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dc.contributor.authorMazarico, Erwan
dc.contributor.authorSun, Xiaoli
dc.contributor.authorTorre, Jean-Marie
dc.contributor.authorCourde, Clément
dc.contributor.authorChabé, Julien
dc.contributor.authorAimar, Mourad
dc.contributor.authorMariey, Hervé
dc.contributor.authorMaurice, Nicolas
dc.contributor.authorBarker, Michael K
dc.contributor.authorMao, Dandan
dc.contributor.authorCremons, Daniel R
dc.contributor.authorBouquillon, Sébastien
dc.contributor.authorCarlucci, Teddy
dc.contributor.authorViswanathan, Vishnu
dc.contributor.authorLemoine, Frank G
dc.contributor.authorBourgoin, Adrien
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-20T17:28:48Z
dc.date.available2021-09-20T17:28:48Z
dc.date.issued2020-08-06
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/131582
dc.description.abstractAbstract We present the results of the first series of successful two-way laser ranging experiments from a ground station, the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) station in Grasse, France, to a spacecraft at lunar distance, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). A 15 × 18 × 5 cm, 650-g array of twelve 32-mm diameter solid corner cubes is mounted on its anti-nadir deck. Ranging to this small retro-reflector array onboard a lunar orbiter from a ground station was a challenge compared to ranging to larger lunar surface retro-reflectors. Grasse measured 67 returns in two 6-min sessions on September 4, 2018. Clear returns were also recorded during two additional sessions on August 23–24, 2019 for which active slewing by LRO was performed to bring the array in view of the station. The measured echos yielded range residuals less than 3 cm (two-way time-of-flight RMS < 180 ps) relative to the reconstructed LRO trajectory. This experiment provides a new method of verifying theories of dust accumulation over decades on the lunar surface. It also showed that the use of similar arrays onboard future lunar landers and orbiters can support LLR lunar science goals, particularly with landing sites near the lunar limbs and poles, which would have better sensitivity to lunar orientation.en_US
dc.publisherSpringer Berlin Heidelbergen_US
dc.relation.isversionofhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-020-01243-wen_US
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attributionen_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.sourceSpringer Berlin Heidelbergen_US
dc.titleFirst two-way laser ranging to a lunar orbiter: infrared observations from the Grasse station to LRO’s retro-reflector arrayen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.citationEarth, Planets and Space. 2020 Aug 06;72(1):113en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Office of the Vice President for Research
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
dc.identifier.mitlicensePUBLISHER_CC
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen_US
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden_US
dc.date.updated2020-08-07T03:45:53Z
dc.language.rfc3066en
dc.rights.holderThe Author(s)
dspace.embargo.termsN
dspace.date.submission2020-08-07T03:45:53Z
mit.licensePUBLISHER_CC
mit.metadata.statusAuthority Work and Publication Information Needed


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