NASA views possible lunar landing site

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency has obtained the highest-resolution terrain mapping to date of a possible landing site at the moon's south polar region.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the new images, containing a resolution to about 66 feet per pixel, were obtained using the Goldstone Solar System Radar located in California's Mojave Desert.

NASA said the imagery has been incorporated into animation depicting the descent to the lunar surface of a future human lunar lander and a flyover of Shackleton Crater.

The data indicates Shackleton Crater is much more rugged than previously understood, NASA said, noting the crater's rim area is considered a candidate landing site for a future human mission to the moon.

Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for NASA's exploration systems mission directorate, said the imagery shows the lunar south pole has peaks as high as Mount McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Cooke said there are challenges that come with such rugged terrain, and the data will be an invaluable tool for advance planning of lunar missions.

Animation, lunar maps and images are available at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/022708.html