Photo: ASU/NASA
At the time of writing, America is getting ready to get back to the Moon, with people, thanks to the ambitious Artemis program that may also kickstart our efforts to reach Mars. As it stands, the program is still to officially kick off, with the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spaceship that will form the backbone of Artemis still on the launch pad, awaiting completion of the so far incomplete wet dress rehearsal test.
But as all the eyes of the world are affixed to the SLS, round and round the Moon goes something called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Launched back in 2009 on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, the orbiter is tasked with identifying sites “close to potential resources with high scientific value, favorable terrain and the environment necessary for safe future robotic and human lunar missions.”
Packed to the teeth with high-tech gear (by late 2000s standards), the LRO spins around the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit, looking down at it with mapping gear, detectors, altimeters and, of course, a system of three fancy cameras, capable of seeing the Lunar Roving Vehicles and Lunar Module descent stages left behind by the missions of the Apollo program.
The hardware onboard the LRO, and some work here on Earth, are responsible for the incredible high-definition video published not long ago by the operators of the LRO, NASA and the Arizona State University (ASU).
We see the Moon rotate in a manner we are not able to observe from down here on Earth, showing in crystal clear detail the features of the satellite, with patches of dark and light, and streaks of bright white that seem to arrange themselves in the form of alien cities, sprawling in all directions from their centers. And all the lights seem to be on.
Packed to the teeth with high-tech gear (by late 2000s standards), the LRO spins around the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit, looking down at it with mapping gear, detectors, altimeters and, of course, a system of three fancy cameras, capable of seeing the Lunar Roving Vehicles and Lunar Module descent stages left behind by the missions of the Apollo program.
The hardware onboard the LRO, and some work here on Earth, are responsible for the incredible high-definition video published not long ago by the operators of the LRO, NASA and the Arizona State University (ASU).
We see the Moon rotate in a manner we are not able to observe from down here on Earth, showing in crystal clear detail the features of the satellite, with patches of dark and light, and streaks of bright white that seem to arrange themselves in the form of alien cities, sprawling in all directions from their centers. And all the lights seem to be on.
A 360-degree view of the Moon's surface in high resolution captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.
— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) April 13, 2022
Credit: LRO/ASU/NASA pic.twitter.com/26Qm2MMFga
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