LRO LOLA: Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter Raw Experiment Data

Archival raw experiment data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument (LOLA). The dataset is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Generate high-resolution lunar topographic models based on laser altimeter measurements.
• Analyze surface roughness and slope characteristics across the Moon.
• Study crater morphology and basin structure based on elevation data.
• Calibrate and validate other lunar remote sensing datasets using precise altimetry.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission.
• Last updated in March 2026, indicating potential ongoing curation.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Time Range

Archival data; specific mission time range is not provided.

Freshness

2026-03-13

Geography

Lunar surface.