News
25.05.2010 – Lunar Swirls at the Mare Ingenii Constellation Region of Interest
Mare Ingenii is one of the few mare basalt deposits on the farside of the Moon. What makes Mare Ingenii even more unique is that it contains one of the most rare and strange geological features on the Moon: lunar swirls!
Read more (LROC Featured Image by the IfP team)
LROC WAC context image of part of Mare Ingenii with the extraordinary patterns of dark and light albedo lunar swirls. The star near the center of the image shows the location of a potential future landing site within the Constellation region of interest [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
27.04.2010 – Constellation Region of Interest at Mare Tranquillitatis
The Constellation region of interest in Mare Tranquillitatis is a good example of a site that combines operational benefits with fascinating geologic features. An equatorial nearside location where landings would be fairly straightforward, the most obvious feature that draws your eyes in this region of interest is the dramatic wrinkle ridge that dominates the landscape.
Read more (LROC Featured Image by the IfP team)
Long wrinkle ridges in Mare Tranquillitatis in LRO Wide Angle Camera (WAC) image M117345275M [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University]. The section of wrinkle ridge shown in the featured NAC image is in the center of this WAC view. Arago crater (lower left), is 26 km in diameter.
01.04.2010 – Hortensius Domes – Constellation Region of Interest
The Hortensius Domes site is a Constellation Program region of interest. The site is located at 7.48°N, -27°E near the 7 km diameter crater Hortensius, within Mare Insularum. The six domes found here are typical examples of lunar mare domes.
Read more (LROC Featured Image by the IfP team)
Four main domes in the Hortensius region (Phi, Tau, Sigma, and Omega). The domes display very little relief, making them visible only at low-sun angles, LROC WAC mosaic [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
11.03.2010 – Moon Room with a View
If you think the newly installed panoramic view cupola on the International Space Station is cool, I’ve got a room for you on the moon -- with a view. It's definitely a fixer-upper but well worth the effort.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter recently photographed a "lava skylight," a gaping hole in an underground lava tube on the moon.
Read more (Discovery News)
01.03.2010 – Marius Hills Pit – Lava Tube Skylight?
The Marius Hills pit was discovered in images from the Japanese SELENE/Kaguya Terrain Camera and Multiband Imager, and reported in Geophysical Research Letters. The Japanese team, led by Junichi Haruyama [and including Harald Hiesinger and Carolyn van der Bogert at the IfP], made multiple observations of the pit using both the Terrain Camera and the Multiband Imager at resolutions as high as 6 meters/pixel (see below). The LROC image presented here (above), at 0.5 meters/pixel, is the highest resolution image of the Marius Hills pit to date!
Read more (LROC Featured Image by the IfP team)
Enlargement of the Marius Hills pit showing a small crater on the northwestern edge and small boulders on the southern lip of the hole. The pit is about 65 meters in diameter. NAC M114328462R [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].
28.01.2010 – Lava-Tunnel endeckt: Ein Haus auf dem Mond
Gemütlich ist es nicht auf dem Mond: Es drohen gefährliche Strahlungen, Meteoriten-Einschläge und extreme Temperaturschwankungen von bis zu 300 Grad. Trotzdem träumen viele vom Haus auf dem Mond - zum Beispiel Astronauten. Ein neu entdeckter Lava-Tunnel könnte den Traum irgendwann wahr machen.
zur ganzen Meldung (BR-online)
26.01.2010 – King Crater’s Unusual Melt Pond
The lunar far side crater King is about 77 km in diameter and 5 km deep. King Crater is one of the youngest craters on the far side. It is an excellent example of a Copernican-aged complex impact crater. Simple impact craters are bowl shaped, whereas complex craters have central peaks, and sometimes even concentric rings. King is known particularly for its remarkable claw-shaped central peak and an unusually large ~20 km diameter, ca. 225 km3 melt pond. The melt pond, which lies to the northwest of King, has a relatively flat, smooth surface that is a potentially safe landing site for both robotic and human lunar exploration.
Read more (LROC Featured Image by the IfP team)
Apollo 16 Metric Camera image of King Crater. Image AS16-M-0891 [NASA/JSC/Arizona State University].
02.01.2010 – Unser Mann für den Mond
Der Münsteraner Planetenforscher Harald Hiesinger zählt Krater auf dem Satelliten.
zur ganzen Meldung (Mindener Tageblatt)
27.10.2010 – Living in Lunar Lava Tubes
One of the key questions when we eventually return to the Moon will be: where are we going to live? Perhaps one solution has just presented itself in the form of a hole in the lunar surface, possibly leading to a hollow lava tube. This natural formation is known as a "skylight" and up until now little was known about where they are located and how many there are.
Read more at Discovery News
20.07.2009 – Moon Attracts Renewed International Scientific Interest
Forty years after the first manned landing, the moon is again getting a lot of scientific attention. Two teams of German scientists are contributing research to a NASA probe looking for suitable future landing sites.
Read more at the Deutsche Welle
17.07.2009 – LRO Sees Apollo Landing Sites
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has returned its first imagery of the Apollo moon landing sites. The pictures show the Apollo missions' lunar module descent stages sitting on the moon's surface, as long shadows from a low sun angle make the modules' locations evident. |  Apollo 11 lunar module, Eagle. |
04.07.2009 – Sensation! So scharf haben wir unseren Mond noch nie gesehen
Tiefe Krater durchziehen eine karge Ebene, ein dunkler Schatten verdeckt die linke Bildhälfte. Es sind gestochen scharfe Fotos, die den Mond zeigen, wie man ihn noch nie gesehen hat. Möglich gemacht durch Forscher aus Westfalen!
zur ganzen Meldung (Bild)
03.07.2009 – Amerikanische Mission: So detailliert wie nie: Forscher aus Münster empfangen erste Bilder vom Mond
„So habe ich den Mond noch nie gesehen, das ist absolut fantastisch“, sagt Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger vom Institut für Planetologie der Uni Münster. Er hat am Donnerstag die ersten Bilder, der am 18. Juni 2009 von Cape Canaveral aus gestartete „Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter“ (LRO) erhalten.
zur ganzen Meldung (Münstersche Zeitung)
03.07.2009 – Münstersche Planetologen feiern “LRO”-Mission
Gestern (2.Juli 2009) hat der am 18. Juni 2009 von Cape Canaveral aus gestartete "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter" (LRO), die amerikanische Mission, die eine bemannte Rückkehr zum Mond vorbereiten soll, die ersten Bilder zur Erde gesendet. Für Prof. Dr. Harald Hiesinger vom Institut für Planetologie der Universität Münster ein großartiger Erfolg: "So habe ich den Mond noch nie gesehen, das ist absolut fantastisch".
zur ganzen Pressemittelung (WWU)
02.07.2009 – NASA’s LRO Spacecraft Sends First Lunar Images to Earth
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has transmitted its first images since reaching the moon on June 23. The spacecraft's two cameras, collectively known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, were activated June 30. The cameras are working well and have returned images of a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds).
Read more at NASA
Browse full images at LROC Soc
This image shows a cratered region near the moon's Mare Nubium region.
Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University
22.06.09 – Forschen für die Mondstation
Ab
Dienstagnacht (23.06.09) steht der Mond unter besonderer Beobachtung
der Uni Münster: Drei Spezialkameras werden in einer Sonde um den
Erdtrabanten kreisen. Die Forscher aus Münster suchen damit vor allem
nach Wasser und Titan.
zur ganzen Meldung (WDR)
22.06.2009 – Auf den Mond geschossen
Wie alt ist der Mond
eigentlich? Und woraus ist er zusammengesetzt? Kameras aus Münster
sollen jetzt diese Fragen beantworten helfen. Entwickelt vom Institut
für Planetologie der Uni Münster, sind die Geräte jetzt auf
Mond-Mission.
zum Video bei WDR Lokalzeit
19.06.2009 – Successful LRO/LCROSS Launch on June 18, 2009
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) are bound for the moon after a flawless liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard an Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V roared off the launch pad at Launch Complex 41 at 5:32 p.m. EDT to begin NASA's return to the moon missions. LRO will reach the moon on Tuesday at 5:43 a.m. LCROSS and the Centaur rocket will stay attached for the next four months. They will then separate and be directed to impact the moon on Oct. 9, UTC. Read more updates and see launch videos from NASA |  LRO/LCROSS launch on an AtlasV/Centaur at 5:32 pm EDT June 18, 2009. |
19.06.2009 – NASA Mission – Rückkehr zum Mond
Die
Nasa will bis 2020 wieder Menschen zum Mond fliegen. Nun hat sie Sonden
losgeschickt, um dort nach Wasser und einem Landeplatz zu suchen.
Nasa-Mission: Rückkehr zum Mond (Spiegel Online)
15.06.2009 - Amerikas Superauge bereitet neue Missionen vor
Die
Amerikaner kehren zum Mond zurück, vorerst mit einem unbemannten Späher
- doch der neue "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter", der am Mittwoch
startet, soll auch bemannte Mondlandungen vorbereiten. Und
Verschwörungstheorien ein Ende bereiten.
zur ganzen Meldung (Spiegel Online)
04.06.2009 - Münstersche Planetologen sind an Mond-Mission beteiligt
Bald auf dem Weg zum Mond ist die Sonde "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". An Bord ist auch ein Experiment aus Münster.
Bild: NASA
"Mein
Flug ist gebucht, ich kann es kaum erwarten, dass es endlich losgeht."
Prof. Harald Hiesinger vom Institut für Planetologie freut sich
auf ein ganz besonderes Ereignis: den Start einer „ATLAS
V“-Rakete. Die soll, so es denn die Wetterbedingungen zu lassen,
am 17. Juni den "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter" (LRO) auf eine
Umlaufbahn um den Mond befördern. Mit an Bord ist auch ein
Experiment, an dem Hiesinger mitarbeitet.
zur ganzen Pressemittelung (WWU)
to entire Press Release (WWU)
21.05.09 - NASA Details Plans for Lunar Exploration Robotic Missions
NASA's
return to the moon will get a boost in June with the launch of two
satellites that will return a wealth of data about Earth's nearest
neighbor. On Thursday, the agency outlined the upcoming missions of the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS. The spacecraft will launch together June 17 aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Read more at NASA
LRO Press Conference supporting videos.
This photo shows the LRO and LCROSS spacecrafts mated together and
sitting outside of the rocket fairing ready to be encapsulated for
their trip to space. Credit: KSC/NASA
16.04.09 – LRO to Help Astronauts Survive in Infinity
Space
seems exotic, forbidding, and remote, but imagine trying to survive
winter without a heated shelter or warm clothing. Our ancestors
developed these technologies because they needed room to grow; without
them, we would still be confined to narrow areas along the equator, but
with them, we could live anywhere in the world. With the right
technology, space is just another place for people to live.
Read more at NASA
This photo shows the LRO and LCROSS spacecrafts mated together and
sitting outside of the rocket fairing ready to be encapsulated for
their trip to space. Credit: KSC/NASA
10.02.08 – Treasure Hunting on the Moon: LRO and the Search for Water
A
bottle of one of the most expensive brands of water costs $40, and is
presented in a frosted glass container decorated with crystal. On the
moon, a bottle of water would run about $50,000, and forget about that
heavy crystal glass. That's because it costs around $50,000 per pound
to launch anything to the moon. Discovering water on the moon would be
like finding a gold mine.
Read more at NASA
There are certain spots in deep craters at the moon's poles where the
sun may not have shone for billions of years. These areas, called
Permanently Shadowed Regions, may be able to trap water molecules as
ice. Credit: NASA/JPL
Robot Scout: Fly Me (Safely) to the Moon
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.
Read more at NASA
This
is an example of a simulated map of safe landing areas around a large
lunar crater, that will be created using LRO data. The green regions
are designated as possible safe landing zones after LRO's instruments
have scanned the surface for various hazards, such as steep slopes,
extreme temperatures, and rocky terrain. Once the maps have been
created, mission planners will choose safe zones that are also
scientifically interesting or are near possible resources. Credit:
NASA/Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio.
