APOLLO Normal Points
Format is new CRD (consolidated range data), updated more regularly than this site. Subdirectories apollo11, apollo14, apollo15, luna17, luna21.
APOLLO scientists are eager to participate in science endeavors that can benefit from APOLLO data. We believe that it is through open collaboration that the best scientific progress is made. Communication between analysis efforts and data collection efforts will almost certainly benefit both: anomalous signals may be traceable to instrumentation artifacts if the data collection effort is suitably informed; and observing suggestions arising from the analysis may translate to improved analysis capability.
We ask that APOLLO members be invited to participate in derivative science, one goal being co-authorship on science papers. APOLLO members may decline the invitation to co-author results if we have little to contribute, but we nonetheless ask for the courtesy of invitation to be extended. The data are available without this requirement.
APOLLO data reduction is a subtle task, dealing with multi-photon returns and associated biases, an array detector, variable spatial illumination, end other issues. Therefore, the normal points are periodically upgraded based on new reduction techniques. On this page, we will keep a running archive of old reduction products. Typically, the file at the top of the list is the most relevant, most up-to-date set.
We are currently using a very old normal point format that is favored by JPL. We intend to switch to the latest ILRS format in the near future, and archive our points on their web site.
A typical normal point appears as follows:
512008 330123950000000026170710379889370610207 317312B 72439 -5134 5320A 250A
The fields are:
| field | width | represents | this example | notes |
| 51 | 2 | ? | 51 | |
| 2008 | 4 | year | 2008 | time is UTC launch time |
| 3 | 2 | Month | March | |
| 30 | 2 | Day | 30th | |
| 12 | 2 | Hour | 12 h | |
| 39 | 2 | Monute | 39 m | |
| 500000000 | 9 | 10-7seconds | 50.0000000 s | |
| 26170710379889 | 14 | round trip time, 10-13 seconds | 2.6170710379889 s | measured round trip |
| 3 | 1 | reflector number | Apollo 15 (#3) | 0=A11; 1=L1; 2=A14; 3=A15; 4=L2 |
| 70610 | 5 | station ID | Apache Point | |
| 207 | 3 | # photons in NP | 207 photons | saturates at 999 |
| 317 | 6 | uncert in 0.1 ps | 31.7 ps | |
| 312 | 3 | 10×SNR | 31.2 | saturates at 99.9 |
| B | 1 | data quality grade | B | A, B, C, D |
| 72439 | 6 | pressure, 0.01 mbar | 724.39 mbar | |
| -51 | 4 | temperature, 0.1°C | -5.1°C | |
| 34 | 2 | % relative humidity | 34% | |
| 5320 | 5 | wavelength, angstroms | 5320 angstrom | |
| A | 1 | ? | A | |
| 250 | 4 | NP duration, sec | 250 sec | |
| A | 1 | ? | A |
2020 Dec. 27:
Group f (355 NPs, 2019-08-23 to 2020-12-27; replaced 2022.01.05)
notes
2016 Sept. 12:
Group e complete (915 NPs, 2016-09-12 to 2019-08-18; replaced 2022.01.05)
notes
2016 July 25:
Group d complete (760 NPs, 2013-09-30 to 2016-07-25)
notes
2016 Nov. 25:
Group d extension (superseded by complete collection above; 315 NPs, 2015-11-21 to 2016-11-25)
notes
2015 Dec. 1:
Group d extension (superseded by complete collection above; 258 NPs, 2014-11-18 to 2015-11-03)
notes
2014 Nov. 20:
Group d (superseded by complete collection above; 259 NPs, 2013-09-30 to 2014-11-17)
notes
2013 Dec. 19:
Group c replacement (361 NPs, 2012-04-06 to 2013-09-01)
notes
2012 Nov. 6:
Group a (941 NPs, 2006-04-07 to 2010-10-30)
Group b (506 NPs, 2010-12-01 to 2012-04-06)
Group c (118 NPs, 2012-04-07 to 2012-08-28)
notes
2010 Dec. 1 (942 NPs, 2006-04-07 to 2010-10-30) notes
2009 July 17 (642 NPs, 2006-04-07 to 2009-06-15) notes
2008 Sept. 28 (453 NPs, 2006-04-07 to 2008-09-24) notes
2008 May 1 (322 NPs, 2006-04-07 to 2008-03-30) notes
The geocentric (careful: not geodetic) coordinates for the APOLLO telescope are approximately: (6374.69213 km radius; 32.6054889° latitude; 254.1795778° longitude).