Today,
the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) celebrates its fifth anniversary
in space. LRO launched from Florida on June 18, 2009. After a four-day
journey, the orbiter successfully entered lunar orbit on June 23. In the
succeeding five years, LRO has continued to shape our view of our
nearest celestial neighbor.
.
LRO data has shown us the tracks and
equipment left behind from the Apollo astronauts, created the most
precise map of the lunar surface, discovered the coldest known
temperatures in the solar system, mapped the distribution of hydrogen
and possibly water mixed in the lunar soil, identified craters and many
other exciting science discoveries
.
In honor of the fifth anniversary, the LRO project kicked off the
Moon as Art Campaign. The public was asked to select a favorite orbiter
image of the moon for the cover of a special image collection. After two
weeks of voting, the public has selected this image of Tycho Central
Peak as its favorite moon image.
.
The stunningly beautiful Tycho Central
Peak rests inside an impact crater and has a boulder over 100 meters
wide (about 328 feet) at its summit. It showcases a breathtaking view of
the lunar landscape.
.
Tycho crater's central peak complex, shown here, is about 9.3 miles
(15 km) wide, left to right (southeast to northwest in this view). A
very popular target with amateur astronomers, Tycho is about 51 miles
(82 km) in diameter. The central peak's summit is 1.24 miles (2 km)
above the crater floor.
Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University
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