A First-of-its-Kind Camera to Investigate the Moon’s South Pole
Athermal infrared camera aboard a lunar lander scheduled to head to the moon as early as 2022 could help determine which regions on the lunar surface have water trapped in them.
Assistant Professor of Physics Kerri Donaldson Hanna is working with University of Colorado Boulder Professor Paul Hayne on NASA’s Lunar Compact InfraRed Imaging System (L-CIRiS). Hayne is the principal investigator on the project in partnership with Ball Aerospace.
The L-CIRiS instrument will scan the landing site and collect thermal images of the lunar surface. These images will be used to create maps of the moon giving scientists a better understanding of the composition and physical properties of the regolith and rocks directly at the landing site, Donaldson Hanna says. This particular instrument is expected to be sent to the south pole of the moon.
UCF professor among team working with one-of-a-kind camera going to the moon
Research could help pave the way for future exploration
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Kerri Donaldson Hanna is a University of Central Florida physics professor working with NASA to discover what rocks and the soil on the moon’s south pole surface contain research that could be key for future human and robotic exploration.
“Looking at the thermal data, we can tell how compact or how fluffy the regolith is, which will really be important for knowing what kind of tools we need to develop if we’re going to drill down into the lunar surface,” Donaldson Hanna said.