On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 5:59 PM, Clint Bradford <clintbradf...@mac.com>wrote:
> RELEASE: 11-289 > > NASA SPACECRAFT IMAGES OFFER SHARPER VIEWS OF APOLLO LANDING SITES > > GREENBELT, Md. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured > the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 > landing sites. Images show the twists and turns of the paths made > when the astronauts explored the lunar surface. > > At the Apollo 17 site, the tracks laid down by the lunar rover are > clearly visible, along with the last foot trails left on the moon. > The images also show where the astronauts placed some of the > scientific instruments that provided the first insight into the > moon's environment and interior. > > "We can retrace the astronauts' steps with greater clarity to see > where they took lunar samples," said Noah Petro, a lunar geologist at > NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is a member > of the LRO project science team. > > All three images show distinct trails left in the moon's thin soil > when the astronauts exited the lunar modules and explored on foot. In > the Apollo 17 image, the foot trails, including the last path made on > the moon by humans, are easily distinguished from the dual tracks > left by the lunar rover, which remains parked east of the lander. > > "The new low-altitude Narrow Angle Camera images sharpen our view of > the moon's surface," said Arizona State University researcher Mark > Robinson, principal investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter > Camera (LROC). "A great example is the sharpness of the rover tracks > at the Apollo 17 site. In previous images the rover tracks were > visible, but now they are sharp parallel lines on the surface." > At each site, trails also run to the west of the landers, where the > astronauts placed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package > (ALSEP) to monitor the moon's environment and interior. This > equipment was a key part of every Apollo mission. > > It provided the first insights into the moon's internal structure, > measurements of the lunar surface pressure and the composition of its > atmosphere. Apollo 11 carried a simpler version of the science > package. > > One of the details that shows up is a bright L-shape in the Apollo 12 > image. It marks the locations of cables running from ALSEP's central > station to two of its instruments. Although the cables are much too > small for direct viewing, they show up because they reflect light > very well. > The higher resolution of these images is possible because of > adjustments made to LRO's orbit, which is slightly oval-shaped or > elliptical. "Without changing the average altitude, we made the orbit > more elliptical, so the lowest part of the orbit is on the sunlit > side of the moon," said Goddard's John Keller, deputy LRO project > scientist. "This put LRO in a perfect position to take these new > pictures of the surface." > > The maneuver lowered LRO from its usual altitude of approximately 31 > miles (50 kilometers) to an altitude that dipped as low as nearly 13 > miles (21 kilometers) as it passed over the moon's surface. The > spacecraft has remained in this orbit for 28 days, long enough for > the moon to completely rotate. This allows full coverage of the > surface by LROC's Wide Angle Camera. The cycle ends today when the > spacecraft will be returned to its 31-mile orbit. > > "These images remind us of our fantastic Apollo history and beckon us > to continue to move forward in exploration of our solar system," said > Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA > Headquarters in Washington. > > LRO was built and managed by Goddard. Initial research was funded by > the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. In > September 2010, after a one-year successful exploration mission, the > mission turned its attention from exploration objectives to > scientific research in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. > > To learn more about LRO, visit: > > > > http://www.nasa.gov/lro > There are photos at: http://www.onorbit.com/node/3780 http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/news/index.php?/archives/454-Skimming-the-Moon.html#extended 73s Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
