58-591: LRO may mean: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter , a NASA spacecraft launched in 2009 Large receive offload , in computer networking, a technique for increasing inbound throughput Light Railway Order , an order made under the Light Railways Act 1896 for the construction or operation of a railway in the United Kingdom Land Rover Owner , a magazine about Land Rover vehicles Left-to-right override,
116-513: A bistatic radar experiment to detect the presence of water ice on the lunar surface, but the test was unsuccessful. On December 17, 2010, a topographic map of the Moon based on data gathered by the LOLA instrument was released to the public. This is the most accurate topographic map of the Moon to date. It will continue to be updated as more data is acquired. On March 15, 2011, the final set of data from
174-661: A 2005–2006 refit of Endeavour included: Endeavour flew its final mission, STS-134, to the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2011. After the conclusion of STS-134, Endeavour was formally decommissioned. STS-134 was intended to launch in late 2010, but on July 1 NASA released a statement saying the Endeavour mission was rescheduled for February 27, 2011. "The target dates were adjusted because critical payload hardware for STS-133 will not be ready in time to support
232-546: A Unicode character (U+202D) used in bi-directional text Legal Rights Observatory , a legal rights activism group Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title LRO . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LRO&oldid=835130222 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
290-548: A complement of six instruments and one technology demonstration: Prior to the LRO's launch, NASA gave members of the public the opportunity to have their names placed in a microchip on the LRO. The deadline for this opportunity was July 31, 2008. About 1.6 million names were submitted. On June 23, 2009, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter entered into orbit around the Moon after a four-and-a-half-day journey from
348-709: A few of the tanks from Endeavour for reuse as storage containers for potable water on the International Space Station. On May 28, 2015, NASA donated the ET-94 external tank , the last mission-ready one in existence as all others were destroyed during launch. On April 12, 2016, the tank was transported by barge from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans , Louisiana , across the Panama Canal , and
406-474: A maximum resolution of 50 cm/pixel (20 in/pixel), to assist in the selection and characterization of future landing sites. In addition, LRO has provided images and precise locations of landers and equipment from previous and current lunar missions, including the Apollo sites. In 2024, it confirmed the highly accurate landing site of the first successful Japanese SLIM soft landing. The orbiter carries
464-549: A nod to its 25 space missions during its career. On October 30, 2012, the Space Shuttle Endeavour was opened to the public. The shuttle was display inside the temporary Samuel Oschin Pavilion, where guests offered to not only walk around Endeavour, but also under it, as the vehicle was displayed in the horizontal atop four friction-pendulum seismic isolators to protect it from earthquakes. The shuttle remained inside
522-567: A preliminary design review in February 2006 and a critical design review in November 2006, the LRO was shipped from Goddard to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 11, 2009. Launch was planned for October 2008, but this slid to April as the spacecraft underwent testing in a thermal vacuum chamber. Launch was rescheduled for June 17, 2009, because of the delay in a priority military launch, and happened one day later, on June 18. The one-day delay
580-675: A suburb of Montreal, where it was to be placed on display. In a Canadian poll on which science or aerospace museum should be selected to display the Canadarm, originally built by SPAR Aerospace , the Canadian Space Agency's headquarters placed third to last with only 35 out of 638 votes. Endeavour ' s Canadarm has since gone on permanent display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa . In August 2015, NASA engineers removed
638-406: Is a new building that is under construction, will serve as Endeavour's new permanent home. The Space Shuttle will be in a 20-story-tall display mounted on with the ET-94 tank, and solid rocket boosters, as it looks like its were about to make one more flight. Once finished, it will be the only Space Shuttle mounted vertically in launch position . Originally slated to open in 2015, construction on
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#1732844203952696-482: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter ( LRO ) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit . Data collected by LRO have been described as essential for planning NASA's future human and robotic missions to the Moon. Its detailed mapping program
754-509: Is identifying safe landing sites, locating potential resources on the Moon, characterizing the radiation environment, and demonstrating new technologies. Launched on June 18, 2009, in conjunction with the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), as the vanguard of NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program , LRO was the first United States mission to the Moon in over ten years. LRO and LCROSS were launched as part of
812-599: Is not yet announced. Following their May 30, 2020, launch on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 vehicle, the crew announced in orbit that they had named their spacecraft Endeavour . Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley said the name has a dual meaning: first, after the "incredible endeavor" put forth by SpaceX and NASA after the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011 ; and second, because both Hurley and Behnken each flew their first flight aboard
870-640: The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) for the shuttle's return to flight following the loss of Columbia during reentry on February 1, 2003. The STS-118 mission, Endeavour ' s first since the refit, included astronaut Barbara Morgan , formerly assigned to the Teacher in Space project , and later a member of the Astronaut Corps from 1998 to 2008, as part of the crew. Morgan
928-476: The California Science Center . Following the loss of Challenger in 1986, NASA was authorized to begin the procurement process for a replacement orbiter. A major refit of the prototype orbiter Enterprise was looked at and rejected on cost grounds, with instead the cache of structural spares that were produced as part of the construction of Discovery and Atlantis earmarked for assembly into
986-688: The Kennedy Space Center on September 19, 2012, heading to the Los Angeles International Airport , with some refueling stops in Ellington Field and Edwards Air Force Base . After low level flyovers above NASA and civic landmarks across the country and in California, it was delivered to LAX on September 21. It was then hoisted off the aircraft and placed inside a United Airlines hangar to prepare for its transportation through
1044-519: The LAFD and LACoFD to treat heat exhaustion victims as Endeavour made its way through the city. Endeavour was sometimes parked for a few hours at certain places, such as Randy's Donuts , and The Forum where it was available for viewing. Endeavour 's biggest part of the journey was crossing the Manchester Boulevard Bridge over Interstate 405 . However, due to weight restrictions of
1102-538: The Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility), the ancient lava plain where the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the moon. The mission maintains a full list of publications with science results on its website. Space Shuttle Endeavour Space Shuttle Endeavour ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation : OV-105 ) is a retired orbiter from NASA 's Space Shuttle program and
1160-581: The Space Shuttle Challenger , which was destroyed in 1986 . NASA chose, on cost grounds, to build much of Endeavour from spare parts rather than refitting the Space Shuttle Enterprise , and used structural spares built during the construction of Discovery and Atlantis in its assembly. The space shuttle will soon be on display in the upcoming Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at
1218-515: The Unity Module to the International Space Station . Endeavour ' s last Orbiter Major Modification period began in December 2003 and ended on October 6, 2005. During this time, Endeavour received major hardware upgrades, including a new, multi-functional, electronic display system, often referred to as a glass cockpit , and an advanced GPS receiver, along with safety upgrades recommended by
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#17328442039521276-644: The British HMS Endeavour , the ship which took Captain James Cook on his first voyage of discovery (1768–1771). This is why the name is spelled in the British English manner, rather than the American English ("Endeavor"). This has caused confusion, including when NASA itself misspelled a sign on the launch pad in 2007. The Space Shuttle carried a piece of the original wood from Cook's ship inside
1334-791: The Earth. The Mini-RF instrument has already met its science mission success criteria by collecting more than 400 strips of radar data since September 2010. In January 2013, NASA tested one-way laser communication with LRO by sending an image of the Mona Lisa to the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument on LRO from the Next Generation Satellite Laser Ranging (NGSLR) station at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. In May 2015, LRO's orbit
1392-410: The Earth. When launched, the spacecraft was aimed at a point ahead of the Moon's position. A mid-course correction was required during the trip in order for the spacecraft to correctly enter Lunar orbit. Once the spacecraft reached the far side of the Moon , its rocket motor was fired in order for it to be captured by the Moon's gravity into an elliptical lunar orbit. A series of four rocket burns over
1450-481: The ISS and paused at a distance of 200 metres (660 ft). Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli took a series of photographs and videos of the ISS with Endeavour docked. This was the second time a shuttle was photographed docked and the first time since 1996. Commander Mark Kelly was the last astronaut off Endeavour after the landing, and the crew stayed on the landing strip to sign autographs and pose for pictures. STS-134
1508-492: The International Space Station. STS-134 did not launch until May 16 at 08:56 EDT . Endeavour landed at the Kennedy Space Center at 06:34 UTC on June 1, 2011, completing its final mission. It was the 25th night landing of a shuttle. Over its flight career, Endeavour flew 122,883,151 miles (197,761,262 km) and spent 299 days in space. During Endeavour's last mission, the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-20 departed from
1566-417: The Space Shuttle was then moved into its position, thus completing the stack. Once all components are mounted into place, construction on the building continues, as it will be built a complex diagrid structure around it. Construction work on the building is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025. It will take several more years to install the artifacts and exhibits inside the building. An official grand opening
1624-478: The United States's Vision for Space Exploration program. The probe has made a 3-D map of the Moon's surface at 100-meter resolution and 98.2% coverage (excluding polar areas in deep shadow), including 0.5-meter resolution images of Apollo landing sites. The first images from LRO were published on July 2, 2009, showing a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium ( Sea of Clouds ). The total cost of
1682-468: The bridge, the shuttle was moved from the robotic transporters to a lighter non-powered dolly and was towed across the bridge by an unmodified Toyota Tundra . Once it had completely crossed the bridge, the shuttle was then returned to the robotic transporters to continue its course. Toyota used the footage of Endeavour crossing the bridge in a commercial for the 2013 Super Bowl , and the Tundra used to pull
1740-503: The cockpit. The name also honored Endeavour , the command module of Apollo 15 , which was also named for Cook's ship. On May 30, 2020, Dragon 2 capsule C206 was named Endeavour during the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission by astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in honor of the shuttle, on which both astronauts took their first flights ( STS-127 and STS-123 respectively). On its first mission, it captured and redeployed
1798-549: The exploration phase of the mission was released to the NASA Planetary Data System . The spacecraft's seven instruments delivered more than 192 terabytes of data. LRO has already collected as much data as all other planetary missions combined. This volume of data is possible because the Moon is so close, LRO has its own dedicated ground station, and it doesn't have to share time on the Deep Space Network . Among
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1856-517: The faults are created as the Moon shrinks, with influence by gravitational tidal forces from Earth. In March 2016, the LROC team reported the use of 14,092 NAC temporal pairs to discover over 47,000 new splotches on the Moon. In July 2024, the analysis of the radar data obtained by LRO confirmed the presence of an underground cave on the moon accessible from the surface. The cave is said to be about 45 metres wide and at least 80 metres long, and present in
1914-512: The fifth and final operational Shuttle built. It embarked on its first mission, STS-49 , in May 1992 and its 25th and final mission, STS-134 , in May 2011. STS-134 was expected to be the final mission of the Space Shuttle program, but with the authorization of STS-135 by the United States Congress , Atlantis became the last shuttle to fly. The United States Congress approved the construction of Endeavour in 1987 to replace
1972-416: The impact, called temporal pairs. The images revealed splotches, small areas whose reflectance is markedly different from that of the surrounding terrain, presumably from disruption of the surface by recent impacts. By September 2015, LROC had imaged nearly three-fourths of the lunar surface at high resolution, revealing more than 3,000 lobate scarps . Their global distribution and orientation suggests that
2030-481: The latest products is a global map with a resolution of 100 m/pixel (330 ft/pixel) from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC). In March 2015, the LROC team reported having imaged the location of an impact whose flash was observed from Earth on March 17, 2013. The team found the crater by going back to images taken in the first year or two and comparing them to images taken after
2088-527: The mission is reported as US$ 583 million, of which $ 504 million pertains to the main LRO probe and $ 79 million to the LCROSS satellite. LRO has enough fuel to continue operations until at least 2026. Developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center , LRO is a large (1,916 kg/4,224 lb ) and sophisticated spacecraft. Its mission duration was planned for one year, but has since been extended numerous times after review by NASA. After completing
2146-450: The move. The power had to be turned off and power carrying poles had to be removed temporarily as the orbiter crept along the streets. News crews lined the streets along the path with visible news personalities in the news trucks. Police escorts and other security personnel, among them including the LAPD , LASD , CHP , and NASA officials, controlled the large crowds gathered, with support from
2204-609: The new building started on June 1, 2022. Meanwhile, the ET-94 tank underwent some restoration after being used to analyze the foam on its sister tank, ET-93, which was a factor during the STS-107 mission, which resulted in the Columbia disaster . On July 20, 2023, the assembly of the stack began with the aft skirts (bottom segments of the rocket boosters) being precisely positioned on a concrete slab supported by six base isolators that will protect Endeavour from earthquakes. The motors for
2262-514: The new orbiter. Assembly was completed in July 1990, and the new orbiter was rolled out in April 1991. As part of the process, NASA ran a national competition for schools to name the new orbiter—the criteria included a requirement that it be named after an exploratory or research vessel, with a name "easily understood in the context of space"; entries included an essay about the name, the story behind it and why it
2320-453: The next four days put the satellite into its commissioning phase orbit where each instrument was brought online and tested. On September 15, 2009, the spacecraft started its primary mission by orbiting the Moon at about 50 km (31 mi) for one year. After completing its one-year exploration phase, in September 2010, LRO was handed over to NASA's Science Mission Directorate to continue
2378-506: The presence of both water and hydroxyl , an ion related to water. On January 4, 2011, the Mini-RF instrument team for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) found that the Mini-RF radar transmitter had suffered an anomaly. Mini-RF has suspended normal operations. Despite being unable to transmit, the instrument is being used to collect bistatic radar observations using radar transmissions from
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2436-456: The previously planned 16 September launch," NASA said in a statement. With the Discovery launch moving to November, Endeavour mission "cannot fly as planned, so the next available launch window is in February 2011," NASA said, adding that the launch dates were subject to change. The launch was further postponed until April to avoid a scheduling conflict with a Russian supply vehicle heading for
2494-528: The rocket boosters were installed on October 11, which was in storage at the Mojave Air and Space Port . The rocket boosters was fully assembled when the tops were added on December 5. On January 3, 2024, Endeavour was protected in a shrink wrap, likely to stay on until construction is complete. The ET-94 tank was then moved into its position in January 16 and was mounted to the rocket boosters. On January 30,
2552-495: The science phase of the mission. It would continue in its 50 km circular orbit, but eventually would be transitioned into a fuel-conserving "quasi-frozen" elliptical orbit for the remainder of the mission. NASA's LCROSS mission culminated with two lunar impacts at 11:31 and 11:36 UTC on October 9. The goal of the impact was the search for water in the Cabeus crater near the Moon's south pole, and preliminary results indicated
2610-491: The shuttle was donated to the Science Center, where it became part of an exhibit on leverage. Having taken longer than expected, Endeavour reached the Science Center on October 14 at 7:30pm. Prior to its arrival, a building was constructed on the side of the museum to temporary house the Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle's entire journey through the streets of Los Angeles was often dubbed as Mission 26: The Big Endeavour ,
2668-424: The shuttle's wide wings between telephone poles, apartment buildings and other structures. Many street light standards and traffic signals were temporarily removed as the shuttle passed through. It was necessary to remove over 400 street trees as well, some of which were fairly old, leading to concern. However, the removed trees were replaced two-for-one by the Science Center, using part of the $ 200 million funding for
2726-489: The stranded Intelsat VI communications satellite. The first African-American woman astronaut, Mae Jemison , was launched into space on the mission STS-47 on September 12, 1992. Endeavour flew the first servicing mission STS-61 for the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. In 1997 it was withdrawn from service for eight months for a retrofit, including installation of a new airlock. In December 1998, it delivered
2784-426: The streets of Los Angeles. On October 11 at 11:30pm, Endeavour left the hangar on four self-propelled robotic transporters and the orbiter was slowly left the airport and was carefully transported through the streets of Los Angeles. The Space Shuttle's 12-mile (19 km) journey was meticulously measured and each move was carefully choreographed. In multiple locations, there were only inches of clearance for
2842-511: The temporary pavilion until December 31, 2023. A companion exhibit inside the Science Center features images and artifacts that related the Space Shuttle program to California , where the orbiters were originally constructed. After its decommissioning, Endeavour ' s Canadarm (formally the 'Shuttle Remote Manipulator System') was removed in order to be sent to the Canadian Space Agency's John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil , Quebec ,
2900-461: The upper school division. They were honored at several ceremonies in Washington, D.C., including a White House ceremony where President Bush presented awards to each school. Endeavour was delivered by Rockwell International Space Transportation Systems Division in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992, on STS-49 . Endeavour cost $ 1.7 billion to build. The orbiter is named after
2958-524: Was altered to fly 20 km (12 mi) above the Moon's south pole, allowing higher resolution data to be obtained from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) and Diviner instruments over the permanently shadowed craters there. In 2019, LRO found the crash site of Indian moon lander Vikram . In 2020, software was tested to use star trackers instead of the Miniature Inertial Measurement Unit that had been turned off in 2018 (as it
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#17328442039523016-617: Was appropriate for a NASA shuttle, and the project that supported the name. Amongst the entries, Endeavour was suggested by one-third of the participating schools, with President George H.W. Bush eventually selecting it on the advice of the NASA Administrator, Richard Truly . The national winners were Senatobia Middle School in Senatobia, Mississippi , in the elementary division and Tallulah Falls School in Tallulah Falls, Georgia , in
3074-570: Was degrading). LRO and the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter were expected to come dangerously close to each other on 20 October 2021 at 05:45 UTC over the Lunar North pole. Chandrayaan-2 orbiter performed a collision avoidance manoeuvre at 14:52 UTC on 18 October 2021 to avert the possible conjunction event. On August 21, 2009, the spacecraft, along with the Chandrayaan-1 orbiter, attempted to perform
3132-685: Was safely docked in Marina del Rey on May 15. The tank was delivered to the Science Center on May 21. It was displayed outside the Samuel Oschin Pavilion until 2023. On March 28, 2017, both Northrop Grumman and NASA donated a pair of flight-proven solid rocket boosters for Endeavour exhibit. The rocket parts were delivered on September 11, 2020, and was temporarily stored in the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave , California until construction begins. The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center ,
3190-539: Was supported by a Vehicle Manager for the same spacecraft. Space Shuttle Endeavour ' s Flow Directors were: After more than twenty organizations submitted proposals for the display of an orbiter, on April 12, 2011, NASA announced that the Space Shuttle Endeavour would go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles . The Space Shuttle was mounted on the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and departed from
3248-449: Was the backup for Christa McAuliffe who was on the ill-fated mission STS-51-L in 1986. As it was constructed later than its elder sisters, Endeavour was built with new hardware designed to improve and expand orbiter capabilities. Most of this equipment was later incorporated into the other three orbiters during out-of-service major inspection and modification programs. Endeavour ' s upgrades include: Modifications resulting from
3306-581: Was the penultimate Space Shuttle mission; STS-135 was added to the schedule in January 2011, and in July Atlantis flew for the final time. ‡ Longest shuttle mission for Endeavour The Flow Director was responsible for the overall preparation of the Shuttle for launch and processing it after landing, and remained permanently assigned to head the spacecraft's ground crew while the astronaut flight crews changed for every mission. Each Shuttle's Flow Director
3364-481: Was to allow the Space Shuttle Endeavour a chance to lift off for mission STS-127 following a hydrogen fuel leak that canceled an earlier planned launch. Areas of investigation include selenodetic global topography ; the lunar polar regions , including possible water ice deposits and the lighting environment; characterization of deep space radiation in lunar orbit; and high-resolution mapping, at
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