The University of Western Ontario

Published purpose

Exploring the Moon using rovers is a high priority for the space community. This project will use the Moon-like terrain of Lanzarote, Spain, to answer a series of important operational and scientific questions for rover missions. One goal is to achieve a deeper understanding of volcanism on the Earth and Moon. Another is to optimize mission control operations for future missions to allow rovers to carry out accurate scientific activities over a long period of time. This will be done, in part, by identifying the diversity of rocks in a given area and comparing the ability of rovers versus human teams to select lunar samples. The results of this project will help to create a plan for returning people safely to the Moon for longer missions. It will also create a large group of Canadian experts in scientific investigations and mission operations for future Moon exploration.