Loading the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter into the thermal vacuum chamber at Goddard Space Flight Center. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA LRO Mission.

Artist rendering of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO, above the moon. LRO carries seven instruments that make comprehensive remote sensing observations of the moon and measurements of the lunar radiation environment. The LRO mission is managed by NASA Goddard for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18163

Scientists, using cameras aboard NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO, have created the largest high resolution mosaic of our moon north polar region.

These graben - a kind of trench that is formed as a surface expands - were imaged near a region of the Moon called Mare Frigoris by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23237

This image of lobate scarps - a kind of curved hill - was taken near a region of the Moon called Mare Frigoris by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23236

This NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO image is of the summit crater of Hortensius Dome Phi. Summit craters of all the Hortensius Domes show no raised rims and are not circular, indicating they are analogous to volcanic calderas.

The Diviner instrument following integration to NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA is scheduled to launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, an unmanned mission to comprehensively map the entire moon, on June 18, 2009.

New surface features of the Moon have been discovered in a region called Mare Frigoris, outlined here in teal. This image is a mosaic composed of many images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23209

Scientists have discovered these wrinkle ridges in a region of the Moon called Mare Frigoris. These ridges add to evidence that the Moon has an actively changing surface. This image was taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23210

Research using data from NASA's ARTEMIS mission suggests that lunar swirls, like the Reiner Gamma lunar swirl imaged here by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, could be the result of solar wind interactions with the Moon's isolated pockets of magnetic field. Credits: NASA LRO WAC science team

Diviner undergoing post thermal vacuum range of motion testing. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA LRO Mission.

Close-up of the Diviner solar calibration target. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA LRO Mission.

This image shows final preparations being made for thermal balance testing of the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment at JPL. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA LRO Mission.

The Diviner Instrument prior to shipment. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA LRO Mission.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – One of three solar panels is seen during closeout of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla. The satellite's primary mission is to search for water ice on the moon in a permanently shadowed crater near one of the lunar poles. LCROSS is a low-cost, accelerated-development, companion mission to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is targeted for no earlier than June 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., technicians remove red-tag items from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, before flight. The LRO will be mated with NASA's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, spacecraft. Instruments on the LRO seen here are the LEND (bottom) that will measure the flux of neutrons from the moon and the LROC (above it), a narrow angle camera that will provide panchromatic images. The satellite's primary mission is to search for water ice on the moon in a permanently shadowed crater near one of the lunar poles. LCROSS is a low-cost, accelerated-development, companion mission to NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. LCROSS and LRO are the first missions in NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and begin establishing a lunar outpost by 2020. Launch is targeted for no earlier than June 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter sees hummocks and blocks on the ejecta blanket of Tsiolkovskiy crater.

Full resolution detail from one of the first LROC NAC images. At this scale and lighting, impact craters dominate the landscape.

This image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a wide variety of geologic features on northwest of Plato crater.

Farside Northern Highlands

This image from NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a view of boulders, on the floor of Rutherfurd crater, about to disappear into the shadows of dusk.

The Apollo 17 Lunar Module Challenger descent stage comes into focus in this image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Orientale Basin

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter catches the edge of Mare Moscoviense.

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captures a northeast-trending wrinkle ridge cuts across the plains of Mare Imbrium.

Approaching Aitken Crater - Vertregt J

Boulder in Recht Crater

The same crater, as seen by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, under very different lighting. On the left the Sun was midway to the horizon and on the right the Sun was high, approaching noon.

How did I form?

New View of Apollo 14

Boulders perched atop a wrinkle ridge in Mare Imbrium west of the Montes Teneriffe can be seen in this image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Dark Halo Crater in Orientale

Diverse textures on the floor of Saha E which could be the result of impact melt coating boulders and other deposits on the floor of the crater on the lunar farside in this image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The Moon Largest Impact Basin

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this anaglyph image is a close up view of Copernicus crater. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

A Path not Taken

Slipher Crater: Fractured Moon in 3-D

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter looks at the Moon in 3D. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.

Slope Failure near Aratus Crater

This image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the spectacularly preserved viscous flow on the NE rim of Byrgius A crater.

Necho Terraces

Seeing small areas of the Moon at 50 cm per pixel often presents unexpected views, and sometimes it is hard to interpret the geology at first glance, much less what is up and what is down, as evidenced by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

One month after its first image of the Apollo 11 landing site was acquired, NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter passed over the site again providing a new view of the historic site.

Moon seen from the East

The Apollo 15 Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector - A Fundamental Point on the Moon

Lava Flows Exposed in Bessel Crater

Close-up view of the lunar highlands, northeast of Clavius crater, taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

This image from NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a view of boulders, on the floor of Rutherfurd crater, about to disappear into the shadows of dusk.

A bottleneck at the start of the lunar sinuous rille within Vallis Alpes formed several morphologic features including a lava pond, a breached dam, and an island in the rille in this image captured by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Eratosthenes Crater and the Lunar Timescale

Wrinkle Ridge in Oceanus Procellarum

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spied a very subtle mare-highlands boundary in Mare Moscoviense on the lunar farside, near the center of the Constellation Program region of interest.

A sinuous rille created by a lava flow snakes around the base of a massif in the Prinz-Harbinger region on the Moon in this image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a lobate scarp in the mare basalts of Aitken crater on the lunar farside arrows.

Fresh Crater on Oceanus Procellarum

Diviner Global Composition

Barnstorming Linné Crater

This is a synthetic perspective view looking south from the Apollo 16 landing area, topography is rendered naturally as seen by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Terraces in Eratosthenes Crater

Small Crater in Oceanus Procellarum

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows boulders and impact melt line the floor of the 85-km crater Tycho, a potential site for future human exploration.

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a sinuous rille winding its way across a much larger rille in the heart of the Aristarchus Plateau.

Wrinkle Ridges in Aitken Crater

Boulder Trails in Menelaus Crater

Two small black arrows on today image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show the location of a small graben 28 meters in width in a pyroclastic mantling deposit in the SW portion of Mare Humorum.

Color of the Moon

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image close up view of Copernicus crater showing light-toned fractured bedrock exposed on the higher slopes on the central structural uplift.

Slice of Mare

Rilles as far as the eye can see in Prinz

Exposed Boulders in the Aitken Mare

Cracks form in the impact melt sheet on the floor of Necho Crater in this image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Retracing the Steps of Apollo 15

Crater rim of Flamsteed P

Rima Bradley

Action Shot

Ejecta from Copernicus

Impact Melt at Necho Crater

Sublunarean Void

Farside! And All the Way Around

Scouring Secondary Ejecta

The unusual shapes of craters at the Flamsteed Constellation region of interest provide information about the thickness of the lunar regolith in this region in this image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a small portion of the rim of Erlanger crater. Much of its floor remains in permanent shadow due to its location near the north pole.

Delicate Patterns in Giordano Bruno Ejecta

High-albedo marks on the lunar surface left by a boulder bouncing down the northeast wall of farside highlands crater Moore F in this image captured by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Mare Ingenii may be best known for its prominent lunar swirls, which are high albedo surface features associated with magnetic anomalies.

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter looks at a mare-highlands boundary in northern Mare Frigoris.

Reiner Gamma

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter sees bright crater rays and boulders.

The Marius Hills pit is a possible skylight in a lava tube in an ancient volcanic region of the Moon called the Marius Hills. This image was taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Sinus Iridum

This image acquired by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a crater center of image formed by impact of the Apollo 14 Saturn IVB booster.

Hole in One

Up from the Depths

This image taken NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a high-resolution view of part of the floor of Riccioli Crater. The view is centered on the boundary between a spur of the crater central peak materials and volcanic lava flow deposits.

Buckland Boulders

Southern Rim of Menelaus Crater

Highest Point on the Moon

Splendors of Mare Smythii

Ejecta in Tycho Crater