Prospective 3He-rich landing sites on the Moon

Abstract

Abstract A global map of the 3He content of the lunar regolith has been constructed. Detailed studies (³He, TiO2, FeO content, slope maps) of several regions with highest predicted ³He content such as the craters Grimaldi and Riccioli, Mare Moscoviense, the southern-western part of Oceanus Procellarum, the northern-western part of Mare Tranquillitatis, and the northern-eastern part of Mare Fecundidatis were performed. These regions are located on flat mare surfaces and have a high TiO2 content. The studied regions, especially craters Grimaldi and Riccioli, were selected as candidate landing sites for missions aimed at extracting 3He from the lunar regolith. The suggested sites may be further re-examined by the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter during the nominal 1-year mission period in 2021.