Return to the Moon: The First Step
The United States has begun a pro-gram to extend human presence in the solarsystem, beginning with a return to the Moon.Returning to the Moon will enable the pur-suit of scientific activities that address ourfundamental questions about the history ofEarth, the solar system, and the universe—and about our place in them. Returning tothe Moon will allow us to test technologies,systems, flight operations, and explorationtechniques to reduce the risk and enablefuture missions to Mars and beyond.The first step in this endeavor is theLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), an un-manned mission to create a comprehensiveatlas of the Moon’s features and resourcesto aid in the design of a lunar outpost. LROfollows in the footsteps of Ranger, LunarOrbiter, and Surveyor. These predecessorsto the Apollo missions searched for the bestpossible landing sites. The goals of LRO gobeyond the requirements of these previousmissions because building a lunar outpostmeans spending extended periods on thelunar surface. LRO focuses on the selectionof safe landing sites, identification of lunar re-sources, and studies of how the lunar radia-tion environment will affect humans.
Mission Profile
LRO is scheduled for launch on an AtlasV 401 rocket in early 2009. The trip to theMoon will take approximately four days. LROwill then enter an elliptical orbit, also calledthe commissioning orbit. From there, it willbe moved into its final orbit: a circular polarorbit approximately 50 km (31 miles) abovethe Moon’s surface. LRO will spend at leastone year in low polar orbit collecting detailedinformation about the Moon and its environ-ment. The LRO payload, composed of sixinstruments and one technology demonstra-tion, will provide key data sets to enable asafe and productive human return to theMoon.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Factsheet
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| Upload Date: | 08/20/2009 |
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