How long would it take you to point a laser at a pocket novel located 235,000 miles away? To NASA It took a decade for the (US National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to achieve this. The target has been orbiting the Moon since 2009.
The entity reported that, in collaboration with France, it managed to make a laser reflect from the panels located on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) for the first time.
“One reason the engineers placed the reflector on the LRO was so that it could serve as a pristine target to help test the reflective power of the panels that remained on the Moon’s surface about 50 years ago. These older reflectors they return a weak signal, which makes it difficult to use them for science, “explained NASA in its website.
The experiment consists of calculating how long it takes for laser light to return to Earth. Thus it was discovered that our planet separates from its satellite 3.8 centimeters per year. The distance grows more and more due to the gravitational interactions of both bodies.
On the Moon there are five reflective panels, each made of 100 mirrors that can reflect light in any direction. These devices have been in place since 1969, with the Apollo 11 mission, until 1973, when the Soviet robot Lunokhod 2 arrived.
Panel left on the Moon in 1971 (Courtesy)
“Knowing the interior of the Moon has major implications involving the evolution of the Moon and explaining the timing of its magnetic field and how it became extinct,” said NASA scientist Vishnu Viswanathan.
In addition, work is being done on the implementation of new reflectors, smaller and with better technology, on the Moon. There is also the option of having more facilities on Earth, capable of sending infrared lasers to our satellite, to better calculate the distance. (I)
–
