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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">From </FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><A
href="http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-06-lro-extreme-close-up-eclipse.html"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-06-lro-extreme-close-up-eclipse.html</FONT></A></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><?xml:namespace
prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">LRO to take extreme close-up of
eclipse<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Orbiting about 50 kilometres above the lunar
surface, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft will get a
"front-row seat" to the total lunar eclipse on June 15, says Noah Petro,
Associate Project Scientist for LRO at NASA's <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Goddard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Space</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Flight</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Greenbelt</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Md.</st1:State></st1:place>
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">LRO's Diviner Lunar Radiometer instrument will record how
quickly different areas on the moon's day side cool off during the eclipse.
Since large boulders cool more slowly than a fine-grained or dusty surface,
Diviner will be able to see what areas are covered with boulders and what
regions are blanketed by dust. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">"This is an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about
the uppermost few millimeters of the moon," says Diviner Principal Investigator
David Paige of the <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">California</st1:PlaceName>, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:City></st1:place>. "Diviner plans
to operate continuously during the entire eclipse period, targeting ten specific
regions. The ten sites represent a diverse selection of lunar terrains. Some
consist of fine dust, others are rocky, and there are a variety of compositions
including dark, iron-rich lunar maria and light, iron-poor lunar highlands.
Diviner will target these features before, during, and after the eclipse, which
will allow us to observe how these different surfaces respond to the sudden drop
in temperature." </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">"The moon turns slowly -- a complete day-night cycle
lasts more than 29 Earth days," says Petro. "So lunar dusk and dawn last a long
time, and normally the lunar surface cools down and heats up slowly. This
eclipse is a special opportunity to see what happens if you 'switch off' the sun
relatively quickly. It's like taking a pie out of the oven and throwing it into
the freezer without letting it cool down first. We want to see how the moon's
surface responds to this abrupt temperature change," said Petro.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">The Diviner observations will complement surface
roughness measurements from LRO's other instruments because Diviner can get
hints at what lies just beneath the surface, according to Petro. "LRO's camera
and laser altimeter might see a flat, dusty region, but if Diviner sees that it
is cooling unusually slowly, that tells us large blocks of material are hidden
beneath a thin layer of dust," said Petro. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">During the June 2011 lunar eclipse, scientists will be
able to get a unique view of the moon. While the sun is blocked by the Earth,
LRO's Diviner instrument will take the temperature on the lunar surface. Since
different rock sizes cool at different rates, scientists will be able to infer
the size and density of rocks on the moon.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The eclipse
presents unusual conditions for LRO, according to Petro. LRO runs on solar
energy, with battery back-up for power during its approximately hour-long
journey over the moon's night side each orbit. LRO's other instruments will be
turned off to conserve energy during the long night imposed by the eclipse, and
the spacecraft will have to endure a longer period of deep cold.
<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN lang=EN-ZA><FONT
face="Times New Roman">This will be the first time LRO operates an instrument
during a total lunar eclipse, according to Petro, and it will be the longest
eclipse during the mission's expected
lifetime.</FONT></SPAN></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>