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New technique offers more precise maps of the moon's surface

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A new study by Brown University researchers may help redefine how scientists map the surface of the moon, making the process more streamlined and precise than ever before.

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For the study, the researchers primarily used data from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, instruments onboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting the moon since 2009.

The scientists plan to use their refined shape-from-shading software to produce lunar maps, and they hope others will use it in their modeling efforts, as well. It's why they used open-source algorithms to produce the tool.

"These new map products are significantly better than what we had in exploration planning during the Apollo missions, and they will very much improve the mission planning and scientific return for Artemis and robotic missions," said Head, a professor of geological sciences at Brown who worked in the Apollo program.

The researchers hope the new tool will add to the current interest in the science and exploration of the moon happening at NASA and in space agencies around the world.

"There's a wealth of information to be gained from making these types of tools accessible to all," Boatwright said. "It's an egalitarian way of doing science."