Events
The Birth and Future of Lunar Laser Ranging
Hosted By: Laser Systems Technical Group
21 April 2023 13:00 - 14:00
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC - 05:00)Over the past five decades, the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) program has daily measured the distance to the Moon with an accuracy that approaches a centimeter. This long data series has allowed the determination of the most accurate values of many parameters in lunar physics, astrophysics, cosmology, and tests of General Relativity. The history, technologies, and results of this LLR program will be described. However, the combination of the lunar librations and our design of the original retroreflector arrays results in a limit on the accuracy of the individual range measurements and a limit on the observational procedures of the Earth-based Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories (LLROs).
The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflectors (NGLRs) are being developed for deployment on the Moon in the next few years. They will improve the accuracy of an individual range measurement by almost a factor of 100 and will improve the accuracy of the science results by factors of hundreds. The design, method and location of deployment, and schedule for the NGLRs will be discussed.
Subject Matter Level: Intermediate - Assumes basic knowledge of the topic
What You Will Learn:
• New science domains that is being addressed over a wide field by a relativity new technology
• This programs relation to advancing laser technology
• A unique optical design will be described
Who Should Attend:
• Individuals interested in new science approaches and results
• Individuals interested in a unique application of laser technology
• Individuals interested in optical design
About the Presenter: Douglas Currie University of Maryland, College Park
Professor Douglas Currie is in the Physics Department of the University of Maryland in College Park. He has pioneered the application of unique optical systems to study problems in Astrophysics and the U.S. Navy. He was a principle for the retroreflector arrays that were deployed on the Moon during the Apollo 11, 14 and 15 mission. He was also a principle of the team that proposed, built and operetated the Wide Field/Planetary Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope. Currently, he is Principle Investigator of a project selected by NASA to design and fabricate three Next Genration Lunar Retroreflectors to be deployed on the Moon by landers within the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS).
