Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Encyclopedia
The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) is a program of robotic spacecraft
missions which NASA
will use to prepare for future human spaceflight
missions to the Moon
. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
(LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS
), were launched in June 2009. The lift off above Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
in Florida
was successful on June 18, 2009. The unmanned Atlas V
rocket launched the two space probes towards the moon, where they will provide a 3-D map and search for water in conjunction with the Hubble Space Telescope
. The launch date, originally planned for October 2008, was shifted to Thursday from Wednesday (June 17) due to a postponement of the Saturday (June 13) launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour
, resulting from a hydrogen fuel leak. This lunar program marks the first United States mission to the moon in over ten years. Neil Armstrong
's first step on the moon occurred July 20, 1969, and this launch was just 32 days shy of the 40th anniversary. The actual journey to the moon will take about four days, at which time the LRO will enter a low orbit around the moon, while the LCROSS mission will perform a "swing-by" to enter a much different orbit to set up for a collision with the moon's surface several months later. Projected lunar impact of the Centaur and LCROSS spacecraft is on October 9, 2009 at 11:30 UT (7:30 a.m. EDT, 4:30 a.m. PDT), ± 30 minutes. The plume from the Centaur impact may be visible through telescopes with apertures as small as 10 to 12 inches (304.8 mm).
Initially, the LPRP program was a part of the Science Mission Directorate
of NASA (SMD) and was called the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP). Management of the RLEP program was assigned to Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC) in February, 2004. At that time, the Program's goal was to "...initiate a series of robotic missions to the Moon to prepare for and support future human exploration activities." In 2005, responsibility for RLEP was moved to NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and management assigned to the Ames Research Center (ARC). In 2006, the program was renamed to the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program and management responsibility re-assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC). The US$
583 million space mission comes equipped with a $504 million state of the art 4200 pounds (1,905.1 kg) LRO space probe and a $79 million LCROSS satellite.
(LRO) is the first mission of the LPRP program. Management of LRO was assigned to Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC) in 2004. LRO launched on an Atlas V
401 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
on June 18, 2009 at 5:32 p.m. EDT (2132 GMT). The planned lift off for 5:12 p.m. EDT (2112 GMT) was slightly delayed by 20 minutes due to thunderstorms. It will orbit the Moon for one year, gathering high resolution images of the lunar surface that will allow the creation of detailed maps. LRO's goals include finding safe landing sites for human visits to the Moon, identifying lunar resources, and studying the lunar radiation environment. The LRO will provide a 3-D map of the moon's surface to allow astronauts to return to the moon in 2020. On board the LRO are seven instruments, the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER), Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND), Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), and Miniature Radio Frequency radar (Mini-RF).
) mission is co-manifested with LRO. It was selected as a secondary payload in 2006, and management of the program was assigned to Ames Research Center
(ARC). The mission will explore a permanently shadowed region of a lunar pole by crashing the 2300 pounds (1,043.3 kg) spent Centaur rocket upper stage of the Atlas V
launch vehicle into a dark crater. The composition of the ejecta plume will be observed by a shepherding spacecraft, which will itself crash-land 4 minutes later, creating a second plume. NASA expects the impact velocity will be over 9,000 km/h (5,600 mph). The ejecta plume will be in the order of 350 tons (317 metric tons) and rise 6 miles (9.7 km) from the surface.
A mission planned for 2012, LADEE will measure dust particulates before any human presence disturbs it.
For the proposed International Lunar Network
, LPRP would land two stations on the lunar surface.
Robotic spacecraft
A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make scientific research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to...
missions which NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
will use to prepare for future human spaceflight
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
missions to the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program is a program of robotic spacecraft missions which NASA will use to prepare for future human spaceflight missions to the Moon. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite , were launched in June 2009...
(LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS
LCROSS
The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar regions of the moon. The main LCROSS mission objective was to explore the presence of water ice...
), were launched in June 2009. The lift off above Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was successful on June 18, 2009. The unmanned Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
rocket launched the two space probes towards the moon, where they will provide a 3-D map and search for water in conjunction with the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
. The launch date, originally planned for October 2008, was shifted to Thursday from Wednesday (June 17) due to a postponement of the Saturday (June 13) launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
, resulting from a hydrogen fuel leak. This lunar program marks the first United States mission to the moon in over ten years. Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
's first step on the moon occurred July 20, 1969, and this launch was just 32 days shy of the 40th anniversary. The actual journey to the moon will take about four days, at which time the LRO will enter a low orbit around the moon, while the LCROSS mission will perform a "swing-by" to enter a much different orbit to set up for a collision with the moon's surface several months later. Projected lunar impact of the Centaur and LCROSS spacecraft is on October 9, 2009 at 11:30 UT (7:30 a.m. EDT, 4:30 a.m. PDT), ± 30 minutes. The plume from the Centaur impact may be visible through telescopes with apertures as small as 10 to 12 inches (304.8 mm).
Program history
Science Mission Directorate
The Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration engages the United States’ science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners around the world to answer fundamental questions...
of NASA (SMD) and was called the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP). Management of the RLEP program was assigned to Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
(GSFC) in February, 2004. At that time, the Program's goal was to "...initiate a series of robotic missions to the Moon to prepare for and support future human exploration activities." In 2005, responsibility for RLEP was moved to NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and management assigned to the Ames Research Center (ARC). In 2006, the program was renamed to the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program and management responsibility re-assigned to the Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
(MSFC). The US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
583 million space mission comes equipped with a $504 million state of the art 4200 pounds (1,905.1 kg) LRO space probe and a $79 million LCROSS satellite.
LRO
The Lunar Reconnaissance OrbiterLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program is a program of robotic spacecraft missions which NASA will use to prepare for future human spaceflight missions to the Moon. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite , were launched in June 2009...
(LRO) is the first mission of the LPRP program. Management of LRO was assigned to Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
(GSFC) in 2004. LRO launched on an Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
401 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
on June 18, 2009 at 5:32 p.m. EDT (2132 GMT). The planned lift off for 5:12 p.m. EDT (2112 GMT) was slightly delayed by 20 minutes due to thunderstorms. It will orbit the Moon for one year, gathering high resolution images of the lunar surface that will allow the creation of detailed maps. LRO's goals include finding safe landing sites for human visits to the Moon, identifying lunar resources, and studying the lunar radiation environment. The LRO will provide a 3-D map of the moon's surface to allow astronauts to return to the moon in 2020. On board the LRO are seven instruments, the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER), Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP), Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND), Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), and Miniature Radio Frequency radar (Mini-RF).
LCROSS
The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSSLCROSS
The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar regions of the moon. The main LCROSS mission objective was to explore the presence of water ice...
) mission is co-manifested with LRO. It was selected as a secondary payload in 2006, and management of the program was assigned to Ames Research Center
NASA Ames Research Center
The Ames Research Center , is one of the United States of America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration 10 major field centers.The centre is located in Moffett Field in California's Silicon Valley, near the high-tech companies, entrepreneurial ventures, universities, and other...
(ARC). The mission will explore a permanently shadowed region of a lunar pole by crashing the 2300 pounds (1,043.3 kg) spent Centaur rocket upper stage of the Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
launch vehicle into a dark crater. The composition of the ejecta plume will be observed by a shepherding spacecraft, which will itself crash-land 4 minutes later, creating a second plume. NASA expects the impact velocity will be over 9,000 km/h (5,600 mph). The ejecta plume will be in the order of 350 tons (317 metric tons) and rise 6 miles (9.7 km) from the surface.
Future projects
As LRO and LCROSS send back high-resolution data, the Lunar Mapping and Modeling project will use those data to develop detailed topographic maps of the lunar surface. In addition, solar radiation levels will be mapped and modeled. These integrated data will be used to make decisions about, for example, lunar outpost designs.A mission planned for 2012, LADEE will measure dust particulates before any human presence disturbs it.
For the proposed International Lunar Network
International Lunar Network
The International Lunar Network or ILN is a proposed network of a series of landed stations of the United States and the other space-faring countries on the lunar surface in the 2010s. Each of these stations will act as a node in a lunar geophysical network. Ultimately this network could comprise...
, LPRP would land two stations on the lunar surface.
See also
- Exploration of the MoonExploration of the MoonThe physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the...
- List of future lunar missions
- Lunar iceLunar iceLunar water is water that is present on the Moon. Liquid water cannot persist at the Moon's surface, and water vapour is quickly decomposed by sunlight and lost to outer space...
- Mars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars Reconnaissance Orbiter is a NASA multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and Exploration of Mars from orbit...