Lunar Orbiters 1, 2, and 3 were primarily dedicated to imaging prospective Apollo landing sites in the equatorial region of the lunar nearside. Lunar Orbiter 4 was dedicated to providing complete imaging coverage of the lunar nearside, and Lunar Orbiter 5 provided high-resolution imaging of selected sites of high scientific interest. Nearly complete coverage of the lunar farside was also obtained over the course of the five missions.
Lunar Nearside Locator Map
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Features visible in this image of the eastern part of the lunar nearside include Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis, as well as the eastern portion of Mare Imbrium. (Lunar Orbiter image IV-109M.) |
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Features visible in this image of the western part of the lunar nearside include Mare Imbrium, Mare Humorum, Mare Nubium, and the craters Copernicus and Kepler. (Lunar Orbiter image IV-138M.) |
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This image shows a portion of the Moon’s farside, which is heavily cratered. Smooth mare regions are rare on the lunar farside. The floor of the crater Tsiolkovsky near the center of the image is an example of a large, smooth region on the farside. Tsiolkovsky is 180 kilometers across. (Lunar Orbiter image III-121M.) Apollo 15 photographs of Tsiolkovsky. |
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This image, obtained on August 23, 1966, provided our first look at Earth from the vicinity of the Moon, at a distance of 380,000 kilometers. Parts of Europe and Africa are visible on Earth. Because the Sun is nearly overhead in this image, there are few shadows visible on the Moon. Nevertheless, the rugged nature of the Moon’s farside is apparent in this image. (Lunar Orbiter image I-102H2.) |