Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was launched in 2009 to study and map the Moon and is now completing its fifth extended science mission. The LRO (see Figure 1) hosts a payload of seven different scientific instruments. The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation instrument has characterized the lunar radiation environment and allowed scientists to determine potential impacts to astronauts and other life. The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE) has identified cold traps where ice could reside and mapped global thermophysical and mineralogical properties by measuring surface and subsurface temperatures. The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project has found evidence of exposed ice in south polar cold traps as well as global diurnal variations in hydration. The Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector has been used to create high-resolution maps of lunar hydrogen distribution and gather information about the neutron component of the lunar radiation environment. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) is a system of three cameras [one wide-angle camera and two narrow-angle cameras (NACs)] mounted on the LRO that capture high-resolution black-and-white images and moderate resolution multispectral (seven-color band) images of the lunar surface. These images can be used, for example, to learn new details about the history of lunar volcanism or the present-day flux of impactors. The Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument is an advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can probe surface and subsurface coherent rock contents to identify the polarization signature of ice in cold traps. The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) has been used to generate a high-resolution, 3D map of the Moon that serves as the most accurate geodetic framework available for co-locating LRO (and other lunar) data. The data produced by the LRO continue to revolutionize our scientific understanding of the Moon, and are essential to planning NASA's future human and robotic lunar missions.
NASA's LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission was designed to explore the nature of previously detected enhanced levels of hydrogen near the lunar poles. The LCROSS mission impacted the spent upper stage of the launch vehicle into a permanently shadowed region of the lunar surface to create an ejecta plume. The resultant impact crater and plume were then observed by the LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft as well as a cadre of telescopes on the Earth and in space to determine the nature of the materials contained within the permanently shadowed region. The Shepherding Spacecraft then became a second impactor which was also observed by multiple assets. The LCROSS Observation Campaign was a key component of the LCROSS mission. The goal of the Observation Campaign was to realize the scientific benefits of extending the LCROSS observations to multiple ground and space-based assets. This paper describes the LCROSS Observation Campaign and provides an overview of the Campaign coordination and logistics as well as a summary of the observation techniques utilized at a multitude of observatories. Lessons learned from the LCROSS Observation Campaign are also discussed to assist with the planning of future unique observing events.