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Why It'll Take Israel's Lunar Lander 8 Weeks to Get to the Moon
Space.com ^ | 12/21/2019 | Mike Wall

Posted on 02/22/2019 7:59:14 AM PST by BenLurkin

The robotic lander, called Beresheet, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket yesterday evening (Feb. 21) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. If everything goes according to plan, Beresheet will zip around Earth for about six weeks in ever-widening orbits before heading toward its final destination. The craft will arrive in lunar orbit in early April and attempt a landing on the 11th of that month.

Beresheet's lengthy stay in Earth orbit may seem surprising. After all, China's Chang'e 4 farside lander reached lunar orbit just 4.5 days after its Dec. 7 liftoff (though Chang'e 4 didn't actually touch down until Jan. 2).

But the 5-foot-tall (1.5 meters) Beresheet cannot take a direct path to the moon, project team members said, because the lander shared a rocket ride with two other payloads. Also aboard the Falcon 9 last night were an Indonesian communications satellite and an experimental U.S. Air Force craft, both of which are making Earth orbit their home.

And you can't just jet straight off to the moon from Earth orbit, Winetraub said; the two celestial bodies must be lined up properly before Beresheet,,, can make its move.

"The moon is coming around, and we're doing our own orbit, and we need to synchronize everything," Winetraub said. "For that, we need to do something that's called 'phasing loops,' to make sure that the moon comes around in the right position so you can capture with it. And that takes time."

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; beresheet; clementine; elonmusk; falcon9; falconheavy; israel; science; spacex
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To: BenLurkin

Went out in the front yard last night and watched this baby take off.
Man o man what a beautiful flight.
Very clear sky.
Could see it far after it jettisoned its initial rockets.
Too kool.


21 posted on 02/22/2019 9:49:37 AM PST by Joe Boucher ( Molon Labe' baby, Molon Labe)
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To: BenLurkin

Look. If we can change the climate, we can change the position of the sun, moon, and earth, making rocket travel to the moon take only one or two days. A straight path.


22 posted on 02/22/2019 9:51:00 AM PST by mbarker12474
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To: Joe Boucher

The Booster made a perfect landing on the Drone Ship as well.

It is simply amazing to see how the Science and Technology has improved.

Love or hate Elon Musk, he is a visionary.


23 posted on 02/22/2019 10:00:32 AM PST by Kickass Conservative (THEY LIVE, and we're the only ones wearing the Sunglasses.)
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To: BenLurkin

All the way the right hand blinker will be on....


24 posted on 02/22/2019 10:02:54 AM PST by usmcobra (Happiness is a belt fed weapon.)
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To: Kickass Conservative

Man, Kickass,
First time I saw one of those land on its floating platform I said oh baby.
Conservative in Calif. huh?
Bet that is a lonely deal.


25 posted on 02/22/2019 10:11:58 AM PST by Joe Boucher ( Molon Labe' baby, Molon Labe)
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To: Joe Boucher

Nice


26 posted on 02/22/2019 10:34:58 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

“Beresheet will zip around Earth for about six weeks in ever-widening orbits before heading toward its final destination.”


Wandering Jew. Save the scorn, I’m Jewish.

Seriously, it must just BURN the 1.5 billion Moslems that they can’t build a spacecraft, but 1/2 of the world’s Jews could, while simultaneously being vastly militarily superior to them, and having little things like electricity, running water and a working cell phone system that they designed and built all on their own. Just saying....


27 posted on 02/22/2019 10:43:40 AM PST by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt, The Weapons Shops of Isher)
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To: plsvn

[Another article I read about this said the craft carries a copy of the Torah. Odd the space.com article doesn’t mention that.]

Certainly wouldn’t make certain folks from the previous administration happy. Thanks for noting.


28 posted on 02/22/2019 12:25:15 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: BenLurkin

So we’re taking an Uber to get there....


29 posted on 02/22/2019 12:28:18 PM PST by Cvengr ( Adversity in life & death is inevitable; Stress is optional through faith in Christ.)
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To: Joe Boucher

Yep, I’m even lonelier driving around with my “TRUMP 45” Vanity License Plates. Actually there are a lot of closet Conservatives where I live.

They see my License Plates and come up and shake my hand. Then they tell me there is no way they would have the guts to put anything Trump on thei Cars.


30 posted on 02/22/2019 1:41:15 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (THEY LIVE, and we're the only ones wearing the Sunglasses.)
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To: BenLurkin

It’s an adaptation of the Hohmann transfer combined with gravitational assist, i.e., the slingshot maneuver, only it repeatedly slingshots around the earth.


31 posted on 02/22/2019 5:47:47 PM PST by Paal Gulli
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To: BenLurkin

It only took Alice Kramden a few seconds...BANG....ZOOM!


32 posted on 02/22/2019 5:49:00 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Larry Lucido

Shakey the Mohel! Ha ha!


33 posted on 02/22/2019 7:55:40 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: Kickass Conservative

I have a couple who constantly go on cruises.
They are both avid Bernie supporting retired teachers.
When they came home from their last cruise there was a large Trump 2020 sign right in the middle of their yard.
One could hear audible screams when they arrived home.
Laughed so hard i nearly peed my britches,


34 posted on 02/23/2019 3:16:09 AM PST by Joe Boucher ( Molon Labe' baby, Molon Labe)
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To: mbarker12474

mbarker12474 wrote:
“Look. If we can change the climate, we can change the position of the sun, moon, and earth, making rocket travel to the moon take only one or two days. A straight path.”

LOL!


35 posted on 02/23/2019 5:56:16 PM PST by BTerclinger (MAGA)
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