{ "id": 14959, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14959/", "page_type": "Interactive", "title": "Moon 3D Models for Web, AR, and Animation", "description": "These models of the Moon are made with imagery and topographic data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been studying and mapping the lunar surface since 2009. The models are intended for use in web interactives, augmented reality (AR) applications, and animations. ||", "release_date": "2026-01-29T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2026-01-29T19:19:10.609008-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1201638, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon-Model-Preview-Main.jpg", "filename": "Moon-Model-Preview-Main.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Image of a 3D Moon model in an animated scene file.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 }, "main_video": null, "main_credits": { "Produced by": [ { "name": "Dan Gallagher", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, "progress": "Complete", "media_groups": [ { "id": 379574, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14959/#media_group_379574", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "These models of the Moon are made with imagery and topographic data from NASA’s [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/){target=_blank} (LRO), which has been studying and mapping the lunar surface since 2009. The models are intended for use in web interactives, augmented reality (AR) applications, and animations.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 379572, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14959/#media_group_379572", "widget": "3D model viewer", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "__COLOR MAP ONLY__\r\nLunar color map wrapped onto a sphere without topography. The pinched poles in the GLB version are an artifact.", "items": [ { "id": 507271, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201628, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_8k_Flat.glb", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_8k_Flat.glb", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon model with a color map wrapped onto a smooth sphere." } }, { "id": 507273, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201630, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_Flat_Small.usdz", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_Flat_Small.usdz", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon model with a color map wrapped onto a smooth sphere." } }, { "id": 507272, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201629, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_23k_Flat.usdz", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_23k_Flat.usdz", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon model with a color map wrapped onto a smooth sphere." } }, { "id": 507327, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201639, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon-Model-Preview-Flat.jpg", "filename": "Moon-Model-Preview-Flat.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Moon model with a color map wrapped onto a smooth sphere.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 379586, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14959/#media_group_379586", "widget": "3D model viewer", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "__COLOR MAP AND GRID__\r\nLunar color map with lines of latitude and longitude wrapped onto a sphere without topography. The pinched poles in the GLB version are an artifact.", "items": [ { "id": 507324, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201635, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_15k_Grid_Small.glb", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_15k_Grid_Small.glb", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map of the lunar surface and lines of latitude and longitude." } }, { "id": 507325, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201636, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_15k_Grid.usdz", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_15k_Grid.usdz", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map of the lunar surface and lines of latitude and longitude." } }, { "id": 507323, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201634, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_15k_Grid.glb", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_15k_Grid.glb", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map of the lunar surface and lines of latitude and longitude." } }, { "id": 507328, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201640, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon-Model-Preview-Grid.jpg", "filename": "Moon-Model-Preview-Grid.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map of the lunar surface and lines of latitude and longitude.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 379575, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14959/#media_group_379575", "widget": "3D model viewer", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "__COLOR MAP AND HEIGHT MAP__\r\nLunar color map and height map wrapped onto a sphere. The Moon’s topography is most noticeable on the rugged, bright highlands of the lunar far side, unlike the smooth, dark “seas” of frozen lava that dominate the familiar near side. The pinched poles are an artifact.", "items": [ { "id": 507322, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201633, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_8k_Topo_Small.glb", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_8k_Topo_Small.glb", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map and a height map of the lunar surface." } }, { "id": 507275, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201632, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_8k_Topo.glb", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_8k_Topo.glb", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map and a height map of the lunar surface." } }, { "id": 507332, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201631, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon_NASA_LRO_23k_Topo.usdz", "filename": "Moon_NASA_LRO_23k_Topo.usdz", "media_type": "File", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map and a height map of the lunar surface." } }, { "id": 507274, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": "", "instance": { "id": 1201641, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014959/Moon-Model-Preview-Topo.jpg", "filename": "Moon-Model-Preview-Topo.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Moon globe with a color map and a height map of the lunar surface.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "ESE" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Dan Gallagher", "employer": "eMITS" } ] }, { "role": "Data provider", "people": [ { "name": "Ernie Wright", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Data analyst", "people": [ { "name": "Tuomas Kankola", "employer": null } ] }, { "role": "Technical support", "people": [ { "name": "Aaron E. Lepsch", "employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc." } ] } ], "missions": [ "Artemis Program (Human Spaceflight — Moon to Mars) (Artemis)", "LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter)" ], "series": [], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Planets & Moons" ], "keywords": [ "3D", "Animation", "AR", "Artemis", "Blender", "CGI", "Computer Graphics", "Elevation Map", "Globe", "Graphics", "Interactive", "LRO", "Lunar", "map", "Models", "Moon", "web" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 5610, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5610/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Nominal (reference) Artemis II mission trajectory", "description": "Artemis II will launch four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft into Earth orbit, then send them on a loop around the Moon before returning safely to Earth. The mission follows a free-return trajectory that uses the gravity of the Earth and Moon to naturally guide the crew home. This visualization shows a nominal trajectory for Artemis II. The actual trajectory may vary slightly depending on the final launch timing.", "release_date": "2026-01-27T17:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2026-02-12T14:26:10.466301-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1201623, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005600/a005610/artemis2_full.00800_preview.jpg", "filename": "artemis2_full.00800_preview.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Nominal trajectory of NASA’s Artemis II mission, from Earth orbit around the Moon and back to Earth. The view starts close to Earth. A red dot and trail appears representing the path of Artemis II, which extends out in the direction of the Moon, before looping back and returning to Earth.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 20412, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/20412/", "page_type": "Animation", "title": "Artemis II Flight Path Animations", "description": "Animated Flight Path of Artemis II and comparison with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Apollo mission orbits.", "release_date": "2026-01-21T11:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2026-01-29T16:29:54.533385-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1201659, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020400/a020412/Artemis-II-Trajectory-Thumbnail_Small.jpg", "filename": "Artemis-II-Trajectory-Thumbnail_Small.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Animation of the Artemis II flight path to the Moon and back.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 5536, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5536/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Simulated Artemis II Lunar Flyby", "description": "This visualization simulates what the crew of Artemis II might see out the window on the day of their closest approach to the Moon.", "release_date": "2025-08-15T09:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-09-29T13:59:08.454083-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 1154928, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005500/a005536/a2_flyby.1158.jpg", "filename": "a2_flyby.1158.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The virtual camera in this visualization follows a possible trajectory for the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission, showing what astronauts might see out the window as they approach the Moon and fly around its far side.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 5069, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5069/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Asteroid Bennu 3D Models", "description": "These 3D models and images were created using data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected while in orbit around asteroid Bennu. These are some of the 3D models that were used to create several SVS Bennu data visualizations, including Tour of Asteroid Bennu, Detailed Global Views of Asteroid Bennu, and Bennu TAG Surface Change. || ", "release_date": "2023-02-09T00:00:00-05:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T11:43:44.106492-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 764986, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a005000/a005069/bennu_OLA_v21_PTM_very-high.jpg", "filename": "bennu_OLA_v21_PTM_very-high.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Global Bennu 3D model - OLA v21 PTM - 17.9M polygonsThis model was used in and described by Seabrook et al. (2022). This model used a Poisson reconstruction method (Kazhdan et al., 2020), a technique that better captures the undersides and complex geometries of boulders on Bennu.This model is available in OBJ and glTF (glb) formats. Right click the desired format link below and select “Save Link As…” to download the model. OBJ (815.9 MB)GLB (321.6 MB)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "sources": [ { "id": 4720, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4720/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "CGI Moon Kit", "description": "These color and elevation maps are designed for use in 3D rendering software. They are created from data assembled by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera and laser altimeter instrument teams.", "release_date": "2019-09-06T10:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2026-01-09T15:33:13.976536-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1159955, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004700/a004720/lroc_color_2k.jpg", "filename": "lroc_color_2k.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The 2025 color map, available as a full-size float16 EXR file and as 16-bit TIFFs of various sizes. The EXR file is encoded in linear color with slightly more dynamic range, while the sRGB-encoded TIFFs are more broadly supported. The map is centered on 0° longitude.", "width": 2048, "height": 1024, "pixels": 2097152 } } ], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }