NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, on the Moon’s surface on Feb. 24, 2024, at 1:57 p.m. EST). Odysseus landed at 80.13 degrees south latitude, 1.44 degrees east longitude, at an elevation of 8,461 feet (2,579 meters). The image is 3,192 feet (973 meters) wide, and lunar north is up. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityOdysseus’ landing on the Moon represents a landmark achievement for NASA’s lunar exploration, capturing the first soft…

The epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes recorded by the Apollo Passive Seismic Experiment was located in the lunar south polar region. However, the exact location of the epicenter could not be accurately determined. A cloud of possible locations (magenta dots and light blue polygon) of the strong shallow moonquake using a relocation algorithm specifically adapted for very sparse seismic networks are distributed near the pole. Blue boxes show locations of proposed Artemis III landing regions. Lobate thrust fault…

The epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes recorded by the Apollo Passive Seismic Experiment was located in the lunar south polar region. However, the exact location of the epicenter could not be accurately determined. A cloud of possible locations (magenta dots and light blue polygon) of the strong shallow moonquake using a relocation algorithm specifically adapted for very sparse seismic networks are distributed near the pole. Blue boxes show locations of proposed Artemis III landing regions. Lobate thrust fault…

ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organization) Vikram lander, with a NASA retroreflector on it, touched down on the Moon on August 23, 2023. The camera aboard NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) took this picture four days later. The lander is in the center of the image, its dark shadow visible against the bright halo around it. The halo formed after rocket plume interacted with the fine-grained regolith (similar to soil) on the Moon’s surface. The image shows an area that’s 1 mile, or 1.7 kilometers, wide. Credit:…

The epicenter of one of the strongest moonquakes recorded by the Apollo Passive Seismic Experiment was located in the lunar south polar region. However, the exact location of the epicenter could not be accurately determined. A cloud of possible locations (magenta dots and light blue polygon) of the strong shallow moonquake using a relocation algorithm specifically adapted for very sparse seismic networks are distributed near the pole. Blue boxes show locations of proposed Artemis III landing regions. Lobate thrust fault…

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) SLIM lander on the Moon’s surface on Jan. 24, 2024. SLIM landed at 13.3160 degrees south latitude, 25.2510 degrees east longitude, at an elevation of minus 2,992 feet (minus 912 meters). The image is 2,887 feet wide (880 meters), and lunar north is up. (LROC NAC frame M14607392143L). Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityJAXA’s SLIM lunar landing on January 19, 2024, captured by NASA’s LRO, establishes Japan as…

The restored image of Earthrise. A high-quality black and white image was colored using hues from the original color photos. Credit: NASA, Apollo 8 Crew, Bill Anders; Processing and License: Jim Weigang, CC BY-SAOn December 24, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders became the first humans to witness the Earth rising above the moon’s barren surface. Now we can relive the astronauts’ experience, thanks to data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance…