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Moon orbiter marks a milestone

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LOLA laser altimeter produced this color-coded image of elevations on the far side of the moon. The highest elevations, above 20,000 feet, are shown in red. The lowest elevations are shown in blue.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's LOLA laser altimeter produced this color-coded image of elevations on the far side of the moon. The highest elevations, above 20,000 feet, are shown in red. The lowest elevations are shown in blue.NASA / Goddard
By Cosmic Log

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter began orbiting the moon one year ago today, and in honor of the anniversary, the space agency is offering a gallery of "10 cool things" observed by the space probe. This picture, documenting elevation on the moon's far side, is the most psychedelic pic in the set. The big blue blotch is the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest impact craters in the solar system. The moon's south polar region is also home to the coldest place in the solar system, which counts as another cool thing on NASA's list. And how can we forget all those pictures of Apollo landing sites, which should take care of the moon-hoax myth once and for all. Do conspiracy theorists really think NASA can keep a secret from a multigenerational team of planetary scientists, spread across 15 institutions around the world? The truth is out there ... and it's pretty cool. Tip o' the Log to Gizmodo

Cosmic Log
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