Monday, December 31, 2012

To The Moon in 2013



Looking forward to the New Year and in 2013 will see if we can learn more about our nearest neighbor, the Moon.
Looking at the last post about Chang'e 3 coming possible landing on the Moon reminds me I need to learn more about what has already landed there and what can be said for the various locations.

Let me know where you would like to land. Ron would have liked to have seen the GRAIL twin orbiters land at the central mountain in Harpalus.
- LRK -

----------------------------------
snip
Harpalus was the rocket landing site in the 1950s science fiction film Destination Moon. It was chosen by artist Chesley Bonestell as it had a relatively high latitude and the Earth could be realistically displayed at a low altitude during camera shots. However, the resulting clay model depicted crazing (net-like cracks) across the crater floor, an addition to which Bonestell objected.
snip
----------------------------------

Looking at Chang'e 3 for some possible landing sites.
- LRK -

----------------------------------

Chang'e 3

Chang’e 3 is the third robotic lunar probe mission of the China Lunar Exploration Programme (CLEP). Scheduled to be launched in 2013~14, the probe will soft-land on the Moon surface and deploy an unmanned Lunar Rover to explore the areas surrounding the landing spot. The mission is heded by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) and the primary contractor for the probe is the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) of the China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (SASC).
snip
The spacecraft will be firstly parked into a 100X100km lunar orbit. After separating from the Service Module, the Lunar Landing Vehicle will descend to a 100X15km, 45° inclined elliptic orbit. When reaching the 15km perigee, the vehicle will ignite its variable thrusters to reduce its velocity, so that it slowly descends to 100m above the Moon surface. The vehicle will hover at this altitude, moving horizontally under its own guidance to avoid obstacles, and then slowly descend to 4m above the ground, at which point its engine will shut down for a free-fall onto the lunar surface.
Five locations have been considered for the landing spot of Chang'e 3, including Sinus Iridum, Mare Nectaris, Mare Humorum, Kepler crater, and Aristillus crater. Among these Sinus Iridum is the first choice for the Chang'e 3 mission. High-definition images of the area has been captured by the Chang'e 2 lunar orbiter in 2010.
The Lunar Landing Vehicle is China’s first nuclear-powered spacecraft, equipped with a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) in order to support its operations during long Moon-nights. The vehicle has a total mass of 1,200kg, and a designed operational life of 12 lunar months. Once successfully landing on the Moon, the vehicle will deploy a six-wheeled Lunar Rover to explore the surrounding areas.
snip
----------------------------------

Lunar nearside with major maria and craters labelled.

 Some Wikipedia links for Sinus Iridum, Mare Nectaris, Mare Humorum, Kepler crater, and Aristillus crater.
- LRK-

----------------------------------
Sinus Iridum (Latin for "Bay of Rainbows") is a plain of basaltic lava that forms a northwestern extension to the Mare Imbrium. It is surrounded from the northeast to the southwest by the Montes Jura range. The protruding part of the range at the southwest end is named Promontorium Heraclides, while that at the northeast end is called Promontorium Laplace. This bay and the surrounding mountains is considered one of the most beautiful features on the Moon, and is a favorite among lunar observers.
snip

The Sea of Nectar (Mare Nectaris) is a small lunar mare or sea (a volcanic lava plain noticeably darker than the rest of the Moon's surface) located between the Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillatis) and the Sea of Fecundity (Mare Fecunditatis). Montes Pyrenaeus borders the mare to the west and the large crater near the south center of the mare is known as Rosse. It is 101,000 square kilometers in size and constitutes a gulf of the Sea of Tranquility.[2]
snip

It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, geological mapping indicates that it is intermediate in age between the Imbrium and Nectaris Basins, suggesting an age of about 3.9 billion years. Humorum Basin is filled with a thick layer of mare basalt, believed to exceed 3 kilometers in thickness at the center of the basin.
snip

Kepler (Latin Keplerus) is a lunar impact crater that lies between the Oceanus Procellarum to the west and Mare Insularum in the east. To the southeast is the crater Encke.
Kepler is most notable for the prominent ray system that covers the surrounding mare. The rays extend for well over 300 kilometers, overlapping the rays from other craters. Kepler has a small rampart of ejecta surrounding the exterior of its high rim. The outer wall is not quite circular, and possesses a slightly polygonal form. The interior walls of Kepler are slumped and slightly terraced, descending to an uneven floor and a minor central rise.
snip

Aristillus is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the eastern Mare Imbrium. Directly to the south is the smaller crater Autolycus, while to the southwest is the large Archimedes. The area of mare to the southwest is named the Sinus Lunicus. To the northeast are the craters Theaetetus andCassini.
snip
----------------------------------

And a look at what has been to the Moon.
- LRK -

----------------------------------
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/
Lunar Exploration Timeline

The Luna Program was one of two lunar exploration programs conducted by the Soviet Union. This was a very long-running program, with the first mission flying in 1959 and the last flying in 1976. The Luna missions were designed to collect information about the Moon and its environment, not only for scientific purposes but also to be used in the planning of future lunar missions including manned missions to the Moon. The series included flyby, lunar-orbiting, and soft-landing missions. Selected Luna missions are noted in the following list.
snip
----------------------------------

Well now it looks like we can spend much more time on the Moon.
Want to come along? What would you like to see?
Thanks for looking up with me.
============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
============================================
Posted by at
Labels: