US Space Program Milestone Leads to One of the Longest Laser Experiments in History
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 8, 2020 — July 20, 1969, a historic day for the Apollo space program, was also the start of a laser experiment that is still going strong more than 50 years later. The ongoing lunar laser ranging experiment, also known as the Apollo reflector experiment, measures the distance between the moon and Earth using laser ranging. Laser light pulses are transmitted and reflected back to Earth, and the round-trip duration is measured. The Apollo 14 and 15 missions also left reflector arrays, in addition to