Eleven years into its mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is starting to show its age, but a recent software update promises to give the spacecraft a new lease on life. As NASA’s eye in the sky over the moon, the LRO has been responsible for some of the best Lunar observations since the days of Apollo. This new upgrade will…
Tag: LRO
Teaching an old spacecraft new tricks to continue exploring the moon
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has far exceeded its planned mission duration, revealing that the Moon holds surprises: ice deposits that could be used to support future lunar exploration, the coldest places in the solar system in permanently shadowed regions at the lunar poles, and that it is an active world that is shrinking, generating moonquakes and changing in front…
Meet PitRanger: Tiny rover designed to probe the lunar underworld
Researchers have been busily building a prototype of a 33-pound (15 kg) lunar mini-robot, set to be the key instrument in a future mission aimed at capturing high-definition images of moon pits. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/meet-pitranger-a-tiny-rover-to-probe-lunar-underworld…
10 proofs the Moon Landing was real, debunking conspiracy theories
How is the flag waving on the Moon? Why aren’t there any stars in the Apollo photos? EarthSky debunks these Moon Landing conspiracy theories and more. Source: https://earthsky.org/uncategorized/10-proofs-the-moon-landing-was-real-debunking-conspiracy-theories…
Rotating Moon from LRO
No one, presently, sees the Moon rotate like this. Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html…
First-ever comprehensive geologic map of the moon
For the first time, the entire lunar surface has been completely mapped and uniformly classified by scientists from the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, in collaboration with NASA and the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/first-ever-comprehensive-geologic-map-moon…
Our home world from afar
Celebrate Earth Day with these 10 images of Earth from space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/earth-images-from-space…
India’s Crashed Vikram Moon Lander Spotted On Lunar Surface
A NASA satellite has found India’s Vikram lander, which crashed on the lunar surface in September. The Guardian reports: Nasa released an image taken by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) that showed the site of the spacecraft’s impact and associated debris field, with parts scattered over almost two dozen locations spanning several kilometers. In a statement, Nasa said it had released…
Stunning view inside a young moon crater
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned some amazing high-resolution photos of the surface of the moon, including these ones of steep cliffs and impact melt inside a young crater called Giordano Bruno. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/giordano-bruno-crater-moon-steep-cliff-and-impact-melt-lro-todays-image-space…
An update on that ‘gel’ on the moon
China’s Yutu-2 rover has sent back a new image of the unusual “gel-like” material it found last July, which seems to confirm that it’s not gel at all. Instead, it now appears it’s probably impact glass from a meteorite impact. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/gel-on-the-moon-impact-glass-china-yutu-2…