The bearing capacity of asteroid (65803) Didymos estimated from boulder tracks

J Bigot, P Lombardo, N Murdoch, DJ Scheeres… - Nature …, 2024‏ - nature.com
The bearing capacity-the ability of a surface to support applied loads-is an important
parameter for understanding and predicting the response of a surface. Previous work has …

Lunar surface processes

JB Plescia, J Cahill, B Greenhagen… - … in Mineralogy and …, 2023‏ - pubs.geoscienceworld.org
The modern surface of the Moon is primarily influenced by impact processes. While
volcanism was active until perhaps 3.0 Ga and tectonic activity may still persist, it is the …

Peering into lunar permanently shadowed regions with deep learning

VT Bickel, B Moseley, I Lopez-Francos… - Nature …, 2021‏ - nature.com
The lunar permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are expected to host large quantities of
water-ice, which are key for sustainable exploration of the Moon and beyond. In the near …

Impacts drive lunar rockfalls over billions of years

VT Bickel, J Aaron, A Manconi, S Loew… - Nature communications, 2020‏ - nature.com
Past exploration missions have revealed that the lunar topography is eroded through mass
wasting processes such as rockfalls and other types of landslides, similar to Earth. We have …

Deep learning-driven detection and map** of rockfalls on Mars

VT Bickel, SJ Conway, PA Tesson… - IEEE Journal of …, 2020‏ - ieeexplore.ieee.org
The analysis of rockfall distribution and magnitude is a useful tool to study the past and
current endogenic and exogenic activity of Mars. At the same time, tracks left by rockfalls …

Traversing steep and granular martian analog slopes with a dynamic quadrupedal robot

H Kolvenbach, P Arm, E Hampp, A Dietsche… - arxiv preprint arxiv …, 2021‏ - arxiv.org
Celestial bodies such as the Moon and Mars are mainly covered by loose, granular soil, a
notoriously challenging terrain to traverse with (wheeled) robotic systems. Here, we present …

[HTML][HTML] Geologic context and potential EVA targets at the lunar south pole

AJ Gawronska, N Barrett, SJ Boazman… - Advances in Space …, 2020‏ - Elsevier
The lunar south pole is being targeted for exploration, in part, because it contains
topographical high points with> 50% illumination needed for solar power. Additionally, the …

Using boulder tracks as a tool to understand the bearing capacity of permanently shadowed regions of the Moon

HM Sargeant, VT Bickel, CI Honniball… - Journal of …, 2020‏ - Wiley Online Library
Permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are abundant at the lunar poles. They experience
no direct sunlight and reach temperatures as low as 30 K. PSRs are of interest as evidence …

The scientific value of a sustained exploration program at the Aristarchus Plateau

TD Glotch, ER Jawin, BT Greenhagen… - The Planetary …, 2021‏ - iopscience.iop.org
The Aristarchus plateau hosts a diversity of volcanic features, including the largest
pyroclastic deposit on the Moon, the largest sinuous rille on the Moon, and intrusive and …

Potential lunar base on Mons Malapert: Topographic, geologic and trafficability considerations

AT Basilevsky, SS Krasilnikov, MA Ivanov… - Solar System …, 2019‏ - Springer
Polar areas of the Moon are prospective sites for construction of a lunar base due to the near
constant illumination conditions and the potential presence of water ice in the regolith of cold …