PDS_VERSION_ID                       = PDS3
RECORD_TYPE                          = STREAM
LABEL_REVISION_NOTE                  = "Jim Alexopoulos, 1999-02-01;
                                        2005-02-02 GEO:shs Updated;"
 
OBJECT = MISSION
  MISSION_NAME                       = "LUNAR PROSPECTOR"
 
OBJECT                               = MISSION_INFORMATION
  MISSION_START_DATE                 = 1995
  MISSION_STOP_DATE                  = 1999-07-31
  MISSION_ALIAS_NAME                 = "N/A"
  MISSION_DESC                       = "

  Mission Overview
  ================
    The Lunar Prospector (LP) Mission consisted of an orbiter
    spacecraft designed to perform continuous mapping of the Moon
    from a circular polar orbit.  LP was selected as the third
    mission in NASA's Discovery program in February, 1995.  The
    spacecraft was designed and built in about 2 years.  It was
    delivered for launch in late 1997.  The LP spacecraft was
    launched on January 6, 1998.  The primary mapping mission began
    on January 15, 1998 [BINDERETAL1998] and ended on July 31,
    1999, when the spacecraft was targeted to impact a crater near
    the lunar south pole to try to vaporize part of the suspected
    water deposits.
  
    The science goals of the Lunar Prospector Mission were to map
    the Moon's surface composition and its magnetic and gravity
    fields, and to determine the frequency and location of gas
    release events.  A special emphasis of the science goals was to
    search for polar ice deposits.  To meet these science goals the
    LP spacecraft carried a Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), a Neutron
    Spectrometer (NS), a Alpha Particle Spectrometer (APS), a
    Magnetometer (MAG), and an Electron Reflectometer (ER).  A
    Doppler Gravity Experiment (DGE) used tracking data for mapping
    the gravity field.
  
    The LP science team consisted of the PI, Alan Binder and six
    Co-I's, and was divided into three groups.  The Spectrometer
    Group consisted of William Feldman, Binder, and G.  Scott
    Hubbard.  The Magnetics Group consisted of Robert Lin, Mario
    Acuna, and Lon Hood.  The Gravity Group consisted of Alexander
    Konopliv.
 
   
  Mission Phases
  ==============
  
    LUNAR PROSPECTOR LAUNCH
    -----------------------
      The Lunar Prospector spacecraft was launched on January 6,
      1998 on a Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle 2 (Athena 2) from
      the Spaceport Florida commercial pad (Pad 46) at Cape
      Canaveral, Florida.
  
           Spacecraft Id:                 : LP
           Target Name                    : MOON
           Mission Phase Start Time       : 1998-01-06
           Mission Phase Stop Time        : 1998-01-06
           Spacecraft Operations Type     : ORBITER

   
    LUNAR PROSPECTOR CRUISE
    -----------------------
      The Lunar Prospector spacecraft was inserted into a
      translunar coast after reaching a parking orbit around Earth.
      The cruise period to the Moon lasted for about 105 hours.

           Spacecraft Id:                 : LP
           Target Name                    : MOON
           Mission Phase Start Time       : 1998-01-06
           Mission Phase Stop Time        : 1998-01-11
           Spacecraft Operations Type     : ORBITER

  
    LUNAR PROSPECTOR ORBIT INSERTION
    --------------------------------
      The Lunar Prospector spacecraft was inserted into Lunar orbit
      by an initial Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) engine burn.  The
      initial capture orbit had a 11.8 hour period.  Several
      additional engine firings put the spacecraft into its mapping
      orbit, which was a 100 +/- 20 km circular polar orbit with a
      118 minute period.
  
           Spacecraft Id:                 : LP
           Target Name                    : MOON
           Mission Phase Start Time       : 1998-01-11
           Mission Phase Stop Time        : 1998-01-15
           Spacecraft Operations Type     : ORBITER

  
    LUNAR PROSPECTOR PRIMARY MISSION
    --------------------------------
      The Lunar Prospector Primary Mission was scheduled to last for
      one year with continuous mapping by the science instruments.
      The mission ended on July 31, 1999, when the spacecraft was
      targeted to impact a crater near the south pole.
  
           Spacecraft Id:                 : LP
           Target Name                    : MOON
           Mission Phase Start Time       : 1998-01-15
           Mission Phase Stop Time        : 1999-07-31
           Spacecraft Operations Type     : ORBITER  "
  
    MISSION_OBJECTIVES_SUMMARY         = "
  
      The overall goal of the Lunar Prospector (LP) Mission was to
      perform global mapping of the Moon in order to better
      understand the Moon's origin, evolution, current state, and
      resources.  Specifically, LP mapped the surface abundances
      of key elements (U, Th, K, O, Si, Mg, Fe, Ti, Ca, Al, and H).
      As part of the elemental abundance mapping, LP attempted to
      determine whether water ice exists in permanently shadowed 
      areas near the lunar poles.  LP made high-resolution
      measurements of the near-side crustal gravity field and measured
      long-wavelength gravity anomalies for the entire Moon.  LP
      provided global measurements of lunar crustal magnetic
      fields and the induced dipole moment.  LP also attempted to
      determine the frequency and location of gas release events, as
      one of the major sources of the thin lunar atmosphere.  "
  
END_OBJECT                          = MISSION_INFORMATION
  
OBJECT                              = MISSION_HOST
INSTRUMENT_HOST_ID                  = LP
  OBJECT                            = MISSION_TARGET
    TARGET_NAME                     = MOON
  END_OBJECT                        = MISSION_TARGET
END_OBJECT                          = MISSION_HOST
   
OBJECT                              = MISSION_REFERENCE_INFORMATION
  REFERENCE_KEY_ID                  = "BINDERETAL1998"
END_OBJECT                          = MISSION_REFERENCE_INFORMATION
   
END_OBJECT                           = MISSION
END