Featured Images

The Chang'e 3 Landing Site in 3D

Slope map overlain on an LROC NAC image of the Chang'e 3 landing site at 44.12°N, 340.49°E in Mare Imbrium. The Chinese spacecraft landed just to the east of the large crater near the center.  Slopes range from zero (blue) to...

Published on 07 Oct 2014

Two Faces of Mars (from the Moon)

Moon-facing hemisphere of Mars on 8 May 2014 at 14:27:04 UTC seen from lunar orbit! Instruments on LRO sometimes use stars and planets for calibration or other special observations. During one of these off-Moon observations, LROC...

Published on 30 Sep 2014

Small Step or Giant Leap?

A house-sized boulder (more than 30 m in diameter) left a clear impression (arrow) in the lunar surface. This boulder was thrown a relatively short distance (500 m) to the east of a young 1.6-km crater (rim crest to the left); LROC NAC...

Published on 21 Jul 2014

The Original Interplanetary Mountaineers

Traverse plots of the first two Apollo 15 EVAs, on which astronauts Scott and Irwin ventured to the lower slopes of Mons Hadley Delta (center left); numbers indicate elevations above the landing site (LM) (oblique LROC NAC M1123519889;...

Published on 20 Jun 2014

Soaring Over Mighty Mt. Hadley

An oblique view, looking east-to-west over the Apennine Mountains towards Hadley Rille (upper left) (LROC NAC M1123519889, north is to the right). A long shadow is cast by mighty Mt. Hadley (center right). Nestled between the Apennines...

Published on 18 Jun 2014

Trundling Across the Moon

Tracks made by Lunokhod 2 as it tested for variations in local magnetic properties while traversing around a small crater (25.764°N, 30.474°E), M122007650R, image width 470 m [NASA/ GSFC/ Arizona State University].

Published on 23 May 2014

Elongated Crater

Full resolution LROC NAC M155084711R showing the northeastern wall and floor of Arago E crater. The floor is peppered with rocks that tumbled down the crater wall. In this image North is up, image width is ~0.5 miles (800 m)...

Published on 01 May 2014

Making an Impact on History

LROC NAC image (M153014430L) of the Ranger 7 impact crater (bright crater near top center) in Mare Cognitum located at 339.323°E, 10.634°S. The crater is 14 meters in diameter; image width is 400 m. [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 07 Nov 2013

LROC Coordinates of Robotic Spacecraft - 2013 Update

Luna 17, the spacecraft that carried the Lunokhod 1 rover to the surface. You can make out the rover tracks around the lander. LROC NAC image M175502049RE [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 24 Sep 2013

Rima Marius Layering

Basalt layering is visible in the wall of this portion of Rima Marius. Image width is ~1.3 km, LROC NAC image M1103881010R [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University]. 

Published on 27 Jun 2013

March of Time

Small white blotch with black center (in center of image) is likely a new impact crater formed during the LRO mission. Inset in lower left (38 meters wide) shows 4x enlargement. NAC M1117799545, 480 meters wide [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State...

Published on 20 May 2013

Impact!

The twin GRAIL spacecraft impacted the Moon on 17 December 2012, LROC was able to image the impact craters on 28 February 2013 showing them both to be about 5 meters in diameter. Upper panels show the area before the impact; lower...

Published on 19 Mar 2013

Meanders in Posidonius

Small portion of a S-shaped meandering rille on the floor of Posidonius Crater (31.93°N, 29.85°E, 100 km diameter) - a floor-fractured crater. The curves in the rille are very tight. LROC NAC M1098658474R [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State...

Published on 05 Feb 2013

Boulder Fields

Boulders of various sizes (a few meters up to ~20 meters across) scattered across the lunar surface. From where do the boulders originate? NAC M170605553LR, image width 510 m [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 30 Jan 2013

Boulders In The Sea Of Serenity

A wrinkle ridge in western Mare Serenitatis is littered with boulders and high-albedo (bright) areas. Image is ~1.5 km across, NAC M106826896L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 09 Jan 2013

Physics is Fun!

A gradational distribution of boulders inside a crater. LROC image M176224625L, image width is 500 meters [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 04 Dec 2012

Question Answered!

LRO slewed 19° down-Sun allowing the illuminated side of the still standing American flag to be captured at the Apollo 17 landing site. M113751661L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 27 Jul 2012

Watch That First Step!

LROC oblique view of the giant scarp (cliff) Rupes Cauchy that cuts across 200 km of Mare Tranquillitatis. The scarp is 300 meters tall and Cauchy B crater is 6 km in diameter [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 24 Jul 2012

Copernicus Central Peak

Copernicus crater central peak casts a long shadow to the west over a crater floor that was flooded with impact melt that cooled and hardened to form this spectacular landscape. LROC NAC M193025138LR, image width is 1350 m...

Published on 27 Jun 2012

Orion, Up Close

Low orbit view of Apollo 16 landing site, image width 250 meters, M175179080 [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].

Published on 23 Apr 2012