美国宇航局戈达德中心将为“阿尔忒弥斯三号”登月任务建造地震探测器

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has been chosen to build a moonquake detector for the upcoming Artemis III mission, set to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2026—the first such mission in over 50 years. The instrument in question, known as the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS), is designed to autonomously monitor ground motion from moonquakes in the region around the lunar South Pole. This data will aid scientists in studying the moon's internal structure and refining our understanding of its formation.

The LEMS project represents a collaboration between the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the University of Maryland, College Park, and NASA Goddard, with planetary scientist Mehdi Benna leading the team. Benna conceptualized the idea for LEMS in 2018, recognizing the need for technology capable of withstanding the moon's harsh conditions to measure lunar geophysical activity over an extended period. The project received funding from NASA's Development and Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation program in 2018, with the goal of developing LEMS for flight readiness.

Moonquakes were first observed after Apollo astronauts placed seismometers on the lunar surface during their missions between 1969 and 1972; however, the seismic data collected was limited to the Earth-facing side near the equator. LEMS aims to fill this gap by operating at the lunar South Pole, providing crucial insights into the local and global lunar subsurface structure.

In addition to LEMS, two other potential payloads have been selected for Artemis III: the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora instrument and the Lunar Dielectric Analyzer instrument. Together, these instruments will collect vital scientific data about the lunar environment, interior, and long-duration human presence on the moon—essential for preparing NASA's future missions, including those to Mars. Final decisions on the mission's payload will be made at a later date.