Expectation of Solar Energy in Eternal Light Region for Japanese Moon Lander
- Paper number
IAC-07-A3.I.A.06
- Author
Mr. Kohtaro Matsumoto, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (IAT/JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Tatsuaki Hashimoto, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Moon and planetary exploration task team was organized on April 2006, to make definite exploration programs for moon and solar system exploration based on the JAXA’s long term vision, “JAXA 2025”. SELENE follow-on sub team of this task team was organized and has integrated mission proposals from various lunar exploration communities, science of the moon, lunar resource utilization, human lunar exploration, lunar observatory, and exploration technology development. As the one year examination, this team is proposing Japanese moon landing project SELENE-2, that will be launched by our H-2A in early 2010, now. The proposed SELENE-2 aims the Eternal Light Region (ELR) in the lunar pole region as the landing site. At the ELR, our moon lander is expected to survive for a half year or one year without serious moon long night, that is 14 days with too cold temperature –200C. This long mission life is the most essential requirement for moon interior structure study by the seismometer and lunar libration measurement using optical observatory. ELR is just adjacent the Permanently Shadowed Region (PSR) , where is the most expected area for the water/ice lunar resource for future long and large scale human outpost. From ELR, we could observe the mysterious PSR as the neighborhood region, where could not be observed from the lunar orbit. For the human lunar outpost, ELR will be the most promising site for its long day-time and short/none night time, in addition to the possible lunar resources, oxygen, hydrogen, and water/ice. However, we really have less knowledge for the sun lighting at ELR. Only the photographic analysis reported that there might be ELR or quasi ELR region at the crater rim of the polar region. The currently available FOV is very rough, to estimate the sun lighting condition. When the data from SELENE will be available during 2007, more detailed sun lighting analysis might be possible using more precise FOV images and DEM data. Also data from the LRO and Chandrayaan will enable more precise analysis of ELR sun lighting condition. There are many possible concepts of the sun light utilization at ELR for SELENE-2. Solar power satellite, solar power pole, solar power rotating tower, solar power pole on the rover, laser power transmission from lander to rover, mirror on the tower for rover power transmission, and so on. For our first lunar lander to ELR, we have to study technologically and to evaluate those concepts’ feasibilities, at the initial stage of our lander project. In the conference, we hope to report the latest status of Japanese first moon lander project proposal, technological progress in prephase-A study for it, including the trade off study for the sun light utilization at ELR, with some estimation of the ELR sun lighting.
- Abstract document