https://www.nasa.gov/missions/lro/nasas-lro-finds-photo-op-as-it-zips-past-skoreas-danuri-moon-orbiter/ NASA Logo * Explore Search [ ] NASA Logo * News & Events News & Events + All NASA News + Video Series on NASA+ + Podcasts + Blogs + Newsletters + Social Media + Media Resources + Upcoming Launches & Landings + Virtual Events * Multimedia Multimedia + NASA+ + Images + NASA TV + Sounds and Ringtones + Interactives + NASA Apps + Podcasts + e-Books + STEM Multimedia * NASA+ Search [ ] Suggested Searches * Climate Change * Artemis * Expedition 64 * Mars perseverance * SpaceX Crew-2 * International Space Station * View All Topics A-Z * Home * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth & Climate * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * Espanol ----------------------------------------------------------------- * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ Featured 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Broadcast 3 min read 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Broadcast article3 weeks ago In November 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts returning from Moon experienced a solar eclipse as the Earth blocked the Sun shortly before splashdown 11 min read Eclipses Near and Far article3 days ago Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes 6 min read Scientists Pursue the Total Solar Eclipse with NASA Jet Planes article4 days ago Back --------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions * Search All NASA Missions * A to Z List of Missions * Upcoming Launches and Landings * Spaceships and Rockets * Communicating with Missions * Artemis * James Webb Space Telescope * Hubble Space Telescope * International Space Station Humans in Space * Why Go to Space * Astronauts Home * Commercial Space * Destinations * Spaceships and Rockets * Living in Space Earth & Climate * Explore Earth Science * Climate Change * Earth, Our Planet * Earth Science in Action * Earth Multimedia * Earth Data * Earth Science Researchers The Solar System * The Sun * Mercury * Venus * Earth * The Moon * Mars * Jupiter * Saturn * Uranus * Neptune * Pluto & Dwarf Planets * Asteroids, Comets & Meteors * The Kuiper Belt * The Oort Cloud * Skywatching The Universe * Exoplanets * The Search for Life in the Universe * Stars * Galaxies * Black Holes * The Big Bang * Dark Energy & Dark Matter Science * Earth Science * Planetary Science * Astrophysics & Space Science * The Sun & Heliophysics * Biological & Physical Sciences * Lunar Science * Citizen Science * Astromaterials * Aeronautics Research * Human Space Travel Research Aeronautics * Science in the Air * NASA Aircraft * Flight Innovation * Supersonic Flight * Air Traffic Solutions * Green Aviation Tech * Drones & You Technology * Technology Transfer & Spinoffs * Space Travel Technology * Technology Living in Space * Manufacturing and Materials * Robotics * Science Instruments * Computing Learning Resources * For Kids and Students * For Educators * For Colleges and Universities * For Professionals * Science for Everyone * Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers * STEM Engagement at NASA About NASA * NASA's Impacts * Centers and Facilities * Directorates * Organizations * People of NASA * Careers * Internships * Our History * Doing Business with NASA * Get Involved * Contact Espanol * Ciencia * Aeronautica * Ciencias Terrestres * Sistema Solar * Universo News & Events * All NASA News * Video Series on NASA+ * Podcasts * Blogs * Newsletters * Social Media * Media Resources * Upcoming Launches & Landings * Virtual Events Multimedia * NASA+ * Images * NASA TV * Sounds and Ringtones * Interactives * NASA Apps * Podcasts * e-Books * STEM Multimedia Highlights The official Expedition 71 crew portrait with (bottom row from left) Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps. In the back row (from left) are, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub and Oleg Kononenko. 1 min read Expedition 71 article 2 days ago grayscale view of lunar surface with a smeared streak in the center of the image 2 min read NASA's LRO Finds Photo Op as It Zips Past SKorea's Danuri Moon Orbiter article 2 days ago Hubble Peers at Pair of Closely Interacting Galaxies 2 min read Hubble Peers at Pair of Closely Interacting Galaxies article 3 days ago Highlights [iss070e110532] 4 min read NASA Astronaut Loral O'Hara, Expedition 70 Science Highlights article 1 week ago 2021 Astronaut Candidates Stand in Recognition 6 min read Diez maneras en que los estudiantes pueden prepararse para ser astronautas article 2 weeks ago image of an astronaut posing next to 3D printer aboard the space station 4 min read Optical Fiber Production article 2 weeks ago Highlights A satellite image from December 2023 showing a large, sediment-rich plume from the Mississippi River spreading down the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas following winter rains. 4 min read How NASA Spotted El Nino Changing the Saltiness of Coastal Waters article 4 days ago Earth Day Toolkit 6 min read Earth Day Toolkit article 4 days ago A woman stands on the left side of the image, seen from the waist up. She wears a white clean suit that covers her arms, torso, and over her head. She also has on a white mask that covers her nose and mouth and blue latex gloves. Behind her and to the right in the image is a large, rectangular piece of equipment - the PACE satellite. The side of the satellite visible is black and reflects light off it. Behind the woman and PACE is a large wall that has a green gridded pattern on it. 9 min read Veronica T. Pinnick Put NASA's PACE Mission through Its Paces article 5 days ago Highlights grayscale view of lunar surface with a smeared streak in the center of the image 2 min read NASA's LRO Finds Photo Op as It Zips Past SKorea's Danuri Moon Orbiter article 2 days ago Artist's concept depicts the NEOWISE spacecraft 6 min read NASA's NEOWISE Extends Legacy With Decade of Near-Earth Object Data article 3 days ago Harnessing the 2024 Eclipse for Ionospheric Discovery with HamSCI 3 min read Harnessing the 2024 Eclipse for Ionospheric Discovery with HamSCI article 3 days ago Featured Hubble Peers at Pair of Closely Interacting Galaxies 2 min read Hubble Peers at Pair of Closely Interacting Galaxies article 3 days ago Image of the Sun with sunspots 5 min read How NASA's Roman Telescope Will Measure Ages of Stars article 3 days ago NASA's Webb Probes an Extreme Starburst Galaxy 7 min read NASA's Webb Probes an Extreme Starburst Galaxy article 4 days ago Highlights Amendment 8 A.44 Earth Action: Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team Final Text and Due Dates. 2 min read Amendment 8 A.44 Earth Action: Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team Final Text and Due Dates. article 2 days ago grayscale view of lunar surface with a smeared streak in the center of the image 2 min read NASA's LRO Finds Photo Op as It Zips Past SKorea's Danuri Moon Orbiter article 2 days ago Introduction to Spectrum graphic. 1 min read Introduction to Spectrum article 2 days ago Highlights Jake Revesz, an electronic systems engineer at NASA Langley Research Center, is pictured here prepping a UAS for flight. 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A cloud of dust gathers below the rocket. 3 min read NASA Wallops to Launch Three Sounding Rockets During Solar Eclipse article 3 days ago Harnessing the 2024 Eclipse for Ionospheric Discovery with HamSCI 3 min read Harnessing the 2024 Eclipse for Ionospheric Discovery with HamSCI article 3 days ago [2024-cover-artwork-300dpi] 4 min read NASA Partnerships Bring 2024 Total Solar Eclipse to Everyone article 5 days ago Highlights 2021 Astronaut Candidates Stand in Recognition 6 min read Diez maneras en que los estudiantes pueden prepararse para ser astronautas article 2 weeks ago Astronaut Marcos Berrios 4 min read Astronauta de la NASA Marcos Berrios article 1 month ago image of an experiment facility installed in the exterior of the space station 8 min read Resultados cientificos revolucionarios en la estacion espacial de 2023 article 1 month ago 2 min read NASA's LRO Finds Photo Op as It Zips Past SKorea's Danuri Moon Orbiter Goddard Digital Team Apr 05, 2024 Article * * * * NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), which has been circling and studying the Moon for 15 years, captured several images of Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri lunar orbiter last month. The two spacecraft, traveling in nearly parallel orbits, zipped past each other in opposite directions between March 5 and 6, 2024. grayscale view of lunar surface with a dark smudge in the center of the image The dark spot centered in the bottom third of this image is the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri orbiter, smudged because it was traveling quickly in the opposite direction of NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) when LRO snapped the photo. At the time, Danuri was orbiting 5 miles, or 8 kilometers, below LRO's orbit, and LRO was about 50 miles, or 80 kilometers, above the Moon's surface. This image covers an area about 2 miles, or 3 kilometers, wide. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University LRO's narrow angle camera (one in a suite of cameras known as "LROC") captured the images featured here during three orbits that happened to be close enough to Danuri's to grab snapshots. Due to the fast relative velocities between the two spacecraft (about 7,200 miles, or 1,500 kilometers, per hour), the LRO operations team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, needed exquisite timing in pointing LROC to the right place at the right time to catch a glimpse of Danuri, the Republic of Korea's first spacecraft at the Moon. Danuri has been in lunar orbit since December 2022. Although LRO's camera exposure time was very short, only 0.338 milliseconds, Danuri still appears smeared to 10 times its size in the opposite direction of travel because of the relative high travel velocities between the two spacecraft. grayscale view of lunar surface with a smeared streak in the center of the image At the first imaging opportunity, LRO was oriented down 43 degrees from its typical position of looking down at the lunar surface to capture Danuri (streaked across the middle) from 3 miles, or 5 kilometers, above it. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University grayscale view of lunar surface with a smeared streak in the center of the image During the next encounter, LRO was closer to Danuri, about 2.5 miles, or 4 kilometers, and oriented 25 degrees toward it. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University two grayscale images of the cratered lunar surface; the left features a small black-and-white streak near its center; the right has a larger pixellated black-and-white feature For the final photo, LRO was reoriented by 60 degrees to catch a glimpse of Danuri when it was 5 miles, or 8 kilometers, below it. This image pair was corrected for viewing geometry, and, on the right, the Danuri pixels were unsmeared and the image stretched to highlight the Korean spacecraft. The image was rotated 90 degrees so the surface would look like something a person would see looking out the window. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University grayscale view of the lunar surface with several craters; a white box indicates the area of the image where LRO saw Danuri spacecraft This image shows Danuri in the white box near the right-hand corner of the image. The large bowl-shaped crater visible in the upper left is 7.5 miles, or 12 kilometers, wide. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University against the black backdrop of space, a fast-moving LRO spacecraft appears as a smeared streak with a bright-white center and gray on either side Last spring, Danuri had an opportunity to photograph LRO. Its ShadowCam instrument, provided by NASA, snapped this photo of LRO as the Korean spacecraft passed about 11 miles (18 kilometers) above it on April 7, 2023. Based on the design of LRO's narrow angle cameras, the ShadowCam was built to take high-resolution images of the Moon's permanently shadowed regions, where frozen water is likely trapped. The relative velocity between the two spacecraft was about 7,000 miles, or 11,000 kilometers, per hour. NASA/KARI/Arizona State University LRO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Launched on June 18, 2009, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data with its seven powerful instruments, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon. NASA is returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners to expand human presence in space and bring back new knowledge and opportunities. More on this story from Arizona State University's LRO Camera website By Mark Robinson, Arizona State University, Tempe, and Lonnie Shekhtman, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Media Contact: Nancy N. Jones NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. @NASAGoddard@NASAMoon @NASAGoddard@NASAMoon @NASAGoddard@NASASolarSystem Explore More [lunar-south-pole-lro-svs] 4 min read How Data from a NASA Lunar Orbiter is Preparing Artemis Astronauts As astronauts prepare to head back to the Moon for the first time since 1972,... Article 7 months ago [shadowcam_shackleton_crater_mosaic_072823] 3 min read NASA Moon Camera Mosaic Sheds Light on Lunar South Pole A new mosaic of the Shackleton Crater showcases the power of two lunar orbiting cameras... Article 7 months ago [nova-c-1100x1100-crop] 2 min read NASA's LRO Images Intuitive Machine's Odysseus Lander Article 1 month ago Share * * * * Details Last Updated Apr 05, 2024 Editor Rob Garner Contact Nancy N. Jones nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov Location Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms * Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) * Earth's Moon * Goddard Space Flight Center * Planetary Science * Planetary Science Division * Science Mission Directorate * The Solar System NASA Logo The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. * About NASA's Mission Join Us * Home * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth & Climate * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * NASA en Espanol Follow NASA * * * * * * More NASA Social Accounts * NASA Newsletters * Sitemap * For Media * Privacy Policy * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of the IG * Budget & Annual Reports * Agency Financial Reports * Contact NASA * Accessibility * Page Last Updated: Apr 05, 2024 * Page Editor: Rob Garner * Responsible NASA Official: Abigail Bowman