Moonquake Detector To Be Installed by NASA Artemis 3 Astronauts During Upcoming Lunar Visit

The LEMS (Lunar Environment Monitoring Station) is one of the first three possible payloads that have been chosen by NASA for the Artemis 3 mission.

Moonquake Detector

The autonomous and compact seismometer is meant to withstand the cold and long lunar night and work during the day. It will monitor the Moon's ground motion for moonquakes in the area surrounding the lunar south pole, which is the designated landing area for the Artemis 3 astronauts.

LEMS is believed to work over the lunar surface for three months to two years. It will exhibit its capacity to measure the geophysical activity of the Moon that is unassisted over prolonged periods.

NASA officials share that the discovery of moonquakes date back to after Apollo astronauts were able to place seismometers over the lunar surface between their 1969 and 1972 missions. However, the seismic data gathered by Apollo was concentrated on the lunar side that faces the Earth and that is near the lunar equator. Hence, there is no available seismic data regarding lunar south pole tremors, which is crucial for the establishment of a long-term presence over this particular lunar region.

With this, the researchers started to develop a self-sustaining and small station that works similar to an ocean buoy. The development of the LEMS was funded by the Development and Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation program of NASA in 2018.

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Moonquakes

Moonquakes primarily result from the gravitational pull between the Earth and the Moon. This comes along with lunar surface temperature changes, which alter from 121 degrees Celsius in the day to -133 degree Celsius at night. The extreme variations lead to the Moon's expansion when hot and contraction when cold. This makes the satellite tremble like a creaking house as a response to Earth's fluctuating weather.

Hence, delving deeper into moonquakes will not just help with the landings of the Artemis mission but also help scientists know more about what happens under the lunar surface. Such information will help shed light on the Moon's formation, considering how seismic waves move through various materials at varying speeds.

NASA Artemis 3

Generally, NASA's Artemis 3 mission is set to bring humans to the Moon in 2026, marking the first time in over 50 years that such a feat would have been achieved. It will be one of the most complex undertakings in human ingenuity and engineering when it comes to deep space exploration history. The observations, data, and samples collected by the Artemis 3 astronauts will help expand current understanding of the Earth and the solar system.

In the course of roughly 30 days, the astronauts will move through lunar orbit. There will be two crew members who will go to the surface and spend around a week close to the Moon's south pole. During this period, they will be conducting novel science before they go back to the lunar orbit and join their crew to travel back to the Earth.