Advances in lunar exploration detectors

Due to the rapid development of modem science and technology, many advanced sensors have been put into use to explore our solar system, including the Moon. With the help of those detectors, we can retrieve more information to about the Moon's composition and evolution. The Clementine (January, 1994), Lunar Prospector (January, 1998) and especially Smart-1 (September, 2003) launched successively have demonstrated the next-generation planet exploration techniques. Now China has decided to send a probe to the Moon. So it is necessary to overview the development of detectors used for the scientific observation of the Moon. In this paper, some main instruments used to acquire geochemistry information are described, which include UV-VIS-NIR CCD imaging spectroscope, neutronray, gamma-ray, and X-ray spectrometers. Moreover, the payloads of China's first lunar satellite are introduced briefly.