Wednesday, November 16. 2011 Global topography -- a boon to
lunar scientists and explorers around the world! Today the LROC
team releases Version 1 of the Wide Angle Camera (WAC)
topographic map of the Moon. This amazing map shows you the ups
and downs over nearly the entire Moon, at a scale of 100 meters
across the surface, and 20 meters or better vertically. Despite
the diminutive size of the WAC (it fits in the palm of one's
hand), it images nearly the entire Moon every month. Every
month? Yes! Redundant data? No! Each month the Moon's lighting
changes, so the WAC methodically builds up a record of how
different rocks reflect light under different conditions, and
adds to the LROC library of stereo observations. The WAC really
is the little camera that could! It was built by Malin Space
Science Systems (MSSS) in San Diego CA, and is very similar to
another MSSS camera (MARCI) that is now in orbit around Mars.
The WAC has a pixel scale of about 75 meters, and with an
average altitude of 50 km, a WAC image sw