1 00:00:00,866 --> 00:00:04,000 This year the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter celebrates 13 years 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,800 of orbit around our Moon. 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,166 And in that time, it has collected over a petabyte of data - 4 00:00:09,166 --> 00:00:10,800 the largest volume ever collected 5 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,500 by a planetary science mission at NASA. 6 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:16,633 Due to its success and continued operational abilities, 7 00:00:16,633 --> 00:00:19,066 NASA has awarded the spacecraft an additional 8 00:00:19,066 --> 00:00:21,933 extended mission phase so that it can continue 9 00:00:21,933 --> 00:00:24,200 gathering critical information on the Moon 10 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,000 and help pave the way for future lunar missions. 11 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,933 Going forward, the LRO mission will have four main areas of focus. 12 00:00:32,933 --> 00:00:35,866 The first is the study of volatiles, which are chemicals 13 00:00:35,866 --> 00:00:40,066 that easily evaporate or vaporize, such as water. 14 00:00:40,066 --> 00:00:43,333 In terms of lunar exploration, volatiles will be useful 15 00:00:43,333 --> 00:00:45,200 for things like creating rocket fuel 16 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,266 and making oxygen to breathe. 17 00:00:47,266 --> 00:00:48,833 So they are a primary resource 18 00:00:48,833 --> 00:00:53,033 that future astronauts will depend on having. 19 00:00:53,033 --> 00:00:56,566 LRO will continue to provide new data for identifying which areas 20 00:00:56,566 --> 00:00:59,666 are rich in volatiles, and for clueing us in to how they may 21 00:00:59,666 --> 00:01:02,166 move around the lunar surface. 22 00:01:02,166 --> 00:01:04,700 Current LRO data suggests they may be frozen in 23 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:08,866 permanently shadowed craters, in areas that receive some sunlight, 24 00:01:08,866 --> 00:01:12,533 and may be chemically locked in minerals on the Moon. 25 00:01:12,533 --> 00:01:15,866 This is helping pave the way for future missions like VIPER, 26 00:01:15,866 --> 00:01:18,666 which will send a robotic rover to explore an area near 27 00:01:18,666 --> 00:01:20,100 the lunar South Pole, 28 00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:23,766 and ultimately, the astronaut-led Artemis missions. 29 00:01:23,766 --> 00:01:26,633 The second area of focus is on the Moon’s interior, 30 00:01:26,633 --> 00:01:30,300 volcanic features and the tectonics of the Moon’s surface – 31 00:01:30,300 --> 00:01:33,166 because understanding the lunar surface requires knowledge 32 00:01:33,166 --> 00:01:35,700 of what’s been going on underneath. 33 00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:37,300 Scientists want to figure out when the Moon 34 00:01:37,300 --> 00:01:41,000 was last volcanically active, and how current geologic processes, 35 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:45,500 like moonquakes, could affect the safety of future exploration. 36 00:01:45,500 --> 00:01:48,100 They’ll do these things by studying lobate scarps, 37 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:50,900 as well as deep crustal and mantle composition 38 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:52,866 that are exposed at the surface. 39 00:01:53,866 --> 00:01:56,700 Studying the Moon’s history of volcanism and tectonics 40 00:01:56,700 --> 00:01:59,033 will also inform us about other planetary bodies 41 00:01:59,033 --> 00:02:02,633 in our solar system and beyond. 42 00:02:03,633 --> 00:02:06,133 The third area of focus is on the Moon’s surface – 43 00:02:06,133 --> 00:02:08,466 its regolith and impact craters. 44 00:02:08,466 --> 00:02:10,833 We want to know how impact craters break down, 45 00:02:10,833 --> 00:02:14,600 and if different ejected materials might degrade at different rates. 46 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,166 These studies will give us a better understanding of the mineral 47 00:02:17,166 --> 00:02:21,866 and chemical makeup of the lunar surface and subsurface. 48 00:02:21,866 --> 00:02:24,166 This information can tell us how the Moon has changed 49 00:02:24,166 --> 00:02:28,200 over hundreds of millions, or billions of years. 50 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,400 Studying the Moon’s regolith and impact craters 51 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,133 also informs scientists about space weathering, 52 00:02:33,133 --> 00:02:35,666 which can help similar studies looking at the Earth, 53 00:02:35,666 --> 00:02:39,900 as well as on places like Mars, Mercury, or even asteroids. 54 00:02:41,933 --> 00:02:44,433 The last focus area for LRO going forward 55 00:02:44,433 --> 00:02:48,200 is support for future missions. 56 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,300 NASA has plans for numerous missions to go 57 00:02:50,300 --> 00:02:54,633 to the lunar surface during LRO’s extended phase. 58 00:02:54,633 --> 00:02:57,633 Sending missions to the lunar surface requires planning, 59 00:02:57,633 --> 00:02:59,133 not only to build the mission, 60 00:02:59,133 --> 00:03:02,800 but to find safe and interesting landing sites. 61 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,266 LRO is in a unique position to directly assist 62 00:03:05,266 --> 00:03:08,900 with some of those operations and science objectives. 63 00:03:08,900 --> 00:03:12,000 LRO can help identify landing sites by making maps 64 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,200 that tell us what the surface is like, 65 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,300 where there may be hazards to landers, 66 00:03:16,300 --> 00:03:19,633 and where there are interesting features to explore. 67 00:03:19,633 --> 00:03:22,133 LRO is also capable of helping landed missions 68 00:03:22,133 --> 00:03:24,633 get simultaneous measurements from orbit 69 00:03:24,633 --> 00:03:28,033 while they gather data from the surface. 70 00:03:29,366 --> 00:03:33,033 After studying the Moon for 13 years, LRO has proven to be 71 00:03:33,033 --> 00:03:36,900 one of NASA’s most valuable tools for advancing lunar science. 72 00:03:36,900 --> 00:03:40,033 And as it continues collecting data, the spacecraft helps 73 00:03:40,033 --> 00:03:43,466 lead the way for future exploration of our Moon.