Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mini-RF instrument
E898951
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mini-RF instrument is a synthetic aperture radar payload designed to map the Moon’s surface and search for water ice, particularly in permanently shadowed polar regions.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
lunar orbiter payload
ⓘ
synthetic aperture radar instrument ⓘ |
| abbreviation | Mini-RF NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| application |
characterization of impact craters
ⓘ
identification of potential landing sites ⓘ support for future lunar resource utilization ⓘ |
| capability |
high-resolution imaging of lunar poles
ⓘ
hybrid dual-polarization measurements ⓘ measure circular polarization ratio ⓘ |
| dataProduct |
circular polarization ratio maps
ⓘ
radar backscatter maps of lunar surface ⓘ topographic information from radar imaging ⓘ |
| designedFor | operation in permanently shadowed lunar craters ⓘ |
| fieldOfStudy |
lunar geology
ⓘ
lunar volatile deposits ⓘ planetary radar science ⓘ |
| frequencyBand |
S-band
ⓘ
X-band ⓘ |
| fullName | Miniature Radio Frequency instrument ⓘ |
| heritage | based on Mini-SAR flown on Chandrayaan-1 ⓘ |
| hostSpacecraft | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| instrumentType |
hybrid-polarimetric SAR
ⓘ
miniature radio frequency radar ⓘ |
| launchDate | 2009-06-18 ⓘ |
| launchSite | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchVehicle | Atlas V 401 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mission | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| observationRegion |
lunar north polar region
ⓘ
lunar south polar region ⓘ |
| operator | NASA ⓘ |
| orbitType | lunar polar orbit ⓘ |
| partOf | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryObjective |
characterize permanently shadowed regions at lunar poles
ⓘ
map lunar surface using radar ⓘ search for water ice on the Moon ⓘ |
| relatedMission | Chandrayaan-1 Mini-SAR instrument NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| scientificGoal |
detect potential water ice deposits in polar craters
ⓘ
determine dielectric properties of lunar regolith ⓘ study lunar surface roughness at radar wavelengths ⓘ |
| spaceAgency |
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| status | operational during early LRO mission phase ⓘ |
| targetBody | Moon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| technique |
bistatic radar observations
ⓘ
synthetic aperture radar imaging ⓘ |
| wavelength |
S-band radar wavelength ~12.6 cm
ⓘ
X-band radar wavelength ~4.2 cm ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.