The lunar surface, although it looks gray and monochromatic, contains hidden colors in the ground, caused by different minerals. These colors are too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but digital images allow astrophotographers to enhance the colors and reveal another view of the Moon. This image is the reverse view of these colors, a unique perspective on our Moon. It was acquired by Noah Kujawski (Lakeville, Minnesota, USA).
At the top left of the lunar mineral map is a composite of images of the lunar south pole created on two different dates (giving different views of the region). It is one of the most detailed maps produced by amateurs of this part of the Moon, which is very difficult to observe from Earth. This image was produced by Tom Glenn (San Diego, CA, USA).
The lower left image shows the craters and mountains of the lunar South Pole, including Bailly Crater (with its discernible basin) on the right. Beneath Bailly are the Bettinus, Kircher and Wilson craters. The image was acquired by Andrea Vanoni (Porto Mantovano, Lombardy, Italy).
NASA is aiming for the Moon once more. It is an ambition that the American space agency has never hidden. Moreover, the program Artemis whose main objective is to return astronauts there by 2025 is proof of this. We can even say that things are now starting to become clearer since NASA recently announced the selection of two very interesting projects within the framework of its program.
These are missions Lunar-VISE (Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer) et LEIA (Lunar Explorer Instrument for space biology Applications). Two missions that will be part of the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services), an equipment transport program intended to prepare the ground for the next Artemis missions.
The data provided by these two missions will eventually make it possible to learn a little more regarding the Moon and the conditions that the astronauts will have to face once there.
These two missions will provide us with essential insights
According to information shared via the NASA blog, Lunar-VISE will aim to study the mounts gruit houses. For information, these are geological formations that have long been a mystery among specialists. The study in question will last 10 Earth days, which is equivalent to one lunar day. This will be a first and to do this, five devices will tackle the task.
As for Lunar-VISE, this project will probably offer us the opportunity to finally elucidate the mystery of the formation of the Gruithuisen domes. Indeed, on the Moon, there are neither oceans nor tectonic plates. Conditions which are, on Earth, essential for the creation of such reliefs. So, analyzing the lunar regolith and these domes themselves, researchers hope to find an answer to the question of their origin.
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The LEIA mission, for its part, will consist in studying the impacts of low gravity and radioactive radiation on a yeastle Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is a microorganism present in the human body in a commensal form and therefore very interesting from a biological point of view.
Knowing more regarding the effects of lunar environmental conditions on this yeast is crucial for the survival of astronauts on future long-term human missions to the Moon, especially with respect to DNA and cell biology.