Photo credit: Science Creeks
NASA is funding the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT), a meshed telescope inside a crater on the far side of the moon. This is the face of the moon that is permanently positioned away from Earth, with very little radio interference from humans. This telescope would have great advantages compared to telescopes on our planet, and would stretched across the crater by NASA’s DuAxel Rovers. Read more for a video and additional information.
Once completed, the “Lunar Crater Radio Telescope” would be the largest filled-aperture radio telescope in the solar system. Unlike other telescopes, this filled-aperture radio telescope uses a single dish to collect data rather than many dishes, thus enabling us to gaze out into the cosmos without the veil of Earth’s atmosphere.
- Features a detailed replica of the Eagle lunar lander with a depiction of the lunar surface, with a crater, footprints and a U.S. flag
- This modular model features a descent stage with gold-colored landing pads and panels, opening camera, laser hatches, and a movable ladder
- The ascent stage has a detailed interior with room for 2 astronauts. The model is finished with an Apollo 11 Lunar Lander nameplate
LCRT could enable tremendous scientific discoveries in the field of cosmology by observing the early universe in the 10– 50m wavelength band (i.e., 6–30MHz frequency band), which has not been explored by humans till-date,” said Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.