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Posted by on March 3, 2008, 2:16 am
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Feb. 27, 2008
Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4997/2087
stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov
DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov
RELEASE: 08-068
NASA VIEWS LANDING SITE THROUGH EYES OF FUTURE MOON CREW
WASHINGTON - NASA has obtained the highest resolution terrain mapping
to date of the moon's rugged south polar region, with a resolution to
20 meters per pixel. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, Calif., collected the data using the facility's
Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's Mojave Desert.
The imagery generated by the data has been incorporated into
animation depicting the descent to the lunar surface of a future
human lunar lander and a flyover of Shackleton Crater.
The mapping data collected indicate that the region of the moon's
south pole near Shackleton Crater is much more rugged than previously
understood. The Shackleton rim area is considered a candidate landing
site for a future human mission to the moon.
"The south pole of the moon certainly would be a beautiful place to
explore," said Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for the
Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters,
Washington. "We now know the south pole has peaks as high as Mt.
McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
There are challenges that come with such rugged terrain, and these
data will be an invaluable tool for advance planning of lunar
missions."
Three times during a six-month period in 2006, scientists targeted
the
moon's south polar region using Goldstone's 70-meter radar dish. The
antenna, three-quarters the size of a football field, sent a
500-kilowatt strong, 90-minute long radar stream 231,800 miles to the
moon. The radar bounced off the rough-hewn lunar terrain over an area
measuring about 400 miles by 250 miles. Signals were reflected back
to two of Goldstone's 34-meter antennas on Earth. The roundtrip time,
from the antenna to the moon and back, was about two-and-a-half
seconds.
"I have not been to the moon, but this imagery is the next best
thing," said Scott Hensley, a scientist at JPL and lead investigator
for the study. "With these data we can see terrain features as small
as a house without even leaving the office."
Previously, the best resolution of the moon's south pole was
generated
by the Clementine spacecraft, which could resolve lunar terrain
features near the south pole at 1 kilometer per pixel. The new
resolution generated by JPL is 50 times more detailed.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will provide the next generation
of lunar imaging and data. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in
late 2008. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera will retrieve high
resolution images of the moon's surface and lunar poles with
resolutions to 1 meter. These images will provide knowledge of polar
illumination conditions, identify potential resources and hazards,
and enable safe landing site selection. Other instruments aboard the
orbiter will return data such as temperature maps, ultraviolet
images, characterization of radiation on the moon and a high
resolution 3-D map. NASA's quest for up-to-date imagery of the moon
also will benefit from international missions such as Japan's Selene
robotic probe.
Funding for the program was provided by NASA's Exploration Systems
Mission Directorate.
To view animation, terrain maps of the moon's south pole and images
from this story, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/022708.html
Video animation developed from the high resolution imaging also will
air on NASA Television. For NASA TV downlink and schedule
information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
JPL manages the Goldstone Solar System Radar and the Deep Space
Network for NASA. To learn more about them, visit:
http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn
For information about NASA's exploration program to return humans to
the moon, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration
-end-
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