NASA: First Results from Lunar Mission to Be Released Sept. 17

GREENBELT, Md. — NASA will showcase new images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s seven instruments and provide updates about the topography of the moon’s south pole during a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT Thursday, Sept. 17. NASA also will provide an update about the spacecraft’s status and mission plans. The briefing will take place at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency’s Web site.

Panelists are:

— Craig Tooley, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project manager, Goddard Space Flight Center

— Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington

— Richard Vondrak, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project scientist, Goddard

— David Smith, Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter principal investigator, Goddard

To RSVP or to participate by telephone, reporters should contact Rani Gran at +1 301-286-2483 by noon Sept. 17.

Reporters attending the event at Goddard should sign in at the center’s main gate by 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The gate is located at 8800 Greenbelt Rd. in Greenbelt. NASA representatives will be available to escort reporters from the gate to the event.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the LRO mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/lro