Analysis About Landing Site Selection and Prospective Scientific Objectives of the Von Kármán Crater in Moon Farside

Abstract

The Von Kármán crater，inside the South Pole-Aitken basin on the lunar farside，is initially selected as the landing area for Chinese Chang’E-4 mission. The in-situ exploration in the crater will reveal some essential problems about the formation and evolution of the Moon，which will be of great significance in the current Moon research. The geologic significances and scientific values of the Von Kármán crater are summarized. Thereafter，the distributions of topography，composition，deep structure，and temperature brightness of the Von Kármán crater are analyzed with LRO satellite LOLA data，Clementine UV-VIS data，GRAIL data，and Chang’E-2 CELMS data and their scientific meanings are also presented. Finally，combined with our results and the previous prospects about theVon Kármán crater，three candidate landing sites and the possible scientific discoveries are proposed.

Key words： Chang'e-4 mission; Von Kármán crater; landing site selection; scientific significances

References

[1] 吴伟仁,王琼,唐玉华,等. “嫦娥4号”月球背面软着陆任务设计[J]. 深空探测学报,2017,4(2):111-117
WU W R,WANG Q,TANG Y H,et al. Design of Chang’e-4 lunar farside soft-landing mission[J]. Journal of Deep Space Exploration,2017,4(2):111-117
[2] 欧阳自远. 月球科学概论[M]. 北京：中国宇航出版社，2005：68-137.
[3] Jolliff B L. 月球新观[M].北京：地质出版社，2012.
[4] 张健,缪秉魁,廖庆园,等. 月球南极艾特肯盆地的地质特征:探索月球深部的窗口[J]. 矿物岩石地球化学通报,2011,30(2):234-240
ZHANG J,MIAO B K,LIAO Q Y,et al. The geological characteristics of the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the Moon:the window to explore the deep composition of the Moon[J]. Bulletin of Mineralogy,Petrology and Geochemistry,2011,30(2):234-240
[5] KIM K J,DOHM J M,WILLIAMS J P,et al. The South Pole-Aitken basin region,Moon:GIS-based geologic investigation using Kaguya elemental information[J]. Advances in Space Research,2012,50(12):1629-1637.3
[6] DAVID A K，DANIEL D D. A global lunar landing site study to provide the scientific context for exploration of the Moon [R]. USA：LPI-JSC Center for Lunar Science and Exploration，2012.
[7] PASCKERT J H,HIESINGER H,BOGERT C H V D. Lunar farside volcanism in and around the South Pole-Aitken Basin[J]. Icarus,2017,299:538-562
[8] MORIARTY D P,PIETERS C M,ISAACSON P J. Compositional heterogeneity of central peaks within the South Pole‐Aitken Basin[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets,2013,118(11):2310-2322
[9] PIETERS C M,III J W H,GADDIS L,et al. Rock types of South Pole‐Aitken basin and extent of basaltic volcanism[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets,2001,106(E11):28001-28022
[10] OHTAKE M,MATSUNAGA T,HARUYAMA J,et al. The global distribution of pure anorthosite on the Moon[J]. Nature,2009,461(7261):236-40
[11] KRAMER G Y,KRING D A,NAHM A L,et al. Spectral and photogeologic mapping of Schrödinger basin and implications for post-South Pole-Aitken impact deep subsurface stratigraphy[J]. Icarus,2013,223(1):131-148
[12] YAMAMOTO S,NAKAMURA R,MATSUNAGA T,et al. Olivine-rich exposures in the South Pole-Aitken basin[J]. Icarus,2012,218(1):331-344
[13] STUART-ALEXANDER D E. Geologic Map of the central far side of the Moon[J]. Alexander，1978，I-1047.
[14] JOLLIFF B L,HASKIN L A,KOROTEV R L,et al. Scientific expectations from a sample of regolith and rock fragments from the interior of the Lunar South Pole-Aitken basin[J]. Condor,2003,65(2):126-153
[15] SNAPE J F，FAGAN A L，ENNIS M E，et al. Science-rich mission sites within South Pole-Aitken basin，part 2：Von Kármán crater[C]// Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. [S.l.]：Lunar and Planetary Science Conference，2010.
[16] HARUYAMA J,JOSSET J L. Long-lived volcanism on the lunar farside revealed by SELENE Terrain Camera[J]. Science,2009,323(5916):905-8
[17] 肖龙,乔乐,肖智勇,等. 月球着陆探测值得关注的主要科学问题及着陆区选址建议[J]. 中国科学:物理学 力学 天文学,2016,46(2):029602
XIAO L,QIAO L,XIAO Z Y,et al. Major scientific objectives and candidate landing sites suggested for future lunar explorations(in Chinese)[J]. Sci Sin-Phys Mech Astron,2016,46(2):029602
[18] National Research Council. Scientific context for the exploration of the Moon：a national research council space science board study[M]. Washington D. C.：National Academies Press，2007.
[19] KRING D A，DURDA D D. A global lunar landing site study to provide the scientific context for exploration of the Moon[C]//LPI-JSC Center for Lunar Science and Exploration. USA：[s.n.], 2012.
[20] WIECZOREK M A,JOLLIFF B L,KHAN A. The constitution and structure of the lunar interior[J]. Reviews in Mineralogy & Geochemistry,2006,60:221-364
[21] CINTALA M J AND GRIEVE R A F. Scaling impact melting and crater dimensions:Implications for the lunar cratering record[J]. Meteoritics & Planetary Science,1998,33:889-912
[22] YUE Z,JOHNSON B C,MINTON D A,et al. Projectile remnants in central peaks of lunar impact craters[J]. Nature Geoscience,2013,6(6):435-437
[23] LUCEY P G,TAYLOR G J,HAWKE B R,et al. FeO and TiO₂,concentrations in the South Pole-Aitken basin:Implications for mantle composition and basin formation[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets,1998,103(E2):3701-3708
[24] LUCEY P G,BLEWETT D T,HAWKE B R. Mapping the FeO and TiO₂,content of the lunar surface with multispectral imagery[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets,1998,103(E2):3679-3699
[25] LUCEY P G,BLEWETT D T,JOLLIFF B L. Lunar iron and titanium abundance algorithms based on final processing of Clementine ultraviolet/visible images[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets,2000,105(E8):20297-20305
[26] PIETERS C M,TOMPKINS S,HEAD J W,et al. Mineralogy of the mafic anomaly in the South Pole-Aitken basin:implications for excavation of the lunar mantle[J]. Geophysical Research Letters,1997,24(15):1903-1906
[27] PIETERS C M,III J W H,ISAACSON P,et al. Lunar international science coordination/calibration targets(L-ISCT)[J]. Advances in Space Research,2008,42(2):248-258
[28] SHEVCHENKO V V,CHIKMACHEV V I,PUGACHEVA S G. Structure of the South Pole-Aitken lunar basin[J]. Solar System Research,2007,41(6):447-462
[29] TOMPKINS S,PIETERS C M. Mineralogy of the lunar crust:results from Clementine[J]. Meteoritics & Planetary Science,2015,34(1):25-41
[30] WILHELMS D E，MCCAULEY J F，TRASK N J. The geologic history of the moon，86-600177（BKS3） [R]. Washington ：U.S. G.P.O.，1987.
[31] 姜景山，金亚秋. 中国微波探月研究[M]. 北京：科学出版社，2011.
[32] ZHENG Y C,TSANG K T,CHAN K L,et al. First microwave map of the Moon with Chang’E-1 data:the role of local time in global imaging[J]. Icarus,2012,219(1):194-210
[33] MENG Z G,YANG G D,PING J S,et al. Influence of(FeO+TiO₂)abundance on the microwave thermal emissions of lunar regolith[J]. Sci China Earth Sci,2016,59(7):1498-1507
[34] ISHIHARA Y,GOOSSENS S,MATSUMOTO K,et al. Crustal thickness of the Moon:Implications for farside basin structures[J]. Geophysical Research Letters,2009,36(19):82-90
[35] GILLIS J J,JOLLIFF B L,KOROTEV R L. Lunar surface geochemistry:Global concentrations of Th,K,and FeO as derived from lunar prospector and Clementine data[J]. Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta,2004,68(18):3791-3805
[36] HIESINGER H,III J W H,WOLF U,et al. Ages and stratigraphy of mare basalts in Oceanus Procellarum,Mare Nubium,Mare Cognitum,and Mare Insularum[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets,2003,108(E7)
[37] JOLLIFF B L,GILLIS J J,HASKIN L A,et al. Major lunar crustal terranes:Surface expressions and crust-mantle origins[J]. J.geophys.res,2000,105(E2):4197-4216
[38] LUCEY P G. Mineral maps of the Moon[J]. Geophysical Research Letters,2004,31(8):289-291
[39] NAKAMURA R,MATSUNAGA T,OGAWA Y,et al. Ultramafic impact melt sheet beneath the South Pole–Aitken basin on the Moon[J]. Geophysical Research Letters,2009,36(22):L22202
[40] WIECZOREK M A，CAHILL J T S，LUCEY P G，et al. The mantle of the Moon：exposed and sampled？[C]// Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. USA：Lunar and Planetary Science Conference，2008：1271.
[41] YAMAMOTO S,NAKAMURA R,MATSUNAGA T,et al. Possible mantle origin of olivine around lunar impact basins detected by SELENE[J]. Nature Geoscience,2010,3(8):533-536
[42] YAN B,XIONG S Q,WU Y,et al. Mapping lunar global chemical composition from Chang'E-1 IIM data[J]. Planetary & Space Science,2012,67(1):119-129
[43] BORST A M,FOING B H,DAVIES G R,et al. Surface mineralogy and stratigraphy of the lunar South Pole-Aitken basin determined from Clementine UV/VIS and NIR data[J]. Planetary & Space Science,2012,68(1):76-85
[44] KLIMA R L,PIETERS C M,BOARDMAN J W,et al. New insights into lunar petrology:distribution and composition of prominent low-Ca pyroxene exposures as observed by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper(M3)[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres,2011,116(E6):0-6
[45] WU Y Z，HEAD J W，PIETERS C M，et al. Regional geology of the Chang'e-3 landing zone[C]// Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. [S.l.]：Lunar and Planetary Science Conference，2014：2613.
[46] 王振占,李芸,姜景山,等. 用“嫦娥一号”卫星微波探测仪亮温反演月壤厚度常和3He资源量评估的方法及初步结果分析[J]. 中国科学:地球科学,2009,39(8):1069-1084
WANG Z Z,LI Y,JIANG J S,et al. Lunar surface dielectric constant,regolith thickness and helium-3 abundance distributions retrieved from microwave brightness temperatures of CE-1 Lunar Microwave Sounder(in Chinese)[J]. Sci China Ser D-Earth Sci,2009,39(8):1069-1084
[47] CHAN K L,KANG T T,KONG B,et al. Lunar regolith thermal behavior revealed by Chang'E-1 microwave brightness temperature data[J]. Earth & Planetary Science Letters,2010,295(1-2):287-291
[48] MENG Z G,ZHANG J D,CAI Z C,et al. Microwave thermal emission features of Mare orientale revealed by CELMS data[J]. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing,2017,10(6):2991-2998
[49] WIECZOREK M A. Gravity and topography of the terrestrial planets[M]. Volume 10：Planets and Moons，2007.