[Music]
In order for NASA to map and explore
the region around the lunar South Pole,
we need to precisely define a system of
latitude and longitude on the Moon,
including the exact location of the South Pole itself.
In the coordinate system
adopted by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission,
the South Pole is here,
on the rugged rim of Shackleton crater.
If you stood on this treacherous spot,
you’d see the sunlit rim of the crater,
encircling a permanently shadowed abyss
that’s two and a half miles deep,
over twice that of the Grand Canyon,
covering an area over 130 square miles.
As we return to the lunar surface,
three dimensional maps like this
will help guide astronauts to safe landing sites
in the challenging landscape of the Moon’s South Pole.
[Music fades]