Université de Sherbrooke (DBA Université de Sherbrooke|Université de Sherbrooke)
Unmixing the spectral variations of the south polar region to retrieve its composition, volatile content, sources and modification processes — Orbital remote sensing observations have provided invaluable pieces of information to build our knowledge of the composition and processes occurring in the lunar polar regions. For example, these missions have allowed to confirm the presence of cold traps and regions in topographic lows which never receive direct sunlight and confirm the presence of water ice. The VIPER rover mission will provide critical and localized observations to better interpret the orbital remote sensing observations. Here we propose to use observations from VIPER to study the local mineralogy, volatile content, and space weathering, and compare them with regional information from orbital measurements.