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The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Astronomers never tire of studying the moon: On June 18, 2009, a $136.2 million NASA lunar mission is expected to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, designated the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (or LRO), will be leaving Earth aboard an Atlas V 401 rocket. As its name indicates, the LRO will be orbiting the moon at an average of thirty miles above the lunar surface for one year. During this time, the craft's technologies will gather information about the moon's environment by composing highly accurate 3D maps of the topography and capturing high-quality images, all with special focus on both of the poles. NASA also intends to search for water ice, study the shadowed side which we never get to see from Earth, learn about the effect of the sun's radiation, and find new landing sites.
This mission will try to discover ways of reducing risk in trips to the moon, along with testing some new instruments and systems for their efficiency. Accordingly, these objectives should enable future space missions to be more productive. With the LRO's help, NASA hopes to stimulate the "human presence" in our solar system, as it will prepare the way for further exploration of the moon, plus more missions to Mars and beyond.
Another craft, the LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite), will be joining the orbiter. The intent of this craft is to impact the lunar surface in hopes of uncovering water ice.
Moon facts!
* From Earth, we always see the same side of the moon
* The moon is not round, but egg shaped with the large end pointed towards earth
* It was on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot
on the moon
* Gravity at the surface of the moon is 1/6 that of Earth
* The lunar day, the time from sunrise to sunrise, on the moon is approximately 708 hours
* It would take 135 days to drive by car (at 70 mph) to the moon
* It takes 60 to 70 hours flying time to get to the moon by rocket
* The age of the oldest rock collected is 4.5 billion years old
* Moon soil is called regolith
* "Moonquakes" are millions of times less powerful than earthquakes
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