Detailed 3D map of the Moon's surface

Based on satellite data, NASA officially launched a 3D map that simulates almost the entire lunar surface using CGI technology.

The US Space Agency (NASA) last week released an online detailed 3D map of the lunar surface, dubbed the "CGI Moon Kit" or " CGI Moon Toolkit , " which will allow Everyone access, download and use for free in any form. Graphics created by visual science expert Ernie Wright from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

3D map CGI Moon Kit.

To create CGI Moon Mit, Wright used a 10-year data collection from two devices on the Moon Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The devices include a high-quality camera that works like a scanner and an altimeter, using laser pulses to determine the texture of the lunar surface.

"Each laser pulse on the Moon is divided into five separate beams. They reach the surface and bounce back to the spacecraft," Wright explained. The altimeter will then track the time and measure the strength of the laser when they return. This helps determine the height, as well as the soft or hard structure of the lunar surface.

According to NASA, the map simulates almost the entire lunar surface with an accuracy of 98.2 percent. Only some parts that are not shown are polar regions deep in the shadows. The CGI Moon Kit is expected to be of great help to scientists in determining potential landing points in the Artemis space program, which aims to bring astronauts back to the Moon by 2024.

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