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Results tagged “chandrayaan-1” from Breaking Orbit

NASA Crashes the Moon Tomorrow Morning

Posted on October 8, 2009 | 1 Comments

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By James Robertson, National Geographic Digital Media

One of the coolest-sounding missions launched by NASA comes to an explosive end tomorrow morning.  The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (or LCROSS) will smash into the moon at about 4:30 a.m. PST (7:30 a.m. EST), followed by another impact four minutes later. (Read the National Geographic News preview NASA Moon "Bombings" Tomorrow: Sky Show, Water Expected.)

The first stage of the LCROSS is designed to kick up a huge plume of dust in the permanently dark Cabeus crater at the south pole of the moon. The second stage contains scientific equipment to collect the dust and determine if it contains water ice, before crashing into the moon itself and causing a purely gratuitous explosion. 

According to the mission's NASA page, amateur astronomers with a 10 to 12-inch telescope should be able to see the dust plumes created by the impacts.

If you don't have a telescope, you can watch the camera footage from the satellite and mission control at the Newseum in Washington, DC, at a special watch party on their 40-foot high video wall, at other locations around the world, or on the Internet at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html.

You will also be able to watch video and read about the mission afterward on National Geographic News.

If water ice is found in the dust, it would confirm findings of water and hydroxyl molecules by NASA instruments aboard the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft launched about a year ago.

Disclosure: James Robertson is a consultant for the Newseum.


To the Moon and Beyond!

Posted on November 6, 2008 | 0 Comments

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chandrayaan-1-lunar_transfer-orbit-isro.jpg

Chandrayaan-1's journey to the moon
—Image courtesy ISRO

With all the discoveries coming from Mars these days, it's easy to overlook the exciting developments in moon exploration. Just this week the European Space Agency (ESA) reported that India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is making progress on its two-year mission to map the lunar surface in 3D. Over the past few weeks, a series of orbit-raising maneuvers have taken the probe closer and closer to the moon, according to the ESA. It is expected finally enter a lunar orbit on Saturday.

Next week the National Geographic Channel is bringing some of its own moon excitement to television screens with Direct from the Moon. The player below has a great preview video with footage I've never seen before, including shots from the Kaguya probe launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2007.


The program describes America's plans to return to the moon in 2020 and establish a base. It airs Monday, November 17 at 9PM ET/PT. For more information, visit the National Geographic Channel website.

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The moon
From dwarf planets to hot Jupiters, join NatGeo News space and tech editor Victoria Jaggard in a global discussion about all things extraterrestrial.


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