Moon Scanner

  • Released Tuesday, June 18, 2013
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The moon makes one revolution around Earth and one full turn on its axis every 27.3 days. Within this period, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will have made its own journey, circling the moon 348 times. Each successive orbit differs by a single degree of longitude, resulting in a path that allows the spacecraft to survey the entire moon every two weeks. During each orbit, LRO scans the moon's terrain using a special instrument called the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter. The data collected by the instrument not only helps scientists to create detailed elevation maps of the lunar surface, but also pinpoints LRO’s precise position in space. Watch the animation to see how LRO scans the moon.

See how NASA's robotic probe surveys the moon.

See how NASA's robotic probe surveys the moon.

Orange lines trace the ground path of LRO’s orbit over a period of 27.3 days.

LRO surveys the moon from 31 miles above the surface.

LRO surveys the moon from 31 miles above the surface.

LRO completes a scan of the surface in the space of 14 days, or 179 orbits. A single orbit takes just under two hours.

LRO completes a scan of the surface in the space of 14 days, or 179 orbits. A single orbit takes just under two hours.

LRO's movements create a rippled pattern due to the way the orbits cross each other at a slight angle.

LRO's movements create a rippled pattern due to the way the orbits cross each other at a slight angle.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
LRO image courtesy of NASA

This page was originally published on Tuesday, June 18, 2013.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:52 PM EDT.