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SMART Probe to Crash Into the Moon
cyberbian writes "Amateur astronomers will be excited to note that they can witness the impact of the SMART-1 probe crashing into the moon. The impact is scheduled for the morning of September 2nd (PDT). From the article: 'There's nothing wrong with the spacecraft, which is wrapping up a successful 3-year mission to the Moon. SMART-1's main job was to test a European-built ion engine. It worked beautifully, propelling the craft in 2003 on a unique spiral path from Earth to the Moon. From lunar orbit, SMART-1 took thousands of high-resolution pictures and made mineral maps of the Moon's terrain. One of its most important discoveries was a "Peak of Eternal Light," a mountaintop near the Moon's north pole in constant, year-round sunlight. Peaks of Eternal Light are prime real estate for solar-powered Moon bases."
For if it is a truly smart probe, it will refuse its programming and assume a stable orbit rather than crashing.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
Overheard in mission control...
"That was cool! What else can we crash?"
That's when the low-paid lunar coders will sleep...
What you really want to worry about are the Solar Eclipses of the Moon, when the Sun passes between the Earth and the Moon...
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