The moon, near earth asteroids (neas), and the martian moons phobos and deimos are all sservi target bodies as they present a wide variety of natural wonders and are potential hosts to resources…

This federal contract award, titled "Geophysical Exploration of the Dynamics and Evolution of the Solar System (GEODES)", was issued by a civilian federal agency to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The $6,517,188 cooperative agreement aims to explore natural resources on the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), and the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos through multidisciplinary geophysical investigations. The goal is to enable in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) of these solar system bodies for critical resources like lava tubes, icy deposits, regolith, and geologically recent volcanism. UMD has expertise in orbital geophysics and field geophysical techniques required for future space exploration. The award is not set aside for any specific business type, indicating UMD's competitiveness across multiple technical domains. UMD is a subsidiary of the University System of Maryland (USM), which has a history of federal contract and grant awards supporting government initiatives in areas like telecommunications, IT services, and research collaborations.

The moon, near earth asteroids (neas), and the martian moons phobos and deimos are all sservi target bodies as they present a wide variety of natural wonders and are potential hosts to resources that will one day enable human exploration of the solar system. Our research program, geophysical exploration of the dynamics and evolution of the solar system (geodes) will explore a suite of natural resources on these bodies through multidisciplinary geophysical investigations. Geophysical methods have been incredibly successful in identifying resources on earth as they provide a means of characterizing and mapping the sub-surface using data gathered on and above the surface. We focus our geophysical investigations on four essential resources that will enable future human space exploration: .1. Lava tubes and void spaces, capable of hosting people and infrastructure .2. ICY deposits, that can be used for volatile extraction .3. Regolith, which may be a building material but also presents a hazard to human and robotic health .4. Geologically recent volcanism, tectonism, and impacts, which mobilize, concentrate, and trap volatiles and unique rock chemistries. .the unifying goal of geodes is to enable in-situ resource utilization (isru) of these solar system bodies for these natural resources. The reason geophysical methods have been so successful in identifying resources on earth is that these methods provide a means of characterizing and mapping the sub-surface using data gathered on and above the surface. Our broad team has expertise in orbital geophysics and field geophysical techniques that will be required for future space exploration. .currently there are gaps in our understanding of how most effectively to use these geophysical methods for site evaluation on sservi target bodies, including the moon, near earth asteroids (neas), and the moons of mars. Which geophysical methods are most effective for characterization of specific resource targets and what are the resolutions of these methods? How can we efficiently reduce uncertainties in resource exploration and isru through application of diverse geophysical methods in integrated exploration surveys? For each resource theme, which surveys should be done as part of site evaluation and characterization, and in what order? What modeling approaches will make the best use of these extremely valuable, and costly, geophysical data to maximize information gain? Our investigations will approach each resource-theme from "orbit to outcrop" by analyzing existing geophysical data and models for sservi target bodies and through geophysical exploration of field analog sites on earth where similar resources are found. Analog sites on earth will be used by the geodes team to develop for each theme (a) exploration strategies, (b) methods of integrating multiple geophysical methods, and (c) modeling capability to efficiently characterize resources. The time is right for the geodes project because we are well-positioned to take advantage of rapid improvements in automated geophysical data collection, leading to vastly improved resolution of geophysical anomalies, and much more efficient geophysical modeling capability than previously available. .geodes will be dedicated to supporting and expanding the goals and resources of sservi as a virtual institute. Geodes will conduct in-person and virtual workshops to train the next generation of researchers in geophysical data processing, data analysis, and modeling using computer codes developed by the earth geophysics community. Geodes will engage the public through an active online presence, public geophysics demonstrations, and development of science activation resources. Geodes will partner with existing sservi teams that also investigate one or more of the natural resources from different science perspectives to enhance our ability to forge methods to enable future space exploration at the moon, neas, and the moons of mars. .