[meteorite-list] SMART-1 Maps Its Own Impact Site

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Aug 31 13:46:28 2006
Message-ID: <200608311743.KAA15930_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMRR46LARE_index_0.html

SMART-1 maps its own impact site
European Space Agency
31 August 2006

This mosaic of images, obtained by the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment
(AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows the SMART-1 landing site
on the Moon.
 
AMIE obtained this sequence on 19 August 2006 from the relatively high
distance of 1200 kilometres from the surface (far from the SMART-1
perilune, or point of closer approach), with a ground resolution of
about 120 metres per pixel. The imaged area, located at mid-southern
latitudes on the lunar near-side, belongs to the so-called 'Lake of
Excellence'.

To take these images, SMART-1 had to be tilted by 20 degrees in order to
obtain a large ground coverage and an image mosaic of several views,
each covering an area about 60 kilometres per side.
 
SMART-1 will be flying from North to South, and it will impact the
surface 46 seconds, or about 90 kilometres, before reaching its nominal
perilune (situated South of the impact location). This is due to the
last orbit and the topography of the impact area. According to
calculations based on the available maps and topography, impact would
take place at a descending angle of one degree on a relatively flat
surface.

SMART-1's impact is currently expected on 3 September 2006 at 07:41 CEST
(05:41:51 UT), in the point located at 46.2?? West longitude and 33.3??
South latitude.

At 02:37 CEST (00:37 UT), one orbit earlier, the spacecraft should be
just flying at its perilune. By that time, it will be over crater
Clausius (25 kilometres diameter and 2.5 kilometres depth), at about 800
metres above the Lake of Excellence volcanic plain. As observed from
these SMART-1 images, the rim of crater Clausius (bottom right of the
image) is quite low and eroded, and should possibly be below SMART-1
last perilune.

"If SMART-1 passes safely the rim of crater Clausius, the probe will go
for its last lunar orbital tour until its foretold death," said Bernard
Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist.

Crater Clausius is named after Rudolf Clausius (1822-188), German
physicist and mathematician, a founder of thermodynamics.

 
For more information
 
Bernard H. Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist
Email: bernard.foing _at_ esa.int

Jean-Luc Josset, AMIE Principal Investigator, SPACE-X Space Exploration
Institute
Email: jean-luc.josset _at_ space-x.ch
Received on Thu 31 Aug 2006 01:43:38 PM PDT