The surprising finding of water traces on the moon in September 2009 changed much about our perception of the moon and how NASA will plan future exploration missions. One of the three spacecraft involved in this finding is Chandrayaan-1. The NASA-built Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument on board the Chandrayaan-1 is a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer that is designed to identify and map the minerals and rock compositions across the lunar surface using visual and infrared reflected sunlight.

Under contract with Brown University, the Columbus Bear Fight Research Center was a central player in this effort. Columbus’ Dr. Thomas McCord, who specializes in research into the nature of the Solar System, is a Flight Team member for the Chandrayaan-1 mission and is a member of the M3 science investigation team, under the team principle investigator, Dr. Carle Pieters of Brown University. Dr. McCord’s role encompasses design through data analysis including assisting the M3 science investigation team with:

• design and testing of the instrument at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• planning the mission measurement strategy as it affects M3 data collection
• checking the instrument calibration and overall performance in orbit around the Moon
• analyzing the data for science results, including the discovery and interpretation of the water spectral features in the lunar reflectance spectra

Dr. McCord’s role relating to the finding of water is to lead the discussion of the explanation(s) for the spectral water features. He will be presenting the findings of the investigation team in an invited presentation at the American Geophysical Union annual fall meeting in San Francisco, during the week of December 14.

Dr. McCord is supported in these efforts by two of the Columbus Bear Fight Center scientists, Dr. Jean-Philippe Combe and Dr. Georgiana Kramer. The work is carried out at the Bear Fight Center, located near Winthrop WA.