Twin NASA spacecraft to crash into the Moon on Monday
Posted: Fri, Dec 14, 2012, 7:59 AM ET (1259 GMT)
Two NASA spacecraft that have been studying the Moon's gravitational field since the beginning of the year will end their mission by crashing into the lunar surface on Monday. The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft, dubbed "Ebb" and "Flow", will crash into a mountain in the Moon's northern polar regions at 5:29 pm EST (2229 GMT) Monday, the two impacts taking place 20 seconds apart. The spacecraft are running low on propellant needed to maintain their orbits, and the controlled crash is to ensure that the spacecraft don't instead hit one of the "heritage" sites elsewhere on the Moon associated with Apollo and other past missions. The impact site will be in shadow at the time of the impacts and thus no visible phenomena are expected. The two spacecraft, which entered lunar orbit at the beginning of 2012, have provided scientists with the best map yet of the Moon's gravity field, which in turn has provided insights on the Moon's interior structure.
Two NASA spacecraft that have been studying the Moon's gravitational field since the beginning of the year will end their mission by crashing into the lunar surface on Monday. The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft, dubbed "Ebb" and "Flow", will crash into a mountain in the Moon's northern polar regions at 5:29 pm EST (2229 GMT) Monday, the two impacts taking place 20 seconds apart. The spacecraft are running low on propellant needed to maintain their orbits, and the controlled crash is to ensure that the spacecraft don't instead hit one of the "heritage" sites elsewhere on the Moon associated with Apollo and other past missions. The impact site will be in shadow at the time of the impacts and thus no visible phenomena are expected. The two spacecraft, which entered lunar orbit at the beginning of 2012, have provided scientists with the best map yet of the Moon's gravity field, which in turn has provided insights on the Moon's interior structure.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Vast signs contract with SpaceX for ISS private astronaut missions
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 11:59 AM ET (1659 GMT) Avio signs ESA contracts for Vega upgrades and Earth science satellite launch
Posted: Sat, Dec 21 11:57 AM ET (1657 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, December 23
Isro to launch 24 experiments to space with PSLV Spadex mission
India Today — 7:16 am ET (1216 GMT) Experimental payloads developed by Karnataka-based academia and start-ups to be launched in ISRO upcoming mission
The Hindu — 7:15 am ET (1215 GMT) ISRO to conduct experiments on growing plants in space
The Tribune (India) — 7:15 am ET (1215 GMT) Isro PSLV-C60 Spadex mission: When will it launch and how to watch it
India Today — 7:13 am ET (1213 GMT) NASA probe to fly closer to the Sun than ever before
Axios — 7:12 am ET (1212 GMT) |
