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Science & Technology
Europe's first moon probe ends mission with a bang
2006-09-04
Europe's first moon probe signed off its mission on schedule by crashing into the lunar surface on Sunday, completing a project scientists hope will tell them more about the moon's origin. A small flash illuminated the lunar surface as the European Space Agency's (ESA) unmanned SMART-1 spacecraft crashed into the near side of the moon in the 'Lake of Excellence' region at about 7,200 km per hour (4,500 miles per hour).

The spacecraft, a cube measuring around a meter on each side, tested new space technology during its 3-year mission, and has spent the last 16 months observing the moon and gathering information on its composition.

"The measurements by SMART-1 call into question the theories concerning the moon's violent origin and evolution," SMART-1 project scientist Bernard Foing said on ESA's website.
AHA! The moon is a European, peaceful and serene, not one of those idiot neocon American Nazi Imperialists!! This proves we're right and the AmeriKKKans are wrong. neener neener!!!!! Whoo hoo - this calls for an all out celebration. Break out the organic, Brussels-approved grape juice, Heinz.

The moon may have formed from the impact of a Mars-sized asteroid with the Earth 4.5 billion years ago, ESA said.

"SMART-1 has mapped large and small impact craters, studied the volcanic and tectonic processes that shaped the moon, unveiled the mysterious poles, and investigated sites for future exploration," Foing said.

The spacecraft, which weighed 366 kg (807 lb), carried a miniaturized imaging camera, an X-ray telescope and an infrared spectrometer to seek out minerals.

SMART-1 also tested new deep-space communication techniques for spacecraft and techniques to achieve autonomous spacecraft navigation. Scientists will now begin analyzing the mass of data acquired by the spacecraft.

"The legacy left by the huge wealth of SMART-1 data, to be analyzed in the months and years to come, is a precious contribution to lunar science at a time when exploration to the moon is once again getting the world's interest," said Foing.
Wealth !!! WEALTH, I tell you. Take THAT you annoying Yankees who landed on that rock decades ago. Try to catch up with us NOW!!!
NASA is planning a manned mission to the moon for 2020 at the latest.
Staging area for proofing technology and stockpiling materials before heading for Mars.
Posted by:lotp

#4  Sci. Am. hasn't been any good since Martin Gardner left.
Posted by: Eric Jablow   2006-09-04 19:36  

#3  There was an article in Scientific Unamerican about how entanglement did not violate Einstein's postulate regarding the speed of light.
Posted by: Perfesser   2006-09-04 13:51  

#2  No, Anonymoose. That's not how quantum mechanics works. You can't use that effect to communicate anything faster than light. When you measure partcle A's spin for the first time, particle B will have the opposite spin when you measure it, but you can't force particle A to spin up and therefore force particle B to spin down. QM isn't that spooky.

You can use this for quantum cryptography. You designate before hand a subset of the photons you send as the key for a later message. You measure your photons' spins, and you get the key. If no one intercepts the photons on their way to your correspondant, then they get the inverse of your key, and you're set. If anyone intercepts either the key or the actual message, then it randomizes the message, and no one gets any useful information.

You only use a small proportion of the photons you send for the key so an interceptor can't figure out the key from your transmission even if he intercepts it.

QM entanglement does not imply faster-than-light information transfer.
Posted by: Eric Jablow   2006-09-04 12:01  

#1  The amusing thing about this mission was the ion drive. Early on, it proved to be working, which resulted in a big stimulus to making better ion drive.

So before it had gotten anywhere near the Moon, they had already invented one or two generations more advanced and efficient engines.

The next ion-drive launch will probably be for a probe that is a lot larger and going a lot further.

Right now there is a ton of research going into creating a J.S. Bell(*) communications device, which can communicate instantly over vast distances. If that is a success, then we will be throwing big, ion-drive probes outside of the solar system on all sorts of missions.

(*) When the matched spin of one of a matched pair of particles is changed, the spin of the other one changes, no matter where it is located. Thus a probe outside our solar system could send equivalent to faster-than-light transmissions by changing the spin of its single particles, and their matched twins back on Earth would also change. Instructions could also be sent back to the probe this way, and there would be no need for massive antennas and huge bursts of energy to do so.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2006-09-04 11:28  

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