Category Archives: LRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 June 2016

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LRO Continues Intense Reconnaissance Of Moon

LED-6-10-16

Flagship NASA Lunar Mission Will Enter Its 8th Year In Lunar Orbit 23 June As It Continues Highly Elliptical Polar Trajectory Observing Moon With Variety Of Onboard Instruments; SwRI Team Including Senior Research Scientist Kathleen Mandt Published Finding In Icarus Journal Identifying Geologically Young Craters Via Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) Instrument & Mini-RF Radar Data; One Crater Estimated At Just 16 Million Years Old, Others Between 75-420 Million Years

Credit: NASA, SwRI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 May 2016

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6 Current Moon Craft Operated Solely By China And NASA

China NASA 2016 Moon Craft

2017 Brings Hope For 1st Commercial Moon Missions, India Chandrayaan-2 & China Chang’e-5 Sample Return, While NASA LRO Continues Collecting Data On Lunar Poles, New Surface Features – Will Enter 8th Year At Moon 23 June, Data Release #26 Upcoming; NASA ARTEMIS 1 & 2 Studying Moon Plasma Wake & Solar Wind Interactions, To Enter 6th Year At Moon In July; China Chang’e-3 Lander & Yutu Rover At Guang Han Gong, 44.12°N 19.51°W To Celebrate Start Of 4th Year On Surface 14 Dec; Chang’e-5T1 Service Module Almost 17 Months In Orbit, Continues Observations / Tests For Future Landing Missions

Credit: NASA, GSFC, CNSA, CSA, NAOC, CCTV

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 May 2016

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LRO Greatly Advancing Lunar Knowledge, Up For 2 Year Extension In September

LED-5-13-16

In Moon Orbit Longer Than Any Other Spacecraft LRO Continues Intensive Study From Highly Elliptical Path Flying As Low As 20km Over South Pole Every 117.2 Minutes; Noah Petro (Lunar Geologist) Studying Evolution Of Moon Today And Over Last Billion Years And John Keller (LRO Project Scientist) Examining Polar-Crater Water-Ice Deposits, Both At NASA GSFC, Are Among Thousands Of Scientists Worldwide Who Pour Over Data Releases From 7 Onboard Instruments; Project Team Has Requested Extension From NASA

Credit: GSFC, NASA

Wednesday / 11 May 2016

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Europe Focuses On Lunar Exploration And Moon Village

4th European Lunar Symposium 18-19 May At The Dutch Royal Academy Of Arts And Sciences, Amsterdam (TR), The Netherlands Is Co-Organized By NASA SSERVI; Inaugural Lecture On LRO ‘Seven Years Exploring The Moon’; A “Moon Village” Workshop Occurs At Nearby ESTEC (BL) 19-20 May To Expand, Enhance And Refine This Primary Initiative Of ESA Director General Jan Woerner Who Is Determined To Help Establish A Permanent International Outpost At Moon As Next Major Step For Global Space Endeavor Beyond ISS

Credit: SSERVI, NASA, ESA, ESTEC

Friday / 22 April 2016

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LRO Providing Critical Information & Inspiration For New Wave Of Lunar Progress

LED-4-21-16

Flying 20 Km Over South Pole, 165k Km Over North Pole In Elliptical Orbit; LRO Providing Highest Resolution Data Ever, At A Rate Of ~440 Gigabits Image Data Per Day; Thomas R. Watters, LRO Co-Investigator And Senior Scientist At Smithsonian NASM, Notes The Narrow Angle Camera Instrument Alone Has Returned Well Over 1 Million Images, “More Digital Data Than Every Other Planetary Mission”; Resurgence Of Lunar Interest For National Space Agencies, Commercial Enterprises, Individuals Across The Globe

Credit: NASA.

New Year / Holiday Edition
Fri / 18 Dec 2015 – Mon / 4 Jan 2016

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New Earthrise Photo From Moon Reaffirms Human Achievements & Prompts Next Steps Looking, Heading Into Milky Way Galaxy

12192015_2Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Continues To Gather Invaluable Data Solidifying Human Quest To Explore & Discover More About Earth, Moon, Solar System, Galaxy & Beyond; Photo Pays Tribute To Image Taken During Apollo 8 In Lunar Orbit On 24 Dec 1968 By Astronaut Anders; Composite Of Images Taken With LRO High-Resolution Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) In B&W Along With Wide Angle Camera (WAC) In Color ~134km Above Moon Farside Compton Crater While Traveling 1,600 Meters Per Second (Relative To The Lunar Surface); LRO Scheduled To Continue Through 2017; After Decades Of Viewing Earth From Moon, Next Inspiration Should Come From The Galaxy And Our Future Among The Stars

Pictured: Apollo 8 Crew (L-R) James A. Lovell Jr., command module pilot; William A. Anders, lunar module pilot; and Frank Borman, commander.

Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 2 December 2015

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Delivering Four Billion Measurements And Counting

1222015In Year 7, LRO Continues To Provide Information Useful For Decades Of Future Human Exploration; LRO Deputy PI Benjamin Greenhagen Comments “We Honor The Moon As A Global Scientific Legacy”; Data Reveals 5 Key Lessons According To B. Dorminey (Forbes Article): Recent Volcanic Activity Confirmed By Interior Temperature & Cooling Implies Moon Is Likely Still Tectonically Active; Lunar Surface Shows Extreme Temperature Variations Of –247 °C In Permanently Shadowed Regions To +123 °C In Areas Exposed To Up To 243 Consecutive Days Of Sunlight; Moon May Hold Water / Other Volatiles Useful For Life-Support As Well As Other Resource Utilization Potentials; Moon South Pole Aitken Basin Offers Potential Samples Of Lunar Rock Originating From Interior Mantle; LRO Radiation Measurements Could Help Minimize Future Human Moon & Deep Space Exploration Hazards

Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, LRO, LPI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 November 2015

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LRO Successfully Operating In 7th Year,
Funded Until Oct 2016

11212015Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) In Elliptical Polar Orbit (20km S Pole x 165km N Pole) With Period Of ~113 Minutes; Arizona State University (ASU) Currently Reviewing LRO Camera (LROC) Data / Images Of Mare Vaporum Dome (16.64°N, 3.22°E); LROC Identifying Possible Resources, Hazards & Potential Landing Sites; LRO Total Data Output Over Lifetime Is More Than 655.6 Terabytes As Stated By LRO Education & Public Outreach Lead Director Andrea Jones; Data Release 24 Expected Dec 2015 Covering Jun – Sep

Credit: NASA GSFC, ASU

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 30 Oct – 2 Nov 2015

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Prolific Accumulation Of LRO Data To Aid Science, Enhance Culture & Guide Future Exploration

LED-10-30-15

LRO In Elliptical Orbit Flying Just 20km Above South Pole, Area Of Very High Interest; Immense Data Resources Include Satellite Tool Kit Real-Time Visualization Display System, ACT-React QuickMap, CRaTER Live Sonification Design Project; Solar Powered Spacecraft Preparing For Next Eclipse 23 Mar 2016, After Successfully Navigating 3 Over Last 1.5 Years; Deputy Project Scientist Noah Petro Describes Eclipse Challenges: Loss Of Photo-Voltaic Power Generation, Temperature Drop Of Nearly 138°C In Only Minutes

Credit: NASA / GSFC

Tuesday / 27 October 2015

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USGS Lunar Maps Using LRO Reveal Data ‘Contrary To Conventional Wisdom’

10272015Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Providing Mosiac Map With Data From Wide Angle Camera & Topographic Data With Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA); Dr. Mark Robinson, ASU Professor & LRO Camera PI States “Images From The LRO Camera Have Greatly Advanced Our Knowledge Of The Moon” & Images Reveal Volcanic Activity Younger Than Previously Thought; LOLA Gathering Topographic Data; Co-Investigator Dr. Erwan Mazarico Comments “The LOLA Data Are A Foundational Dataset To Be Used In Multiple Types Of Studies For Years To Come”; Maps Indicate Elevation Areas – Highest Point Near Engel’gradt Crater (200° E Longitude, +6° Latitude) & Lowest Area Within Moon South Pole-Aitken Basin Near 188° E Longitude, -70° Latitude

Credit: USGS/NASA/ASU