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Lunar Precursor Robotic Program
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<p>The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) is a <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a> program that uses <a href="/facts/Robotic_spacecraft/Frlbbkvu">robotic spacecraft</a> to prepare for future <a href="/facts/Human_spaceflight/VgVxsGmq">crewed</a> missions to the <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">Moon</a>. The program gathers data such as lunar radiation, surface imaging, areas of scientific interest, temperature and lighting conditions, and potential resource identification. </p><p>Two LPRP missions, the <a href="/facts/Lunar_Reconnaissance_Orbiter/8p2W8MGh">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter</a> (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (<a href="/facts/LCROSS/bewCcynW">LCROSS</a>), were launched in June 2009. The lift-off above <a href="/facts/Cape_Canaveral_Air_Force_Station/dwJ9MCPH">Cape Canaveral Air Force Station</a> in <a href="/facts/Florida/cF245A3Q">Florida</a> on June 18, 2009, was successful. The uncrewed <a href="/facts/Atlas_V/5SNgegyt">Atlas V</a> rocket launched the two space probes towards the Moon, where they will provide a 3D map and search for water in conjunction with the <a href="/facts/Hubble_Space_Telescope/NQeIf0vw">Hubble Space Telescope</a>, launching on June 17, 2009. </p><p>This lunar program marked the first United States mission to the Moon in over ten years. <a href="/facts/Neil_Armstrong/3aoQV60l">Neil Armstrong</a>'s first step on the Moon occurred on July 20, 1969, and this launch was 32 days before its 40th anniversary. The <a href="/facts/Lunar_Reconnaissance_Orbiter/8p2W8MGh">LRO</a> entered a low orbit around the Moon, while the LCROSS mission performed a "swing-by" and entered a different orbit to set up a <a href="/facts/Collision/0a3WSqod">collision</a> with the Moon's surface several months later. The projected lunar impact of the <a href="/facts/Centaur_(rocket_stage)/ryg96uIF">Centaur</a> and LCROSS spacecraft was on October 9, 2009, at 11:30 UT (7:30 a.m. EDT, 4:30 a.m. PDT), ± 30 minutes. The plume from the Centaur impact was predicted by NASA to be visible through telescopes with <a href="/facts/Apertures/8PV11GQm">apertures</a> as small as 10 to 12 inches (300 mm). </p>