Description: Improve Lunar Digital Elevation Maps for Terrain Relative Navigation Systems and Hazard Detection.The project is developing processes for automatically otbaining the right types of orbital imagery and understand error sources to construct the best possible navigation maps for a given mission. The processes along with benchmark data sets will be shared w ith the public. The project is also developing software to generate synthetically enhanced lunar maps with lander-scale rocks of various types and sizes according to what is expected in particular lunar regions. The main contribution of the project is the combined knowledge of terrain relative navigation experts and lunar scientists who are familiar with both the lunar orbital imagery and the instruments that collected the data as well as how a TRN system utilizes map data. This knowledge comes in the form of published technical papers, benchmark map data sets for one example lunar landing scenario, and a few software tools that can help others automate the process of creating the necessary maps for their own landing sites in the future. There are 3 NASA centers participating in the project, and each center has its own native tools that have been modified or adapted for the purpose of generating lunar map products. The JPL tools are based on work performed for the Mars missions. Goddard has developed new tools for the purpose of cleaning up map errors and artifacts as well as improving map resolution. Additionally, TRN tools at Goddard that were originally developed for small body and asteroid missions have been adapted to be able to load large lunar map sets and run lunar landing scenarios. Ames has an open source tool called the Ames Stereopipeline, however running this tool requires a high level of expertise.

Benefits: Current Lunar Maps are not built for TRN purposes but for science. Several maps have missing data or artifacts that affect spacecraft position estimates. Correcting these Maps and mapping new areas and at higher resolutions will improve TRN systems for the Moon. Maps that are built specifically for TRN will yield more accurate navigation solutions. Maps that are specifically built with lander-scale features can be used in high-fidelity EDL simulations that have Hazard Detection systems onboard.The map products developed in this project will be a benchmark set of data that will be shared with the public so that NASA partners can leverage the process for how to find the necessary data and reduce uncertainty on their own navigation maps. The synthetically enhanced hazard detection maps will be shared with the public as examples of what to expect on the lunar surface in terms of lander-scale hazards for a variety of lunar regions. The project has also delivered and publicly released a technology transfer plan for the software tools needed to build TRN maps in the future.