 "Artist concept of lunar crater with safe landing sites highlighted")
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Robot Scout: Fly Me (Safely) to the Moon
This video describes how LRO will look for future lunar landing sites. Credit: NASA/Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio.
> Watch streaming video The first attempt to land humans on the moon -- Apollo 11 -- was a triumph that almost ended in disaster. At just 400 feet from the lunar surface, with only about a minute's worth of fuel remaining, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin saw that their ship's computer was taking them directly into a crater the size of a football field, strewn with SUV-sized boulders. They quickly took control from the computer, flew over the crater and touched down in a smoother area beyond, cutting the engine with just 30 seconds of fuel on the readout.
As good as they were for their time (1960s), NASA's navigation capabilities weren't good enough to avoid this nasty surprise. The landings for NASA's return to the moon are likely to be even more challenging.
> Read more
 "Artist concept of lunar crater with safe landing sites highlighted")
This video describes how LRO will look for future lunar landing sites. Credit: NASA/Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio. > Watch streaming video The first attempt to land humans on the moon -- Apollo 11 -- was a triumph that almost ended in disaster. At just 400 feet from the lunar surface, with only about a minute's worth of fuel remaining, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin saw that their ship's computer was taking them directly into a crater the size of a football field, strewn with SUV-sized boulders. They quickly took control from the computer, flew over the crater and touched down in a smoother area beyond, cutting the engine with just 30 seconds of fuel on the readout.
As good as they were for their time (1960s), NASA's navigation capabilities weren't good enough to avoid this nasty surprise. The landings for NASA's return to the moon are likely to be even more challenging.
> Read more
News and Features
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Robot Scout: Fly Me (Safely) to the Moon
Reliable power and potential lunar resources make the lunar poles attractive enough to attempt hairy landings on a crater rim. It's up to LRO to make those landings as safe as possible.
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NASA Tests Moon Imaging Spacecraft at Goddard
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has completed the first round of environmental testing at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
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The LRO/LCROSS Flight to the Moon
How to plan for a moon mission 101.
 "Photo of LRO")
 "Photo of LRO")
