Introduction to the Moon Data

The lunar maps on this site are based mostly on data from the Lunar Orbiter and Apollo missions of the mid-1960s and early 1970s. See individual maps for specific source information.

Apollo missions

Recent missions

Lunar Orbiter Missions

Mission	photo dates	Type of encounter	Significance	Closest approach	Best resolution (med/high res)	Number of pictures (approx.)
Lunar Orbiter I	8/18/66-8/29/66	orbiter	Landing site reconnaissance far side mapping	40 km	10 m / 40 m	204 pairs
Lunar Orbiter II	11/18/66-11/25/66	orbiter	Landing site reconnaissance far side mapping	50 km	10 m / 1m	211 pairs
Lunar Orbiter III	2/15/67-2/23/67	orbiter	Landing site reconnaissance far side mapping	55 km	10 m / 1m	211 pairs
Lunar Orbiter IV	5/11/67-5/25/67	orbiter	full near-side mapping completed at medium resolution	2706 km	500m / 60 m	172 pairs
Lunar Orbiter V	8/6/67-8/18/67	orbiter	focus on geologic targets far side mapping completed	97 km	20 m / 2m	214 pairs

Apollo Missions

Mission	photo dates	Type of encounter	Significance	Closest approach (orbiter)	Best res'n	Hasselblad frames	Mapping camera frames	Panoramic Mapping Camera frames	other frames (camera)
Apollo 8	1968	orbital	first human observations of far side	60 n.m.	50 m	864	--	--	--
Apollo 10	1969	orbital		CSM - 60 n.m. LM - 47,000 ft	50 m	1319	--	--	--
Apollo 11	1969	orbital and landing	First samples (22 kg); rocks dated at 3.7 b.y.	54 n.m.		325 (surface) 1359 total	--	--	17 pairs (closeup)
Apollo 12	1969	orbital	first ALSEP rocks 0.5 b.y. younger than Apollo 11 rocks	54 n.m.		583 (surface) 1584 total	--	--	564 (S-158) 15 pairs (closeup)
Apollo 13	1970	flyby	(mission aborted)	106 km	?	584	--	--	--
Apollo 14	1971	orbital and landing	Imbrium ejecta studied	56 n.m.		583 (surface) 1336 total	--	--	469 (Hycon) 17.5 pairs (closeup)
Apollo 15	1971	orbital and landing	mare/terra boundary first drill cores	90 km		1329 (surface) 1088 (orbit)	2240	1529
Apollo 16	1972	orbital and landing	First exploration of lunar highlands(terrae)	107 km		1786 (surface) 759 (orbit)	2491	1587
Apollo 17	1972	orbital and landing	First geologist on Moon terra massif/ mare relations traveled 30 km 111 kg of samples	100 km		2230 (surface) 1002 (orbit)	2140	1574

Recent Missions

Mission	Imaging dates	Type of encounter	Significant discoveries	Closest approach	Wavelengths (UV/VIS) (resolution 100m-325m)	Wavelengths (NIR) (resolution 150m-500m)	Wavelengths (LWIR) (resolution 55m-136m)	Wavelengths (HIRES) (resolution 7m - 20m)
Clementine (300 orbits)	26February1994 - 26April 1994	orbiter	ice at south pole south pole-Aitken basin	400 km	415nm 750nm 900nm 950nm 1000nm 400-950nm broadband	1100nm 1250nm 1500nm 2000nm 2600nm 2780	8000nm-9500nm	415nm 560nm 650nm 750nm
Lunar Prospector (>2010 orbits and still going)	11January1998 -31July1999	orbiter	(data still being collected and analyzed)	90 km	Gamma-ray spectrometer gravity experiment magnetometer alpha particle spectrometer	elemental compositions volatiles

To other data introductions:

Moon

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