Surface Conditions and Resource Accessibility at Potential Artemis Landing Sites 007 and 011

Abstract

International efforts are underway to explore the Moon’s south polar region with robotic and human missions. These missions will address key scientific and exploration objectives in a region rich with possibilities, designed to develop a sustained lunar presence. To assist a trade study among six potential landing sites identified for Artemis astronauts, we examined two of those sites: 007 and 011. We find that (1) many craters in the vicinity of Site 007 excavated and expose ejecta from Shackleton and Slater; additionally, numerous craters around Site 011 expose Cabeus and de Gerlache ejecta; (2) dense boulder fields occur near a large permanently shadowed region (PSR) at Site 007 and near the point of highest surface illumination in Site 011, which may affect landing and surface exploration activities; (3) despite some surface roughness, both sites 007 and 011 are traversable and contain exploration targets suitable for in situ resource utilization; (4) sites 007 and 011 receive higher average illumination than previously reported for sites 001 and 004; and (5) PSRs, seasonally shadowed regions, and cold traps at both sites offer opportunities to sample volatiles. © 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.