Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera LROC

1
Lunar ReconnaissanceOrbiter Camera (LROC)

• Mark Robinson, PI
• Arizona State University
• School of Earth and Space Exploration

Small Impactor Hazard
Landing Site Selection
Regolith Properties
Surface Operations Planning
Resource Mapping
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LROC Measurement Objectives

• 1. Sub-meter resolution imaging to select landing
  sites
• 2. Repeat imaging (100 m/pixel) of poles to
  identify regions of permanent shadow and
  (nearly?) continuous illumination
• 3. Meter-scale mapping of polar regions with
  (nearly?) continuous illumination
• 4. Overlapping observations to enable derivation
  of meter-scale topography
• 5. Global multispectral imaging for mineralogy
  and resource identification
• 6. Global morphology base map with high quality
  control
• 7. Characterize regolith (lunar soil) properties
• 8. Determine current impact hazard by re-imaging
  Apollo era images to count new craters

SCS
NAC
WAC
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LROC Team

• Mark Robinson, Arizona State Univ.
• Eric Eliason, University Arizona
• Harald Hiesinger, Brown University
• Brad Jolliff, Washington University
• Mike Malin, MSSS
• Alfred McEwen, University Arizona
• Peter Thomas, Cornell University
• Elizabeth Turtle, University Arizona
• Scott Brylow, MSSS

gt100 years NASA space exploration experience
LROC high resolution BW, global color
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LROC Instrument Overview

• Two Narrow Angle Cameras (NACs) for Landing Site
  Certification
• One Wide Angle Camera (WAC) to Monitor Polar
  Lighting and Map Resources
• Sequence and Compressor System (SCS) to manage
  camera commands data

WAC
NAC
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NAC StatusMarch 2007

• Secondary mirror assembly completed for SN1
• All structures delivered from Vanguard to LWO
• All mirrors surfaced
• Third set of coated mirrors back to LWO from
  Denton
• Will be reviewing ATP upon receipt from LWO

Metering structure in foreground with
secondary mirror supports. Optical bench in
background with hub bonded, secondary mirror
housing visible at right.
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WAC Status

• First unit in completed assembly state (i.e., UV
  and vis lenses attached to prism housing) here
  seen on the test setup for Back Focus Distance
• ATP was reviewed with Dan Don and the recently
  commented copy provided
• Expecting delivery from LWO in early March