An Investigation of the Moon’s Silicic Volcanism

Lunar-VISE is a payload led by the University of Central Florida, known as SpaceU, on a NASA mission to Earth’s Moon. In collaboration with their partners, Lunar-VISE will use a multi-instrument payload on a lander and rover to determine the composition and physical properties of rocks and regolith comprising the Gruithuisen domes, which are critical for understanding their formation. The 10-day science investigation will use rover and lander operations to collect spectral and imaging measurements at high spatial resolutions from the dome summit. These observations will provide a critical link to existing orbital data sets, extending what we learn at Gruithuisen to other similar non-mare, silicic volcanic spots and allowing us to build a better understanding of silicic volcanism on the Moon.