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Published February 2017 | public
Journal Article

Summary of the results from the lunar orbiter laser altimeter after seven years in lunar orbit

Abstract

In June 2009 the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft was launched to the Moon. The payload consists of 7 science instruments selected to characterize sites for future robotic and human missions. Among them, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was designed to obtain altimetry, surface roughness, and reflectance measurements. The primary phase of lunar exploration lasted one year, following a 3-month commissioning phase. On completion of its exploration objectives, the LRO mission transitioned to a science mission. After 7 years in lunar orbit, the LOLA instrument continues to map the lunar surface. The LOLA dataset is one of the foundational datasets acquired by the various LRO instruments. LOLA provided a high-accuracy global geodetic reference frame to which past, present and future lunar observations can be referenced. It also obtained high-resolution and accurate global topography that were used to determine regions in permanent shadow at the lunar poles. LOLA further contributed to the study of polar volatiles through its unique measurement of surface brightness at zero phase, which revealed anomalies in several polar craters that may indicate the presence of water ice. In this paper, we describe the many LOLA accomplishments to date and its contribution to lunar and planetary science.

Additional Information

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. Received 14 March 2016; Revised 10 June 2016; Accepted 13 June 2016; Available online 25 June 2016. We would like to acknowledge the LOLA Engineering Team for the design and development of an outstanding instrument. We also recognize the support of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft and operations teams, and the Project Science Office without whom the LOLA investigation would not have been possible. In addition, we gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Mikhail A. Kreslavsky, Caleb Fassett, Debra Hurwitz and Lauren Jozwiak toward making LOLA a success through their scientific utilization of the data to address important scientific problems.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 23, 2023