The 21st century Moon Rush is well underway! Phase one is closing, consisting of lunar orbiters and impacts that have mapped the vast resources available on the moon. Google Lunar X PRIZE teams are on the leading edge of the second phase, lunar landers and rovers for automated exploration of the moon. The contest requires a video survey, but to really provide value and spur commerce these missions should also prospect for resources that will make the moon a high value destination for all interested in lunar or space research exploration and development.

NASA demonstrated resource prospecting and extraction techniques a few years ago with their project RESOLVE (Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction experiment). In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), finding resources that can be used for life support and fuel, is the holy grail for manned space exploration. RESOLVE focused on three areas for dealing with lunar resources; excavating, handling, and moving lunar regolith, extracting oxygen from lunar regolith, and finding, characterizing, extracting, separating, and storing volatile lunar resources. Moonrush Phase one located resources, and as the leading edge of phase two, GLXP missions should include hardware and technology to demonstrate prospecting, handling or extraction of any of the resources that will be crucial to our survival on the moon and in space.

Demonstrating resources processing can be done by rovers or by the lunar landers. Providing on site validation , or ground truth of RESOLVE type technologies will be one of the highlights of our GLXP missions.