Returning Humans to the Moon
NASA's LRO Satellite Gathers Data to Support Lunar Exploration
Sep 22, 2009
NASA has not landed humans on the Moon since the Apollo XVII mission sent three astronauts to explore the lunar region called Mare Serenitatis in 1972. Now the space organization, in accordance with its 2006 Strategic Vision, is preparing the next round of lunar exploration by sending a satellite to map the Moon's surface.
Mapping the Moon
The satellite is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and it will circle the Moon for an entire year in a polar orbit just 31 miles above the surface. This altitude will allow the LRO to use its seven scientific instruments to examine the topography and composition of the Moon in support of future lunar exploration by astronauts.
Scientists already have a partial atlas of the Moon, but LRO will be filling in many of the gaps, especially in the polar regions. There, LRO will be looking for ridges, craters, and boulders that would hinder future Moon landings by NASA spacecraft and also measure radiation levels that may be damaging to equipment or harmful to human life.
Preparing the way for future explorers is the LRO's primary function. This is according to Craig Tooley, LRO project manager, who says data from the LRO will be used, "to design the vehicles and systems for returning humans to the Moon and selecting the landing sites that will be their destinations" (NASA Press Release; June 18, 2009).
The Search for Lunar Resources
NASA is also on the lookout for resources that would support a permanent lunar outpost, such as water ice, which astronauts could collect from the Moon instead of hauling from Earth, thereby reducing the cost of future missions. Due to the presence of neutron emissions, mission planners believe water ice exists in the south polar region and the LRO will use three separate instruments to search for its signs.
LRO's partner satellite, the Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, is also searching for lunar resources. Both were launched on the same Atlas V rocket on June 18, 2009 and both are looking specifically for water ice. LCROSS, however, is going to impact the Moon's surface in order to create a debris plume which it will measure for signs of water or hydrogen.
The Return to the Moon
LRO also carries a microchip embedded with 1.6 million names, as part of the project's Send Your Name to the Moon initiative. NASA hopes those names will precede astronauts who are expected to return to the lunar surface by 2020. Interested individuals may want to follow along as LRO supports this effort, especially since LRO will be sending back plenty of new photos of the Moon.
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