LAVA TUBE ICE DISCRIMINATION USING LASER REMOTE SENSING DATA

Pyroducts, also known as lava tubes, are caves created by lava flows underneath the Earth’s surface and remote sensing images show that lava tubes are also found on the Moon and Mars. Geologically, these caves appear to have similar morphologies as those on Earth. Due to the lack of sunlight and limited radiation exposure, these lava tubes are promising natural habitats for future human exploration on the Moon and Mars. The stable conditions within the lava tubes may also lead to the accumulation of volatiles such as water ice, which have value both scientifically and as resources. Laser remote sensing tools allow for precise elevation and topographic measurements, and are the tool of choice for mapping terrestrial lava tubes (Sauro et al., 2020). NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 ( ICESat-2) is an orbital laser altimeter that measures the elevation of ice terrains here on Earth. This project aims to use orbital data collected by ICESat-2 to distinguish icy deposits from basalt morphologies on the surface. If these surface deposits can be identified using ICESat-2, these deposits can similarly be mapped within lava tubes on the Moon and Mars using the same technique. Laser altimeters and terrestrial laser scanners can collect precise measurements by sending a laser pulse to a location that is then reflected to the instrument. The time it takes for the pulse to return is used to calculate the elevation of the surface. The range to the surface, combined with the return signal strength, gives a measure of the surface reflectance from which ice and basaltic morphologies can be distinguished. Identifying ice within lava tubes on the Moon and Mars could mean having access to water, fuel production, the potential discovery of microbial lifeforms, and many benefits for human occupancy such as radiation protection.