Apollo 11 Descent: Film and LRO Imagery

NASA - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) patch / NASA - Apollo 11 - 40th Anniversary patch.

July 20,2012

Side by side view of Apollo 11's descent, showing the view out of the lunar module's window side by side with the broader panorama reconstructed from LRO data.Video Courtesy of GoneToPlaid.

On the moon we will develop technologies to survive in the infinite frontier of space, because the moon presents the same challenges we will encounter throughout the universe: harmful radiation, electrified dust, and extreme temperatures.

Just as a scout finds the safest way for expeditions on Earth, NASA will first send a robotic scout, called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), to gather crucial data on the lunar environment that will help astronauts prepare for long-duration lunar expeditions.

Artist's concept of LRO. Credit: NASA

LRO will spend at least a year in a low polar orbit approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the lunar surface, while its seven instruments find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment and test new technology.

For more information on the seven instruments that will work together to give us the most comprehensive atlas of the moon’s features and resources: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/spacecraft/index.html

Images, Video, Text, Credits: NASA / GoneToPlaid.

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