Diviner is ready to start lunar mapping

PASADENA, Calif., June 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency's Diviner, an instrument that will map the moon's temperature, has entered a lunar orbit aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The instrument, a nine-channel radiometer built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will also, for the first time, produce a map showing the composition of the moon, as well as a map showing how rocky the moon is.

In addition, NASA said Diviner will identify cold traps and potential ice deposits, as well as landing hazards such as rough terrain or rocks to be avoided by future manned missions to the moon.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission, with participation from the Institute for Space Research in Moscow.