Journal article · Preprint article
Farside explorer: unique science from a mission to the farside of the moon
Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées1
Planetary Science Institute2
ISS Science Project Office ISAS3
NASU - Institute of Radio Astronomy4
Johns Hopkins University5
University of Nantes6
University of Notre Dame7
National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark8
Solar System Physics, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark9
Leiden University10
University of Glasgow11
Université Paris Cité12
California Institute of Technology13
CNRS14
Observatoire de Paris15
MPIfR16
German Aerospace Center17
Southwest Research Institute18
Delft University of Technology19
...and 9 moreFarside Explorer is a proposed Cosmic Vision medium-size mission to the farside of the Moon consisting of two landers and an instrumented relay satellite. The farside of the Moon is a unique scientific platform in that it is shielded from terrestrial radio-frequency interference, it recorded the primary differentiation and evolution of the Moon, it can be continuously monitored from the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point, and there is a complete lack of reflected solar illumination from the Earth.
Farside Explorer will exploit these properties and make the first radio-astronomy measurements from the most radio-quiet region of near-Earth space, determine the internal structure and thermal evolution of the Moon, from crust to core, and quantify impact hazards in near-Earth space by the measurement of flashes generated by impact events.
The Farside Explorer flight system includes two identical solar-powered landers and a science/telecommunications relay satellite to be placed in a halo orbit about the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point. One lander would explore the largest and oldest recognized impact basin in the Solar System- the South Pole-Aitken basin-and the other would investigate the primordial highlands crust.
Radio astronomy, geophysical, and geochemical instruments would be deployed on the surface, and the relay satellite would continuously monitor the surface for impact events.
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | Springer Netherlands |
Year: | 2012 |
Pages: | 529-585 |
Journal subtitle: | Astrophysical Instrumentation and Methods |
ISSN: | 15729508 , 09226435 , 1572946x and 0004640x |
Types: | Journal article and Preprint article |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10686-011-9252-3 |
ORCIDs: | Olsen, Nils and Vennerstrøm, Susanne |
Astronomy Broad-band Emissions Evolution Hypervelocity impact Luminous efficience Lunar-surface Near-earth objects Planets Radio telescopes Seismometer
Astronomy, Observations and Techniques ESA’s Cosmic Vision program Farside Geophysics Impact flux Moon Moon · Farside · Radio astronomy · Geophysics · Impact flux · ESA's Cosmic Vision program Physics Radio astronomy Statistics for Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Chemistry and Earth Sciences