Motomaro Shirao - The Kaguya Lunar Atlas

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Part 1
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Motomaro Shirao and Charles A. Wood The Kaguya Lunar Atlas The Moon in High Resolution 10.1007/978-1-4419-7285-9_1 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011

1. The Kaguya Mission

Motomaro Shirao 1 and Charles A. Wood 2, 3

(1)

1-3-11, Nishi-Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0035, Japan

(2)

Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling, WV 26003, USA

(3)

Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 857119, USA

Abstract

The Japanese lunar orbiter Kaguya was launched on September 14, 2007, by an H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center (Figure 1.1). Kaguya is also known as SELENE, the SELenological and ENgineering Explorer, and was developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The nickname Kaguya , selected by a popular vote, is the name of a princess in Japanese medieval folklore who came from, and returned to, the Moon. The boxy main orbiter, 2.1 m wide and 4.8 m tall, weighed about 3 t with fuel (Figure 1.2). Two small satellites, Okina and Ouna, each about 50 kg, accompanied the main craft.

The Japanese lunar orbiter Kaguya was launched on September 14, 2007, by an H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center (Figure ). Two small satellites, Okina and Ouna, each about 50 kg, accompanied the main craft.

Figure 1.1

Liftoff (Image courtesy of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)

Figure 1.2

Japans lunar explorer Kaguya s main orbiter and the two small satellites accompanying it (Image courtesy of JAXA)

After orbiting Earth 2.5 times to achieve the correct position, Kaguya s rockets fired again, directing it to the Moon. On October 4, 2007, the spacecraft was inserted into a large elliptical orbit around the Moon. After mission controllers lowered the spacecrafts altitude on October 18, Kaguya finally reached its nominal circular and polar observation orbit of about 100 km above the surface. On the way to nominal orbit, the two small satellites Okina and Ouna were released into elliptical orbits of 100 km perilune (closest point to the Moon), and 2,400 km and 800 km apolune (most distant point from the Moon), respectively. Okina and Ouna always provided a radio beacon and a radio relay when the main spacecraft was behind the Moon. By carefully tracking the motions of all three satellites, dynamicists have created very detailed maps of the Moons subsurface gravity field.

After checkout of the spacecraft bus system, the four sounder antennas of 15 m length and the 12 m mast for the magnetometer were extended, and the plasma imager was successfully deployed. Following instrument performance tests, which lasted for about 1.5 months, the nominal observation mission of 10 months began on December 21.

The missions main objectives were to help determine the Moons origin and evolution and to develop technology for future lunar explorations. The specifications of Kaguya s 13 science instruments are summarized in Table . The instruments included highly capable cameras, spectrometers, and other detectors. For example, the Terrain Camera, which recorded surface details as small as 10 m wide in stereo, successfully imaged the interior of Shackleton (a deep, perpetually shadowed crater at the lunar south pole) using only the faint light scattered from the craters sunlit upper rim. Kaguya s laser altimeter measured more than 10 million points of lunar surface and yielded a highly detailed topographic map of the entire Moon. The spacecrafts radar sounder revealed subsurface layers several hundred meters deep under a near-side maria.

Table 1.1

Science instruments of Kaguya

Mission instruments	Purpose
X-ray Spectrometer (XRS)	The surface elemental composition (Al, Si, Mg, Fe, etc.) is determined through X-ray fluorescence spectrometry by irradiation of solar X-ray
Gamma-ray Spectrometer (GRS)	The abundance of key elements (U, Th, K, H, etc.) is determined by measuring energy spectra of gamma-rays from the lunar surface with high energy resolution
Multiband Imager (MI)	The mineral distribution is derived from visible and near infrared images of the Moons surface taken in nine wavelength bands
Spectral Profiler (SP)	The mineral composition of the Moons surface is obtained by measuring the continuous visible and near infrared spectrum
Terrain Camera (TC)	High-resolution geographical features are acquired by the stereo cameras
Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS)	The subsurface stratification and tectonic features in the shallow part of the lunar crust (a few kilometers) by high-power RF pulses
Laser Altimeter (LALT)	Surface altitudes are precisely measured using high-power laser pulses to make a lunar topography model
Lunar Magnetometer (LMAG)	The magnetization structure on the Moon is acquired by measuring the lunar and the surrounding magnetic field
Charged Particle Spectrometer (CPS)	Alpha rays from the Moons surface and the abundance of cosmic ray particles are measured
Plasma Energy Angle and Composition Experiment (PACE)	The three dimensional distribution of the low-energy electrons and mass-discriminated low-energy ions around the Moon are measured
Radio Science (RS)	The Moons ionosphere is detected by measuring the small deviation in the phase of RF signals from OUNA (VRAD Satellite)
Upper atmosphere and Plasma Imager (UPI)	Images of the magnetosphere and the ionosphere around the Earth as seen from the Moon are used to study the behavior of the plasma
Four-way Doppler measurements by OKINA (Relay Satellite) and main orbiter transponder (RSAT)	Signals from the Main Orbiter in flight on the far side of the Moon are relayed by OKINA (Relay Satellite), and the local gravity field data from the far side of the Moon is obtained by measuring the disturbance in the orbit of the Main orbiter using four-way Doppler measurements
Differential VLBI radio source (VRAD)	The gravity field of the Moon is accurately observed by measuring the orbits of the OKINA (Relay Satellite) and OUNA (VRAD Satellite) using differential VLBI: (Very Long Baseline Interferometry)
High-Definition Television (HDTV)	Taking pictures and movies of the Earth and the Moon with high-definition television cameras

At the end of October 2008, the nominal mission was completed successfully, with observational coverage of over 95% of the lunar surface. Observations at 100 km altitude were extended for three additional months, to collect additional data.

Low altitude operations at 50 20 km were carried out starting on February 1, 2009. When the relay satellite Okina impacted the lunar far side on February 12, 2009, gravimetric observations were successfully completed. Kaguya reduced its altitude again to 1030 km (perilune) on April 16, 2009.

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