Lunar orbit Lunar orbit In astronomy, lunar orbit (also known as a selenocentric orbit) is the orbit of an object around the Moon. As used in the space program, this refers not to the orbit of the Moon about the Earth, but to orbits by various manned or unmanned spacecraft around the Moon. The altitude at apoapsis (point farthest from the surface) for a lunar orbit is known as apolune, apocynthion, or aposelene, while the periapsis (point closest to the surface) is known as perilune, pericynthion, or periselene, from names or epithets of the moon goddess. Low lunar orbit (LLO)—orbits below altitude—are
From the Earth to the Moon First Men in the Moon") inspired the first science fiction film, "A Trip to the Moon", made in 1902 by Georges Méliès. In 1958, another film adaptation of this story was released, titled "From the Earth to the Moon". It was one of the last films made under the RKO Pictures banner. The story also became the basis for the very loose adaptation "Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon" (1967), a caper-style British comedy starring Burl Ives and Terry-Thomas. The 1961 Czechoslovak film "The Fabulous Baron Munchausen" combines characters and plot elements from the Verne novel with those of the