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NASA Prepares Probes For Suicide Mission
Press2ToContinue writes "According to a NASA news release, 'Twin lunar-orbiting NASA spacecraft that have allowed scientists to learn more about the internal structure and composition of the moon are being prepared for their controlled descent and impact on a mountain near the moon's north pole at about 2:28 p.m. PST (5:28 p.m. EST) Monday, Dec. 17. Ebb and Flow, the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission probes, are being sent purposely into the lunar surface because their low orbit and low fuel levels preclude further scientific operations. The duo's successful prime and extended science missions generated the highest resolution gravity field map of any celestial body. The map will provide a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved. Both spacecraft will hit the surface at 3,760 mph (1.7 kilometers per second). No imagery of the impact is expected because the region will be in shadow at the time.' That's too bad; observing the impacts could provide valuable feedback. For example, a spectrographic analysis of the impact dust cloud could reveal additional density and compositional element information for the lunar polar surfaces."
Emily Lakdawalla at the Planetary Society has more information about the violent end to GRAIL's mission. If the probes were going to hit the surface of the Moon vertically, they would probably leave a crater about 3 or 4 meters in diameter. However, they are actually coming in at a very slight angle: 1.5 degrees from the horizontal, though the mountain itself has a 20-degree slope. Despite the darkness at the impact site, NASA will attempt to monitor the crashes using the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Suicide mission eh! Is this part of the NASA outreach to Muslims?
Don't do it GRAIL! You have so much still to live for! Remember the brave Rovers! They're still out there, long after their parents abandoned them, staring up at the red sky. Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything! Call the satellite suicide hotline now.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
These are unmanned probes. Way to headline, folks.
NASA is not showing much of a sense of humor here.
On a very personal note, I wish they'd fly it out of the solar system, in the hopes that it might eventually land on a planet somewhere after drifting through space for a few billion years.
Because, who knows... maybe a few bacteria currently contaminate the probe, survive the drift through space, and end up finding their new planet hospitable. Or more fun yet, it could land within the reach of pre-modern civilization somewhere.
Where do I sign?
none
Most jokes that are laugh out loud funny tend to be offensive. Not sure why parent was flagged for being a troll.
Unbeknownst to us, the probes are actually going to hit the secret underground Mayan moon base (where they went after the aliens gave them the technology to leave behind the famine on Earth that would have wiped them out), and they are going to attack on 12/21. You heard it here first!
I don't see anywhere in the article where they don't have enough fuel to escape the moon's gravity. They've stated that they don't expect to be able to monitor the landing for any additional research. So have them head out into the great unknown instead of smashing them into the moon.
I guess this says all that needs to be said about our cultural mindset. "We don't need it any more, just toss it over there."