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A New NASA Mission Is About to Reveal Unprecedented Information About Temperatures on the Lunar Surface and the Mysteries Behind Their Variations.
The Moon, our closest celestial neighbor, still holds profound mysteries beneath its dusty surface. Despite the Apollo missions having provided a historic exploration over 50 years ago, there are gaps in our understanding of its internal structure and thermal evolution.
Now, with NASA’s Artemis program focused on establishing a sustainable human presence on the satellite, a new instrument promises to change the way we approach this challenge.
LISTER: A New Tool for Lunar Knowledge
The Lunar Instrument for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapid Deployment, known as LISTER, will be sent to the lunar surface in 2025. Its mission?
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To measure the heat flow from within the Moon and uncover details about its formation, cooling, and evolution over its 4.5 billion-year history.
Based on samples brought back by Apollo and data from missions like GRAIL, we already know that the Moon is not a cold and inert celestial body. Research indicates a complex interior, including a solid inner core surrounded by an outer layer of molten material.
The LISTER will allow scientists to analyze how heat moves through the lunar regolith, contributing to our understanding of the thermal processes that shaped the satellite.
Drilling and Challenges of the Lunar Soil
The lunar regolith, a layer of fine and abrasive dust formed by impacts over ages, is a significant obstacle. Drilling through this surface is no easy task.
To achieve this, the LISTER has been designed with a pneumatic excavation system that uses controlled bursts of gas, clearing the way for the drill to advance precisely.
The tool will drill up to three meters deep, measuring two crucial aspects: the thermal gradient, which shows how temperature varies with depth, and thermal conductivity, which indicates the material’s ability to transfer heat.
How LISTER Will Measure the Moon’s Heat
The measurement process involves inserting a high-precision needle-shaped sensor into the ground every half meter of depth.
This sensor, equipped with a platinum resistance thermometer, records the soil temperature for periods between 30 and 60 minutes, producing detailed data on heat flow. This approach will be repeated at different points on the lunar surface to create a comprehensive thermal profile.
According to Seiichi Nagihara, the principal investigator of the mission and a geophysics professor at Texas Tech, these measurements will help reconstruct the Moon’s thermal evolution.
“This will allow scientists to retrace the geological processes that shaped the Moon since its beginning as a ball of molten rock,” said Nagihara.
The data obtained by LISTER has practical and immediate implications. With the Artemis program preparing for human missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars, understanding the thermal behavior of the lunar subsurface is crucial for planning bases, resource extraction, and the installation of scientific equipment.
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