Moon Orbiters Finish Prime Mission Ahead of Time

NASA lunar spacecraft complete prime mission ahead of schedule

The GRAIL mission has gathered unprecedented detail about the internal structure and evolution of the Moon.

By Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. — Published: May 30, 2012

An artist's depiction of the twin spacecraft that comprise NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission. During the GRAIL mission's science phase, spacecraft (Ebb and Flow) transmit radio signals precisely defining the distance between them as they orbit the Moon in formation. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MIT

 A NASA mission to study the Moon from crust to core has completed its prime mission earlier than expected. The team of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, with twin probes named Ebb and Flow, is now preparing for extended science operations starting August 30 and continuing through December 3, 2012.

The GRAIL mission has gathered unprecedented detail about the internal structure and evolution of the Moon. This information will increase our knowledge of how Earth and its rocky neighbors in the inner solar system developed into the diverse worlds we see today.


MORE: http://www.astronomy.com/en/News-Observing/News/2012/05/NASA%20lunar%20spacecraft%20complete%20prime%20mission%20ahead%20of%20schedule.aspx

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