NASA crashed the craft called Lunar and Dust Environmental Explorer (LADEE) on the Moon as part of the final leg of its mission last Thursday. NASA officials had predicted that it would crash on Monday, April 21.
The crash of this craft on the moon did not constitute an accident. It was done purposely and deliberately as part of its mission. This is not the latest mistake to befall NASA.
The craft called LADEE was rocketed into space last September. It has been orbiting the moon since October. Since November 10, 2013, it has been collecting data and doing its primary 100-day mission of orbiting the moon’s equator. The primary science goal had been conducted on March 5th. NASA decided to extend the mission of this craft for another month.
The trouble for this lunar craft began when it did not have enough fuel to escape lunar orbit or go on with its primary science. mission. The craft was trying to fix itself on April 12, but this put LADEE in an orbit that was one mile above the lunar surface. The craft then had no choice, but to start a descent to the Moon’s surface. The craft did at least make it through the full lunar eclipse on April 15. When this NASA craft made its final descent at about 3,600 miles per hour. This is said to be three times the speed of a bullet. The LADEE was not invulnerable and most likely broke into tiny pieces when it hit the surface of the moon.
Rick Elphic, the project scientist in charge of LADEE at NASA’s Ames Research Center, felt that he had to make a statement. He does feel that there is nothing gentle about a craft crashing into the moon at 3,600 miles per hour. He does want to know if the craft made a small crater on a lunar hillside or scattered in several directions on a flat area. He is curious to know what kind of lunar feature LADDE created.
The main mission of this NASA craft that crashed on the moon was to collect information about the moon’s atmosphere and composition. It was supposed to collect moon dust. One lunar mystery that LADEE was what caused the pre-sunrise glow that was observed by lunar astronauts.
NASA had a contest called the “Take the Plunge” challenge to have members of the general public guess when the craft would find its final resting place on the moon. If a person had guessed between 12:30 and 1:22 am, Eastern Standard Time (9:30 and 10:22 pm, Pacific Standard Time), he or she would obtain a special certificate.
NASA believes that the craft that crashed into the moon may have found its final resting place on the east side of Sundman V crate, located on the far side of this lunar object. When NASA almost knows where it crashed. NASA will send a craft called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to know exactly where it crashed.
According to the LADEE program executive named Joan Salute, LADEE was “a mission of firsts.” This space probe was in a position to gather detailed data about the thin lunar atmosphere.
LADEE, the craft that NASA crashed on the moon, may have gotten some significant data and solved a lunar mystery that has existed for many years. For some reason, astronauts on the moon saw a pre-sunrise glow and nobody knows why there was a glow.
By Tom Clark