for lunar supplies between the early 2020s, with more delivery awards expected by 2028.
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