Say cheese, Moon. We’re coming in for a close-up. NASA’s SCALPSS Cameras, developed at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, are set to capture close-up images of the lunar surface as Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander descends toward the Moon. These cameras, known as Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS), will collect invaluable imagery during lunar descent and landing, providing crucial information for future missions to the Moon and beyond.
The primary purpose of SCALPSS is to help land larger payloads as space exploration expands. By using a technique called stereo photogrammetry, the cameras will capture overlapping images from different angles, allowing researchers to produce a 3D view of the lunar surface. This data will be instrumental in accurately predicting the effects of landings as the number of payloads touching down in close proximity increases.
Michelle Munk, principal investigator for SCALPSS and acting chief architect for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, explains the significance of this mission. “If we’re placing things – landers, habitats, etc. – near each other, we could be sandblasting what’s next to us, so that’s going to drive requirements on protecting those other assets on the surface, which could add mass, and that mass ripples through the architecture,” she says. “It’s all part of an integrated engineering problem.”
Under NASA’s Artemis program, the agency aims to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon in collaboration with commercial and international partners. SCALPSS 1.0, on this Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative delivery, focuses solely on how the lander alters the lunar surface during landing. The cameras will capture imagery from before the lander’s plume begins interacting with the surface until after the landing is complete.
The gathered images will be stored on a small onboard data storage unit before being sent back to Earth. The processing of the images, data verification, and generation of 3D digital elevation maps will likely take a couple of months. While the expected depressions on the lunar surface may not be very deep this time, it will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of SCALPSS for future missions.
Rob Maddock, SCALPSS project manager at Langley, compares the erosion observed in old Apollo images to the anticipated changes. “Even if you look at the old Apollo images — and the Apollo crewed landers were larger than these new robotic landers — you have to look really closely to see where the erosion took place,” he says. “We’re anticipating something on the order of centimeters deep — maybe an inch. It really depends on the landing site and how deep the regolith is and where the bedrock is.”
This mission is also an opportunity to validate models predicting the effects of future Human-Landing-Systems-class spacecraft trips to the Moon. Maddock explains, “Those are going to be much larger than even Apollo. Those are pretty large engines, and they could conceivably dig some good holes. So that’s what we’re doing. We’re collecting data we can use to validate the models that are predicting what will happen.”
SCALPSS 1.1, which will include two additional cameras, is scheduled to fly on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost later this year. These extra cameras will be optimized to capture images at a higher altitude before plume-surface interaction occurs, providing a more accurate before-and-after comparison.
The funding for SCALPSS 1.0 came from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate through the NASA-Provided Lunar Payloads Program, while SCALPSS 1.1 is funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Game Changing Development Program.
NASA is collaborating with various American companies through the CLPS initiative to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface. These companies, of different sizes, bid on delivering payloads for NASA, including payload integration and operations, as well as launching from Earth and landing on the Moon.
With SCALPSS capturing close-up images of the lunar surface, NASA is taking significant steps towards understanding the effects of landings and ensuring the success of future missions to the Moon. As space exploration expands, these images will play a crucial role in protecting assets and optimizing engineering solutions for a sustained presence on the lunar surface.
