Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
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| Launch: 18 June 2009 | Lunar Orbit Insertion: 23 June 2009 | Status: Orbiting and imaging the Moon |
 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) instruments. At the top is one of the two narrow angle cameras with a 88.9 mm (3.5 inch) Swiss Army Knife (and a hammer) for scale. At the bottom is the wide angle camera system, with the same pocket knife for scale. |
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) The LROC investigation is led by Principal Investigator Mark Robinson of Arizona State University. Malin Space Science Systems designed and built the instruments. LROC will be operated from facilities at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The LROC Science Team includes participants from Brown University, Washington University, and the University of Arizona. LROC consists of two narrow angle cameras and a wide angle camera. The two narrow angle cameras will provide extreme closeup images of the lunar surface with a spatial resolution of 0.5 meters (1.6 ft) per pixel over a swath that is 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) wide. The narrow angle cameras will help identify landing sites for new spacecraft to be sent to the Moon, and will have sufficient resolution to see the Apollo, Surveyor, and Luna hardware left there in the 1960s and 1970s. The wide angle camera provides 100 meters (328 ft) per pixel images over a swath 100 kilometers (62 mi) wide. The wide angle system images the lunar surface at seven different wavelengths (310 - 680 nm) to characterize the distribution of lunar resources, particularly the iron-, titanium-, and oxygen-bearing mineral, ilmenite. |
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