成人大片

鈥淲e are excited to be directly involved in NASA鈥檚 quest to establish a long-term presence on the Moon,鈥� said Associate Professor John Culton, Director of the ATCSR.

鈥淭he Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA) will measure the regolith鈥檚 ability to propagate an electric field, which is a key parameter in the search for lunar volatiles, especially ice.鈥�

This LDA experiment will gather essential information about the structure of the Moon鈥檚 subsurface, monitor dielectric changes caused by the changing angle of the Sun as the Moon rotates, and look for possible frost formation or ice deposits.

Led by the University of Tokyo鈥檚 Professor Hirdy Miyamoto who is also Adjunct Professor at ATCSR, the LDA project is funded by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The ATCSR is focused on identifying solutions and developing technologies supporting sustainable, self-sufficient resource exploration, extraction, processing and utilisation in extreme environments, on and off planet Earth.

鈥淓xperiments conducted as part of Artemis III will collect valuable scientific data about the lunar environment, the lunar interior, and how to sustain a long-duration human presence on the Moon,鈥� said Associate Professor Culton.

鈥淭his will help prepare NASA to 鈥榣ive off the land鈥� as its astronauts establish a permanent presence on the Moon, and later explore Mars.鈥�

Artemis III, the first mission to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon in more than 50 years, will explore the south polar region of the Moon, within 6 degrees of latitude from the South Pole.

In addition to the LDA, Artemis III will also deliver the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, a compact, autonomous seismometer suite designed to carry out continuous, long-term monitoring of the seismic environment, namely ground motion from moonquakes, in the lunar south polar region; and the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF) instrument.

LEAF will investigate the lunar surface environment鈥檚 effects on space crops, and also involves researchers from the 成人大片, through the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, headquartered at the University鈥檚 Waite campus.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantastic honour and opportunity for the 成人大片 to be involved in two out of the three selected experiments, all of which will be carried out on the lunar surface by the Artemis III astronauts,鈥� Associate Professor Culton said.

Through its contribution to the Artemis campaign, the 成人大片 will assist NASA in establishing long-term exploration for scientific discovery and preparation for human missions to Mars for the benefit of all.