Proposal for a Lunar Geotechnical GIS

The Lunar Mapping and Modelling Project (LMMP), (Cohen, et al, 2008) is a NASA led initiative with the aim to create a single, consistent, uniform, intuitive and easy to use NASA portal that accesses lunar mapping and modelling products, tools and media.<br>The USGS started with the foundation for such a system, known as PIGWAD (Planetary Interactive GIS on the web analysable Database). It is clear that the nations of the world are going back to the moon in what is termed “The new Race for the Moon”. The USA Government committed itself to billions of dollars for the Constellation programme which is the programme aimed at returning humans to the moon. The proposal currently in planning stages is to have unmanned and manned rover missions to the moon by 2012, the beginnings of an outpost by 2015, and the construction of a manned moon base by 2020. To prepare for the ambitious international plans for advancing lunar research vast amounts of geological and topographical data need to be collected. Geotechnical properties of the lunar surface must be determined for rover mobility, and will also be required to determine construction methods and materials for a permanent moon base. The GIS proposed in this project will contribute substantially to building the base of relevant data required to enhance and support future missions, target generation for mining of materials for the purpose of propellants, oxygen, construction materials and the planning of excursions as well as the construction of a permanent moon base. Envisaged data layers to be collected include but are not limited to: Geology, Topography, Slope angle, Slope aspect, Surface roughness, Excavatibility, Bearing capacity, Soil density, etc. Once the abovementioned data, and other data have been collected and geo-referenced in a coherent GIS it would be possible to do GIS analysis of the various datasets, either separately or in combination. Maps of resources could be created, as well as the most cost-effective paths for excursions, rover missions and travel paths between bases and sampling points. The inherent structure of a GIS allows several permutations of looking at available data.