Explanation:
Japan's Kaguya spacecraft crashed into the Moon last week, as planned.
Officially named the
Selenological
and Engineering Explorer (SELENE), the spacecraft was given the nickname Kaguya
after the princess in the Japanese folklore story
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
Pictured above is a movie taken by Kaguya during the last orbit of its
twenty-month lunar mission.
A
desolate, hilly, and cratered terrain passes underneath
as the spacecraft barely clears a few peaks.
At
the movie's end, the spacecraft disappears into darkness
near GILL crater.
Robotic
SELENE carried thirteen scientific instruments and two
HDTV cameras.
The
groundbreaking mission took data
on lunar topology and composition that are being used to better understand the origin
and history of Earth's
unique and ancient companion.
Data and images from
Kayuga
and the recently launched
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
could be used to choose good locations to land future
Moon-exploring astronauts.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
