NASA Spacecraft Slams Moon: Flight controllers confirmed that the orbiting spacecraft, LADEE, crashed into the back side of the moon last Friday as planned by NASA engineers dodging the precious historic artifact left behind by the moonwalkers.
LADEE's eradication occurred just three days after it survived a full lunar eclipse, something it was never designed to last so long. Researchers believe that the small spacelab likely vaporized when it hit because of its extreme orbiting speed of 3,600 mph, possibly smacking into a mountain or side of a crater. No debris would have been left behind, according to The Associated Press.
Project scientist Rick Elphic predicted Thursday, "It's bound to make a dent."
On Thursday evening, report says that the spacecraft was gliding the lunar surface at an exceptionally low altitude of 300 feet. Its orbit had been lowered on purpose last week to ensure a crash by Monday following an extraordinarily successful science mission.
LADEE which stands for Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer was launched in September from Virginia. From the outset, NASA planned to crash the spacecraft into the back side of the moon, far from the Apollo artifacts from the moonwalking days of 1969 to 1972. The small spacelab completed its primary 100-day science mission last month and was on overtime. The extension had LADEE flying during Tuesday morning's lunar eclipse. Despite its designed that is not meant to endure prolonged darkness and cold, small spacecraft survived, it's about the size of a vending machine, with just a couple pressure sensors acting up according to the Associated Press.
The landing portions of six lunar modules, flags, plaques, rovers and more, including those memorable first footprints by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 12 had been projected to be closest by several hundred miles.
The last thing the LADEE team wanted was "to plow into any of the historic sites," said project manager Butler Hine.
According to Guardian Living Voice, during its $280 million assignment, LADEE was able to identify numerous components of the moon's extremely thin atmosphere. Metals such as magnesium, titanium and neon were discovered in the grimy veil that surrounds the moon and is created by all the surface particles kicked up by micrometeorites that hit constantly.
"LADEE's science cup really overfloweth. LADEE, by going to the moon, has actually allowed us to visit other worlds with similar tenuous atmospheres and dusty environments," Elphic said earlier this month.
