Planetary analog simulations are a powerful exercise for understanding the utility of deployable instruments, their operational protocols, and the visualization of data products during ExtraVehicular Activities (EVAs). This paper presents results of a field campaign by the Remote, In Situ and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration-2 (RISE2) team to Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico in March/April 2023 to test the utility of a portable thermal infrared (TIR) hyperspectral imager (HSI) during four EVA simulations. The HSI provides emitted radiance spectra from 7 to 14 µm to map composition, which aids in sample selection. Four pairs of analog astronauts performed a mock EVA at three stations with field deployable instruments including the HSI. The HSI was found to be a useful tool for performing reconnaissance observations, field site documentation, and sample selection for visibly indistinct materials. From these analog simulations we prioritize two recommendations for use of HSI in crewed missions. First, HSI-derived data products should be tailored for the specific science objectives and/or sampling objectives of the mission to expedite interpretation and decision-making. Second, pre-EVA reconnaissance using HSI data collected from a remotely operated rover could further enhance the usability of HSI products.

A map of surface molecular water was derived from long slit spectroscopy of the south polar region of the Moon using the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) spectrometer on the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Mean water abundances detected are about 250 µg/g over that of a mare reference surface at Mare Fecunditatis. Water abundances are locally anticorrelated with temperature and latitude. The distribution of water is consistent with derivation of water from pre-existing hydroxyl subsequently trapped in impact glass, provided hydroxyl increases with latitude as some models and measurements suggest. The detected water cannot be in equilibrium with the exosphere because insufficient water is present to maintain the surface abundance. The data are also consistent with a high latitude water-bearing mineral host that may be a precursor to recently detected high latitude hematite.

Prior to 2009, the Moon was believed to be anhydrous. However, observations by three spacecraft revealed a hydrated surface by reporting a 3 µm absorption band attributed to hydroxyl and possibly molecular water. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M) spectrometer, onboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is mainly used to study the lunar 3 µm band but its spectral range ends at 3 µm. The limited wavelength range of Mhas allowed observed variations in the 3 µm band to be called into question due to uncertainties in thermal corrections. To investigate the validity of variations in the lunar 3 µm band, we used the SpeX infrared spectrograph at the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility at Maunakea Observatory in Hawaiʻi. With SpeX, we are able to obtain lunar data over a wavelength range of 1.67 to 4.2 µm at 1 – 2 km spatial resolution. The long wavelengths provide strong constraints on thermal emission corrections. We confirm that the 3 µm band varies with lunar time of day as well as with latitude and composition. Each observation reveals strong variations in abundances of hydroxyl and possibly molecular water. The data reveal a decrease in abundance with increasing lunar local time, an asymmetric trend about the equator that favors the southern latitudes, and higher concentrations in highland regions. The longer wavelengths provided by SpeX have allowed us to examine variations in the 3 µm band and provide definitive evidence that the variations are due to changes in hydration.