Video: How to Drive a Lunar Spacecraft
An illustration of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter as it makes its way around the moon. NASA
It's more difficult than mastering the stick shift.
Since its 2009 launch, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has made its way around the moon many times. Navigating the craft is exciting, but it's nothing like a racecar or a joystick-operated video game.
The real process of driving the LRO involves computer science and teamwork between both people and satellites.
The Orbiter's "driver" is a group of engineers known as the Mission Operation Team, which works out of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Their commands for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are programmed in advance for it to follow, such as starting up its cameras and turning the craft toward a specific target on the lunar surface.
Command sequences originate from the control room and are pinged to antennas around the earth, eventually making their way to the LRO.
Many of these commands and tasks still require real-time monitoring to ensure everything runs smoothly, however. And in special circumstances, like a lunar eclipse, it can be all hands on deck for the solar-powered Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
To learn more, watch the video below from NASA:
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