Featured Images
Craters on the Schrodinger pyroclastic cone
LROC NAC closeup clustered craters on the Schrodinger pyroclastic cone, one of the NASA Constellation regions of interest. Although likely relatively young, the craters in this cluster have a subdued appearance because they formed in...
Published on 22 Apr 2010
Dante Crater Constellation Region of Interest
Highlands terrain inside the Dante Crater Constellation Site. A portion of LROC NAC image M121044107R, 580 m across. [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University]
Published on 20 Apr 2010
Retracing the Steps of Apollo 15: Constellation Region of Interest
The third and final EVA of Apollo 15 brought the astronauts to the edge of Hadley Rille (lower left). Disturbed regolith is observed along the crater rim at station 9 and at the edge of the rille at station 9A. Rover tracks are visible...
Published on 16 Apr 2010
Rimae Prinz Region - Constellation Region of Interest
A sinuous rille created by a lava flow snakes around the base of a massif in the Prinz-Harbinger region on the Moon. Image width is 1.46 km, LROC NAC frame M102429075L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 15 Apr 2010
The Apollo 15 Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector - A Fundamental Point on the Moon!
Close-up of the Apollo 15 landing site sowing the Falcon descent stage and other hardware from the mission. In this calibrated image the Lunar Laser Ranging RetroReflector (LRRR) array appears as the (circled) tiny white rectangular...
Published on 13 Apr 2010
Each crater tells a story
The unusual shapes of craters at the Flamsteed Constellation region of interest provide information about the thickness of the lunar regolith in this region. Image M111877836LE; scene width is 500 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 07 Apr 2010
Alphonsus crater mantled floor fracture
LROC NAC closeup of a fracture in the floor of Alphonsus crater. Dark pyroclastic materials are intermixed with lighter rocks and boulders from the fracture walls and all appear to have moved in streamers toward the fracture floor at...
Published on 02 Apr 2010
Apollo Basin: Mare in a Sea of Highlands
High resolution LROC image of floor of the Apollo Basin, a large (538 km diameter) double-ringed impact crater in the southern hemisphere of the far side. This image shows part of the boundary between two flow units within the...
Published on 30 Mar 2010
Rocket impacts recorded by the Apollo seismic network
Bang! On April 14th 1970, the Apollo 13 Saturn IVB upper stage impacted the Moon North of Mare Cognitum, at -2.55° latitude, -27.88° East longitude. The impact crater, which is roughly 30 meters in diameter, is clearly visible in LROC...
Published on 22 Mar 2010
Surveyor 6 on the plains of Sinus Medii
Surveyor 6 casting 18-meter long shadow with Sun just 8° above the horizon, LROC NAC image M117501284L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 21 Mar 2010
Surveyor 5: A hole-in-one
Surveyor 5 sitting in a 10 meter diameter crater, LROC NAC image M106726943LE, width ~960 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 21 Mar 2010
Soviet Union Lunar Sample Return Missions
On February 21, 1972, Luna 20 soft landed in the rugged highlands between Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Crisium. The next day a sample return capsule blasted off carrying 55 grams of lunar soil. The Luna 20 descent stage still sits...
Published on 15 Mar 2010
Marius Hills Pit - Lava Tube Skylight?
The Marius Hills pit is a possible skylight in a lava tube in an ancient volcanic region of the Moon called the Marius Hills. This LROC image is the highest resolution image of the pit to date. Image width is 1400 meters, NAC...
Published on 01 Mar 2010
Van de Graaff Constellation Crater wall Region of Interest
Wall of crater Van de Graaff C, where brighter material is exposed by more active processes associated with steeper slopes, recent small craters, and even individual rolling boulders. NAC image 112822306, image width 0.68 km...
Published on 11 Feb 2010
Out of the Shadows: Impact Melt Flow at Byrgius A Crater
Spectacularly preserved viscous flow on the NE rim of Byrgius A (19 km diameter) crater. This flow has a form similar to lava flows on the Earth - however it formed as a result of an asteroid or comet slamming into the Moon at...
Published on 02 Feb 2010
Plato Crater Constellation Region of Interest
The Constellation Program region of interest northwest of Plato crater exhibits a wide variety of geologic features. LROC WAC frame M109269483CE; 695 nm in red, 567 nm in green, 415 nm in blue [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 02 Feb 2010
Precise 3D Measurements of Objects at Apollo 14 Landing Site from LROC NAC Stereo Images
Can we measure the size and shape of equipment and other objects on the Moon using today’s orbital images from LROC cameras? As an example, to demonstrate the precise 3D measurement capability of LROC NAC stereo imagery, three objects...
Published on 29 Jan 2010
King Crater's Unusual Melt Pond
A Constellation Program Region of Interest near the northeast edge of the unusually large melt pond adjacent to the lunar far side crater King. The boundary between the dark, coherent impact melt rock at the lower left of the image and...
Published on 26 Jan 2010
Aristarchus Plateau (2): Pyroclastic Deposit
NAC Frame M111945148R. Part of the vast pyroclastic deposit near a Constellation Program Region of Interest located on the Aristarchus plateau is visible in this image. View is 537 m across [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 21 Jan 2010
The Floor of Tycho - Constellation Region of Interest
Boulders and impact melt line the floor of the 85-km crater Tycho, a potential site for future human exploration. Scene width is 620 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
Published on 14 Jan 2010