Planets and Moons ID: 10445

LRO Enters Lunar Orbit (Highlights)

Released on June 23, 2009

After a four and a half day journey from the Earth, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, successfully entered orbit around the moon. Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., confirmed the spacecraft's lunar orbit insertion at 6:27 a.m. EDT Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

During transit to the moon, engineers performed a mid-course correction to get the spacecraft in the proper position to reach its lunar destination. Since the moon is always moving, the spacecraft shot for a target point ahead of the moon. When close to the moon, LRO used its rocket motor to slow down until the gravity of the moon caught the spacecraft in lunar orbit.

To see the full one hour video produced live during the orbit insertion burns, visit entry #10444

For More Information

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jun/HQ_09-144_LRO_moon_orbit.html

http://www.nasa.gov/LRO

Credits

Stefanie Misztal (UMBC): Video Editor
Cathy Peddie (NASA/GSFC): Interviewee
James Garvin (NASA/GSFC): Interviewee
Andrew Freeberg (NASA/GSFC): Producer
Laura Motel (UMBC): Producer
Wade Sisler (NASA/GSFC): Producer

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center