Integrating Past and Future Lunar Sample Data at the Astromaterials Data System

Abstract:

Thousands of geochemical, petrological, and geochronological studies have been conducted on Apollo samples since they became available to the science community, producing a treasure trove of data that hold a huge potential for future discoveries. Several years ago, the MoonDB project compiled data from >800 publications in order to make the data accessible in a way that lends itself to advanced data mining. The MoonDB data collection has recently become part of the Astromaterials Data System, a new facility funded by NASA’s Johnson Space Center, to build and operate a comprehensive data system for all analytical data generated from JSC’s astromaterials collections. AstroMat ensures long-term preservation and access of analytical data for samples curated at JSC and provides a context-rich searchable database of the data offering for the first time the ability to easily compare analytical data across diverse extraterrestrial collections, thus facilitating the study of comparative planetology.

AstroMat serves as a comprehensive data management solution that ensures persistent online access, archiving, and exploration of analytical data generated by the study of all JSC astromaterial collections for the benefit of future science. Currently no equivalent data system exists for the astromaterial collections curated by NASA-JSC. Focus will initially be on geochemical, mineralogical, and geochronological data, but content will be extended later to include additional data types.

AstroRepo provides repository services for user-submitted digital content from astromaterials research supporting investigators in sharing their data and complying with funders’ and publishers’ policies for FAIR data. Submitted data is registered with Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and long-term archived, following the established procedures and policies of the EarthChem Library that comply with international standards for Trusted Repositories.