This story appears in the July 2019 issue of National Geographic magazine ... missions to create the February 1969 hand-­painted map—considered the best reference at the time.

The Earth revolves around the Sun every 365 ¼ days, and rotates on its axis every 24 hours. The Moon revolves around the Earth every 27 days, and it rotates on its axis the same time, every 27 days.

Lunar Trailblazer, an orbiter that shared a launch on Wednesday with the commercial Athena lander, will help scientists ...