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Workshop Agenda - Technologies to Fill Observation & Capability Gaps for the Off-World Mineral Resource Economy

NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are hosting an invitational workshop intended to inform the development of new technologies to detect and assess off-world mineral resources, as well as to identify alignments with advanced terrestrial applications.

Topics that will be covered in the meeting include:

  1. Observation and capability gaps that hinder mineral resource detection and assessment.
  1. Technology needs that can help meet the goals of NASA’s Artemis efforts.

 

Tuesday, April 11 Schedule:



08:15-08:30 Welcome and Introductions: Dave Korsmeyer, Deputy Center Director for Research and Technology, NASA Ames

Laying the Groundwork for a New Space Economy using Off-World Resources (MC: Stock)

08:30-08:45 Alexander Macdonald, NASA: Agency Perspectives on the Potential of Space Resources

08:45-09:00 Sarah Ryker, USGS: National Critical Minerals Strategy

09:00-09:15 Doug Hollet, DOE/INL: National Energy Needs for Critical Minerals and the Future of Mining

Observation needs for mineral detection and assessment on Earth (MC: Williams)

09:15-09:30 Marina Costelloe, Geoscience Australia: Exploring for the Future – Off World Exploration

09:30-09:45 Colin Williams, USGS: USGS Mineral Resource Perspectives

09:45-10:00 Darcy McPhee, USGS: USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative

 

10:00-10:15 Break

 

Lunar observation gaps (MC: Jennifer Heldman)

10:15-10:30 Laszlo Kestay, USGS: Lunar or planetary observation gaps

10:30-10:45 Julie Kleinhenz, NASA: Observations gaps from an ISRU perspective

10:45-11:00 Jennifer Heldman, NASA: Lunar resource observation gaps

11:00-11:15 Kevin Cannon, Colorado School of Mines: Models for Off-World ice distribution

11:15-11:30 Blair DeWitt, Lunar Station: Models for Off-World ice distribution

 

11:30-12:30 Lunch break, onsite

 

Laying the Groundwork for a New Space Economy using Off-World Resources (Cont.) (MC: Rasky)

12:30-13:00 Bhavya Lal, NASA: Agency Strategy for off World Resources

Enabling technology needs for mineral detection and assessment (MC: Stock)

13:00-13:15 Amy Gartman, USGS: Marine mineral resource observation gaps

13:15-13:30 Robert Woodcock, CSIRO: EASI, a high-performance data analytics platform designed for resource modeling and analysis

13:30-13:45 Burke Minsley, USGS: Geophysical techniques

13:45-14:00 Graham Mackintosh: AI/ML and Geospatial tools to improve interpretation of data

 



14:00-14:15 Break

 

A look ahead at emerging technology applications (MC: Stock)

14:15-14:30 Michelle Keegan, AROSE: Exploring New Frontiers: Re-thinking Resource Development

14:30-14:45 Michael Biercuk, Q-CTRL: Quantum sensors

14:45-15:00 Matthew Pearson, Fleet Space: Scalable Exploration Tools for Earth and Space

15:00-15:15 Mahta Moghaddam, USC: GPR tomography

15:15-15:30 Dave Alfano, NASA: Autonomy

15:30-15:45 Samuel Forbes, Fugro: Role of Concepts of Operation in Exploration

 

15:45-16:00 Break

 

16:00-16:15 Introduction to Breakout Groups (Stock)

Goal of Breakouts: Write down in table form the observation and capability gaps in sufficient detail that we can identify specific technologies or technology improvements needed to close them.

16:15-17:15 Breakout 1: Defining observation gaps using ore body spatial and concentration requirements (Leads: Callum Walters, Michelle Keegan)

16:15-17:15 Breakout 2: Defining enabling technology needs-AI/ML, Platforms and autonomy (Leads: Graham Mackintosh, Dave Alfano)

17:15-17:45 Oral presentations from Breakouts

 

17:45-19:00 Social at The Ameswell Hotel, 800 Moffett Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043

Lunar Product derived from the LOLA archive of the PDS IMG Node
Lunar Product derived from the LOLA archive of the PDS IMG Node.