Moon Orbiter Spots A NASA-Made Crater
- 10 years ago
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted a new crater on the moon, but in this case there will likely be no research into how it got there.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted a new crater on the moon, but in this case there will likely be no research, exploration, or even casual inquiry into how it got there.
That’s because NASA is well aware of its origins, as they put it there themselves.
April of this year marked the end of the moon probe LADEE’s mission.
It had been circling the moon’s equator for 7 months, gathering data on the thin lunar atmosphere and how it interacts with dust.
At the end of its tenure it was intentionally crashed onto the surface of the far side of the celestial body.
Astronomers weren’t sure exactly where it had ended up, but they did have some ideas.
To confirm their estimates they tasked another orbiter with looking for it.
Sure enough, LADEE was pretty close to where the team planned its impact.
The crater made by the impact is described as being a tidy one, measuring about 10 feet in diameter.
Said the crashed orbiter’s project manager, “I’m happy that the…team was able to confirm the LADEE impact point. It really helps the LADEE team to get closure and know exactly where the product of their hard work wound up.”
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted a new crater on the moon, but in this case there will likely be no research, exploration, or even casual inquiry into how it got there.
That’s because NASA is well aware of its origins, as they put it there themselves.
April of this year marked the end of the moon probe LADEE’s mission.
It had been circling the moon’s equator for 7 months, gathering data on the thin lunar atmosphere and how it interacts with dust.
At the end of its tenure it was intentionally crashed onto the surface of the far side of the celestial body.
Astronomers weren’t sure exactly where it had ended up, but they did have some ideas.
To confirm their estimates they tasked another orbiter with looking for it.
Sure enough, LADEE was pretty close to where the team planned its impact.
The crater made by the impact is described as being a tidy one, measuring about 10 feet in diameter.
Said the crashed orbiter’s project manager, “I’m happy that the…team was able to confirm the LADEE impact point. It really helps the LADEE team to get closure and know exactly where the product of their hard work wound up.”