Two major LRO milestones marked by LROC

The recent release of the LROC Wide Angle Camera mosaic of the Moon's eastern hemisphere inspired Moon watchers to pour over a view filled with objects both unfamiliar as well as features that, even if familiar, are impossible to see from the same angle from Earth. On the eastern edge of Mare Australe a feature briefly caught our attention. In the long shadows appeared what seemed to be a classic volcano, around 46.57°S, 113.89°E.

A Third Release of LROC images to the Planetary Data System (PDS), September 16, did not immediately provide any new Narrow Angle Camera observations of this "cone's crater," other than previously released close-ups of its high-angled slopes. But two newly Wide Angle Camera views from June 2010 did show the feature, most likely a worn crater perched on what remains of an equally worn ring of mountains surrounding the Australe basin. (Looks like good skiing in Narrow Angle Camera views.) - LROC Observation M130896509M, LRO orbit 4423, June 11, 2010; alt. 54.7 km, resolution 76.68 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Mark Robinson
Principal Investigator
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera
Arizona State University

The LROC Team delivers third archive volume to the PDS, more than 68,000 new images are now available, and September 16 marks the transition of the LRO mission from NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate to NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

LROC Team Releases 3rd EDR and CDR Archive Volume

The third LROC release contains 68,992 EDR products, totaling 8.1 TBytes of images and ancillary files. The majority of the images were taken between March 16, 2010 to June 15, 2010. This release also contains images acquired on the dates: 2010-02-06, 2010-02-24, 2010-02-25, 2010-03-03, 2010-03-04, and 2010-03-05.

The 3rd CDR volume contains 69,091 CDR products, totaling 17.0 TBytes of images and ancillary files. The majority of images were taken between March 16, 2010 to June 15, 2010. There are also images taken on the dates: 2009-06-30 to 2009-12-31, 2010-02-06, 2010-02-24, 2010-02-25, 2010-03-03, 2010-03-04, and 2010-03-05 represented in the volume.

Total number of LROC EDR products released to date: 225,903 for a total 28.2 TBytes of images and ancillary files.

Total number of LROC CDR products released to date: 225,428, for a total of 55 TBytes of images and ancillary files.

Explore the new images on LROC's browse page.

ESMD to SMD Transition

September 16 marks the transition of the LRO mission from NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) to NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Throughout the first phase of LRO's mission the spacecraft collected vast amounts of science data in support of NASA's exploration goals. The transition simply means that LRO science data will now support NASA's science goals. What does this transition mean in practice? For the most part the transition will be relatively seamless, with only a re-prioritization of special targeted observations. For example, the Constellation Regions of Interest will drop in priority and other high science value targets will have their priority raised.

The bottom line: LRO will continue to collect a bonanza of lunar science data.