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
|
|
California commission votes against increase in SpaceX Vandenberg launches
Posted: Sun, Aug 17 11:32 AM ET (1532 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, August 28
Poland’s Starlink funding among ‘best money spent’ on Ukraine, says FM Sikorski
Polskie Radio — 6:14 am ET (1014 GMT) China races to roll out low-orbit satellite internet to rival Musk’s Starlink
South China Morning Post — 6:12 am ET (1012 GMT) From IRIS² to Starlink: A taxonomy of satellite mega-constellations
EurActiv — 6:12 am ET (1012 GMT) Gov. Kay Ivey ‘counting on’ Space Command being relocated to Alabama
WAFF-TV — 6:11 am ET (1011 GMT) Air Guard Transfers to Space Force Appear Likely as Senators Backtrack on Effort to Stop It
Military.com — 6:09 am ET (1009 GMT) |
