Topographic and Geomorphological Mapping and Analysis of the Chang'E-4 Landing Site on the Far Side of the Moon

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Wu ◽  
Fei Li ◽  
Han Hu ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Yiran Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landing Site ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Soft Landing ◽  
Geomorphological Mapping ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ◽  
Integrated Processing ◽  
Von Kármán

The Chinese lunar probe Chang'E-4 successfully landed in the Von Kármán crater on the far side of the Moon. This paper presents the topographic and geomorphological mapping and their joint analysis for selecting the Chang'E-4 landing site in the Von Kármán crater. A digital topographic model (<small>DTM</small>) of the Von Kármán crater, with a spatial resolution of 30 m, was generated through the integrated processing of Chang'E-2 images (7 m/pixel) and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (<small>LRO</small>) Laser Altimeter (<small>LOLA</small>) data. Slope maps were derived from the <small>DTM</small>. Terrain occlusions to both the Sun and the relay satellite were studied. Craters with diameters ≥ 70 m were detected to generate a crater density map. Rocks with diameters ≥ 2 m were also extracted to generate a rock abundance map using an <small>LRO</small> narrow angle camera (<small>NAC</small>) image mosaic. The joint topographic and geomorphological analysis identified three subregions for landing. One of them, recommended as the highest-priority landing site, was the one in which Chang'E-4 eventually landed. After the successful landing of Chang'E-4, we immediately determined the precise location of the lander by the integrated processing of orbiter, descent and ground images. We also conducted a detailed analysis around the landing location. The results revealed that the Chang'E-4 lander has excellent visibility to the Sun and relay satellite; the lander is on a slope of about 4.5° towards the southwest, and the rock abundance around the landing location is almost 0. The developed methods and results can benefit future soft-landing missions to the Moon and other celestial bodies.

Composition, mineralogy and chronology of mare basalts and non-mare materials in Von Kármán crater: Landing site of the Chang’E−4 mission

2019 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 104741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zongcheng Ling ◽  
Le Qiao ◽  
Changqing Liu ◽  
Haijun Cao ◽  
Xiangyu Bi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landing Site ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Von Kármán ◽  
Mare Basalts

scholarly journals Trajectory Determination of Chang’E-5 during Landing and Ascending

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 4837
Author(s):  
Peng Yang ◽  
Yong Huang ◽  
Peijia Li ◽  
Siyu Liu ◽  
Quan Shan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Image Data ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Polynomial Functions ◽  
The Moon ◽  
B Spline ◽  
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ◽  
Orbiter Image ◽  
Positioning Method ◽  
Trajectory Determination

Chang’E-5 (CE-5) is China’s first lunar sample return mission. This paper focuses on the trajectory determination of the CE-5 lander and ascender during the landing and ascending phases, and the positioning of the CE-5 lander on the Moon. Based on the kinematic statistical orbit determination method using B-spline and polynomial functions, the descent and ascent trajectories of the lander and ascender are determined by using ground-based radiometric ranging, Doppler and interferometry data. The results show that a B-spline function is suitable for a trajectory with complex maneuvers. For a smooth trajectory, B-spline and polynomial functions can reach almost the same solutions. The positioning of the CE-5 lander on the Moon is also investigated here. Using the kinematic statistical positioning method, the landing site of the lander is 43.0590°N, 51.9208°W with an elevation of −2480.26 m, which is less than 200 m different from the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) image data.

scholarly journals Geological Characteristics of Von Kármán Crater, Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Chang'E-4 Landing Site Region

2018 ◽  
Vol 123 (7) ◽  
pp. 1684-1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Huang ◽  
Zhiyong Xiao ◽  
Jessica Flahaut ◽  
Mélissa Martinot ◽  
James Head ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landing Site ◽  
South Pole ◽  
Geological Characteristics ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Von Kármán

scholarly journals Density Structure of the Von Kármán Crater in the Northwestern South Pole-Aitken Basin: Initial Subsurface Interpretation of the Chang’E-4 Landing Site Region

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (20) ◽  
pp. 4445
Author(s):  
Chikondi Chisenga ◽  
Jianguo Yan ◽  
Jiannan Zhao ◽  
Qingyun Deng ◽  
Jean-Pierre Barriot
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Data ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Gravity Inversion ◽  
Inversion Method ◽  
South Pole ◽  
Impact Cratering ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Multiple Impact ◽  
Von Kármán

The Von Kármán Crater, within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, is the landing site of China’s Chang’E-4 mission. To complement the in situ exploration mission and provide initial subsurface interpretation, we applied a 3D density inversion using the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) gravity data. We constrain our inversion method using known geological and geophysical lunar parameters to reduce the non-uniqueness associated with gravity inversion. The 3D density models reveal vertical and lateral density variations, 2600–3200 kg/m3, assigned to the changing porosity beneath the Von Kármán Crater. We also identify two mass excess anomalies in the crust with a steep density contrast of 150 kg/m3, which were suggested to have been caused by multiple impact cratering. The anomalies from recovered near surface density models, together with the gravity derivative maps extending to the lower crust, are consistent with surface geological manifestation of excavated mantle materials from remote sensing studies. Therefore, we suggest that the density distribution of the Von Kármán Crater indicates multiple episodes of impact cratering that resulted in formation and destruction of ancient craters, with crustal reworking and excavation of mantle materials.

scholarly journals POTENTIAL GEOLOGIC ISSUES OF VON KÁRMÁN CRATER REVEALED BY MULTISOURCE REMOTE SENSING DATA

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W13 ◽  
pp. 1425-1430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. G. Meng ◽  
H. H. Wang ◽  
S. B. Chen ◽  
J. S. Ping ◽  
Q. Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Original Material ◽  
Crater Floor ◽  
Depth Layer ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Warm Anomaly ◽  
Cold Anomaly ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
Von Kármán

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Von Kármán crater is the landing area for CE-4 mission, which provides a chance to further study the evolution of South-Pole Aitken basin. In this paper, the topography, composition, temperature and deep structures of Von Kármán crater are systematically studied with LRO LOLA data, Clementine UV-VIS data, CE-2 CELMS data, and GRAIL data. Several potential geologic issues are postulated as follows: (1) There exists a difference for the southern and northern parts of the crater floor in topography. The surface topography is influenced by Leibnitz and Finsen events. (2) There exists an FTA-rich material in depth layer of the crater floor, and the later bombardments exposed the original material in the crater floor. And the material in depth is homogeneous. (3) The composition apparently changes with depth, and there exist a warm anomaly in the northern part of the crater floor and a cold anomaly in the southern part. (4) A large amount of magma has been uplifted after Von Kármán M impact event, and the crust has been melted several times and condensed into dense basalt layer. Generally, this is a good place to measure the material from the original SPA basin and the material from the depth layer of the Moon for the CE-4 landing site.</p>

Intermittent volcanic activity detected in the Von Kármán crater on the farside of the Moon

2021 ◽  
Vol 569 ◽  
pp. 117062
Author(s):  
Yuefeng Yuan ◽  
Peimin Zhu ◽  
Long Xiao ◽  
Jun Huang ◽  
Edward J. Garnero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Von Kármán

A plagioclase-rich rock measured by Yutu-2 Rover in Von Kármán crater on the far side of the Moon

Icarus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 350 ◽  
pp. 113901
Author(s):  
Pei Ma ◽  
Yuxue Sun ◽  
Meng-Hua Zhu ◽  
Yazhou Yang ◽  
Xiaoyi Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Moon ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Von Kármán

scholarly journals Spectral and morpho-stratigraphic units integration on Apollo basin and Leibnitz/Von Karman craters on the Moon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Zambon ◽  
Cristian Carli ◽  
Francesca Altieri ◽  
Jean-Philippe Combe ◽  
Carolyn H. van der Bogert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Moon ◽  
Von Karman ◽  
Von Kármán

scholarly journals A global rockfall map of the Moon powered by AI and Big Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Bickel ◽  
Jordan Aaron ◽  
Andrea Manconi ◽  
Simon Loew ◽  
Urs Mall
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Lunar Surface ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Orbiter ◽  
Narrow Angle ◽  
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

&lt;p&gt;Under certain conditions, meter to house-sized boulders fall, jump, and roll from topographic highs to topographic lows, a landslide type termed rockfall. On the Moon, these features have first been observed in Lunar Orbiter photographs taken during the pre-Apollo era. Understanding the drivers of lunar rockfall can provide unique information about the seismicity and erosional state of the lunar surface, however this requires high resolution mapping of the spatial distribution and size of these features. Currently, it is believed that lunar rockfalls are driven by moonquakes, impact-induced shaking, and thermal fatigue. Since the Lunar Orbiter and Apollo programs, NASA&amp;#8217;s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) returned more than 2 million high-resolution (NAC) images from the lunar surface. As the manual extraction of rockfall size and location from image data is time intensive, the vast majority of NAC images have not yet been analyzed, and the distribution and number of rockfalls on the Moon remains unknown. Demonstrating the potential of AI for planetary science applications, we deployed a Convolutional Neural Network in combination with Google Cloud&amp;#8217;s advanced computing capabilities to scan through the entire NAC image archive. We identified 136,610 rockfalls between 85&amp;#176;N and 85&amp;#176;S and created the first global, consistent rockfall map of the Moon. This map enabled us to analyze the spatial distribution and density of rockfalls across lunar terranes and geomorphic regions, as well as across the near- and farside, and the northern and southern hemisphere. The derived global rockfall map might also allow for the identification and localization of recent seismic activity on or underneath the surface of the Moon and could inform landing site selection for future geophysical surface payloads of Artemis, CLPS, or other missions. The used CNN will soon be available as a tool on NASA JPL&amp;#8217;s Moon Trek platform that is part of NASA&amp;#8217;s Solar System Treks (trek.nasa.gov/moon/).&lt;/p&gt;

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