Lunar South Pole terrain
Visualisation of the lunar South Pole terrain showing several craters such as Haworth, Shoemaker, and Faustini in the middle distance, and two massifs named Malapert and Leibnitz Beta in the background. The prominent Shackleton crater can also be seen at centre foreground. This area is of great significance to scientists due to the significant amounts of water ice detected in the permanently shadowed regions that never receive sunlight. Creating terrain maps is essential for human and robotic explorers who are scheduled to arrive at South Pole locations in 2024. Data was obtained by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) satellite.
Size: 4317px × 2437px
Location:
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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