SMART-1 crashes into the Moon
Posted: Sun, Sep 3, 2006, 11:12 AM ET (1512 GMT)
ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft ended its mission early Sunday with a planned crash into the lunar surface. The spacecraft, which had been in orbit around the Moon since late 2004, crashed into a small lava plain called the Lake of Excellence at 1:42 am EDT (0542 GMT) Sunday. The impact was declared a success by ESA, although a last-minute orbit correct was needed to prevent the spacecraft from colliding with a crater wall. The location and timing of the impact was selected to allow the flash and dust plume from the impact to be seen by observers on the Earth; at least one telescope in Hawaii reported seeing the impact flash. SMART-1, ESA's first lunar mission, was primarily a technology demonstration mission to test systems like the spacecraft's ion engine, but also carried a number of scientific instruments that imaged the lunar surface and collected data about composition of the lunar surface. The 366-kilogram spacecraft was launched as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5 in September 2003.
ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft ended its mission early Sunday with a planned crash into the lunar surface. The spacecraft, which had been in orbit around the Moon since late 2004, crashed into a small lava plain called the Lake of Excellence at 1:42 am EDT (0542 GMT) Sunday. The impact was declared a success by ESA, although a last-minute orbit correct was needed to prevent the spacecraft from colliding with a crater wall. The location and timing of the impact was selected to allow the flash and dust plume from the impact to be seen by observers on the Earth; at least one telescope in Hawaii reported seeing the impact flash. SMART-1, ESA's first lunar mission, was primarily a technology demonstration mission to test systems like the spacecraft's ion engine, but also carried a number of scientific instruments that imaged the lunar surface and collected data about composition of the lunar surface. The 366-kilogram spacecraft was launched as a secondary payload on an Ariane 5 in September 2003.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, August 6
Your chance to run software in deep space on ESA's asteroid mission
ESA — 6:28 am ET (1028 GMT) Space Force Awards Three New Vendors for Sensing, Targeting Tech
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:24 am ET (1024 GMT) Boeing-Lockheed Rocket Joint Venture Taps Private Bond Market
Bloomberg News — 6:23 am ET (1023 GMT) SpaceX moon crash is a perfect metaphor for rocket maker’s share price, analysts say
CNBC — 6:21 am ET (1021 GMT) Discarded SpaceX rocket crashes into moon
Los Angeles Times — 6:21 am ET (1021 GMT) |
