Posted on 09/02/2006 11:38:19 PM PDT by Lunatic Fringe
DARMSTADT, Germany (AP) First European spacecraft to moon makes planned crash landing on lunar surface.
Can't argue with that!
They weren't able to dispose of the old parts legally here on earth.
Good for them.
Kyoto has strict standards for decontaminating any orbital craft that may deliberately or accidentally reach the lunar surface.
And how will they enforce them? The UN, maybe? LOL
Viruses or bacteria could cause a wildfire explosion of new life and destabilize the existing balance of chemicals. Kinda like throwing ants in a sugar jar.
Just starting the terraforming early. No big deal, eh?
sssshhhh...I was writing BS (baiting him to bite)
now stay downwind and dont make a sound.
OTOH, this mission was only $140 million, right?
I, for one, welcome our new ant overlords.
Crashed and burned eh Mav ?
Did they at least have any video of the descent?
A couple years back I had read articles about joint "space" programs between France and Russia. I wonder if this was one such joint project.
They published this plan quite some time ago.
I just want to know if the "hollow moon" theory was proven.....did it ring like a bell?
Yep. Launched in Aug 2003, made lunar orbit in Jan 2005.
Not too shabby for 80kg of 'fuel'.
Interesting. We did that with the Ranger program, and it appears that the Soviets did the same with their "Luna" program, but those were long ago indeed:
Um....they don't consider the former USSR part of Europe?
Back in 1969, it took us 3 days to reach the moon and land on it.
It took the Eurotrash 3 years to get to the point where they could crash it on the moon. They launched in September 2003.
Some superiors.
They didn't have to fly all the way to the moon to get 'crash' data...
And if there was any equipment in the vehicle to monitor the 'landing', likely it got destroyed in the crash...
I think the program could have been improved if they had put a slammer "pilot" aboard.
"The prime object of this mission was to test the ion propulsion," mission manager Gerhard Schwehm said.
"This is a very efficient means to get a spacecraft over large distances with a very small mass of fuel. It worked really well."
Instead of burning rocket fuel, the PPS-1350 engine from French aerospace firm Snecma generates a stream of electrically charged atoms called ions. That creates minuscule amounts of thrust - roughly enough to hold up a postcard.
Riding that small, steady push, SMART-1 made it to the moon in 14 months, gradually accelerating and raising its orbit around the earth until it was high enough to be grabbed by the moon's gravity.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/08/31/290660/SMART_1_to_crash_on_moon__039_s_surface.htm
more here
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html
Good mission. This is the first, but ESA will be sending many more. Eventually it will lead to a lunar colony.
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