USGS maps moon for water, supporting NASA mission

USGS maps moon for water, supporting NASA mission

Earth science aids lunar south pole exploration

RESTON, VA. — The U.S. Geological Survey used cutting-edge Earth science to publish the first off-planet mineral prospectivity map – assessing likely places to find lunar ice near the Lunar South Pole for a NASA mission. 

“The USGS and NASA have partnered for over 50 years to leverage space technologies to map the Earth’s resources, and to bring Earth science to bear on space exploration,” said Sarah Ryker, acting USGS director.“As the nation plans to return astronauts to the Moon, the Artemis missions will require resources prohibitive to bring from Earth. Our USGS expertise in assessing resources will help locate ice, which can be purified for drinking, or electrolyzed to make hydrogen and oxygen, key ingredients in rocket fuel.” 

Since its establishment in 1879, the U.S. Geological Survey has been mapping mineral resources in the U.S. and on Earth, with satellite-based scanning beginning in 1972. Off-planet prospectivity is the latest step in the USGS and NASA’s partnership applying Earth science tools to space. 

NASA’s planned VIPER, or Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, mission will explore volatile-bearing deposits within the loose surface materials near the Moon’s South Pole, specifically around the Mons Mouton landing site. By locating and characterizing these resources, particularly water ice, the mission could reduce the need to transport such materials from Earth, supporting long-term lunar exploration and future space missions.

“Contributing to the VIPER Science Team helps the USGS test our methods in new settings, with new types of data. This mission represents a bold leap forward in lunar science, and also advances what we do on Earth,” said Joshua Coyan, lead author of the study and a research geologist with the USGS Mineral Resources Program.