My Dark Sky

After ignoring the Moon for so long, NASA will be returning to it soon, through the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

NASA plans to setup a permanent base on the Moon, where it can be a stepping stone for humans to travel to Mars and beyond. This, however, requires detailed understanding of the lunar environment, including finding safe landing sites, locating potential resources and characterise the radiation environment.

And all these will be the jobs of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter, comprised of six instruments and one technology demonstration, will provide the most comprehensive data set ever returned from the Moon. LRO will focus on the factors for human survivals on the Moon, create a comprehensive atlas of the Moon’s features and resources necessary to design and build a lunar outpost.

Scheduled for launch on 31 October 2008, LRO will take only 4 days to reach the Moon. It will first enter an elliptical orbit from which it will move into its final near-circular polar orbit, approximately 50 km above the Moon’s surface. It is plan to be there for at least a year, collecting all the necessary data on lunar conditions.

Now, your name can fly together with this spacecraft to the Moon. NASA invites everyone to join this lunar exploration journey. Sign up here to send your name to the Moon. The database of names will be placed on a microchip that will be integrated onto the spacecraft. By signing up, you will also receive a certificate showcasing your support of the mission.

The deadline is 27 June 2008. Do it now!

~ by thChieh on May 5, 2008.

Posted in Moon
Tags: LRO