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
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, March 31
Astra Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Results
Business Wire — 5:25 am ET (0925 GMT) Richard Branson Satellite Company Virgin Orbit Laying Off 85% of Staff
Business Insider — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Virgin Orbit burns up in uncontrolled descent
TechCrunch — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Virgin Orbit, Richard Branson’s rocket company, will lay off 85% of staff
CNN — 5:21 am ET (0921 GMT) Virgin Orbit stock plunges after report says company will cease operations
MarketWatch — 5:20 am ET (0920 GMT) |
