NASA | LRO Scouts for Safe Landing Sites

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The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is NASA's scouting mission to prepare for a return to the moon. One of its primary objectives will be to assess the lunar terrain for areas that would provide safe landing sites for future missions, both manned and unmanned, that plan to touch down on the moon's surface.

This video helps explain how LRO will accomplish its objective. The crater depicted in this animation is ficticious and only intended for illustrative purposes.

For more info:
http://www.nasa.gov/LRO

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• astronauts
• center
• flight
• goddard
• lro
• lunar
• moon
• nasa
• orbiter
• reconaissance
• satellite
• solar
• space
• spacecraft
• system
• tv

[sunnyallthetime]

So, how did they find good places to land 40 years ago?

[displacedcosmonaut85]

Cool video! I hadn't known that loose rocks have a different thermal signature. It makes sense though.

[andrew11235]

that topology technology was also used for radiohead's music video for house of cards.

[fanbutton]

Scientists using LROC will combine the images it takes during a year in orbit to make a movie that reveals the regions in permanent shadow (PSRs). These areas will be the most promising places to search for hydrogen or ice. - NASA

So now they are going to make a movie to look for shadows. I want my tax dollars back!

[andyfreeberg]

The pilots of the lander basically had to look for a safe spot and land there. On one hand we had decent maps of the equator but also they got lucky. If we want to land safely and in more interesting places like near the poles or near craters, we need better maps.

[fanbutton]

NASA LRO Launch Delayed so that the air force can launch their experimental space plane.

That's a load of Bull!

And all of this time, I thought that this country had two space ports.

[leatherman7553]

Great stuff, keep up the good work!

[perqa]

My name is gonna be on the LRO :D woohoo, lol :-)

[Triphylla]

Thanks, really cool! :)

[jorgedechiquimula]

bonito video... s exelent! viva la ciencia!