Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: March 28, 2024, 6:40 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
#1
Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
NASA's twin lunar probes named Ebb and Flow will be crashed into an unnamed mountain near the Moon's North Pole a little over an hour from now. Video of the event from the Slooh Space Camera will be available here. I'm not sure if we will actually be able to see anything though.

Also, the Slooh site will be watching for signs of the apocalypse all week.
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.
[Image: JUkLw58.gif]
Reply
#2
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
Hmmm, the Chinese managed to send their moon probe out into deep space to photograph an asteroid after the conclusion of the primary moon mission. Seems to be a slightly better use of a redundant probe than crashing another into the moon.
Reply
#3
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
Perhaps the impact will split the moon in two?

Big Grin
Reply
#4
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
(December 17, 2012 at 3:16 pm)Chuck Wrote: Hmmm, the Chinese managed to send their moon probe out into deep space to photograph an asteroid after the conclusion of the primary moon mission. Seems to be a slightly better use of a redundant probe than crashing another into the moon.

Пойдем с музыкой!

Let`s go with music!


..... Russian saying.
Reply
#5
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
(December 17, 2012 at 3:16 pm)Chuck Wrote: Hmmm, the Chinese managed to send their moon probe out into deep space to photograph an asteroid after the conclusion of the primary moon mission. Seems to be a slightly better use of a redundant probe than crashing another into the moon.

I had basically the same thought when I first read about this a couple of weeks ago.

Never the less that's what they plan to do, and video of what amounts to a couple of good sized meteor impacts on the moon should be pretty cool if they manage to see anything.
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.
[Image: JUkLw58.gif]
Reply
#6
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
About 5 minutes until the show starts.
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.
[Image: JUkLw58.gif]
Reply
#7
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
(December 17, 2012 at 3:13 pm)popeyespappy Wrote: NASA's twin lunar probes named Ebb and Flow will be crashed into an unnamed mountain near the Moon's North Pole a little over an hour from now.

It's to give the aliens more to investigate than just the human colon.
Sum ergo sum
Reply
#8
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
They just said the actual impact event won't be for about 2 hours.

(December 17, 2012 at 3:16 pm)Chuck Wrote: Hmmm, the Chinese managed to send their moon probe out into deep space to photograph an asteroid after the conclusion of the primary moon mission. Seems to be a slightly better use of a redundant probe than crashing another into the moon.

Apparently they do hope to get some data from the crash by studying the ejecta with several instruments and the crash site with the LRO.

Also the crash is going to be on the dark side so there won't be anything to see...
Save a life. Adopt a greyhound.
[Image: JUkLw58.gif]
Reply
#9
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
Quote:Also the crash is going to be on the dark side so there won't be anything to see...

Clever...that way if they miss no one will know.
Reply
#10
RE: Grail Probes to crash into the moon in about an hour
Angel Cloud
(December 17, 2012 at 5:14 pm)Minimalist Wrote:
Quote:Also the crash is going to be on the dark side so there won't be anything to see...

Clever...that way if they miss no one will know.

The dark side or the far side? Collision on the dark (unlit) portion of the near side could still generate a visible flash, and if sufficiently close to the terminator between lit and unlit portion, send up a plume which could be visibly lit by the sun shinning over the lunar horizon, like a thunderhead on earth that can remain lit by the sun after the sun is seen to set from the ground.

Collision on the far side has less chance of being seen, unless it is sufficiently close to the limb of the moon for it plume to rise above lunar limb.

I imagine the choice of north pole for impact site is driven by the desire to test the theory that lunar soil there could harbor substantial ice deposits.
Reply



Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Is it ever physically possible for a broken egg to reassemble into an unbroken one? GrandizerII 39 3971 June 13, 2020 at 5:52 am
Last Post: UtilitarianDeist
  How Do They fit the CMB Into those Little Ovens? Rhondazvous 16 2313 April 26, 2019 at 7:32 am
Last Post: popeyespappy
  "Super" Moon tonight! Jehanne 6 971 December 4, 2017 at 12:36 am
Last Post: Sterben
  So, What planet/moon is this ? vorlon13 42 5869 November 26, 2017 at 9:35 am
Last Post: vorlon13
  Pan; a weirder moon of Saturn vorlon13 17 2142 March 26, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Last Post: LastPoet
  Will Our Sun Expand and Go Nova or Shrink into a Black Hole? Rhondazvous 55 7689 January 19, 2017 at 11:36 pm
Last Post: DarkerEnergy
  The moon's formation GUBU 41 5943 January 13, 2017 at 4:05 pm
Last Post: Gawdzilla Sama
  Can a Positron be Turned into an Electron? Rhondazvous 14 2172 February 10, 2016 at 1:10 pm
Last Post: Alex K
  Prometheus, a moon of Saturn vorlon13 16 2799 January 26, 2016 at 6:12 am
Last Post: ignoramus
  Global ocean discovered on Saturn moon Cyberman 24 5124 September 17, 2015 at 11:55 pm
Last Post: vorlon13



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)