JAXA's Kaguya/SELENE Mission Completed with Controlled Impact on Lunar Surface June 10, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Japan, Kaguya, Peak of Eternal Light, SELENE-2 , trackback
This morning, Japan’s Kaguya (also known as SELENE) lunar orbiter (launched in September 2007) made a controlled impact with the lunar surface, ending what has been a highly successful mission.
That is a map released today of the orbiter’s impact location (near the Moon’s south pole).
A look at the some of the most significant accomplishments of the mission:
- Took tons of spectacular HD images and video of the Moon, including inspiring videos of Earthrises. Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut, called the media “the closest thing to being there he had experienced since ‘being there’ in lunar orbit in 1972″. Check out JAXA‘s official image gallery and especially, their awesome Youtube channel for tons of
- Returned data that surprisingly disproved the concept of “Peaks of Eternal Light” on the Moon. While the data showed that some polar areas still recieved sunlight as much as 89% of the time, there proved to be no areas that were always illuminated (which would have provided a year-round solar power source).
- Provided important new information on the gravity map of the far side of the Moon, showing ntoable differences between the near and far sides of the Moon
- Blazed a path for future Japanese operations and presence on the Moon
JAXA’s next mission, SELENE-2, is set to deliver a lunar rover to the surface and perform research on lunar geology and lunar base issues (surface construction, dust, radiation, etc.).
JAXA put out a call for images of the orbiter’s impact, and other agencies such as the European Space Agency are churning out further information on the craft’s finale, so keep an eye here for more images, video, and details as they come along over the next few days :)
Here’s an HDTV video uploaded yesterday, that’s low-altitude near the crater Zeeman, and one of the best I’ve seen so far:
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