Introduction


Neil Armstrong becomes the first man on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.Source.

Humankind’s first missions to outer space – with the then ambitious goal of someday landing on the moon – were a testament to man’s intellectual prowess and desire to gain knowledge through exploration. With the success of the Apollo 11 mission that placed Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface in 1969 [1], the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as well as the rest of the world has since greatly benefited from the “giant leap for mankind”. In present day, the advancements that people have made in exploring beyond the Earth’s atmosphere are incredible. Owing to the introduction of the International Space Station (ISS) more than a decade ago [2] for instance, citizens from 16 nations around the globe have been combining efforts and resources in order to form a more unified, knowledgeable base for scientific research. Projects such as the Hubble Telescope [3] have also opened windows to the rest of the galaxy, providing answers as well as new questions, and inspiring awe during the process.

But while people – by way of robots such as the Mars Exploration Rovers [4] – have been venturing farther into the vast depths of the solar system, has the Moon and it’s value to science been forgotten? With NASA’s new Vision for Space Exploration program [5], which seeks for a “return to the moon”, the answer is no. Scientists have long realized the Moon’s potential to become a base in which the fusion power source Helium-3 could be mined [6], and its proximity to Earth makes the Moon a rational first step in extraterrestrial colonization. Yet before any humans are ready for a long-term lunar visit, the presence of water must be validated, as it is a basic need of life and can be converted into oxygen, drinking water, and rocket fuel [7]. This paper proposes a mission in which a robotic swarm searches the Moon’s South Pole Aitken Basin for evidence of water particles.