• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.11-20
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• 2022

Planetary geotechnical investigation in charge of drilling and soil sampling is of a great importance in providing extraterrestrial geotechnical information. Extraterrestrial subsurface investigation, which includes drilling, soil sampling, and sample transportation, will be loaded in a lander or a rover. Scientists from all over the world are interested in the design and development of a drilling system with various functions due to potential applications in planetary surface exploration mission. However, it is difficult to build a fully functional drilling system in extreme environment conditions. This paper presents engineering considerations for the design and development of soil sampling including drilling and performance verification in extreme environment conditions in detail.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.19-33
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• 2022

Planarity geotechnical exploration missions were actively performed during the 1970s and there was a period of decline from the 1 990s to the 2000s because of budget. However, exploring space resources is essential to prepare for the depletion of Earth's resources in the future and explore resources abundant in space but scarce on Earth, such as rare earth and helium-3. Additionally, the development of space technology has become the driving force of future industry development. The competition among developed countries for exoplanet exploration has recently accelerated for the exploration and utilization of space resources. For these missions and resource exploration/mining, geotechnical exploration is required. There have been several missions to explore exoplanet ground, including the Moon, Mars, and asteroids. There are Apollo, LUNA, and Chang'E missions for exploration of the Moon. The Mars missions included Viking, Spirit/Opportunity, Phoenix, and Perseverance missions, and the asteroid missions included the Hayabusa missions. In this study, space planetary mineral resource exploration technologies are explained, and the future technological tasks of Korea are described.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.55-57
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• 2017

Presently, the number of known asteroids is more than 710,000. Knowledge of size and albedo is essential in many aspects of asteroid research, such as the chemical composition and mineralogy, the size-frequency distribution of dynamical families, and the relationship between small bodies in the outer solar system or comets. Recently, based on the infrared all-sky survey data obtained by IRAS, AKARI, and WISE, the large asteroid catalogs containing size and albedo data have been constructed. In this paper, we discuss the compositional distribution in the main belt regions based on the compiled data on size, albedo, and separately obtained taxonomic type information.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.55.3-55.3
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• 2019

우리나라 최초의 우주탐사 프로그램인 Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO)는 1년의 임무기간동안 달과 달 주변의 우주환경에 대한 과학탐사 임무를 수행할 예정이다. 이를 위해서 1개에 기술 검증장비와 고해상도 카메라를 포함한 5개의 과학장비를 탑재할 예정이다. 이 중 고해상도 카메라인 LUTI(LUnar Terrain Imager)와 국내에서 개발한 3개의 과학탑재체(KGRS;감마선분광기, KMAG;자기장측정기, PolCam;광시야 편광카메라)가 획득한 과학자료는 일정기간(통상 1년)동안 비공개로 검보정이 이루어진 후 일반에게 공개(Public release)할 예정이다. 이러한 과학자료의 공개와 관리를 위해서 한국항공우주연구원은 KPLO 심우주 지상시스템 내에 과학자료의 공개 및 관리를 위한 KARI Planetary Data System(KPDS)을 개발하고 있다. KPDS는 미국 NASA의 PDS에서 개발하여 유럽, 일본 등에서 이미 행성탐사 과학자료의 표준으로 활용하고 있는 PDS4 표준을 준수하는 과학자료를 제공할 것이다. 본 발표를 통해서 KPDS의 운영개념과 과학자료 관리계획, 그리고 KPDS의 개발현황을 천문학계와 공유하여 KPLO에 의해서 획득된 과학자료가 많은 과학자들이 활용하여 높은 과학적 성과를 낼 수 있기를 기대한다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.375-380
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• 2012

It is a crucial matter to select a landing site for landers or rovers in planning the Mars exploration. The landing site must have not only a scientific value as a landing site, but also geographical features to lead a safe landing for Mars probes. In this regard, this study analyzed landing site of Mars probes and rovers in previous studies and discussed the adequacy of the landing site to scientific missions. Moreover, this study also examined domestic studies on the Mars. The frameworks of these studies will guide the selection of exploration sites and a landing site when sending Mars probe to the Mars through our own efforts. Additionally, this paper will be used as the preliminary data for selection of exploration site and a landing site.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.131-148
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• 2023

Lunar permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) never see direct sunlight and are illuminated only by secondary illumination - light reflected from nearby topography. The ShadowCam imaging experiment onboard the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter is acquiring images of these PSRs. We characterize and discuss the nature of secondary illumination for the Shackleton PSR from ShadowCam radiance-calibrated images. We also use modeling to understand the magnitude and direction of the secondary illumination. Results from our analysis highlight the non-homogeneous, dynamic, and complex nature of PSR secondary lighting. Knowledge of the direction of the secondary illumination is crucial for reli-able interpretation of contrasts observed in ShadowCam images. This preliminary analysis of the floor of Shackleton crater from images acquired over multiple secondary illumination conditions does not reveal indications of exposed surface ice, even though temperatures are constantly below 110K.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.331-335
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• 2017

We present project updates of the next-generation infrared space mission SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics) as of November 2015. SPICA is optimized for mid- and far-infrared astronomy with unprecedented sensitivity, which will be achieved with a cryogenically cooled (below 8 K), large (2.5 m) telescope. SPICA is expected to address a number of key questions in various fields of astrophysics, ranging from studies of the star-formation history in the universe to the formation and evolution of planetary systems. The international collaboration framework of SPICA has been revisited. SPICA under the new framework passed the Mission Definition Review by JAXA in 2015. A proposal under the new framework to ESA is being prepared. The target launch year in the new framework is 2027/28.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1013-1020
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• 2020

Spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SIBS) utilizes an electric spark to induce a strong plasma for collecting atomic emissions. This study analyses the potential for usinga compact SIBS instead of conventional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in discriminating rocks and soils for planetary missions. Targeting bulky solids using SIBS has not been successful in the past, and therefore a series of optimizations of electrode positioning and electrode materials were performed in this work. The limit of detection (LOD) was enhanced up to four times compared to when LIBS was used, showing a change from 78 to 20 ppm from LIBS to SIBS. Because of the higher energy of plasma generated, the signal intensity by SIBS was higher than LIBS in three orders of magnitude with the same spectrometer setup. Changing the electrode material and locating the optimum position of the electrodes were considered for optimizing the current SIBS setup being tested for samples of planetary origin.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.507-512
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• 2017

For manned planetary exploration, human beings are developing technologies that can permanently reside on the planet, and the basic three elements of residence, such as clothing and shelter, are required to support essential technologies in construction. In order to develop infrastructure construction technology internationally, various materials and methods such as local cementation, sulfur and aluminum have been tried. in this study, a purpose is proposed a polymer concrete construction validation technology that appropriates the conditions required for manmade exploration in order to develop construction infrastructure material technology using polymer. Concrete specimens with a 10% weight ratio polymer prepared by heating on the bottom were stabilized after 2 hours of heating, and the strength was lower than the top heating method, but the solidifying speed was 2 times faster. These results are expected to be applicable not only to construction of lunar facilities for manned exploration but also to improve the construction of infrastructures such as roads and levees to prevent dust.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.211-219
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• 2016

Korea's lunar exploration project includes the launching of an orbiter, a lander (including a rover), and an experimental orbiter (referred to as a lunar pathfinder). Laser altimeters have played an important scientific role in lunar, planetary, and asteroid exploration missions since their first use in 1971 onboard the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon. In this study, a laser altimeter was proposed as a scientific instrument for the Korean lunar orbiter, which will be launched by 2020, to study the global topography of the surface of the Moon and its gravitational field and to support other payloads such as a terrain mapping camera or spectral imager. This study presents the baseline design and performance model for the proposed laser altimeter. Additionally, the study discusses the expected performance based on numerical simulation results. The simulation results indicate that the design of system parameters satisfies performance requirements with respect to detection probability and range error even under unfavorable conditions.