The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) announced on Wednesday that it has obtained the highest resolution terrain mapping to date of the moon's rugged south polar region, with a resolution of 20 meters per pixel.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory collected the data using the facility's Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's Mojave Desert.
"We now know the south pole has peaks as high as Mt. McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon. There are challenges that come with such rugged terrain, and these data will be an invaluable tool for advance planning of lunar missions," said Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA's headquarters.
"I have not been to the moon, but this imagery is the next best thing," said Scott Hensley, a scientist at JPL and lead investigator for the study. "With these data we can see terrain features as small as a house without even leaving the office."
This NASA handout photo shows the highest resolution terrain mapping to date of the moon's rugged south polar region, with a resolution to 20 meters perpixel. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, collected the data using the facility's Goldstone Solar System Radar. (Xinhua Photo) Previously, the best resolution of the moon's south pole was generated by the U.S. Clementine spacecraft, which could resolve lunar terrain features near the south pole at 1 km per pixel. The new resolution generated by JPL is 50 times more detailed.
The new mapping data collected indicate that the region of the moon's south pole near Shackleton Crater is much more rugged than previously understood. The Shackleton rim area is considered a candidate landing site for a future human mission to the moon.
In the future, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will provide the next generation of lunar imaging and data. The launch of the spacecraft is scheduled for late 2008. Cameras aboard the LRO will retrieve high resolution images of the moon's surface and lunar poles with resolutions of up to 1 meter per pixel.
Source:Xinhua
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