International Collaboration in Lunar Exploration

Astronomy and Geophysics, 2006

Science & Global Security, 1991

The next generation of space vehicles will be capable of routinely carrying humans beyond the confines of the earth's gravitational field. Ambitious undertakings such as manned bases on the moon should greatly increase the scale and importance of constructive international interactions. At the present time the most appropriate arena for the closest cooperation in space seems to be scientific investigation. Achieving higher levels of cooperation in the grand schemes of future human exploration such as establishing human presence on Mars will require a buildup of interactions and trust through a series of programs of evolving complexity.

2005

Abstract The Aurora Program in Europe and The vision for space exploration in the United States is representative of a shift in space policies worldwide toward the goal of human and robotic exploration. Although some details differ, these plans share a common theme of expansion of a human presence across the solar system. In particular, the plans involve near-term exploration of the Moon in preparation for eventual human missions to Mars.

2019

2014

The Moon is soon to become an active space exploration destination. It is viewed as the necessary step for sustained robotic and human exploration of the solar system. The United States is embarked on the Moon exploration as part of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) mandate to extend human presence in Moon, Mars and beyond. The Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) is a sequence of missions currently in progress intended to meet the objectives which enable a successful human return to the Moon in 2015-2020. The European Space Agency (ESA) is nearing completion of its SMART-1 orbiter mission to the Moon and the Aurora Space Exploration Program, the European framework for space exploration has identified Moon as an important stepping stone for broader robotic and human exploration of the solar system. Russia is planning a new “Luna-Glob ” mission as part of its formal space plan conceived with a view to understand the origin of the Earth-

Bulletin of the AAS, 2021

Space Science Reviews, 2010

Bulletin of the AAS, 2021

Advances in Space Research, 2008

Further study for the planning of the post SELENE mission has been discussed by a dedicated working group. As the extension of the SELENE-B study [Okada, T., Sasaki, S., Sugihara, T., et al. Lander and rover exploration on the lunar surface: a study for SELENE-B mission. Adv. Space Res. 37, 88-92, 2006] which proposed in-situ geological investigations using a robotic rover and a static lander, this report newly proposes a revised configuration which enhances the scientific field of view. The spacecraft of this mission, ''SELENE-II'', is designed as a full payload of H-II launch vehicle, while the former study was designed as a half payload of the same vehicle. This expansion of capacity enabled us to increase the payload mass of the lander to deploy geophysical instruments and to land on a wider region on the Moon including polar regions. We also gained the opportunity to deploy two penetrators in order to make a wide network for geophysical observations. In the new configuration, this mission can install three stations of a global seismic network, which will be able to refine the deeper structure of the Moon. In this study also, a new type of deployment system, whose mechanical interface is much simpler than that of the LUNAR-A mission, is preliminarily designed. The selection of the landing site is still undergoing discussion, but the lander is required to operate as long as about one year and more for the geophysical observations, especially for seismology. In order to realize this, one possible idea is to land in permanently sunlit regions. Polar regions also have a benefit from the geological point of view; the north polar region is a typical high land area and the south one is a part of or adjacent to the South Pole Aitken (SPA), where the deeper part of the crust or the mantle material are expected to be collected. In addition to the lander scientific instruments designed previously (Okada et al., 2006.) for the geological survey, a broad band seismometer is considered to be deployed prior to other geophysical instruments and we expect it to provide us with information about the bulk layered structure with only one station if free oscillations are successfully detected. Even if the free oscillations cannot be detected, the dispersion of surface waves not affected by scattering of the regolith or megaregolith layer brings information to understand the crustal and upper mantle structures. Several landing missions are planned by NASA, CNSA, ISRO, and ESA by 2010-2015 during which the operational period is possible to be overlapped by the different missions. This must be a great opportunity to make larger network observations in the future. It must be a great opportunity to start international collaboration in various ways for the upcoming lunar exploration era.