Abstract
In 2009, the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE, nicknamed Kaguya) discovered a vertical hole of 〜60 m diameter and 〜50 m depth in the Marius Hills region on the Moon. After the discovery of the Marius Hills Hole (MHH), two other more gigantic holes were discovered by a global survey executed by the SENENE team. The vertical holes were likely formed by volcanic activities or tectonic processes such as skylight formation on lava tubes, from the terrestrial analogues. The indicative evidence of the existence of subsurface void spaces associating with the holes was indeed acquired by the US LRO later. Similar vertical holes have been discovered on the Mars. Various important knowledge of science on the Moon, the solar system, and extra-terrestrial life will be obtained by direct in-situ explorations into the lunar holes and their associating subsurface void space. However, the exploration of the holes and underlying subsurface voids require a system with the state of art which can overcome difficulties, such as the descent into the floors of the holes studded with boulders and the travel into the dark void spaces hidden from the lunar surface. We have studied on the exploration system by applying space robotics technology. We report the exploration system design, operational scenario in this paper.
