LRO Takes First Moon Pictures

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has taken its first photos of the Moon.

The first test images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbital Camera (LROC) were taken south of the Sea of Clouds, along the Moon's terminator - the line that divides lunar day from lunar night. The images show terrain that appears to be craggy and inhospitable, according to Mark Robinson of Arizona State University, principle investigator of the LROC. However, Robinson has provided assurance that the region is similar to the area that was explored safely by Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972.

The images are extremely detailed, showing features that are just 10 miles long. Each photo shows a 0.87 mile area.

The LROC has two narrow angle cameras, which provide black and white images, and a wide angle camera, which has seven color bands.

Because the pictures were taken along the terminator, they were covered in shadows. Robinson said that this situation is ideal for performing checks on the camera's settings.

LRO was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on June 18, 2009. It began circling the Moon on June 23. LROC was activated on June 30.

The spacecraft is currently in moving in a highly elliptical path. It will be moved to a more circular orbit around the poles later this summer.

The solar-powered Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which cost £504 million, was designed to spend a year creating a detailed map of the Moon, while searching for suitable landing sites for future manned missions. Engineers are currently checking instruments and calibration to ensure that LRO is ready to perform its mission.