Crash into the moon
Published by Jonathan August 30th, 2006 in TechnologySMART-1, a satellite launched by the European Space Agency is preparing to make a crash landing into the Moon. There is a chance of an explosion and maybe even a debris plume that will be visible from the western hemisphere of Earth.
SMART-1 Prepares for Lunar Crash Landing
The trick is in the timing. SMART-1 will approach the crash site at a very low angle of trajectory and since the Moon’s topography is not known with enough detail it is possible that SMART-1 could hit an unknown peak and crash early. The crash site is an area known as Lacus Excellentiae.
- Nominal crash time will occur on September 3 at 1:41am EDT (10:41pm PDT)
- If it crashes on the previous orbit, it will occur on September 2 at 8:36pm EDT.
To keep up with developments and get specific coordinates of the crash site see the official ESA website: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=98
Got the telescope all set to go: Here’s hoping that it will be the later orbit for optimal viewing!!!
Well, I guess we just experienced a “non-event”…stared for half an hour
(just in case)through my telescope at a pretty decent magnification but…
Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Evidently even the large telescopes did mnot record impact, however a small explosion did occur on impact close to the predicted time, as recorded with an infrared telescope as seen at:
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=39962