NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is an unmanned mission to create a comprehensive atlas of the moon's features and resources to aid in the design of future crewed lunar missions.
LRO follows in the footsteps of Ranger, Lunar Orbiter, and Surveyor as predecessors to the Apollo missions that searched for the best possible landing sites.
LRO focuses on the selection of safe landing sites, identification of lunar resources, and studies of how the lunar radiation environment will affect humans.
mensax Member
Posts: 861 From: Virginia Registered: Apr 2002
posted December 23, 2004 07:48 AM
We will definitely be able to spot the LM descent stages and Rovers
This is tremendous! I can't wait!
Spacepsycho Member
Posts: 702 From: Huntington Beach, Calif. Registered: Aug 2004
posted December 23, 2004 12:07 PM
I can't wait to see the first photos of the descent modules and lunar rovers left behind.
NC Apollo Fan Member
Posts: 255 From: Belmont, NC USA Registered: Jul 2000
posted December 23, 2004 03:24 PM
I wonder if they might image the intentionally crashed ascent modules (and if there would be anything at all left to see).
micropooz Member
Posts: 1147 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
posted December 23, 2004 05:05 PM
And to add to the post above, some of the SIVB stages were crashed into the moon in order to produce seismic waves for the seismometers that were left on previous missions. Imaging the craters they left (doubtful that any discernable hardware left) could tell the geologists some information on crater size vs. energy and density of the impacting object.
tegwilym Member
Posts: 2232 From: Renton, WA USA Registered: Jan 2000
posted June 19, 2009 11:41 AM
I thought it was interesting how slowly it looks like this thing climbed off he pad. Compared with the shuttle it looks like it took it's time accelerating. The shuttle doesn't mess around, it just gets up and goes!
DChudwin Member
Posts: 802 From: Lincolnshire IL USA Registered: Aug 2000
posted June 21, 2009 09:15 AM
An excellent blog with status reports and other information about LRO:
This blog follows the progress of the LRO mission through Integration and Testing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and launch site processing at KSC\Astrotech. Its purpose is to enable communication to the entire LRO Team about the status of ongoing activities.
LRO was launched June 18th, 2009 at 5:32pm EDT from KSC. This BLOG will follow the progress of the mission as LRO travels to the moon and establishes orbit around it.
Lasv3 Member
Posts: 185 From: Bratislava, Slovakia Registered: Apr 2009
posted June 24, 2009 10:10 AM
Just for the sake of clarity - can somebody tell me where are the names stored? Is it LCROSS or is it LRO? I'm asking as my grandson and myself are onboard and I'd like to know what and when we have to expect - are we going to crash the South Pole in October with LCROSS or do we stay longer with the LRO?
Lunar rock nut Member
Posts: 678 From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A. Registered: Feb 2007
posted June 24, 2009 10:49 AM
The names are on the LRO.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 24026 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted June 24, 2009 11:05 AM
More specifically, the 1.6 million names are held on a microchip encased in a radiation hardened container and attached to the back of LRO's propulsion module access panel.
Photo credit: NASA
rodpyle New Member
Posts: 8 From: Pasadena, California, USA Registered: Dec 2008
posted July 02, 2009 01:19 PM
Those are some stunning photos. And my favorite time of "day" as well!
Are there plans to snap the Apollo sites? Do you know which ones? And what level of magnification?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 24026 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted July 02, 2009 01:24 PM
quote:Originally posted by rodpyle: Are there plans to snap the Apollo sites? Do you know which ones? And what level of magnification?
There are plans, though which site will be first and when it and the others are imaged will rely on several factors.
"We are evaluating the possibility of obtaining images of the Apollo sites before we reach our primary 50-kilometer mapping orbit. The ability to image Apollo sites depends on the satellite ground track and lighting conditions. If conditions are favorable and an image is made, it will promptly be released to the public."
ejectr Member
Posts: 1464 From: Brimfield, MA Registered: Mar 2002
posted July 02, 2009 02:23 PM
These images show cratered regions near the moon's Mare Nubium region, as photographed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LROC instrument. Each image shows a region 1,400 meters (0.87 miles) wide. the bottoms of both images face lunar north.
WOW!!! I remember sitting in front of my parents' B&W TV watching the first Ranger photos come in.
Needless to say, we've come a long way, baby!
medaris Member
Posts: 176 From: United Kingdom Registered: Mar 2007
posted July 02, 2009 06:45 PM
These are stunning pictures. It's great to see more photos from the moon. I'll be excited to see Apollo site photos - but I'll be even more excited to see where we haven't been. I'm looking forward to the next lunar landings
tegwilym Member
Posts: 2232 From: Renton, WA USA Registered: Jan 2000
posted July 06, 2009 05:09 PM
Has anyone seen when we might see the Apollo sites? I haven't noticed anything other than it should be "soon". I'm pretty excited to see that stuff!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 24026 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted July 06, 2009 05:24 PM
My understanding is that there will be no pre-announcement; "soon" is the best they can provide. If the opportunity presents itself, they will image one or more of the Apollo sites as they fly over during this commissioning phase and release the images as they are received. Otherwise, they will wait until LRO drops into its lower orbit.
If images do come during the commissioning phase, we may still need to wait until the mapping orbit to make out the finer details of the landing sites.
spaced out Member
Posts: 2283 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
posted July 07, 2009 01:55 AM
As I understand it the resolution on the high flyby would be 100cm/pixel versus 50cm/pixel in the final low orbit.
In the low orbit that would mean an LM descent stage would show up about 9 pixels across (excluding landing gear) and a lunar rover would be about 6 pixels long. At that resolution it's certain that some other equipment will be large enough to show up.
Otherwise it will be the disturbed surface that will show up around the sites, including the tracks of the astronauts, the LRVs and the Apollo 14 MET.
Of course a low sun will mean items on the surface casting long and very easy-to-spot shadows so I think some of the most striking images will be taken in those conditions. That means waiting for a good combination of fly-over and sun cycle at each site. The first images from each site - even in low orbit - won't necessarily be the best.
One detail that should be interesting - if the material of any of the flags is intact the shadow from this might well be visible at 50cm/pixel.
ilbasso Member
Posts: 1300 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
posted July 16, 2009 03:46 PM
quote:Originally posted by tegwilym: Has anyone seen when we might see the Apollo sites?
NASA release
NASA Briefs Media on New Images of Apollo Lunar Landing Sites
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has sent back its first images of Apollo lunar landing sites. The agency will release the images Friday, July 17, at noon and hold a teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT to discuss the photos and future plans for the LRO mission.
Participating in the teleconference are:
Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington
Richard Vondrak, project scientist, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Mark Robinson, principal investigator, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, Arizona State University
Posts: 2283 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
posted July 17, 2009 04:19 AM
Should be interesting. Remember that these images will be at about half the resolution we can expect when the orbiter reaches its final altitude.
At 100cm/px you can expect the LM descent stage body to be about 4 or 5 pixels across, and an LRV to be maybe 3 pixels long.
Not enormous, but low angle sunlight could throw out long shadows that would make objects stand out very clearly, even at that resolution.
Then there's the disturbed surface soil around the sites which could show up quite distinctly over a large area depending on lighting conditions.
Anyway, I'll stop speculating now and wait to see the actual images...
Scott Member
Posts: 3278 From: Houston, TX Registered: May 2001
posted July 17, 2009 08:09 AM
This is so cool. I know I'm not the only one who has hoped for this moment for years.
ilbasso Member
Posts: 1300 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
posted July 17, 2009 11:33 AM
Great photos of every landing site except Apollo 12. You can even see the MET tracks for Apollo 14!
MrSpace86 Member
Posts: 1278 From: Gardner, KS, USA Registered: Feb 2003
posted July 17, 2009 11:56 AM
Those are really nice. I tried looking for the HQ versions of these photos on their website and could not find them. Will they be posted soon?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 24026 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted July 17, 2009 12:00 PM
I believe these are the highest resolution available; they appear to be crops (if not also enlargements) from photos taken of the larger surrounding areas on the Moon.
Posts: 396 From: London, England Registered: May 2001
posted July 17, 2009 12:02 PM
Wow! The Apollo 14 shot is fantastic!
I may be wrong but I think the Apollo 14 shot shows Doublet Craters at the top left, and Triplet Craters at the bottom right.
I have laid the image over the Apollo 14 Traverse map, and it matches the craters, the LM, and the ALSEP.
FFrench Member
Posts: 3046 From: San Diego Registered: Feb 2002
posted July 17, 2009 12:08 PM
Interesting to compare the Apollo 15 one with this 1971 photo which NASA lists as taken during the Apollo 15 mission from Endeavour about four hours after Falcon landed on the surface.
ilbasso Member
Posts: 1300 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Feb 2006
posted July 17, 2009 12:36 PM
Unmannedspaceflight.com has an interesting analysis of the photos from some folks who are experts in interplanetary image processing.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 24026 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted July 17, 2009 01:30 PM
quote:Originally posted by mmmoo: I may be wrong but I think the Apollo 14 shot shows Doublet Craters at the top left, and Triplet Craters at the bottom right.
During the press teleconference, Mark Robinson said that Cone Crater was east of Antares, out of view in the image, so it looks like you were correct.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 1752 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted July 17, 2009 03:26 PM
This is wonderful! Fittingly, I think the Apollo 11 view is the best, clearly showing (in the full frame shot) West Crater and its boulder field, and the smaller crater which Armstrong visited. It's all there!
The Apollo 16 picture clearly shows the crater which "Orion" nearly landed in. The shadow of the LM crosses the crater shadow.
The Apollo 17 picture shows the shadow of "Challenger" but look to the left (i.e. west of the LM's position) and you can see a shadow of similar size. If you check the pictures taken by the crew looking forwards out of the LM windows, you will see a large boulder, comparable in size to the LM descent stage. But the boulder isn't flat-topped, so its shadow tapers.
It's important to note that all of these images must have been taken as the sun was SETTING so the shadows go from right to left.
ejectr Member
Posts: 1464 From: Brimfield, MA Registered: Mar 2002
posted July 17, 2009 04:15 PM
What amazes me is that the stage hands could get all this work done in time for all these fake photos.
As for the conspiracy theorists...STRIKE THREE!!! YOU'RE OUTTA THERE!
mjanovec Member
Posts: 3424 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
posted July 17, 2009 04:16 PM
Conspiracy theorists have always asked for these shots as proof that the moon landings occurred... which they could comfortably do as long as the technology didn't exist to permit photos of this resolution to be taken. Now that these photos exist, I suppose we'll see them explained away with more nonsense.
Not like the rest of us needed these photos to know what really happened...
ejectr Member
Posts: 1464 From: Brimfield, MA Registered: Mar 2002
posted July 17, 2009 04:23 PM
Look at the Apollo 16 photo. You can see the shadow of the LM on the edge of the crater to its right!
Mike Z Member
Posts: 390 From: Ellicott City, Maryland Registered: Dec 2005
posted July 17, 2009 06:20 PM
WOW!! These are truly EXCITING images!! It's AMAZING that these sites have not been seen since each crew lifted off of the moon!
burnsnz Member
Posts: 66 From: Auckland, New Zealand Registered: Jan 2004
posted July 17, 2009 06:22 PM
Does this finally signal the end for the conspiracy theorists?
MadSci Member
Posts: 147 From: Maryland, USA Registered: Oct 2008
posted July 17, 2009 06:59 PM
No way! Men never got there! They just sent those empty lower stages up on the secret 'military' missions on the space shuttle a few years ago! Then they sent some wind-up robots to stomp around in the dust to create the foot prints! Just ask Mulder! Then they...
JPSastro Member
Posts: 109 From: Tucson, Arizona Registered: Jan 2009
posted July 17, 2009 07:06 PM
No, checkout CNN. There is an article about the morons who still insist they are all still a hoax. How does one keep so many people, so silent for so long to keep the hoax alive? Dropped on the head at birth. You will never, ever get them to believe otherwise. From experience, it is not worth the time.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 24026 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted July 17, 2009 07:17 PM
quote:Originally posted by JPSastro: ...it is not worth the time.
I agree, so let's stop discussing the hoaxers and return to the images themselves.
If memory serves correctly, the exact landing coordinates for Eagle on Apollo 11 were never really known -- but were estimated based on the surface photography. Can we now tell how close those estimates got?
Machodoc Member
Posts: 203 From: VA Registered: Aug 2005
posted July 17, 2009 11:52 PM
I'm just amazed and regard them as a birthday present to the anniversary of Apollo 11. There should now be no doubts....
mjanovec Member
Posts: 3424 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
posted July 18, 2009 12:04 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: I agree, so let's stop discussing the hoaxers and return to the images themselves.
Oh, I dunno. It's kind of fun to poke at the hoaxers. After all, who can't resist a quote like this:
"I do know the moon landings were faked," said crusading filmmaker Bart Sibrel, whose aggressive interview tactics once provoked Aldrin to punch him in the face. "I'd bet my life on it."
I suspect a few people would like him to take that bet.
mjanovec Member
Posts: 3424 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
posted July 18, 2009 12:19 AM
Are there other images of Apollo 15, 16, and 17 that show the extent of the lunar rover tracks? If the tracks left by Apollo 14 astronauts are clearly visible, I would think the rover tracks left by the J series missions should also be visible...at least in places where the rover doubled back on itself. And, of course, it would be nice to see images that include the rovers themselves!
I can't wait to see what the higher resolution pictures on later passes reveal.
spaced out Member
Posts: 2283 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
posted July 18, 2009 03:08 AM
quote:Originally posted by mjanovec: And, of course, it would be nice to see images that include the rovers themselves!
Post#32 on the UnmannedSpaceflight thread shows the three rovers in the images.
posted December 23, 2004 07:30 AM
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