The Heliophysics Subpanel for Lunar Science has been hard at work incorporating all inputs to date. Subpanel members have been working with the NAC Heliophysics Subcommittee members and with members of the Heliophysics Science Community that identified their interest through a call of interest in the SPA newsletter and the Solar Newsletter. The scope of interest includes only that science that can be executed utilizing NASA's lunar exploration architecture.
Following are the four themes and subtopics identified through that process. Each subtopic is further developed via a two-page white paper posted on this blog. We invite you to review and post comments on these white papers so that they may be improved and represent the broader opinions of our space physics science community.
Theme 1: Heliophysics Science of the Moon
- 1a. Characterization of near lunar electromagnetic/plasma environment
- 1b. Determine lunar crustal magnetic fields and their origin
- 1c. Magnetotail dynamics at lunar orbit
- 1d. Impact of plasma environment on the Moon
- 1e. Characterize and understand interaction of dust and plasma on the surface of the Moon and in the exosphere
Theme 2: Space Weather, Safeguarding the Journey
- 2a. Understand and predict Space Weather impact on robotic and human productivity
- 2b. Characterize radiation bombardment at several locations on the lunar surface and subsurface
Theme 3: The Moon as a Historical Record
- 3a. Composition of the solar wind
- 3b. Understand the history of the Sun from the beginnings of the solar system to the present
- 3c. Understand the history of cosmic radiation from the beginnings of the solar system to the present
- 3d. Understand the history of the local interstellar medium from the beginnings of the solar system to the present
- 3e. History of the Inner Solar System According to the Lunar Cold Traps
Theme 4: The Moon as a Heliophysics Science Platform