Moon Science: Malapert Massif | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Moon Science: Malapert Massif | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Malapert massif (informal name) is thought to be a remnant of the South Pole-Aitken basin rim. It formed more than 4 billion years ago. More recently, this magnificent peak (lower left) was selected as an Artemis 3 candidate landing region. Image is 25 kilometers wide in the center.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) shuttered this Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) view on March 3, 2023, when the spacecraft was about 170 kilometers beyond Shackleton crater (sub-spacecraft point was 84.10°S, 129.1°E) looking towards the nearside. From this viewpoint, we see the back side of Malapert massif assuming an Earth-centric reference.

Imagine the view from the summit; it rises more than 5000 meters (16,400 feet) above its base. Off in the distance, you could see a 3500 meter (11,480 feet) tall cliff. One could argue that the sheer grandeur of this region makes it a prime candidate.

This year, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) celebrates its 16th anniversary orbiting the Moon (2009-2026). This mission has given scientists the largest volume of data ever collected by a planetary science mission at NASA. Considering that success and the continuing functionality of the spacecraft and its instruments, NASA awarded the mission an extended mission phase to continue operations. LRO continues to be one of NASA's most valuable tools for advancing lunar science.

Learn more about NASA's LRO:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/M1432398306LR
Text Credit: Mark Robinson
Release Date: March 14, 2023

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