NASA hosted a
meeting of space agencies from nine countries last week to discuss the next
steps in the ongoing scientific exploration of the moon. The meeting laid
the groundwork for a new generation of lunar science.
Discussions, led by NASA Headquarters officials, were held at NASA's
Lunar Science Institute, located at the Ames Research Center at Moffett
Field, Calif. Representatives from space agencies in Canada, France,
Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom,
and the United States attended the meeting. During the meeting, attendees
discussed cooperation on an international activity called the International
Lunar Network (ILN). The network is designed to gradually place 6-8 fixed
or mobile science stations on the lunar surface. The stations will form a
second-generation robotic science network to replace hardware left by the
Apollo Program to study the moon's surface and interior.
NASA plans to place its first two ILN landers on the surface of the
moon in 2013-14. The landers are being developed under the Lunar Precursor
Robotic Program at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
The ILN is supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the
agency's headquarters in Washington. It was created in response to a 2007
report released by the National Research Council, which affirmed that the
moon offers "profound scientific value" and "lunar activities apply to
broad scientific and exploration concerns."
Representatives from space agencies considering participation in the
ILN agreed on a statement of intent as a first step in planning. The
statement marked an expression of interest by the agencies to study options
for participating in a series of international lunar missions. The goal is
to form a network of missions that will benefit scientists worldwide.
"We are tremendously excited by the enthusiasm shown for the ILN and
lunar science more broadly," said Jim Green, director of the Planetary
Science Division at NASA Headquarters. "This international activity will
greatly extend scientific knowledge of the moon in a number of important
areas."
The statement of intent does not completely define the ILN concept. The
document leaves open the possibility for near and long-term evolution and
implementation. Initially, participants intend to establish potential
landing sites, interoperable spectrum and communications standards, and a
set of scientifically equivalent core instrumentation to carry out specific
measurements.
"We are in a new era of lunar exploration," said Jim Adams, deputy
director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters.
"Scientific coordination of the international armada of missions being sent
to the moon in the next decade will greatly leverage our scientific
capabilities, and perhaps even more importantly, develop the next
generation of lunar scientists."
International participation in specific ILN activities will be
established by appropriate international agreements. Additional
participants may join in the future when they are programmatically and
financially ready. Participation in the ILN could include the contribution
of landers, orbiters, instrumentation, or other significant infrastructure,
such as ground segment elements or power supplies for surviving the lunar
night.
SOURCE NASA
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