Now, I know the main science objectives of the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) — currently in orbit around the Moon — are to help NASA identify safe landing sites for future explorers, locate potential resources, describe the Moon's radiation environment, and demonstrate new technologies. Still, I admit I was most excited about seeing the LRO's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images of the Apollo landing sites.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
This image to the right shows the spacecraft's first look at the Apollo 12 landing site. The Intrepid lunar module descent stage, experiment package (ALSEP) and Surveyor 3 spacecraft are all visible. Astronaut footpaths are marked with unlabeled arrows. The image is about 900 yards (825 meters) wide, with the top of the image facing north.
I think it’s great that as LRO is helping NASA prepare for a return to the Moon, it’s also helping us all look back at the amazing accomplishments of the Apollo program (and maybe squelching some of those conspiracy theories about humans never being on the Moon — but I doubt it). And this is just a first-round image (images of the other sites can be found
here). Future LROC images from the Apollo sites will have two to three times greater resolution.
Do you find these images as cool as do? Or are you waiting for even greater resolution? What are you most looking forward to about the LRO mission?
Image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University