NASA Lunar reconnaissance vehicle LRO captured a perfectly timed image as it crossed paths with another spacecraft orbiting the moon.
The LRO spacecraft, which has been orbiting the moon for 15 years, captured several images of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danori lunar orbiter, as the two spacecraft, which travel in nearly parallel orbits, were approaching each other in opposite directions during three orbits between 5 and 5 March. March 6, according to a permit From NASA.
Danori, the first in the Republic of Korea moon-The rover, has been in lunar orbit since December 2022. At the time the images were taken, Danori was orbiting below the LRO, which was flying about 50 miles (80 kilometers) above the lunar surface.
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NASA officials said the relative velocities between the two spacecraft were about 7,200 mph (11,500 kph), making it difficult for the LRO's narrow-angle camera to focus on the target. Danori. The LRO camera's exposure time was about 0.338 ms, causing Danuri to appear smeared across the image and stretched 10 times its size, as it was rapidly moving in the opposite direction to the LRO.
“The LRO operations team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, needed exquisite timing to guide LROC to the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of Danori,” NASA officials said in the statement.
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NASA's LRO had three opportunities to capture images of Danori during close flybys. For the first shot, the LRO was 3 miles (5 kilometers) above Danori It is pointed down 43 degrees from its typical position and looking down at the moon's surface. When the orbiter was captured at its new location, Danori appeared as a disc-shaped line in the middle of the image.
For the second image, the LRO was closer to Danori, about 2.5 miles (4 km) away, and oriented toward it at a 25-degree angle. Then, on the final flight, the LRO was reoriented 60 degrees to catch a last look at Danuri as it flew 5 miles (8 km) below.
This is not the first time the two spacecraft have done this Crossing paths. Using its ShadowCam instrument, provided by NASA, Danuri imaged LRO from a distance of about 11 miles (18 km) on April 7, 2023.