Mauna Kea, Hawaii, as an Analog Site for Future Planetary Resource Exploration: Results from the 2010 ILSO-ISRU Field-Testing Campaign

Abstract

The major advances in knowledge of extraterrestrial bodies come from in situ measurements on robotized measuring devices deployed by international space missions, for example, on the Moon and Mars. It is essential to test these instruments in environments on Earth that bear a close resemblance to planetary conditions. Within the framework of the 2010 International Lunar Surface Operation In Situ Resource Utilization (2010 ILSO-ISRU) Analog Test, a suite of scientific instruments developed for in situ lunar research was field tested and calibrated on the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii on January 27 to February 11, 2010. This site will be used as one of the future standard test sites to calibrate instruments for in situ lunar research. In 2010, a total of eight scientific teams tested instrument capabilities at the test site. In this paper, a geological setting for this new field-test site, a description of the instruments that were tested during the 2010 ILSO-ISRU field campaign, and a short discussion of each instrument about the validity and use of the results obtained during the test are provided. These results will serve as reference for future test campaigns.