Peter Liiva

Initial observations from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA)

As of June 19, 2010, the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has collected over 2.0 × 10^9 measurements of elevation that collectively represent the highest resolution global model of lunar topography yet produced. These altimetric observations have been used to improve the lunar geodetic grid to ~10 m radial and ~100 m spatial accuracy with respect to the Moons center of mass. LOLA has also provided the highest resolution global maps yet produced of slopes, roughness and the 1064-nm reflectance of the lunar surface. Regional topography of the lunar polar regions allows precise characterization of present and past illumination conditions. LOLAs initial global data sets as well as the first high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) of polar topography are described herein.

Space laser transmitter development for ICESat-2 mission

The first NASA Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) was launched in January 2003 and placed into a nearpolar orbit whose primary mission was the global monitoring of the Earths ice sheet mass balance. ICESat has accumulated over 1.8 B shots in space and provided a valuable dataset in the study of ice sheet dynamics over the past few years. NASA is planning a follow-on mission ICESat-2 to be launched tentatively in 2015. In this paper we will discuss the development effort of the laser transmitters for the ICESat-2 mission.

Optical system design and integration of the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter.

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), developed for the 2009 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, is designed to measure the Moons topography via laser ranging. A description of the LOLA optical system and its measured optical performance during instrument-level and spacecraft-level integration and testing are presented.

Thermal vacuum testing of the lunar orbiter laser altimeter engineering model laser

We present the thermal vacuum (TVAC) test results of the engineering model laser transmitter for the NASA Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument.