When the Apollo astronauts went around collecting Moon rocks four decades ago they had only rudimentary ways of knowing which samples to gather. Few Astronauts—then or now—are geologists. The RIS4E field geologists aim to make future sample collecting more sophisticated and efficient by equipping astronauts with instruments that will help them find and bring back the right stuff.
Inside every rock lies a story about how it was formed and what the environment around it was like when it formed. When it comes to human space exploration, planetary geologists on Earth rely on astronauts to bring home rock samples that tell interesting stories, and are different from what they have seen before. The Apollo astronauts brought home samples whose data are are still being used by researchers today.
The team is testing the effectiveness and efficiency of handheld instruments in the field. They want to know if portable technology can be used to identify different compositions of rocks, easier, faster, and better than a geologist could alone. Scientists will also be using the data from these instruments to continue to study the differences in mineralogy and geochemistry in the lava flows, and the effect weathering may have on them.
In their second year into the project, the RIS4E geologists have completed two field missions on the lava fields of Kilauea. With each new trek, they can evaluate the value of each instrument in the field—how the instrument contributes to decision-making in the simulated space walk and how well it performs outdoors.
For the next three years, the geologists will study the Potrillo lava fields in New Mexico. The volcanic rock there, which is similar to the volcanoes of Hawaii, is characterized by huge pits, lava tubes and very thick flows. One major project in New Mexico is learning how best to map and measure the insides of lava tubes and pits. If astronauts can do that in real time, they might be able to use them as shelter from solar radiation.