Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

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For other uses, see LRO.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
LRO 2006.jpg
LRO spacecraft, artist's rendering
Operator NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Mission type Orbiter
Launch date 18 June 2009 21:32:00 UTC
Launch vehicle Atlas V 401
Launch site Space Launch Complex 41
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Mission duration one year, extended mission of up to five years
elapsed: 3 years, 11 months, and 26 days
Satellite of Earth's Moon
Orbits 30–70 km polar orbit, extended mission 30–216 km
COSPAR ID 2009-031A
Homepage http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Mass 1,846 kg
Power 1,850 W

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon on a low 50 km polar mapping orbit.[1] The LRO mission is a precursor to future manned missions to the Moon by NASA. To this end a detailed mapping program will identify safe landing sites, locate potential resources on the Moon, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.[2][3]

The probe will make a 3-D map of the Moon's surface and has provided some of the first images of Apollo equipment left on the Moon.[4][5] The first images from LRO were published on 2 July 2009, showing a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds).[6]

Launched on 18 June 2009,[7] in conjunction with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), as the vanguard of NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program,[8] this is the first United States mission to the Moon in over ten years.[9] LRO and LCROSS are the first missions launched as part of the United States's Vision for Space Exploration program.

The total cost of the mission is reported as US$583 million, of which $504 million pertains to the main LRO probe and $79 million to the LCROSS satellite.[10]

Contents

Mission[edit]

The Atlas V-Centaur rocket carrying the LRO and LCROSS.

Developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, LRO is a large (1,900 kg[10]) and sophisticated spacecraft planned to fly in a lunar polar orbit for a mission of one Earth year. An optional extended phase of the mission (up to five years) could provide a communications relay for future lunar ground missions, such as a Moon lander or rover.

After completing a preliminary design review in February 2006 and a critical design review in November 2006,[11] the LRO was shipped from Goddard Space Flight Center to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 11 February 2009.[12] Launch was planned for October 2008, but this slid to April as the spacecraft underwent testing in a thermal vacuum chamber.[13] Launch was rescheduled for June 17, 2009 because of the delay in a priority military launch,[14] and happened one day later, on June 18. The one-day delay was to allow the Space Shuttle Endeavour a chance to lift off for mission STS-127 following a hydrogen fuel leak that canceled an earlier planned launch.[15]

Areas of investigation include:[16]

  • Selenodetic global topography.
  • Characterization of deep space radiation in lunar orbit.
  • The lunar polar regions, including possible water ice deposits and the lighting environment. The lunar polar regions experience temperatures of −223 °C (−369.4 °F) and may be able to hold water ice.[17]
  • High-resolution mapping (max 0.5 metres (1.6 ft)) to assist in the selection and characterization of future landing sites.[18]

In addition, LRO has provided some of the first images of leftover Apollo equipment on the Moon.[4]

Payload[edit]

Onboard instruments.

The orbiter carries a complement of six instruments and one technology demonstration:

  • CRaTER—The primary goal of the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation is to characterize the global lunar radiation environment and its biological impacts.[19]
  • DLRE—The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment measures lunar surface thermal emission to provide information for future surface operations and exploration.[20]
  • LAMP—The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project peers into permanently shadowed craters in search of water ice, seeing by the ultraviolet light from stars and the interplanetary medium.[21]
  • LEND—The Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector provides measurements, create maps, and detect possible near-surface water ice deposits.[22]
  • LOLA—The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter investigation provides a precise global lunar topographic model and geodetic grid.
  • LROC—The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera addresses the measurement requirements of landing site certification and polar illumination.[23] LROC comprises a pair of narrow-angle cameras (NAC) and a single wide-angle camera (WAC). LROC has flown several times over the historic Apollo lunar landing sites at 31 miles (50 km) altitude; with the camera's high resolution, the lunar rovers and Lunar Module descent stages and their respective shadows will be clearly visible, along with other equipment previously left on the Moon. The mission is returning approximately 70–100 Terabytes of image data. It is expected that this photography will boost public acknowledgement of the validity of the landings, and further discredit Apollo conspiracy theories.[4]
  • Mini-RF—The Miniature Radio Frequency radar demonstrated new lightweight SAR and communications technologies and located potential water-ice.[24]

Names to the Moon[edit]

The microchip panel containing 1.6 million names.

Prior to the LRO's launch, NASA gave members of the public the opportunity to have their names placed in a microchip on the LRO. The deadline for this opportunity was 31 July 2008.[25] About 1.6 million names were submitted.[25][26] Notable names include the former president John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline.

Mission progress[edit]

Gnome globe current event.svg
 This article is outdated. Please update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2009)
In this image, the lower of the two green beams is from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's dedicated tracker.

On June 23, 2009, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered into orbit around the Moon after a four and a half day journey from the Earth. When launched, the spacecraft was aimed at a point ahead of the Moon's position. A mid-course correction was required during the trip in order for the spacecraft to correctly enter Lunar orbit. Once the spacecraft reached the far side of the Moon, its rocket motor was fired in order for it to be captured by the Moon's gravity into an elliptical lunar orbit.[27] A series of four rocket burns over the next four days put the satellite into its commissioning phase orbit where each instrument was brought online and tested. On September 15, 2009, the spacecraft started its primary mission by orbiting the Moon at about 50 kilometers (31 mi) for one year.[28] After completing its one-year exploration phase, in September 2010, LRO was handed over to NASA's Science Mission Directorate to continue the science phase of the mission.[29] It will continue in its 50 km circular orbit, but eventually will be transitioned into a fuel-conserving elliptical orbit for the remainder of the mission.

NASA's LCROSS mission culminated with two lunar impacts at approximately 4:30 a.m. PDT on October 9. [30]The goal of the impact was the search for water in the Cabeus crater near the Moon's south pole,[31] and preliminary results indicated the presence of both water and hydroxyl, an ion related to water.[32][33]

On Jan. 4, 2011, the Mini-RF instrument team for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) found that the Mini-RF radar transmitter had suffered an anomaly. Mini-RF has suspended normal operations. Despite being unable to transmit, the instrument is being used to collect bi-static radar observations using radar transmissions from the Earth. The Mini-RF instrument has already met its science mission success criteria by collecting more than 400 strips of radar data since September 2010.[34]

In January 2013 NASA tested one-way laser communication with LRO by sending an image of the Mona Lisa to the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument on LRO from the Next Generation Satellite Laser Ranging (NGSLR) station at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.[35]

Results[edit]

Alt text
LOLA data provides three complementary views of the near side of the moon: the topography (left) along with maps of the surface slope values (middle) and the roughness of the topography (right). All three views are centered on the relatively young impact crater Tycho, with the Orientale basin on the left side.

On 21 August 2009, the spacecraft, along with the Chandrayaan-1 orbiter, attempted to perform an bistatic radar experiment to detect the presence of water ice on the lunar surface.[36][37] [38]

On December 17, 2010, a topographic map of the Moon based on data gathered by the LOLA instrument was released to the public.[39] This is the most accurate topographic map of the Moon to date. It will continue to be updated as more data is acquired.

On March 15, 2011, the final set of data from the exploration phase of the mission was released to the NASA Planetary Data System. The spacecraft's seven instruments delivered more than 192 terabytes of data. LRO has already collected as much data as all other planetary missions combined.[40] This volume of data is possible because the Moon is so close and because LRO has its own dedicated ground station and doesn't have to share time on the Deep Space Network. Among the latest products is a global map with a resolution of 100 meters per pixel from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).

Imagery[edit]

  • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission photos

  • The spacecraft transmitted its first images of the lunar surface captured with the LROC that were activated on 2009-06-30.

  • LRO sees Apollo 11 landing site.

  • LRO sees Apollo 12 and Surveyor 3 landing site.

  • LRO sees Apollo 14 landing site.

  • LRO sees Apollo 15 landing site.

  • LRO sees Apollo 16 landing site.

  • LRO sees Apollo 17 landing site.

  • Close up of Apollo 17 Challenger descent stage

  • LRO sees Surveyor 1 landing site.

  • Composite photo of the near side of the Moon.

  • The far side of the Moon.

  • Tycho crater's central peak complex casts a long, dark shadow near local sunrise.


See also[edit]

Portal icon Spaceflight portal

References[edit]

  1. ^ Where is LRO right now? 
  2. ^ LRO Mission Overview, retrieved 2009-10-03 
  3. ^ "Mission design and operation considerations for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter" (PDF). Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved 2008-02-10. 
  4. ^ a b c Koczor, Ron (11 July 2005). "Abandoned Spaceships". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  5. ^ Garner, Robert (17 July 2009). "LROC images of Apollo sites". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  6. ^ Garner, Robert (2 July 2009). "LRO's First Moon Images". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  7. ^ "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Launch". Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved 2008-03-22. 
  8. ^ Mitchell, Brian. "Lunar Precursor Robotic Program: Overview & History". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  9. ^ Dunn, Marcia (18 June 2009). "NASA launches unmanned Moon shot, first in decade". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 August 2009. [dead link]
  10. ^ a b Harwood, William (18 June 2009). "Atlas 5 rocket launches NASA Moon mission". CNET Networks. Retrieved 18 June 2009. 
  11. ^ "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Successfully Completes Critical Design Review". 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2007-02-06. 
  12. ^ "NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Spacecraft Ships South In Preparation For Launch". Spaceref.com. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-02-13. 
  13. ^ NASA (October 23, 2008). "NASA's Next Moon Mission Begins Thermal Vacuum Test". PhysOrg.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09. 
  14. ^ Ray, Justin (April 1, 2009). "NASA's robotic return to the Moon delayed to June". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2009-08-09. 
  15. ^ Jim Loney, Sandra Maler, ed. (June 13, 2009). "Gas leak postpones space shuttle launch". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-08-09. 
  16. ^ Savage, Donald; Gretchen Cook-Anderson (2004-12-22). "NASA Selects Investigations for Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". NASA. 04-407. Retrieved 2006-05-18. 
  17. ^ "JPL Instrument Set for NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Spaceref.com. June 18, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-18. 
  18. ^ Klotz, Irene (18 June 2009). "NASA launches probes to scout the Moon". National Post. Retrieved 5 August 2009. [dead link]
  19. ^ "Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation". Boston University. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  20. ^ "Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment". UCLA. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  21. ^ Andrews, Polly. "The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project : Seeing in the Dark". Southwest Research Institute. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  22. ^ "Russian neutron detector LEND for NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter space mission". Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  23. ^ "The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera". Arizona State University. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  24. ^ Yan (19 June 2009). "Backgrounder: Introduction to LRO's instruments". Xinhua. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  25. ^ a b Spires, Shelby G. (3 May 2009). "We can't all go to Moon, but our names can". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  26. ^ Jenner, Lynn (9 June 2009). "1.6 Million Names to the Moon". NASA. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
  27. ^ "NASA Lunar Mission Successfully Enters Moon Orbit". NASA. 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2009-07-03. 
  28. ^ Tooley, Craig (August 14, 2009). "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". Retrieved 2009-08-22. 
  29. ^ Missions - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - NASA Science
  30. ^ "Water on The Moon, I. Historical Overview". Astronomical Review 6 (8): 4–20. October 2011. Bibcode:2011AstRv...6h...4C. Retrieved 2012-10-3. 
  31. ^ "A Flash of Insight: LCROSS Mission Update". NASA. 2008-08-11. 
  32. ^ "Astrobiology Top 10: LCROSS Confirms Water on the Moon". 2010-01-02. 
  33. ^ "Water and More: An Overview of LCROSS Imapct Results". 2009-12. 
  34. ^ NASA press release. "LRO Instrument Status Update - 01.11.11". Retrieved 12 April 2011. 
  35. ^ NASA Beams Mona Lisa to Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Moon
  36. ^ "NASA And ISRO Satellites Perform In Tandem To Search For Ice On The Moon". NASA. Retrieved 2009-08-22. 
  37. ^ "ISRO-NASA Joint Experiment To Search for Water Ice on the Moon". ISRO. 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-22. 
  38. ^ "Joint Experiment with Chandrayaan-1 and LRO Failed". Universe Today. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-26. 
  39. ^ "NASA's LRO Creating Unprecedented Topographic Map of Moon". 2010-12-17. 
  40. ^ NASA press release. "NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Delivers Treasure Trove of Data". Retrieved 12 April 2011. 

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