About this Research Topic
Over recent years, a multitude of spacecraft missions have greatly advanced our understanding of the solar system, especially to the Moon, Mars and Asteroids. Most probes have initially accomplished their science objectives, for example, “CE-5” from the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) took regolith samples from the moon and “Tianwen-1” from the CNSA has orbited, landed, and now has a rover on Mars. The goals of Tianwen-1 now include exploring the global topography and geological structure, material composition, and water distribution of Mars. InSight from NASA has already worked for more than two years, and collected a large amount of data for Mars interior structure from its seismometer. “Perseverance” from NASA is still working on Mars for one year, with a fast move speed on Mars with its auto-navigation technique. In addition, there are several asteroid and cometary exploration missions that significantly advance our knowledge. For example, Rosetta mission from ESA sent back data about comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and both Hayabusa-2 from JAXA and OSIRIS-REx from NASA visited their target asteroids, and brought regolith sample from the asteroids. Now is a good time to re-examine them.
This Research Topic is open for papers focusing on the recent scientific and technological progress from Lunar, Mars and Asteroid Missions. Submissions relevant to missions that are based on a wide range of datasets and techniques are welcome. Our goal is to advance our knowledge about the evolution of the solar system from recent missions, with the help of multiple disciplines, including geodesy, geophysics, geology, and geochemistry. The results from payload data including image, spectrum, magnetism, as well as radio tracking data that will improve our knowledge about orbit, topography, gravity, element distribution, etc., are encouraged.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Auto navigation for future missions
- Orbit Determination and Propagation
- Orbit Dynamical Evolution
- Moon, Mars and Asteroid Spins, Sizes, Shapes and gravity
- The Interiors of Moon, Mars, and Asteroids
- Scientific payload design
- Topography, mineralogy, and chemistry of asteroids and their sample sites
- Martian environments and atmosphere
- Laboratory research and analysis of lunar return samples
This Research Topic is open for papers focusing on the recent scientific and technological progress from Lunar, Mars and Asteroid Missions. Submissions relevant to missions that are based on a wide range of datasets and techniques are welcome. Our goal is to advance our knowledge about the evolution of the solar system from recent missions, with the help of multiple disciplines, including geodesy, geophysics, geology, and geochemistry. The results from payload data including image, spectrum, magnetism, as well as radio tracking data that will improve our knowledge about orbit, topography, gravity, element distribution, etc., are encouraged.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Auto navigation for future missions
- Orbit Determination and Propagation
- Orbit Dynamical Evolution
- Moon, Mars and Asteroid Spins, Sizes, Shapes and gravity
- The Interiors of Moon, Mars, and Asteroids
- Scientific payload design
- Topography, mineralogy, and chemistry of asteroids and their sample sites
- Martian environments and atmosphere
- Laboratory research and analysis of lunar return samples
Keywords: lunar, mars, missions, planetary science, asteroid, interior structure, optical measurement, orbital dynamics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
