NASA Expects Lunar Results from Next Generation Retroreflector – NASA

Apollo Astronauts set up arrays of mirrors, or “retroreflectorsto accurately reflect laser light from Earth with minimal scattering or scattering onto the Moon. Retroreflectors are mirrors that reflect incoming light back in the direction it came from. Calculating the time it takes for the beams to bounce back allows scientists to accurately measure the moon’s shape and distance from Earth, both of which are directly affected by Earth’s gravity. More than 50 years later, on a NASA crew Artemis Missions to the Moon, lunar exploration still benefit from data from these Apollo-era retroreflectors.

As NASA prepares for the science and discoveries of the agency’s Artemis mission, the latest retroreflector technology is expected to provide a better understanding of Earth’s only natural satellite, its geological processes, the characteristics of the lunar crust and its composition. will significantly increase our knowledge about The interior of the Moon, and how the Earth-Moon system is changing over time. This technology would also allow high-precision tests of Einstein’s theory of gravity or general relativity.

That’s the expected goal of an advanced science instrument called the NGLR (Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector), one of 10 NASA payloads for the agency’s CLPS next lunar mission.Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative. NGLR-1 will be launched to the surface by Firefly Aerospace. Blue Ghost 1 Lunar Lander.

Developed by researchers at the University of Maryland in College Park, NGLR-1 will be delivered to the lunar surface, aboard the Blue Ghost lander, to transmit very short laser pulses from Earth-based lunar laser ranging observatories. can be reflected. Apollo-era results with sub-millimeter-precision range measurements. If successful, the results will expand humanity’s understanding of the Moon’s interior and support new investigations of astrophysics, cosmology, and lunar physics — including changes in the Moon’s liquid core as it grows. revolves around the earth, due to which Seismic activity On the surface of the moon

“NASA has more than half a century of experience with retroreflectors, but NGLR-1 promises to provide more accurate results than Apollo-era reflectors,” said Dennis Harris, CLPS at NASA Marshall. NGLR manages the payload for the move. Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Harris noted that the deployment of the NGLR payload is only the first step. A second NGLR retroreflector, called the Artemis Lunar Laser Retroreflector (ALLR), is currently a candidate payload for a NASA flight. Artemis III Missions to the Moon and could be established near the lunar south pole. A third is expected to appear on future CLPS shipments at non-polar locations.

“Once all three retroreflectors are operational, they are expected to provide unprecedented opportunities to learn more about the Moon and its relationship with Earth,” Harris said.

Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial lunar launch services to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA aims to be one of many customers on future flights. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama manages the development of seven of the 10 CLPS payloads to be carried on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander.

Learn more about On CLPS and Artemis:

https://www.nasa.gov/clps

Alice Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
Alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Headquarters, Washington

202-358-2546

Alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Corinne Beckinger
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov