While trying to assimilate as much information as possible on the Moon and assess the chances of a future landing in its south polar region, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena data analyze concluded that the region is far more rugged than thought and there are so many things scientists haven’t uncovered yet about the surface of Earth’s natural satellite.

With the help of the Goldstone Solar System Radar, located in the Mojave Desert, California, a spectacular alternation of deep craters and high peeks has been unveiled, in the highest resolution terrain mapping obtained so far (20 meters per pixel), about 50 times more detailed than previous versions.

Scientists last took detailed images of the Moon’s south polar region in 1994, with the help of the Clementine spacecraft that took images with 1 kilometer per pixel resolution. Fourteen years later, the resolution is 50 times more detailed, and will be even more detailed after the launch of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera in late 2008.

It’s not as good as actually being there, but this is an important step towards creating an ensemble picture of what to expect and what the best places for Moon landing could be. So far, the data unveiled a rough terrain, with contrasting features and incredible elevations and depressions. The peaks can reach up to 20,000 feet, while the craters beat the Grand Canyon, reaching up to 3 miles in depth.

What is incredible and intriguing at the same time is that the craters’ amazing depths offer endless possibilities of what could be out there, maybe reminiscences of frozen ice, that have been kept away from the heat of the Sun, which would give great hope for establishing a source of water and why not, oxygen and hydrogen.

The possibilities are endless, and researchers can’t wait for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera’s closer look on the Moon. The data will prove useful for both robotic operations and human missions on our planet’s natural satellite.

Image credits: NASA