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Retroreflectors are devices which reflect light back to its source. Six were left at six sites on the Moon by three crews of the Apollo program, two by remote landers of the Lunokhod program, and one by the Chandrayaan program. Lunar reflectors have enabled precise measurement of the Earth–Moon distance since 1969 using lunar laser ranging.

Several unsuccessful attempts to land retroreflectors on the lunar surface have been made, and several future attempts are planned.

Successfully placed reflectors

Attempted and planned reflectors

Gallery

• Apollo 11 Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector
• Apollo 14 retroreflector
• Close-up of Apollo 15 retroreflector
• Model of Lunokhod 2. The retroreflector is the hexagonal box with open lid in the front.

See also

• Lunar Laser Ranging experiment
• List of artificial objects on the Moon
• List of missions to the Moon

References

1. ^ Lunar Retroreflectors
2. Slava G. Turyshev: From Quantum to Cosmos: Fundamental Physics Research in Space (2009), p. 300
3. ^ Wagner, R. V.; Speyerer, E. J.; Burns, K. N.; Danton, J.; Robinson, M. S. (1 August 2012). "Revised Coordinates for Apollo Hardware". The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences. XXXIX-B4. Copernicus GmbH: 517–521. Bibcode:2012ISPAr39B4..517W. doi:10.5194/isprsarchives-XXXIX-B4-517-2012.
4. Newman, Michael E. (26 September 2017). "To the Moon and Back … in 2.5 Seconds". NIST. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
5. "What Neil & Buzz Left on the Moon: A cutting-edge science experiment left behind in the Sea of Tranquility by Apollo 11 astronauts is still running today". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 20 July 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
6. "Lost Soviet Reflecting Device Rediscovered on the Moon". Space.com. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
7. "LROC Observation M114185541R". Arizona State University. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
8. "Lunokhod 1 Revisited | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera". lroc.sese.asu.edu. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
9. "USSR – Luna 17".
10. "Apollo 14: The Eighth Mission: The Third Lunar Landing: 31 January–09 February 1971". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on 14 November 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
11. Archinal, Brent (13 April 2010). "The Apollo 15 Lunar Laser Ranging Retroreflector – A Fundamental Point on the Moon!". Arizona State University. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
12. "USSR – Luna 21".
13. "NASA – NSSDCA – Spacecraft – Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
14. "Chandrayaan 3 – LRA".
15. "Chandrayaan-3". ISRO. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
16. Dhillon, Amrit (23 August 2023). "India lands spacecraft near south pole of moon in historic first". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
17. "Laser Instrument on NASA's LRO Successfully 'Pings' Indian Moon Lander". Retrieved 30 January 2024.
18. "Instrument on Chandrayaan-3 lander started serving as a location marker near lunar south pole". Retrieved 30 January 2024.
19. Beresheet crash caused by manual command, but reflector device may have survived. Georgina Torbet, Digital Trends. 21 April 2019.
20. Warner, Cheryl (10 April 2019). "Update on First Private Robotic Spacecraft Attempt at Moon Landing". NASA. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
21. Israeli spacecraft Beresheet crash site spotted on moon, 15 May 2019
22. "Vikram lander located on lunar surface, wasn't a soft landing: Isro". The Times of India. 8 September 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
23. Bartels, Meghan (24 March 2019). "How NASA Scrambled to Add Science Experiments to Israeli, Indian Moon Probes". Retrieved 25 March 2019.
24. Internatioinal Lunar Observatory to offer a new astrophysical perspective. Tonasz Nowakowski. Spaceflight Insider. 12 August 2017.
25. UMD, Italy & MoonEx Join to Put New Laser-Reflecting Arrays on Moon Archived 22 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Lee Tune, University of Maryland. 10 June 2015.
26. ^ Etherington, Darrell (23 January 2020). "NASA reveals the payloads for the first commercial moon cargo deliveries". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
27. "Luna-25 (Luna-Glob Lander) Payload". www.iki.rssi.ru. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
28. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
29. "Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the moon, ending its bid to reach the lunar south pole". Associated Press. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
30. "Intuitive Machines-1 Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) Revision 1.1" (PDF). Intuitive Machines. FCC. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

v t e Apollo program hardware
Launch vehicles	Little Joe II Saturn I Saturn IB Saturn V
Launch vehicle components	F-1 engine J-2 engine Instrument unit Launch Vehicle Digital Computer
Spacecraft	Apollo Apollo command module Columbia Apollo service module Apollo Lunar Module Eagle
Spacecraft components	Apollo Abort Guidance System Apollo Docking Mechanism Apollo Guidance Computer Lunar Sounder Experiment Primary guidance, navigation, and control system Apollo Telescope Mount Apollo TV camera Descent propulsion system Ascent propulsion system Scimitar antenna
Space suits	Apollo/Skylab A7L Beta cloth Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment
Lunar surface equipment	Portable Life Support System Lunar Roving Vehicle Lunar Laser Ranging experiment list of retroreflectors Solar Wind Composition Experiment Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package Active Seismic Experiment Apollo 12 Passive Seismic Experiment Apollo 14 Passive Seismic Experiment Charged Particle Lunar Environment Experiment Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment Solar Wind Spectrometer Experiment Modular Equipment Transporter Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment Lunar Surface Gravimeter Lunar Surface Magnetometer Lunar Traverse Gravimeter Cold Cathode Gauge Experiment Heat Flow Experiment Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment
Ground support	Mobile Launcher Launch Umbilical Tower Crawler-transporter Lunar Landing Research Vehicle Mobile quarantine facility
Ceremonial	Lunar plaque Lunar Flag Assembly Fallen Astronaut Apollo 11 goodwill messages
Related	Lunar escape systems Rendezvous Docking Simulator Moon Museum
Category:Apollo program hardware

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