Targets for LRO Options

[PhilHorzempa]

You can imagine this to be a companion thread to the one requesting suggestions
for MRO targets on Mars.

The LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) is set to launch in a little over a year
from now. There was to a be a site selection workshop in May 2007, next month, but
I see now that it has been cancelled. Therefore, it appears that it is up to us, the UMSF
Community to take up the baton and help NASA out. It was done for New Horizons at Jupiter
and was very productive.

So, what are the sites that you would like to see imaged at 0.5 meter resolution by
LROC, LRO's High-Resolution camera?

My first suggestion would be to re-photograph the Surveyor 1 landing site to compare
it with the images obtained by Lunar Orbiter 3.

My second suggestion would be to photograph the Surveyor 6 landing area. This
should image S-6 itself, but even more interesting, it may capture images of
Surveyor 4, which should be only a mile or so away. This would help to
determine whatever happened to S-4, which abruptly stopped transmitting just
short of touchdown.



Another Phil

[Phil Stooke]

You need the low sun to discern surface features, as Doug said. The most important reason for targeting early morning rather than late evening was to allow the approach to the site to occur over the illuminated region for navigation updates - they tracked landmarks to update their position. Also this will allow for landing delays. If you have some little problem that prevents landing on one orbit you can go for the next, or the next again. In the evening, miss an orbit or two and you will be on the surface during the night. That would be even more important for the longer missions.

Lighting is much more important here than temperature.

Phil

[SpaceListener]

Fantastic, Doug and Phil statements have closed very well about all reasons for early morning landing on Moon.

However, for just confirmation of my hipothesis is that the Moon surface temperature on that time on Sun side is so hot as over than 100 centigrades Celius, isn't it?