Robotic traverse and sample return strategies for a lunar farside mission to the Schrödinger basin

The formation of peak-ring basins: Working hypotheses and path forward in using observations to constrain models of impact-basin formation

“…Unfortunately, in situ samples of peak rings have not been obtained from the Moon to aid in distinguishing between the scenarios described; however, future missions to candidate lunar landing sites, such as the Schrödinger peak-ring basin (e.g., O'Sullivan et al, 2011;Potts et al, 2015) may help to address these important unknowns in the physical characteristics of uplifted materials. The petrologic characteristics of samples from a lunar peak ring could place constraints on both the peak-shock pressures and the thermal evolution of uplifted material in the late stages of the impact event, and might further help to constrain the original positions of these rocks relative to the sub-impact point.…”

Peak-ring structure and kinematics from a multi-disciplinary study of the Schrödinger impact basin

“…In addition to well-preserved impact-generated materials, the basin floor hosts two younger volcanic deposits811. This makes it a compelling candidate as a landing site for future robotic12 and human131415 exploration.…”

Potential sample sites for South Pole–Aitken basin impact melt within the Schrödinger basin

“…Although outcrops with this mineralogy are observed throughout Schrödinger basin, SPA impact melt should be most abundant within regions characterized by FeO-enriched signatures. Locations with both mineralogical and geochemical signatures within Schrödinger include the southern and eastern basin walls and the regolith-covered area between the pyroclastic vent and peak ring, locations that have been proposed previously as sample sites to address other high priority science objectives (e.g., Kring, 2009;O'Sullivan et al, 2011;Bunte et al, 2011;Souchon et al, 2011;Potts et al, 2015). Larger boulders and outcrop exposures are preferred for optimizing science return from collected samples because they provide geologic context for their origin as well as sufficient amount of material for geochemical and geochronometric analyses.…”

“…Three prospective stations represent locations where sampling and additional geologic investigations could be performed. At each station, rover operators could direct the rover to collect samples directly from boulders or from float rocks atop the regolith, then deliver these samples to an ascent vehicle on the lander for return to crew on an orbiting Orion vehicle (Burns et al, 2013;Pratt et al, 2014;Potts et al, 2015) as part of a human-assisted sample return program or directly to Earth. Station 1 is located at coordinates −79.14 • , 139.14 • E at an elevation ∼600 m (up a slope of ∼9 • ) above the adjacent plains ( Fig.…”