#LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER SERIES#

On December 17, 2010, the most accurate topographic map of the Lunar surface to date was released to the public. On July 2, 2009, the first images from LRO were published, showing a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium. LRO continued its 50 km circular orbit but eventually transitioned into an elliptical orbit that would conserve fuel for the remainder of the mission. LRO began its primary science phase after completing its one-year exploration phase in September 2010. The spacecraft started its primary mission on September 15, 2009, when it began orbiting the Moon at an approximate distance of 50 km (31 mi). Each instrument was brought online and tested during this time.

#LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER SERIES#

A series of rocket burns put LRO into commissioning phase orbit. A mid-course correction was needed during the journey for the spacecraft to enter Lunar orbit correctly. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered into Lunar orbit on June 23, 2009, after a four-and-a-half-day journey. The two spacecrafts were launched as part of the Space Exploration program. LRO launched in conjunction with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) on June 18, 2009, making LRO the first mission to the Moon for the United States in over ten years. The primary goals of these additions the following: to characterize the global lunar radiation environment and its biological impacts to measure lunar surface thermal emission to provide future surface operations and exploration information to look into craters that are permanently shrouded in darkness in search of water ice using ultraviolet light and hydrogen atoms to provide measurements, create maps, and detect possible near-surface water ice deposits to provide a precise global lunar topographic model and geodetic grid to address the measurement requirements of landing site certification and polar illumination to demonstrate new lightweight SAR and communications technologies and locate potential water-ice. The orbiter carries six scientific instruments and one technology demonstration. Its detailed mapping program locates potential resources on the Moon and identifies safe landing sites. Data collected by LRO has essential in planning future human and robotic missions to the Moon.

“The precision of this one measurement has the potential to refine our understanding of gravity and the evolution of the solar system,” Xiaoli Sun, a Goddard planetary scientist who helped design LRO’s reflector, told NASA.The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a robotic orbiter operated by NASA that is currently mapping the Moon. However, confirming that hypothesis will require more precise measurements - and the continued success of laser experiments involving the LRO, or reflecting panels installed on the Moon during future missions. But inside of that fluid could lie a solid core - one that might’ve helped to generate the Moon’s now-extinct magnetic field. By measuring tiny wobbles as the Moon rotates, past laser experiments revealed that the satellite has a fluid core. More precise laser experiments could also help scientists learn more about the moon’s core.

They could then account for these discrepancies in their models. If scientists find discrepancies between the data sent back by the LRO reflector and those on the lunar surface, it could reveal what’s causing the lunar reflectors to become less efficient. That’s where the recent LRO laser experiment comes in.

Lunar reconnaissance orbiter