Abstract-Lunar meteorites provide important new samples of the Moon remote from regions visited by the Apollo and Luna sample return missions. Petrologic and geochemical analysis of these meteorites, combined with orbital remote sensing measurements, have enabled additional discoveries about the composition and age of the lunar surface on a global scale. However, the interpretation of these samples is limited by the fact that we do not know the source region of any individual lunar meteorite. Here, we investigate the link between meteorite and source region on the Moon using the Lunar Prospector gamma ray spectrometer remote sensing data set for the elements Fe, Ti, and Th. The approach has been validated using Apollo and Luna bulk regolith samples, and we have applied it to 48 meteorites excluding paired stones. Our approach is able broadly to differentiate the best compositional matches as potential regions of origin for the various classes of lunar meteorites. Basaltic and intermediate Fe regolith breccia meteorites are found to have the best constrained potential launch sites, with some impact breccias and pristine mare basalts also having reasonably well-defined potential source regions. Launch areas for highland feldspathic meteorites are much less well constrained and the addition of another element, such as Mg, will probably be required to identify potential source regions for these.

The petrogenetic models of the lunar crust are built on the returned Apollo and Luna samples collected from limited parts of the lunar nearside that are chemically unusual (i.e., material rich in K, Rare Earth Elements, and P [KREEP]) and not representative of the entire lunar lithologic suite. The lunar Mg-suite is part of this sample collection and ubiquitously has geochemical characteristics indicating the involvement of KREEP in their petrogenesis and seemed to be linked to the Procellarum KREEP Terrain (PKT). However, it is unclear if KREEP is necessary for Mg-suite magmatism or whether Mg-suite magmatism was a global event that occurred without significant KREEP contribution, and thus, Mg-suite rocks outside of the PKT region may exist without containing a significant KREEP signature. Here, we investigate lunar meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 10401, an anorthositic troctolitic breccia with a granulitic texture. NWA 10401 shares many characteristics of Apollo Mg-suite rocks: both its bulk rock composition and alumina content, as well as its mineralogy and mineral chemistry, are more consistent with typical Apollo Mg-suite rocks, rather than ferroan anorthosites. In addition, olivine-spinel equilibria calculations indicate that NWA 10401 is consistent with being derived from a common parent to the Apollo Mg-suite troctolites. However, despite these many shared characteristics, NWA 10401 is strongly depleted in REE, starkly separating it from the typical Apollo Mg-suite of the PKT. This indicates that NWA 10401 (and pairs) could represent a Mg-suite component outside the PKT, and thus, KREEP-poor Mg-suite magmatism may have been a global phenomenon on the Moon.Plain Language Summary Theories of the formation and evolution of the Moon's crust were built upon the returned Apollo and Luna samples that were collected from small areas of the Moon's nearside (the side that always faces Earth). These areas are now known to be chemically unusual and contain rocks that are rich in K, Rare Earth Elements (REE), and P, called KREEP. The lunar magnesian-suite, or Mg-suite, is part of this sample collection and represents a series of ancient rocks formed from slow cooling magmas that formed immediately after the end of magma ocean crystallization. Samples of this Mg-suite always have chemical characteristics that indicate the involvement of KREEP in their formation, and they seemed to be linked to the Procellarum KREEP Terrain (PKT) on the Moon. However, it is unclear if (1) KREEP is needed for the formation of Mg-suite magmatism, and thus, if Mg-suite magmatism is limited to the geographically restricted PKT area, or (2) whether Mg-suite magmatism was a global event that occurred without significant KREEP contribution. In this case, KREEP is simply a contamination in the Mg-suite rocks. If (2) is true, Mg-suite rocks outside of the PKT area on the Moon should be KREEP poor. In this study, we investigate the lunar feldspar-rich meteorite called Northwest Africa (NWA) 10401 from the lunar highlands. Calculations indicate t...

20 21Near-future exploration of the Moon will likely be conducted with human-operated robotic assets. 22Previous studies have identified the Schrödinger basin, situated on the far side of the Moon, as a prime 23 target for lunar science and exploration where a significant number of the scientific concepts reviewed 24 by the National Research Council (NRC, 2007) can be addressed. In this study, two robotic mission 25 traverses within Schrödinger basin are proposed based on a 3 year mission plan in support of the 26 HERACLES human-assisted sample return mission concept. A comprehensive set of modern remote 27 sensing data (LROC imagery, LOLA topography, M 3 and Clementine spectral data) has been 28 integrated to provide high-resolution coverage of the traverses and to facilitate identification of 29 specific sample localities. We also present a preliminary Concept of Operations (ConOps) study based on 30 a set of notional rover capabilities and instrumental payload. An extended robotic mission to 31 Schrödinger basin will allow for significant sample return opportunities from multiple distinct geologic 32 terrains and will address multiple high-priority NRC (2007) scientific objectives. Both traverses will offer 33 the first opportunity to (i) sample pyroclastic material from the lunar farside, (ii) sample Schrödinger 34 impact melt and test the lunar cataclysm hypothesis, (iii) sample deep crustal lithologies in an uplifted 35 peak ring and test the lunar magma ocean hypothesis and (iv) explore the top of an impact melt sheet, 36 enhancing our ability to interpret Apollo samples. The shorter traverse will provide the first opportunity 37 to sample farside mare deposits, whereas the longer traverse has significant potential to collect SPA 38 impact melt, which can be used to constrain the basin-forming epoch. 39 40

Meteorites ejected from the surface of the Moon as a result of impact events are an important source of lunar material in addition to Apollo and Luna samples. Here, we report bulk element composition, mineral chemistry, age, and petrography of Miller Range (MIL) 090036 and 090070 lunar meteorites. MIL 090036 and 090070 are both anorthositic regolith breccias consisting of mineral fragments and lithic clasts in a glassy matrix. They are not paired and represent sampling of two distinct regions of the lunar crust that have protoliths similar to ferroan anorthosites. 40Ar‐39Ar chronology performed on two subsplits of MIL 090070,33 (a pale clast impact melt and a dark glassy melt component) shows that the sample underwent two main degassing events, one at ~3.88 Ga and another at ~3.65 Ga. The cosmic ray exposure data obtained from MIL 090070 are consistent with a short (~8–9 Ma) exposure close to the lunar surface. Bulk‐rock FeO, TiO2, and Th concentrations in both samples were compared with 2‐degree Lunar Prospector Gamma Ray Spectrometer (LP‐GRS) data sets to determine areas of the lunar surface where the regolith matches the abundances observed on the sample. We find that MIL 090036 bulk rock is compositionally most similar to regolith surrounding the Procellarum KREEP Terrane, whereas MIL 090070 best matches regolith in the feldspathic highlands terrane on the lunar farside. Our results suggest that some areas of the lunar farside crust are composed of ferroan anorthosite, and that the samples shed light on the evolution and impact bombardment history of the ancient lunar highlands.

The likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos now occupy the headlines once dominated by Apollo and Soyuz. Described as New Space versus Old Space, debate surrounds the emerging commercial space industry and the role of nontraditional actors in the evolving contemporary space exploration environment. This article enters this debate by adopting a sociological approach to investigate the role of crowdfunding in financing space exploration today. We interview crowdfunded space project creators in disparate locations, from Moscow to Silicon Valley, who attracted capital ranging from $200 to over $1 million. We attempt to uncover their experiences using this distinctly social financing mechanism and find that although crowdfunding is unlikely to solve all of today's research funding conundrums, it does appear to increase access to space in unique ways. We argue, however, that the most interesting dynamic of this phenomenon is the way in which crowdfunding contributes to an increasingly democratic exploration environment and how this might impact space science research and the power structures of the space industry. This article concludes by considering possible implications of this trend and derives practical suggestions for both policymakers and individuals who may be considering the use of crowdfunding to finance space science research and exploration projects.