ShadowCam Instrument and Investigation Overview

Mark Southwick Robinson, Scott Michael Brylow, Michael Alan Caplinger, Lynn Marie Carter, Matthew John Clark, Brett Wilcox Denevi, Nicholas Michael Estes, David Carl Humm, Prasun Mahanti, Douglas Arden Peckham, Michael Andrew Ravine, Jacob Andrieu Schaffner, Emerson Jacob Speyerer, Robert Vernon Wagner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

ShadowCam is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Advanced Exploration Systems funded instrument hosted onboard the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) satellite. By collecting high-resolution images of permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), ShadowCam will provide critical information about the distribution and accessibility of water ice and other volatiles at spatial scales (1.7 m/pixel) required to mitigate risks and maximize the results of future exploration activities. The PSRs never see direct sunlight and are illuminated only by light reflected from nearby topographic highs. Since secondary illumination is very dim, ShadowCam was designed to be over 200 times more sensitive than previous imagers like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Narrow Angle Camera (LROC NAC). ShadowCam images thus allow for unprecedented views into the shadows, but saturate while imaging sunlit terrain.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)149-171
Number of pages23
JournalJournal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
Volume40
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Danuri
  • Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO)
  • ShadowCam
  • instrument description
  • lunar exploration
  • permanently shadowed regions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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