HORUS (Hyper-effective nOise Removal U-net Software) is a cutting-edge AI tool designed to enhance Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) optical low-light imagery of the Moon's shadowed regions by removing most of the CCD-related and photon noise. For the first time, HORUS enables scientists and engineers to identify intra-shadow geologic features (craters, boulders, etc.) as small as 3 meters across, making this tool uniquely useful for applications such as geologic mapping, landing site selection, hazard recognition, and mission planning, directly supporting the robotic and crewed exploration of the Moon's south pole.

1. Peering into Lunar Shadowed Regions with Deep Learning
Bickel, V.T.1*; Moseley, B.2; Lopez-Francos3
1 ETH Zurich, CH
2 University of Oxford, UK
3 NASA Ames Research Center, USA
04/03/2022

2. HORUS genesis

3. Shackleton crater region, lunar south pole
21 km
Lunar south pole
Credits: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio / QuickMap / LROC
The lunar south pole: rewarding & challenging
S
PSR = Permanently Shadowed Region
TSR = Transiently Shadowed Region
TSR
PSR

4. Shackleton crater region, lunar south pole
21 km
Credits: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio / QuickMap / LROC
The lunar south pole: rewarding & challenging
S
PSR = Permanently Shadowed Region
TSR = Transiently Shadowed Region
TSR
PSR
Hayne et al. 2021

5. Shackleton crater region, lunar south pole
21 km
Credits: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio / QuickMap / LROC
The lunar south pole: rewarding & challenging
S
PSR = Permanently Shadowed Region
TSR = Transiently Shadowed Region
TSR
PSR
Hayne et al. 2021
SKG

6. Strategic knowledge gap (SKG)
What do we have?
- Low res laser altimeter data (LOLA)
- Low res, low-mid SNR optical images (long-exposure LROC & Kaguya)
- High res, low SNR optical images (short-exposure LROC)
What do we need?
- High res, high SNR optical images (post-processed short-exposure LROC)
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
30 m
Example

7. HORUS – unprecedented views into shadowed regions
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw NAC EDR
65 m
PSR
PSR PSR

8. HORUS – physical noise model
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Humm et al. (2016)
Robinson et al. (2009)
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU

9. HORUS – hybrid physical noise model
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Humm et al. (2016)
Robinson et al. (2009)
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU

10. HORUS – Step 1: remove sensor-related noise
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU

11. HORUS – Step 2: remove photon and residual noise
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU

12. HORUS – pipeline
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Moseley et al. (2020)

13. HORUS – training data selection & generation
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Moseley et al. (2020)

14. HORUS – training data selection & generation
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Moseley et al. (2020)

15. HORUS – results
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Moseley et al. (2020)

16. HORUS – results
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Moseley et al. (2020)

17. HORUS – results
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Moseley et al. (2020)

18. HORUS – validation (I)
Moseley et al. (2021)
Interested in the method?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Moseley et al. (2020)

19. HORUS – validation (II)
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)
Bickel et al. (2021)
Want to know more?

20. HORUS – validation (III)
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)
Bickel et al. (2021)
Want to know more?

21. HORUS – applications
PSR
Bickel et al. (2021)
Want to know more?
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)

22. Bickel et al. (2021)
(1) Traverse planning – Artemis 120 (VIPER study area) Want to know more?
Application
example
#1
PSR
TSR
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)

23. Bickel et al. (2021)
(2) Geologic & geomorphic mapping – C’ (Schrödinger vent) Want to know more?
Application
example
#2
outcrop
outcrop
PSR
TSR
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)

24. Bickel et al. (2021)
(2) Geologic & geomorphic mapping – C’ (Schrödinger vent) Want to know more?
Application
example
#2
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)

25. Bickel et al. (2021)
(3) Change detection – Artemis 004 Want to know more?
Application
example
#3
PSR
Raw image credits: NASA / LROC / GSFC / ASU
Bickel et al. (2021)

26. Bickel et al. (2021)
(4) Crater counting – Artemis 004 Want to know more?
Application
example
#4
~8.5 m
Bickel et al. (2021)

27. Summary Interested in the method? Want to know more?
HORUS
- ~ unlocks ~200,000 images over the north & south pole of the Moon (2009–today+)
- ~ provides high spatial (~1.5 m/pix) and temporal resolution (hours–years)
- ~ is able to provide information about large and small shadowed regions
- ~ is super fast (~30 sec/image) and can be applied to vast amounts of images
- ~ enables a significant number of science studies related to shadowed regions
- ~ can support planning and execution of future missions
Interested in HORUS? Let us know! bickel@vaw.baug.ethz.ch
SKG addressed by HORUS
Hayne et al. 2021

28. Q & A + Discussion Interested in the method? Want to know more?
What are your thoughts?
Any questions?
Do you want to test/deploy HORUS data?
Potential symbiosis with PROSPECT & EL3 & LSAS?