S95-01072 (January 1995) — This artwork is part of a series of depiction’s of proposed projects involving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Lunar Discovery Orbiter (LDO) is depicted skimming just 20 kilometers over the lunar surface as it approaches Amundsen, a large terraced crater near the Moon’s south pole. Shadows in the crater and in nearby areas may conceal deposits of ice permanently shadowed from the Sun’s rays but quantifiable with LDO’s instruments. LDO is expected to accomplish the first high-resolution global survey of the Moon. Developed by the University of Arizona, the Boeing Defense and Space Group and NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Texas, this mission addresses the fundamental questions in lunar and planetary science and prepares for future exploration and use of the Moon. This artwork is a painting done by Pat Rawlings, of SAIC, for NASA.
Image credit: NASA
Image source: NASA Johnson
