Lunar science has received a substantial boost as a result of global, integrative analyses of remote sensing and lunar sample data following the recent Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions. Spurred by these results, new missions to explore and characterize the Moon are now being implemented by the Japanese and European space agencies, and are being discussed in detail by several teams of U.S. scientists. A recent survey of scientific opinion conducted by the Space Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences (<http://www.nationala-cademies.org/ssb/newfrontiersfront.html>) indicates that enthusiasm is high in the United States for a return to the Moon in the near future.

To take advantage of this momentum, and to focus attention on the future of lunar science, a workshop titled “The Moon Beyond 2002: Next Steps in Lunar Science and Exploration” was recently held. Two questions were posed to attendees: What key questions should now be addressed to advance lunar science and exploration? And what actions should the planetary science community take to best address these questions?