INTRODUCTION

Prospector is a NASA Discovery Mission. This new kind of mission places an emphasis on science and "Faster, Better, Cheaper" mission design and development. Lunar Prospector exemplifies these goals. It is a small, spin-stabilized craft that uses flight-qualified, modern technologies and instrumentation to ensure results and minimize risk. The design is simple: a small, graphite-epoxy drum (1.4m x 1.2m) with surface mounted solar cells and three 2.5m masts which carry the instruments and isolate them from the bus. Learn more about the Lunar Prospector mission from the following sections:

Project Overview gives a breif desciption of what Lunar Prospector is and what it's goals are.

Lunar Prospector Here you can find general information about the actual Lunar Prospector spacecraft. This section contains two virtual reality animations, allowing you to view the spacecraft from various angles.

Launch Vehicle Learn about the vehicles that allowed the Lunar Prospector to get into orbit and on to the moon.

Mission Control See the layout and get general information about Luanr Prospector's Mission Control.

FAQ Have questions about the Lunar Prospector mission or the moon? If so then this is where you will find the answers to many questions about the spacecraft, the instruments, the mission and the moon.

Ames Research Center Learn more about the center where much of the research for Lunar Prospector was done.

Discovery Program Lunar Prospector is one mission of a series known as the Discovery Program. Based on the motto ,"Faster, Better, Cheaper," this program will explore the moon Mars and beyond.

Further Reading Get more information about the topics discussed in this section.