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DN-016 L: Lunar surface seismic activity characterization and monitoring

A baseline of moonquakes and other seismic events (meteoroid strikes, spent rocket stages) at several South Pole sites, for the design of structures, EVA and landers, with real-time feedback for emergencies. The only data is from the Apollo Passive Seismic Network (1969–1977). The south polar region "has young, active thrust faults", and one of the strongest shallow moonquakes Apollo recorded, magnitude 5.5, was there. It is named in the Moon Base Users Guide (near-term), under the long-duration challenge (Data gaps spreadsheet, DN-016 L; Users Guide, p. 12).

Quotations below are from row DN-016 L of the data gaps spreadsheet unless marked otherwise. ADD Rev C's Appendix E prints the same record as a table, and it matches the row field for field except for the data type (ADD Rev C, p. 280, PDF checked; see below).

Description

"Establish a baseline of seismic events in the polar region for design of structural elements, EVA operations, and lander systems. While this includes continuous monitoring of moonquakes, it also includes events such as incoming meteoroids and spent stages of rockets. These types of event monitoring provide real time feedback to Artemis Elements to enable emergency and survival operations of Elements and crew."

Need driver and data type

  • Need driver: Lunar Surface Natural Environment Characterization
  • Data type: In Situ Monitoring (spreadsheet). ADD Rev C's table says "In Situ Measurement" (ADD Rev C, p. 280, PDF checked). Both documents are from December 2025, so the wiki picks neither. It keeps the sheet's value here and in the data gaps index and records the ADD's (open question 38).

Target measurement parameters

"Measure magnitude and frequency of seismic events at multiple locations in the lunar south pole region."

Current state of data

"The Apollo Passive Seismic Network of 5 experiments set up across the lunar surface operated from 1969-1977 to gather seismic data. Re-analysis of data has shown over 35,000 moonquakes."

Impact if data is unavailable

"Lack of this seismic data means risk due to seismic events must be accepted. The south polar region has young, active thrust faults. One of the strongest shallow moonquakes ever recorded by the Apollo network was a magnitude 5.5 moonquake in the south polar region. This is equivalent to moderate to strong ground shaking over 40 kilometers."

Benefits if data is available

"Acquisition of this data prior to Element design will help to create more resilient and robust designs to last long lifetimes. Real-time data can be used to enhance Element survivability and crew safety."

Traceability

  • Objectives: AS-01 LM, LI-09 L, TH-03 L (codes as printed; the sheet gives no titles)
  • Segment: Human Lunar Return (HLR): "The M2M segment during which the data is needed, but not necessarily when it is collected" (Data gaps spreadsheet, Key sheet). A segment is not a Moon Base phase.

Priority

None. The spreadsheet has no priority field, and the Users Guide calls the data-gap list "not comprehensive or prioritized" (Users Guide, p. 11).

Moon Base relevance

The Users Guide names DN-016 L for one challenge (Users Guide, p. 12):

  • "Operating on the Lunar Surface for Long Durations" (headline challenge). Its knowledge challenge has two sentences: "Characterize the lunar surface environment to predict performance impacts and risks associated with long duration surface operations." and "Investigate dust mechanics, regolith geotechnical properties, and radiation/charged particle fluctuations, seasonal patterns, and scattering." The guide lists DN-008 L to DN-013 L, DN-015 L, DN-016 L and DN-019 L under both sentences together and does not say which sentence each serves. The challenge's technology half cites tech gaps #0101, #0201, #0301, #0801 and #0804.

The guide ties its challenges to "near-term Moon Base development efforts": missions in phase one "offer opportunities to collect data and mature technologies to enable essential phase two and phase three capabilities" (p. 11). See Technology and knowledge challenges.

A Moon Base payload with no phase, same subject (the wiki's link): LEMS-SP, selected through PRISM in September 2026, is "a long-term environmental and hazard monitoring station" with "a short‑period seismometer to detect seismic events", which "could deliver the critical hazard assessments needed to ensure the physical safety of Moon Base hardware". It is one station; this gap asks for "multiple locations". The release gives no site; "South Pole" is in the suite's name (PRISM release, "LEMS-SP").

Sources

Data gaps spreadsheet, DN-016 L · Users Guide, pp. 11–12 · ADD Rev C, p. 280