NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) has completed its mission and the spacecraft crashed into the lunar surface on Thursday. LADEE's lunar impact went as planned although slightly ahead of schedule, as NASA officials believed the spacecraft would crash into the moon around April 21.
LADEE was launched on Sept. 7, 2013 and started orbiting the moon on Oct. 6. The spacecraft has been collecting data for more than five months, beginning on Nov. 10, and started its 100-day primary science mission, orbiting around the moon's equator, on Nov. 20, notes NASA. LADEE completed its primary science objective on March 5 and the space agency extended the spacecraft's mission for an additional 28 days.
LADEE did not have enough fuel to escape the lunar or continue with its science mission. The spacecraft's final orbital maintenance maneuver on April 12, its 22nd, put LADEE into a low-altitude orbit, just one mile above the surface of the moon, and a natural descent into the lunar surface. LADEE also survived the total lunar eclipse on April 15. Before LADEE crashed into the lunar surface, the spacecraft reached speeds of 3,600 miles per hour and chances are it broke apart before impact.
Rick Elphic, LADEE project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, said in a statement, "There's nothing gentle about impact at these speeds – it's just a question of whether LADEE made a localized craterlet on a hillside or scattered debris across a flat area. It will be interesting to see what kind of feature LADEE has created."
LADEE's main mission was to collect data on the lunar atmosphere, including its structure and composition, as well as collect lunar dust samples. Data collected by the spacecraft could also solve the mystery of the pre-sunrise glow observed by Apollo astronauts.
NASA had some fun with the scheduled LADEE lunar impact and launched the "Take the Plunge" challenge which let the public guess when the spacecraft would crash into the moon. For those who guessed between 12:30 and 1:22 a.m. EDT (9:30 and 10:22 p.m. PDT) NASA will send out a special certificate.
Based on preliminary data, it is believed LADEE may have crashed into the east rim of Sundman V crater, located on the far side of the moon. After determining the exact impact site, NASA plans on sending the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to observe LADEE's final resting place.
Source : http://www.ibtimes.com/nasa-ladee-spacecraft-rests-pieces-far-side-moon-following-planned-crash-1573894
