Kring, David A. (David Allen); Barrett, Natasha; Bickel, Valentin Tertius; Satyakumar, Animireddi V.; Halim, Samuel; Gawronska, Aleksandra; Harish; Shah, Jahnavi; Boazman, Sarah
Abstract:
Transformative lunar science will be driven by the accessibility, recovery, and return to Earth of geological
specimens. Isolated boulders, rock exposures, and rocky craters at the lunar south pole all provide opportunities for
geologic characterization and sampling of the lunar crust. Here, we present the results of orbital geological
mapping of the region surrounding the south pole using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow Angle Camera
images (0.5–2 m pixel−1). We mapped the distribution of isolated boulders (86,896), rocky craters (3556), and rock
exposures (7553) around potential Artemis landing sites 001 and 004 (NASA 2020), which are within or near one
of the Artemis III candidate landing regions. We found that boulder abundance decreases with increasing distance
from the rim of Shackleton crater. From that correlation, we infer that most of the boulders and rock exposures near
Shackleton were deposited as ejecta by the Shackleton impact, and by later the reworking of that material during
smaller impact events. We additionally assessed the accessibility of the mapped features, and documented geologic
targets located on shallow (<15°) slopes, including those on the Shackleton crater rim and on the “Connecting
Ridge” between Shackleton and Henson crater. Such targets could be sampled by a future mission to the lunar
south pole region. Our catalog of mapped features is made available to the lunar community.