LADEE, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, is about to make a hard landing on the moon. The spacecraft was launched toward our lunar companion Sept. 6. Since it reached its destination, the orbiting laboratory has circled our natural satellite, searching the dust hovering just above the moon.
On Apri 11, mission engineers will command the spacecraft to carry out its final orbital correction, lowering the orbit of LADEE. Four days later, the spacecraft will witness a total lunar eclipse. Conditions the spacecraft will encounter during this event could cause the propulsion system aboard the orbiting laboratory to freeze and burst, destroying the craft.
The $100 million dollar mission is about out of fuel needed to keep the low orbit from decaying. LADEE is expected to crash into the dark side of the moon, well away from artifacts from the moon landings 40 years ago.
Before the lunar explorer meets its demise, mission managers have one last maneuver in mind for LADEE. They intend to take the craft in low -- less than two miles above the surface of the moon -- to sample conditions at a similar cruising altitude a small plane would use.
"There is a chance that we could clip a mountain accidentally, but the risk is pretty low for that. And really, the value of the science that we can do with this attempt is worth this risk," project manager Butler Hine of the Ames Research Center told reporters during a conference call on April 3.
LADEE was the first spacecraft designed and built entirely "in house" by the Ames Research Center. The craft was the first to successfully test a new laser-based communications system, which was shown to transfer data six times faster than radio.
The exact time of impact is unknown, and many factors could affect the moment LADEE will crash onto the moon. Mountain ranges, valleys, craters and other features will slightly alter the gravitational tug on the craft as it races just above the surface, testing the thin lunar atmosphere.
"The moon's gravity field is so lumpy, and the terrain is so highly variable with crater ridges and valleys, that frequent maneuvers are required or the LADEE spacecraft will impact the moon's surface," Hine said.
NASA announced the "Take the Plunge" contest, encouraging people to guess when the spacecraft will crash onto the lunar surface. The contest asks people to guess the day, hour and minute at which LADEE will strike the lunar surface. Winners will be sent a certificate from the space agency. Entries are due by 6 p.m. EDT on April 11.
