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Collection:
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NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Lunar Prospector in Clean Room
Title
Lunar Prospector in Clean Room
Title
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Full Description:
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The fully assembled Lunar Prospector spacecraft is shown mated atop the Star 37 Trans Lunar Injection module. Lunar Prospector represented the first NASA spacecraft to revisit the Moon in 25 years. In December of 1972 Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt were the last humans to set foot upon the Moon and the last NASA mission to visit the lunar frontier. On January 6, 1998 at 9:28 p.m., Lunar Prospector was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena II rocket. Also onboard were the ash remains of astrogeologist Eugene M. Shoemaker. A scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey, he was detailed to NASA and helped train Apollo astronauts in lunar geology. However, as co- founder of a "rogue string" of comet fragments, his name will forever be linked to the much hearlded Shoemaker-Levy 9 cometary impact of the planet Jupiter in 1995. Lunar Prospector mapped the Moon's elemental composition, gravity fields, magnetic fields and resources. Prospector provided insights into the origin and evolution of the Moon. One of the most significant finds by Lunar Prospector was confirmation that there could be as much as 10 billion tons of subsurface frozen water near the Moon's polar region. The Lunar Prospector mission came to a creative and daring conclusion when on July 31, 1999 at 2:52:00.8 a.m. PDT Mission Control Ames directed the spacecraft to a crash landing into a deep crater near the Moon's South pole. The hope was that the impact might release trapped water vapor. However no visible debris plume was detected by numerous observatories monitoring the event. This lack of direct evidence has not diminished the hope or belief that subsurface frozen water does exist.
Full_Description
The fully assembled Lunar Prospector spacecraft is shown mated atop the Star 37 Trans Lunar Injection module. Lunar Prospector represented the first NASA spacecraft to revisit the Moon in 25 years. In December of 1972 Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt were the last humans to set foot upon the Moon and the last NASA mission to visit the lunar frontier. On January 6, 1998 at 9:28 p.m., Lunar Prospector was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a Lockheed Martin Athena II rocket. Also onboard were the ash remains of astrogeologist Eugene M. Shoemaker. A scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey, he was detailed to NASA and helped train Apollo astronauts in lunar geology. However, as co- founder of a "rogue string" of comet fragments, his name will forever be linked to the much hearlded Shoemaker-Levy 9 cometary impact of the planet Jupiter in 1995. Lunar Prospector mapped the Moon's elemental composition, gravity fields, magnetic fields and resources. Prospector provided insights into the origin and evolution of the Moon. One of the most significant finds by Lunar Prospector was confirmation that there could be as much as 10 billion tons of subsurface frozen water near the Moon's polar region. The Lunar Prospector mission came to a creative and daring conclusion when on July 31, 1999 at 2:52:00.8 a.m. PDT Mission Control Ames directed the spacecraft to a crash landing into a deep crater near the Moon's South pole. The hope was that the impact might release trapped water vapor. However no visible debris plume was detected by numerous observatories monitoring the event. This lack of direct evidence has not diminished the hope or belief that subsurface frozen water does exist.
Full Description
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Date:
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01/01/1997
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NASA Center:
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Ames Research Center
NASA_Center
Ames Research Center
NASA Center
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Subject Category:
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Earths Moon
Subject_Category
Earths Moon
Subject Category
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Subject Category:
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Lunar Probes
Subject_Category
Lunar Probes
Subject Category
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Subject Category:
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Apollo 17
Subject_Category
Apollo 17
Subject Category
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Keywords:
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Apollo
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Keywords:
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37
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Keywords:
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II
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Keywords:
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Eugene
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Keywords:
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Lunar
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Keywords:
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17
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Keywords:
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Star
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Keywords:
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Martin
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Keywords:
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Lockheed
Keywords
Lockheed
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Prospector
Keywords
Prospector
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Athena
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Keywords:
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Shoemaker
Keywords
Shoemaker
Keywords
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Keywords:
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Astrogeology
Keywords
Astrogeology
Keywords
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Audience:
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General Public
Audience
General Public
Audience
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Crater
facet_what
Crater
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Apollo 17
facet_what
Apollo 17
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Polar
facet_what
Polar
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Lunar Prospector
facet_what
Lunar Prospector
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Florida
facet_where
Florida
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Ames Research Center (ARC)
facet_where
Ames Research Center (ARC)
facet_where
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facet_who:
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Harrison Schmitt
facet_who
Harrison Schmitt
facet_who
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facet_who:
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Gene Cernan
facet_who
Gene Cernan
facet_who
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facet_when:
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1995
facet_when
1995
facet_when
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facet_when:
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1972
facet_when
1972
facet_when
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facet_when:
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January 6, 1998
facet_when
January 6, 1998
facet_when
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facet_when:
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July 31, 1999
facet_when
July 31, 1999
facet_when
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facet_when:
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01-01-1997
facet_when
01-01-1997
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1997
facet_when_year
1997
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1998
facet_when_year
1998
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1995
facet_when_year
1995
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1972
facet_when_year
1972
facet_when_year
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facet_when_year:
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1999
facet_when_year
1999
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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ACD97-0047-6
Image_#
ACD97-0047-6
Image #
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original_url:
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original_url
original_url
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UID:
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SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 1543
UID
SPD-GRIN-GPN-2000-00 1543
UID
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Center:
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AMES
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Center Number:
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ACD97-0047-6
Center_Number
ACD97-0047-6
Center Number
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GRIN DataBase Number:
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GPN-2000-001543
GRIN_DataBase_Number
GPN-2000-001543
GRIN DataBase Number
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Creator-Photographer:
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NASA
Creator-Photographer
NASA
Creator-Photographer
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Original Source:
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DIGITAL
Original_Source
DIGITAL
Original Source
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