1
$\begingroup$

An October 2013 article in SpaceRef.com The New Race for the Moon says:

Although LRO data remains unrestricted there is other evidence that NASA is worried about such data transfer to China.

NASA recently removed at least four major photographic atlases of the Moon from the NASA Technical Reports Server. The large volumes document the thousands of images taken by Boeing Lunar Orbiter spacecraft in the 1960s to map the Moon at close range to find Apollo landing sites and to gain a better understanding of the body.

Question: What are "Boeing Lunar Orbiter spacecraft in the 1960s" Did Boeing have its own spacecraft? Did it contract for someone else to launch them?

Could this just be referring to the plain old "Lunar Orbiters" that mapped the Moon, and who's data is readily available today? For example like I accessed here https://space.stackexchange.com/a/31310/12102 If so, why might they be referred to as "Boeing Lunar Orbiters"?

$\endgroup$
4

1 Answer 1

7
$\begingroup$

It's referring to the plain old Lunar Orbiters of the 1960s. Boeing manufactured the spacecraft for NASA.

According to NASA's Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program, Boeing (in collaboration with Eastman Kodak) was one of 5 companies that responded to NASA's call for proposals, and the one that was ultimately chosen for the project.

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.