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Herschel Spacecraft Won’t “Bomb” the Moon, But GRAIL Will
Artist concept of Ebb and Flow, the two GRAIL spacecraft in orbit of the Moon. Credit: NASA
The Herschel space telescope is slated to be decommissioned next March as the observatory’s supply of cryogenic helium will be depleted. One idea for “disposing” of the spacecraft was to have it impact the Moon, a la the LCROSS mission that slammed into the Moon in 2009, and it would kick up volatiles at one of the lunar poles for observation by another spacecraft, such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. However, that idea has been nixed in favor of parking Herschel in a heliocentric orbit. But don’t be disappointed if you were hoping for a little lunar fireworks. There will soon be a double-barreled event as the twin GRAIL spacecraft will impact the moon’s surface on December 17, 2012.
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Read the rest of Herschel Spacecraft Won’t “Bomb” the Moon, But GRAIL Will (748 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: GRAIL, Herschel space observatory, LCROSS, Missions, Moon
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2012-12-11 10:01:52
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/98932/herschel-spacecraft-wont-bomb-the-moon-but-grail-will/
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