LROC

LROC refers to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. It is a set of three cameras mounted on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which was launched in 2009. The primary goal of the LROC instrument suite is to provide high-resolution images of the Moon's surface, aiding in the selection of future landing sites, identifying resources, and mapping potential hazards.

The LROC system consists of three cameras: the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) and the Wide Angle Camera (WAC). The NACs are designed to capture highly detailed images of specific areas, providing resolutions as fine as 0.5 meters per pixel. This allows for the observation of small features, such as rover tracks, discarded equipment from past missions, and the details of impact craters. The WAC, on the other hand, has a much wider field of view and can image large portions of the lunar surface, often in multiple wavelengths. This broad coverage is useful for mapping surface composition and temperature variations.

The data collected by LROC has been instrumental in numerous scientific discoveries and mission planning efforts. It has enabled the identification of permanently shadowed regions within polar craters, which are thought to harbor water ice. LROC images have also provided unprecedented views of the Apollo landing sites, confirming the presence of human artifacts and even the tracks left by astronauts and lunar vehicles. The continuous stream of images from LROC has significantly advanced our understanding of the Moon's geology, history, and potential for future exploration.