L'PACE was a multidisciplinary lunar mission concept developed to investigate the Marius Hills pit and evaluate its potential for future human exploration and habitation.
The mission architecture used two robotic explorers: a surface rover operating around the pit and a subsurface rover designed to explore the interior environment.
Mission science focused on characterizing topography, structural stability, radiation exposure, temperature variation, geological composition, and the presence of water and other volatiles.
Science Instrumentation & Payload Research
Within the multidisciplinary team, my work focused on the science side of the mission, particularly identifying the measurements needed to evaluate the lunar pit environment and researching instruments capable of collecting those measurements.
- Researched candidate scientific instruments for lunar surface and subsurface exploration.
- Helped connect mission science objectives to specific measurable environmental parameters.
- Evaluated LiDAR instrumentation for three-dimensional terrain and cave mapping.
- Contributed to instrument selection for evaluating subsurface structure and cave geometry.
- Supported research into radiation instrumentation for measuring radiation exposure within and around the lunar pit.
- Considered thermal imaging instrumentation for measuring surface and subsurface temperature variation.
- Supported science-instrument research related to detecting water and other lunar volatiles.
- Contributed science information used in mission requirements, payload planning, and the final System Requirements Review.
L'PACE was developed by a large multidisciplinary engineering team. My contribution focused specifically on mission science and scientific instrumentation rather than the design of the entire rover or spacecraft system.
Characterize the Marius Hills lunar pit environment to determine whether lunar lava tubes could support future exploration infrastructure and human habitation.
Measure cave geometry, terrain, depth, height, and accessibility.
Investigate the structural characteristics of the pit and possible lava tubes.
Compare radiation conditions inside and outside the protected subsurface region.
Characterize temperature variation between lunar surface and subsurface.
Investigate water ice, hydroxyl, and other volatile compounds.
Combine environmental measurements to assess future human use.
Instrument selection began with the science questions rather than with individual hardware components.
Each scientific objective was connected to a measurable physical quantity, which could then be connected to an instrument capable of producing the required data.
Define what the mission needs to understand.
Convert the broad goal into a specific investigation.
Determine what physical quantity must be measured.
Select hardware capable of collecting that data.
Translate the instrument needs into mission and subsystem requirements.
Candidate instruments were selected to address different environmental and geological questions.
Uses reflected laser pulses to generate three-dimensional measurements of surrounding terrain and cave geometry.
Radar measurements probe subsurface structure and support investigation of potential lava-tube geometry.
Radiation Assessment Detector measures charged and neutral radiation conditions around the exploration environment.
Infrared imaging provides surface-temperature measurements throughout the lunar environment.
Near-infrared spectroscopy supports detection of water, hydroxyl, and other volatile compounds.
LiDAR provides three-dimensional spatial data needed to understand lunar pit geometry and accessibility.
A laser pulse is directed toward surrounding terrain.
Light reflects from the lunar surface or cave wall.
The returning laser signal is recorded by the instrument.
Distance information is derived from the returning light signal.
Measurements combine into a three-dimensional representation of the terrain.
The mission used two robotic systems because the lunar surface and pit interior presented different mobility, communication, thermal, and science requirements.
Operates near the Marius Hills pit, supports science collection, and provides support for the subsurface exploration system.
Descends into the pit to collect environmental, structural, and geological measurements below the lunar surface.
Instrument selection also affected the physical design of the rover systems.
Scientific payloads introduce mass, volume, power, thermal, communication, mounting, and environmental constraints that must be considered by the rest of the engineering team.
For example, the surface rover requirement allocated capacity for up to 9.379 kg of scientific instrumentation while requiring secure mounting and protection during deployment.
Candidate science instruments were also assessed according to their technology readiness and previous use in planetary exploration.
Radiation detection
Volatile spectroscopy
Mapping system
Penetrating radar
Thermal imaging
The lowest-rated science instrument established an overall payload subsystem technology readiness level of approximately TRL 5.
L'PACE required science objectives and engineering systems to be developed together rather than independently.
The final mission concept incorporated mechanical design, electrical power, command and data handling, thermal management, payload systems, communications, rover interfaces, risk analysis, and program planning.
Science-instrument choices directly influenced many of those systems because each payload required physical space, power, thermal protection, data handling, and integration with the rover platform.
This project showed me how mission science requirements drive engineering decisions throughout an aerospace system.
Selecting an instrument is not only a science decision. Each instrument changes mass, power, thermal, structural, communication, and data requirements across the mission.
My work on science instrumentation strengthened my understanding of requirements development, payload selection, mission architecture, multidisciplinary collaboration, and systems-level aerospace design.
L'PACE System Requirements Review
The complete 208-page System Requirements Review documents the mission science, requirements, spacecraft and rover architecture, mechanical design, power, command and data handling, thermal management, payload systems, interfaces, risk, cost, schedule, and subsystem trade studies.