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    "results": [
        {
            "id": 4499,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4499/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2016-10-21T00:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "Orientale Impact Basin for the Cover of <i>Science</i>",
            "description": "This print-resolution still image was created for the cover of the October 28, 2016 issue of Science. It features a free-air gravity map of the Orientale impact basin based on data returned by the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission.Orientale is about 930 kilometers wide and lies on the western limb of the Moon as viewed from Earth. It's the Moon's youngest and best-preserved large impact basin, formed about 3.8 billion years ago at the end of the conjectured Late Heavy Bombardment. A paper in Science by Maria Zuber et al. uses the GRAIL data to shed new light on the basin's geology, while a second paper by Brandon Johnson et al. describes a computer simulation of the basin's formation constrained by that data.The shaded relief in this image is not a photograph. It's a very accurate computer rendering based on a digital model of the terrain. The model is derived from a digital elevation map called SLDEM2015. This map combines data from the laser altimeter (LOLA) on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) with stereo imagery from the Terrain Camera on the Japan Space Agency's SELENE spacecraft.The angle of the virtual Sun was chosen to throw Orientale's terrain into high relief — it's just after sunrise at Orientale, about a day past full Moon. The camera is on the western terminator (day/night line) looking north.The colorful part is the gravity anomaly based on measurements by GRAIL. Red indicates areas of higher gravity, or excess mass, and blue indicates lower gravity or areas of mass deficits. The GRAIL data reveals the structure of the basin beneath the surface. The red in the center of the basin, for example, shows that the crust is particularly thin there, and that denser mantle material is closer to the surface. || ",
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        },
        {
            "id": 4312,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4312/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2015-06-01T16:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "Measuring Mercury's Magnetism",
            "description": "Three orbits of MESSENGER at different altitudes show small magnetic field signals from rocks magnetized early in Mercury's history. The signals are strongest at the lowest altitude. || mercury_magnetometry_print.jpg (1024x576) [134.6 KB] || mercury_magnetometry_searchweb.png (320x180) [66.9 KB] || mercury_magnetometry_thm.png (80x40) [4.8 KB] || mercury_magnetometry.tif (2800x3600) [5.4 MB] || ",
            "hits": 125
        },
        {
            "id": 4041,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4041/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2013-02-08T00:00:00-05:00",
            "title": "GRAIL Free-Air Gravity Map for the Cover of <em>Science</em>",
            "description": "These print-resolution stills were created for the cover of the February 8, 2013 issue of Science. They show the free-air gravity map developed by the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission.If the Moon were a perfectly smooth sphere of uniform density, the gravity map would be a single, featureless color, indicating that the force of gravity at a given elevation was the same everywhere. But like other rocky bodies in the solar system, including Earth, the Moon has both a bumpy surface and a lumpy interior. Spacecraft in orbit around the Moon experience slight variations in gravity caused by both of these irregularities.The free-air gravity map shows deviations from the mean, the gravity that a cueball Moon would have. The deviations are measured in milliGals, a unit of acceleration. On the map, dark purple is at the low end of the range, at around -400 mGals, and red is at the high end near +400 mGals. Yellow denotes the mean.These views show a part of the Moon's surface that's never visible from Earth. They are centered on lunar coordinates 29°N 142°E. The large, multi-ringed impact feature near the center is Mare Moscoviense. The crater Mendeleev is south of this. The digital elevation model for the terrain is from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter laser altimeter (LOLA). Merely for plausibility, the sun angle and starry background are accurate for specific dates (December 21, 2012, 0:00 UT and January 8, 2013, 14:00 UT, respectively). || ",
            "hits": 190
        },
        {
            "id": 11184,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11184/",
            "result_type": "Produced Video",
            "release_date": "2013-02-05T00:00:00-05:00",
            "title": "Mercury's Ice Lockers",
            "description": "Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, sits in the hot seat, with temperatures soaring up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain spots at the planet's north and south poles, however, remain extremely cold—so cold, in fact, that scientists long suspected this sun-scorched planet of harboring ice. Sure enough, in 2012 NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) mission reported finding deposits of ice and frozen chemicals at Mercury's north pole. Granted, Mercury doesn't have the same kind of ice cap Earth does. But if all the deposits were added up, there would be enough ice to bury Washington, D.C., under a layer two miles thick. Watch the animation to see just how bone-chillingly dark Mercury's north pole can be, especially in deep craters, where the sun may never shine. || ",
            "hits": 634
        },
        {
            "id": 4716,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4716/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2012-06-21T00:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "Visualizing Shackleton Crater",
            "description": "A visualization of Shackleton crater. The near (Earth-facing) side of the Moon is to the right. In the false-color elevation on the left, red is higher and blue is lower. || shackleton_split_final_print.jpg (1024x1024) [280.9 KB] || shackleton_split_final_searchweb.png (320x180) [87.2 KB] || shackleton_split_final_thm.png (80x40) [7.1 KB] || shackleton_split_final.tif (3600x3600) [12.8 MB] || ",
            "hits": 1014
        },
        {
            "id": 3866,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3866/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2011-10-06T00:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "LOLA Footprints II",
            "description": "LOLA, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, is an instrument for measuring the altitude of the Moon's terrain. As LRO orbits the Moon, LOLA bounces laser light off the lunar surface 28 times per second. An array of five sensors arranged in an X-shape detects the reflected light. The amount of time it takes the light to travel to the surface and back to the sensors tells the instrument how far away the surface is. Over time, LOLA builds up a complete elevation map of the Moon.This animation illustrates how the X-shaped LOLA sensor footprint travels over the lunar surface. The LOLA data track is taken from LRO orbit number 1155, on September 27, 2009, as the spacecraft passed over Amundsen crater near the lunar south pole. It begins with a distant view showing the entire crater, then switches to a view near the surface that chases the laser pulses over the central peak and across the floor of this large crater. Through most of the movie, the laser pulses are shown racing across the surface at actual speed, but at one point, the pace is slowed so that the viewer can see the sensor pattern of each individual laser pulse.The imagery of the ground view is a high-resolution photograph taken by the LRO narrow-angle camera at the same time this LOLA data track was being recorded. The shape of the terrain in all of the views is taken from LOLA elevation maps. All of this data is publicly available from the Planetary Data System's LRO archive.This is a new and improved version of entry #3758. || ",
            "hits": 89
        },
        {
            "id": 3808,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3808/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2010-12-17T00:00:00-05:00",
            "title": "LOLA Stills for AGU 2010",
            "description": "These high resolution still images illustrate the global elevation map of the Moon being developed by the laser altimeter (LOLA) on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. To date, LOLA has measured the elevation of over two billion points on the surface of the Moon. These measurements make it possible to render shaded relief maps of the Moon with unprecedented accuracy and detail. See also this comparison of LOLA with past maps.The waning gibbous Moon is rendered from three points of view. For each view, a natural color image is paired with a false color version in which low elevations are blue to green and high elevations are yellow to red. The terrain is in highest relief near the terminator, or shadow line, where the Sun is setting on a month-long lunar day. Amateur astronomers pay particular attention to features near the terminator, since the high relief brings out details that are normally washed out in the glare of reflected sunlight. || ",
            "hits": 232
        },
        {
            "id": 3758,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3758/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2010-09-16T00:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "LOLA Footprints",
            "description": "A more recent version of this animation can be found here.LOLA, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, is an instrument for measuring the altitude of the Moon's terrain. As LRO orbits the Moon, LOLA bounces laser light off the lunar surface 28 times per second. An array of five sensors arranged in an X-shape detects the reflected light. The amount of time it takes the light to travel to the surface and back to the sensors tells the instrument how far away the surface is. Over time, LOLA builds up a complete elevation map of the Moon.This animation illustrates how the X-shaped LOLA sensor footprint travels over the lunar surface. The LOLA data track is taken from LRO orbit number 1155, on September 27, 2009, as the spacecraft passed over Amundsen crater near the lunar south pole. It begins with a distant view showing the entire crater, then switches to a view near the surface that chases the laser pulses over the central peak and across the floor of this large crater. Through most of the movie, the laser pulses are shown racing across the surface at actual speed, but at one point, the pace is slowed so that the viewer can see the sensor pattern of each individual laser pulse.The imagery of the ground view is a high-resolution photograph taken by the LRO narrow-angle camera at the same time this LOLA data track was being recorded. The shape of the terrain in all of the views is taken from LOLA elevation maps. All of this data is publicly available from the Planetary Data System's LRO archive. || ",
            "hits": 269
        },
        {
            "id": 3686,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3686/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2010-03-15T00:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "LRO/LOLA Lunar South Pole Flyover",
            "description": "The Lunar Reconnaissance Oribiter (LRO) was launched on June 18, 2009. Its mission is to map the moon's surface, find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. One of the instruments on board is the  Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) which measures landing site slopes, lunar surface roughness, and has begun generation of a high resolution 3D map of the Moon.This visualization uses Clementine data for the global view of the moon, but then transitions to using only LRO/LOLA DEM with a neutral gray texture when flying around the lunar south pole. The DEM by itself creates an amazingly realistic view of the lunar southpole. As better maps are created from the other instruments aboard LRO, an even clearer picture of the moon will emerge.Please note that this visualization is match-frame rendered to The Moon's South Pole in 3D via LRO/LOLA First Light Data (#3633). || ",
            "hits": 363
        },
        {
            "id": 3633,
            "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3633/",
            "result_type": "Visualization",
            "release_date": "2009-09-16T00:00:00-04:00",
            "title": "The Moon's South Pole in 3D via LRO/LOLA First Light Data",
            "description": "The Lunar Reconnaissance Oribiter (LRO) was launched on June 18, 2009. Its mission is to map the moon's surface, find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. One of the instruments on board is the  Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) which measures landing site slopes, lunar surface roughness, and has begun generation of a high resolution 3D map of the Moon. The animation depicted here is the beginning of  LOLA's mapping project and shows the lunar south pole through digital elevation map data collected by the  LOLA instrument during the spacecraft commissioning phase. During the commissioning phase, LRO was in a highly elliptical orbit coming closer to the lunar south pole than the north pole. Furthermore, since  LOLA uses laser pulses to measure the surface, the accuracy of its measurements are greatly affected by the instrument's distance to the surface. This is why there is virtually no data of the lunar north pole, and much better coverage of the south pole. The topographic data shown here is currently processed to show at approximately 30 meters per pixel.The colors in this animation depict the relative heights of the lunar surface with respect to the surface mean. Warm colors (brown, red, magenta, and tan) indicate areas above the mean. Cooler colors (green, cyan, blue, and violet) are areas below the mean. || ",
            "hits": 227
        }
    ]
}