JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.

NASA GRAIL Returns First Student-Selected Moon Images

March 22, 2012
This image of the far side of the lunar surface, with Earth in the background, was taken by the MoonKAM system board the Ebb spacecraft as part of the first image set taken from lunar orbit from March 15 - 18, 2012. › Full image and caption
How students take pictures from lunar orbit with GRAIL's MoonKAM (Infographic)› MoonKAM Infographic (JPG) (PDF)

One of two NASA spacecraft orbiting the moon has beamed back the first student-requested pictures of the lunar surface from its onboard camera.

PASADENA, Calif. -- One of two NASA spacecraft orbiting the moon has beamed back the first student-requested pictures of the lunar surface from its onboard camera. Fourth grade students from the Emily Dickinson Elementary School in Bozeman, Mont., received the honor of making the first image selections by winning a nationwide competition to rename the two spacecraft.

The image was taken by the MoonKam, or Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students. Previously named Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) A and B, the twin spacecraft are now called Ebb and Flow. Both washing-machine-sized orbiters carry a small MoonKAM camera. Over 60 student-requested images were taken by the Ebb spacecraft from March 15-17 and downlinked to Earth March 20.

"MoonKAM is based on the premise that if your average picture is worth a thousand words, then a picture from lunar orbit may be worth a classroom full of engineering and science degrees," said Maria Zuber, GRAIL mission principal investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. "Through MoonKAM, we have an opportunity to reach out to the next generation of scientists and engineers. It is great to see things off to such a positive start."

GRAIL is NASA's first planetary mission to carry instruments fully dedicated to education and public outreach. Students will select target areas on the lunar surface and request images to study from the GRAIL MoonKAM Mission Operations Center in San Diego.

The MoonKAM program is led by Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, and her team at Sally Ride Science in collaboration with undergraduate students at the University of California in San Diego. More than 2,700 schools spanning 52 countries are using the MoonKAM cameras.

"What might seem like just a cool activity for these kids may very well have a profound impact on their futures," Ride said. "The students really are excited about MoonKAM, and that translates into an excitement about science and engineering."

Launched in September 2011, Ebb and Flow will answer longstanding questions about the moon and give scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., manages the GRAIL mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is home to the mission's principal investigator, Maria Zuber. GRAIL is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

To view the student-requested images, visit:
http://images.moonkam.ucsd.edu

For more information about MoonKAM, visit:
https://moonkam.ucsd.edu

For more information about GRAIL, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/grail

News Media Contact

DC Agle

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

818-393-9011

agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Dwayne Brown

202-358-1726

dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Caroline McCall

617-253-1682

cmcall5@mit.edu

2012-083

Related News

Solar System .

NASA to Discuss Conclusions of Psyche Mission Independent Review Board

Solar System .

NASA Scientists Make First Observation of a Polar Cyclone on Uranus

Mars .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures View of Mars’ Belva Crater

Solar System .

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight to Fly by Earth

Solar System .

NASA’s Juno Mission Getting Closer to Jupiter’s Moon Io

Solar System .

NASA Calls End to Lunar Flashlight After Some Tech Successes

Mars .

Images From NASA’s Perseverance May Show Record of Wild Martian River

Solar System .

New Study of Uranus’ Large Moons Shows 4 May Hold Water

Solar System .

New Video Series Captures Team Working on NASA’s Europa Clipper

Solar System .

NASA’s Voyager Will Do More Science With New Power Strategy

Explore More

Solar System .

Space Trivia Question

Image .

'Castell Henllys' From Above

Image .

Leading Up to Flight 50

Mission .

Surveyor 4

Image .

Perseverance Takes in View at Belva Crater

Image .

Icy Cliffs at the Martian North Pole

Image .

Kasei Valles

Image .

Phlegra Montes Crater

Image .

Curiosity Finds a Book-Like Rock

Image .

Elysium Mons

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018