Kaguya impacts lunar surface
Posted: Thu, Jun 11, 2009, 6:42 AM ET (1042 GMT)
A Japanese spacecraft completed its mission Wednesday by crashing to the lunar surface. The Japanese space agency JAXA confirmed that the Kaguya spacecraft hit the lunar surface at 2:25 pm EDT (1825 GMT) Wednesday in the Moon's southern hemisphere. The impact point was in darkness, and a flash apparently caused by the impact was observed by at least one telescope on Earth. The orbiter, launched in September 2007, had been gradually lowering its orbit in recent months in preparation for the impact. The impact comes just a week before the launch of another Moon mission, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. A second spacecraft on that launch, LCROSS, will observe the impact of the rocket's upper stage on the Moon before colliding with the Moon itself.
A Japanese spacecraft completed its mission Wednesday by crashing to the lunar surface. The Japanese space agency JAXA confirmed that the Kaguya spacecraft hit the lunar surface at 2:25 pm EDT (1825 GMT) Wednesday in the Moon's southern hemisphere. The impact point was in darkness, and a flash apparently caused by the impact was observed by at least one telescope on Earth. The orbiter, launched in September 2007, had been gradually lowering its orbit in recent months in preparation for the impact. The impact comes just a week before the launch of another Moon mission, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. A second spacecraft on that launch, LCROSS, will observe the impact of the rocket's upper stage on the Moon before colliding with the Moon itself.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, January 25
Virgin Galactic Appoints Mark Stucky as Pilot
Virgin Galactic — 8:15 am ET (1315 GMT) Milton Rosen, rocket engineer and NASA executive, dies at 99
Washington Post — 8:09 am ET (1309 GMT) Jaipur Literature Festival 2015: ISRO programme director M Annadurai speaks about Mangalyaan; Indian human spaceflight programme
ibnlive.com — 8:05 am ET (1305 GMT) My favourite Martian
Bangkok Post — 8:02 am ET (1302 GMT) Bob Cabana to be honored for KSC work
Florida Today — 8:02 am ET (1302 GMT) |
