Morphometric properties of the CP-21 landing site on the Moon at Mons Gruithuisen Gamma
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Abstract
Characterizing terrain surface properties is an essential step in assessing the feasibility of landing successfully at a location on a planetary surface. Slopes and terrain ruggedness index (TRI) values derived from high-resolution (2 m pixel−1) digital terrain models provided important constraints in selecting the landing site for the upcoming Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon program as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order CP-21 mission. The selected landing site needed to balance safety requirements with the ability to achieve the science and exploration goals of the Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer payload. In this study, we compare several morphometric parameters in the context of the CP-21 landing site on Mons Gruithuisen Gamma, or the Gamma dome, and quantify the information they convey about lunar surface properties to assess their utility for future landing site evaluation. TRI was found to be a useful metric for assessing landing site safety. Metrics that better decouple slope and surface roughness, the vector ruggedness measure and the standard deviation of slope, provided additional information about surface characteristics and textures such as the degree to which roughness is isotropic.
Suggested Citation
Williams, J., Valencia, S., Bennett, K.A., Landis, M., Donaldson Hanna, K.L., Dove, A.T., O'Brien, P., Denevi, B.W., Hagerty, J., Hardgrove, C., Hayne, P.O., LaMee, A., Prettyman, T.H., Shirley, K.A., Siegler, M.A., and Sunshine, J.M., 2026, Morphometric properties of the CP-21 landing site on the Moon at Mons Gruithuisen Gamma: Planetary Science Journal, v. 7, no. 4, 78, 9 p., https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ae523b.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Morphometric properties of the CP-21 landing site on the Moon at Mons Gruithuisen Gamma |
| Series title | Planetary Science Journal |
| DOI | 10.3847/PSJ/ae523b |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication Date | April 14, 2026 |
| Year Published | 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Astronomical Society |
| Contributing office(s) | Astrogeology Science Center |
| Description | 78, 9 p. |
| Other Geospatial | Moon, Mons Gruithuisen Gamma |