Overview Instruments Lunar Atlas Lunar Geology Phases of the Moon Ice on the Moon Results

Overview Lunar Prospector is a mission which puts science as its highest priority. Researchers expect that the scientific return from the Lunar Prospector mission will make major contributions toward understanding the origin, evolution and current state of the Moon itself, but also of Earth and the entire Solar System.  Following the successful Apollo missions, NASA formed the Lunar Exploration Science Working Group (LExSWG), comprising a dozen or so scientists. The group's goal was to prioritize what scientific questions about the Moon remained unanswered. LExSWG has re-convened periodically since then, and in 1992 drafted a final document entitled "A Planetary Science Strategy for the Moon," which outlines the science objectives and measurement requirements necessary to fully scientifically explore the Moon. In short, they are:  How did the Earth-Moon system form?  How did the Moon evolve?  What is the impact history of the Moon's crust?  What constitutes the lunar atmosphere?  What can the Moon tell us about the history of the Sun and other planets in the Solar System?  The recent Galileo lunar fly-by and Clementine high-altitude spectral imaging and topographic surveys have begun to crack some of the Moon's enduring mysteries, providing rough estimates of crustal composition and topography. Lunar Prospector will pick up where Apollo, Galileo and Clementine left off. No mission is complete; rather, the missions complement one another -- each providing yet another piece toward fitting together the ongoing research puzzle of the Moon.  An important difference from the Galileo and Clementine missions, however, is that Lunar Prospector is a targeted lunar-only mission with focused scientific goals. While Prospector is a small, robotic spacecraft with a payload of only five instuments, observations made by the spacecraft will be made over a much longer duration than previous missions to the Moon. Its polar orbiting altitude, 63 miles (100 km) above the surface of the Moon, is the closest any spacecraft has come to the lunar surface for a sustained period of time (orbiting for at least one year), enabling Prospector to map the entire surface. In addition, Prospector will fly over the polar regions -- previous missions only explored a small portion of the Moon (around the mid-section, or equator), leaving three-quarters of the lunar surface unmapped.  From the standpoint of future space exploration, the Moon may well be the site of the first extraterrestrial human outpost in the Solar System - a feat which would permit ongoing lunar and astronomy studies, long-range observation of the Earth as well as serving as a platform from which to explore the rest of the Solar System. Whether or not the Moon contains usable quantities of water and certain gases such as nitrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide is important information in determining whether lunar habitation is cost-effective or even possible.  Expected answers: Lunar evolution and resources  As with any scientific problem, "answers" to current questions are only correct until proven otherwise. The Lunar Prospector mission was so named (as opposed to Lunar Explorer, for example) because of its primary goal: data gathering. As such, Prospector will address many of the issues raised by LExSWG, but complete answers will require future lunar exploration and decades of further research. The main scientific priorities for the Prospector mission are (i) to "prospect" the lunar crust and atmosphere for potential resources, including minerals, water ice and certain gases, (ii) to map the Moon's gravitational and magnetic fields and (iii) to learn more about the size and content of the Moon's core.